Money saving ways to still go on vacation

— -- It's not too late to sneak in a little summer vacation or plan a post-Labor Day getaway — despite the jittery economy and higher travel costs that may have kept you home.

Domestic airfares are 5% higher on average than last August, Travelocity's booking data show. International fares are about 10% higher. As of June, hotel room rates were 3.5% higher than a year ago as business travelers hit the road again the past year, data from Smith Travel Research say. And airlines plan to keep fares up by cutting back on the number of seats they fly in the fall, a traditionally slow travel period.

However, the travel industry still struggles to recover from the recession-driven downturn in travel. As a result, it's offering plenty of deals for would-be vacationers if they're savvy to dollar-stretching tricks that veteran travelers have learned and know how to navigate new online tools and smartphone apps.

Industry experts and USA TODAY's travel reporters and Road Warriors, a panel of frequent travelers, provide some money-saving tips, insight and advice to make a vacation more affordable.

Airfares

Which days to fly; when to buy

•If possible, fly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, when fares are cheapest, says Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com, which monitors fares. Conversely, Monday, Friday and Sunday are the most expensive, as business travelers, who are less price-sensitive than vacationers, frequently leave or return home.

•The cheapest time to shop for domestic fares is 3 p.m. ET on Tuesdays, he says. Airlines release sale fares frequently on Tuesdays. For international tickets, the cheapest days to fly are Monday through Thursday.

•If you're traveling as a group, Seaney recommends getting a quote for all travelers in your party and one for an extra person. If the single-person quote is cheaper, that means there are a few cheaper seats. You may consider two separate purchases: one for the number of cheaper seats and then one at the higher amount. This "occurs because airline reservation systems have a quirk that everyone must be at the same price, even if there are a few cheaper seats available," Seaney says.

•If your airline charges for seat assignments at the time of purchase, wait until online check-in begins — usually 24 hours before your flight — and get one for free, says Matt Daimler of Seatguru.com, a website that charts aircraft seating.

For example, AirTran charges $6 for each leg of a flight for a coach seat. "I set my calendar to remind me at exactly 24 hours before the flight, and I haven't had a problem getting an aisle or window of my choice," Daimler says.

•Don't assume that major search sites — Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia — all have the same fares, says George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog.com. Their fares can vary widely, especially on international routes.

•Check airline websites individually. Airlines, particularly small U.S. carriers or international airlines, increasingly are releasing "private" sales to draw bargain hunters to their own websites. Spirit Airlines frequently has a penny, $1 and other deeply discounted fares only on its site, Hobica says.

Also sign up for airline deal alerts and newsletters, such as Southwest's Ding fares or American Airlines' DealFinder.

•Clear the "cookies" on your Internet browser after each shopping search if you're checking fares throughout the day, Hobica says. If a fare is lowered, some travel shopping sites may still show the higher fares you viewed earlier rather than the new lower results. Airlines can update domestic fares three times a day during the week. Many airlines will refund the difference if a fare goes down. But make sure to ask if there are any "service" fees, which can be as high as $150 for domestic fares, Hobica says.

Hotels

Extra discounts; flash-sale deals

•Once you find a room rate, call the hotel directly and ask for a discount, recommends Bjorn Hanson of New York University's Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management. Because rooms are an inventory that expires each night, hotels are often willing to accommodate your request — provided you're being somewhat reasonable.

Call the hotel directly to negotiate, not the chain's toll-free number. "Sometimes people are embarrassed to ask, but you're not asking them to go out on a date," he says.

•Fans of Priceline's Name Your Own Price auction should consider letting TheBiddingTraveler.com automate their bids, recommends Dennis Schaal, a USA TODAY contributing travel writer.

The BiddingTraveler provides advice for manual bidding or submits bids on your behalf. Once you enter a "lowball" bid and a "final offer," its AutoBid starts bidding with your lowest offer. It automatically raises your bid in increments until one is accepted or the highest offer is rejected.

•Flash-sale sites, such as Groupon Getaways, Overstock's Vacations, Living Social and Yuupon, also offer deals, though many of them aren't as unique or enticing as advertised. You can often find similar deals on other shopping sites, but they are another option. You'll have a redemption period, usually up to a year, to redeem, says Adam Anderson of Expedia, which partners with Groupon.

•Consider upgrades if you're traveling as a family, says Andrew Young of Travelzoo. Upgrade options, which can range from $10 to $50, can often land larger living spaces, such as corner rooms and suites. It's often cheaper than booking a second room. Upgrades often offer incentives, such as free breakfast, for nominal fees.

•For those wondering if a vacation rental might be cheaper than a hotel, TripAdvisor has a vacation rentals calculator to compare the costs, says Justin Drake, a spokesman for the travel site known mostly for its reviews.

•Customers seeking a hotel room the same day may consider a smartphone app called Hotel Tonight, Schaal says. Unlike Priceline, you can find out the name of the hotel before you buy. When Schaal tested it recently, he found it had better rates than competitor sites three times out of four.

Rental cars

Hotel shuttles, prepay deals help

•If you arrive in the evening at a hotel near the airport, consider waiting a day to rent a car by having a hotel shuttle pick you up at the airport, says business traveler Ken Holloway. And have it give you a ride back to the rental car agency the next day.

Some airport hotel shuttles also give rides to shops and your nearby business meeting destination.

•Four big companies — Avis, Budget, Hertz and Alamo — offer prepay discounts on their websites if you agree to pay in advance of rental. Discounts typically range from 10% to 15%. The downside of prepaying is that you incur a fee if you cancel. If you change your reservation, you have to pay the difference. And if you're owed credit, you're not likely refunded for several days.

•Whenever possible, rent from off-airport locations, where rates can be much cheaper, says Neil Abrams, a rental car industry consultant. Airport sites often add fees and surcharges that are collected to pay for construction and other civic projects.

"Kansas City (International Airport) is the worst offender," says David Frisbie, who travels frequently for his job as a family counselor.

•Book your reservation as early as possible, because most major rental companies do not charge cancellation or change fees. If the rates drop, cancel the old reservation and re-book. "You can do this as often as you want," Abrams says.

•If you're renting for several days, make sure to compare prices for a week-long rental. Companies often offer incentives for longer rentals or weekend specials, and tacking on an extra two or three days may bring the per-day cost down considerably, Young of Travelzoo says.

Other tips

Bank fees, roaming charges hurt

•Before traveling abroad, ask your bank if it has international partners where ATM fees are waived, recommends Rana Walker of AirPlus International, a travel payment company. Using an ATM for cash withdrawal is often cheaper than exchanging currency.

The partners for Bank of America's "Global ATM Alliance" include Scotiabank in Canada, Barclays in Britain, Deutsche bank, BNP Paribas in France and Westpac in the South Pacific, says Ed Perkins, author of Business Travel: When It's Your Money.

•Consider getting a credit card that doesn't charge foreign currency exchange fees, which range from 1% to 3%. For example, Capital One cards don't charge such fees.

•When you leave the country, don't forget to turn off the data roaming on your cellphone even if you don't plan on using it. Smartphones often "push" download updates, messages and features automatically, incurring data charges.

•Get an app for foreign travel, such as Skype or Google Voice, that lets you call at Wi-Fi hot spots for little or no charge, Perkins recommends.

Business traveler Jerry Scott, who travels frequently to Thailand, bought a cheap cellphone in the country and uses a prepaid SIM card to call the U.S.

•Several websites and apps, such as GasBuddy.com and Fuel Finder, can point you to nearby stations with lower gasoline prices.

While it's not worth driving a few miles out of your way to save $1 or $2 for a fill-up, the apps can be helpful on long car trips as you travel down the highway.

"Instead of filling up in town A, you can go 10 miles farther and go to town B to save. Just wait an extra 10 minutes," says Jason Toews, co-founder of GasBuddy.com.

•Restaurants and shops at airports and near tourist destinations are signing up with location-based services, such as Foursquare and Gowalla, to offer special deals and coupons when you "check in," says Norm Rose, a travel technology consultant.

•GateGuru, a smartphone app that provides detailed information on 115 airports, has partnered with retailers and restaurants to offer coupons at stores near your gate.