As the summer travel season peaks, budget-conscious travelers are facing what seems to be a perfect storm — continued increases in gasoline prices combined with rising hotel room rates.

Additionally, the Travel Industry Association predicts a 1.4 percent increase in summer leisure travel in 2007, which also adds to the budget crunch. Higher demand often can mean higher prices for airline tickets and hotel rooms. Despite these factors, travelers who pair a little flexibility with savvy “know how” when researching online can avoid paying peak prices.

Try utilizing the tips below to maximize your summer vacation dollar this season:

1. Research Your Trip in Advance online

Over 63 million people turned to the Internet this year to plan and book their travel. Online travel sites often highlight destinations which offer the best savings during the summer months, serving as a virtual guide to vacation-hopefuls. CheapTickets.com, for instance, offers an extremely useful feature this season called the “Cheapometer” report, which reviewed advance hotel bookings for the summer months in order to suggest the best travel times and destinations for summer.

2. Go Global

While Europe has earned a reputation as a budget-buster, there are hotel deals to be had in the summer. The CheapTickets.com report identifies July as a month for special savings available in countries including Spain, France, and Germany. Think about Eastern Europe versus the more traveled Western countries for hotel and vacation package savings. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are eager for more tourists to visit.

3. Migrate South

Off-season summer destinations such as Aruba (which is outside the hurricane belt) and St. Martin offer travelers more bang for their buck. The trade winds make these tropical hot spots a cool deal in August.

4. Add Adventure

The Travel Industry Association noted that 98 million U.S citizens have enjoyed adventure oriented vacations since 2002. If you can defer your trip to September, join these trailblazers in eco-friendly Hawaii, where the shoulder season still offers nice weather, but prices aren’t at their peak. With the kids back in school, explorers are free to scuba dive and white water raft the day away, and then retire to their island bungalow for an evening under the stars.

5. Don’t Beat the Heat – Join it!

While many travelers are scared off by domestic “hotspots,” as summer destinations, cool pools and hot culture, combined with great savings, make these locales well worth investigating. During July and August destinations such as Phoenix and New Orleans offer real value to travelers, as they look to attract summer visitors. Special online packages combining flights and hotel stays can even make flying a better value than driving.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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