Working through vacation travel finance and trying to balance the books to get the highest value out of every dollar is exacting work.

But asking a few questions in the right places can cut travel costs significantly if you are prepared to do a little research when planning a trip.

The widely held belief that you need a lot of money to travel does put a lot of people off even thinking about taking some time out. Certainly you need some money - you won't go far without it, but you can travel ?light? with limited funds if you are prepared to be resourceful. Just a couple of real cash saving ideas could be to enquire about repositioning rental cars to another city for the hire car company which means big cash savings if you're on the spot at the right moment. Also late night aircraft repositioning flights can mean a highly discounted fare for you if you know how to go about it. There are heaps of other ways to save money if you are prepared to get on the telephone and talk to the right people.

From a very humble low-budget weekend to the most expensive international holiday, the choices available are never-ending.

The colorful travel brochures though have a tendancy to get the imagination going and the practical side of affordability flys out the window - then money becomes a real issue.

We can't continually beat ourselves up for longing for a Greek Island cruise or maybe taking the family for a month's vacation in Tahiti this summer knowing all the time that the money simply isn't available to have that kind of holiday. But wait! Although the money isn't available right now does that mean those holidays will always be denied you? The answer to that is going to surprise you - and it is a resounding - no!

If that's the kind of holiday you yearn for then let's look at ways that will perhaps make it possible.

About the only thing you need to start is a goal and a determination to achieve it to get you on your way. One other thing, you need is an open mind and the willingness to approach things a little differently to the way you have in the past. It's a little like saying be prepared to think outside the square.

Now, this is where it starts getting interesting because there are alternatives to settling for the less attractive holiday option and I'm going to share some of those ideas with you.

Take a look at accommodation for example, perhaps the most costly part of any vacation especially when we're talking about going abroad. I've mentioned Tahiti, but it could be anywhere, Europe, Australia, Asia, just think of a place you've always wanted to go to - (and I'm not talking about time-share). When you go to the website (there's a link at the foot of this story) download the free report on how to 'Say Goodbye to Holiday Accommodation Costs Forever' you will never go back to the old way of arranging holiday accommodation again! So that's the first idea for you, now here's another. Thousands of travelers now are attracted to cruising and the numbers are increasing every year. Why is that? Well, of all possible alternatives out there cruising would have to be the tidiest. Certainly less stressful than air travel with connections, check-ins, check-outs, transfers, luggage handling, jet lag, delays and on it goes. So if time is not an issue, and it shouldn't be on a vacation, cruising offers great value for what it delivers. The costs of cruising would be comparable generally on a daily basis with staying in a shore based five star hotel. But I'm trying to save you money here and again you will get all the clues on the website about how you can cruise free. Yes I said free! And as they say in all the ads - but wait there's more! - and there is - this is a great opportunity to take along your spouse, partner or friend also and the really good news about that is they will cruise free as well - can you believe that?

Remember to 'think outside the square' all this is not only possible for you but is working for thousands of others worldwide right now.

So to sum up - you now have two alternatives. You can either stay with your original local holiday, and that's fine, or you can learn all about how you can start planning for an extended international family holiday with free accommodation. When that's 'in the bag' immediately start the groundwork to cruise free anywhere in the world together with your spouse, partner or friend who also cruises free. Again there's a link to the website at the foot of this story that will take you directly to our page to give you more information.

These are proven techniques that thousands of travelers, including myself, have used for years but which are unknown to the wider travel fraternity unless you have the right contacts in the 'right' places.

These strategies work - I use them, so start packing and have a fabulous holiday - you've earned it!

Copyright 2008 Konrad Carlson