Summer vacation travel: Ways to save money

Summer vacation is usually splurge time. That one or two weeks of the year when most meals end with a check, suitcases are stuffed with souvenir sweatshirts and parents say yes to a double-scoop with extra toppings - before lunch.

This year, skyrocketing airfares and gas prices will eat up more of the budget, forcing travelers to hunt for bargains in other areas to keep up their vacation standards. Some money-saving ideas:

Gamble on Hotwire.com's Hot Rates and Priceline.com's Name-Your-Own-Price service.

In my book, there simply are no better sites for consistently snagging a hotel or car-rental bargain, especially last-minute.

There is an element of risk, because you have no idea which four-star hotel you're going to check into. You get to pick pretty much everything else: the star level, the neighborhood, the price and the dates. The two sites work a little differently - you bid the price you want to pay on Priceline's name-your-own-price service, and you pick from a predetermined price on Hotwire's Hot Rates. In both cases you don't know the name of the hotel before you pay for it.

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