Car rentals

When to worry: At the time of booking; use auction sites, avoid tiny cars
I have my own strategy for getting good car rental deals. My only rule is to avoid truly tiny cars, unless I am traveling alone and will not be in the car very much. (Of course, if the car is serving largely as an "airport and back" vehicle, then get the cheapest car you can, irrespective of size.)

When not to worry: Upgrades at the counter
You can often game the system by booking a subcompact car as cheaply as possible, and then requesting (or accepting an offered) upgrade at the rental counter. The upgrade will often be "x additional dollars," but if you used some of my tactics for getting a very cheap rental in the first place, this is still only x dollars over a very low starting price. (Do keep in mind, however, that a larger car will also cost you more in gas.)

Traveling internationally

When to worry: Upon arrival, and when getting and unloading cash
Despite a little rally this past week, the dollar remains at record lows at many popular destinations worldwide. There are two primary culprits to avoid in this environment: exchange desk fees and ATM fees.

With respect to exchange desks, you get hit both coming and going — the exchange rates are worse than you'll find anywhere else, and they take a commission as well. There is no real reason to use an exchange desk anymore; simply avoid them by getting all your money at an ATM. However, if you are not careful, ATM fees can pack quite a wallop as well. When traveling internationally, the local ATM will likely charge you a fee, as will your bank back home. There are two tactics to beat this — first, use no-fee ATMs whenever you can find them; second, take out enough cash on each trip to the ATM so you don't have to keep going back every day, fees racking up with every card swipe.

When not to worry: In your day-to-day travels
When traveling overseas, don't worry too much about your most mundane expenses such as snacks, transportation or a visit to the best attractions; you'll drive yourself and your traveling companions nuts. I once had a budget-fussy traveling companion, and eventually had to go my own way at least once every day in order not to miss out on everything to save a few pazooties.

Attractions, shows and tickets

When to worry: When coupon-clipping looks promising
Tourist bureaus are a largely untapped source of discounts on attractions great and small, famous and obscure, and most tourist bureaus have a passable Web presence these days, so they're not hard to find. With a little research, coupons here and there can start to add up. More sources of locals-only discounts:

• Coupons and offers show up in daily and weekly local publications that no outsider would usually see; pick up a few local papers (often for free) at delis, convenience stores and other small establishments.
• Travelzoo has a new Shows and Events section.
• Consult with fellow travelers on money-saving tactics. For example, type "Disney on the cheap" into a search engine and you'll find dozens of great ideas, such as these from USA Today.

When not to worry: At big-ticket attractions
Finding good deals on popular attractions can be tricky business, and let's face it — if you're going to Disney, you're going to Disney — it's not like the special on pony rides at the local petting farm is going to make its way onto your radar. But that doesn't mean you can't find discounted tickets to Disney from the local tourist bureau — check out OrlandoInfo.com for the proof.

Families

When to worry: When you're not dividing by four, but multiplying by four
When traveling as a family, it's the sheer numbers that will put the hurt on your budget; airfares may be low, but four or five times pretty much any budget airfare puts you into the four-figure range. Luckily, some of the tactics noted above are perfectly suited to traveling together as a family — for example, keeping car rental upgrade costs under control and saving on breakfast at the hotel.

When not to worry: When researching deals
Many resorts, hotels and attractions offer family deals — in some cases, you can even get discounts on kids' airfares. Check out the Discount Family Vacation Deals section of our Bargain Box for current deals, and browse our Family Travel Resources for more ideas on how to find them. You can do extremely well with a little research.

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