Yes You Can!: Travel With Ease and Without Guilt

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You know you love it...travel, that is. But it's expensive--there's no way around that. Now, I'm not against breaking the bank for a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but here are some tips to make your money (and time!) go farther.

1. You've heard about it, but now it's here. Virgin America is cool, but it's also driving rates down around the country. Get in line soon--once this get's out, the plush seats will be filled!

2. Bring your own food. No, they're not going to tell you that you can bring your own food on a plane. But you know that lunch you pack for work most days? Well, if you make yourself one for the trip, you won't face the choice of shelling out at least $5 for a dry roll, some cheese, and an old chocolate, or starving. Too bad we can't make it a BYOB!

3. Don't shop duty free...unless you've done your homework. So you just couldn't avoid the 11 hour layover in Taipei...in the middle of the night. And the shops are colorful, and browsing gives you something to do. I know; I've been there. But RESIST. Many duty free products are as expensive or more expensive than they are other places. If you think you might want to shop duty free, price your items other places before you get to the airport, just to be sure you're getting a deal.

4. Renting a car just got cheaper. Simply Wheelz is Hertz' new discount car rental. With rates as low as $94 a week, it's definitely worth the time it takes to check out. Of course, conditions apply. But there's always the hope that they'll apply in your favor.

5. Make it easier on your kids by doing whatever it is they'll need to make the flight easier. There are recommendations all over the internet, but the truth is that you know your kid and what he needs. So do it for him (you'll be happier and so will the people around you). And, if you're flying internationally, make sure you buy them a ticket!

6. Check the security wait time before you go to the airport. Seriously, there's no need to get there and sit. TSA finally did something right.

7. Have some idea of what you want to see and do, and how you want to go about it. If you want to see two things next to each other, it's better to know that before you see either than two days after you've seen one. Sure, things come up. You hear two locals talking and just have to see what the fuss is about. But for the most part, look at the guidebooks before you get there. If you're determining your trip by yourself, the airplane ride is a great place to do this.

8. Get your passport early.

9. Have fun! There are a million ways to make a trip miserable. Think about the time your aunt spent her entire vacation worrying about missing the flight home because of a transit strike or the time you missed all the good food in Mexico because you were afraid of Montezuma. Eat. Drink. Experience. The more memories you make, the less you will struggle with guilt over how much it cost.

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