More for your travel dollars

Times are tight but you're still planning to take that family vacation this summer.

Here are some tips on how to save some money:

-- Get the hotel to clear out your room's mini-bar or lock it: Otherwise, every time junior opens the door, you may get dinged for a drink.

-- Ask for a mini-refrigerator: You can store breakfast fixings and restaurant leftovers.

-- Get on a list: Whether it's a hotel, airline or cruise line, people who sign up for frequent-guest or frequent-flier programs and e-mail alerts get the deals first. Just by belonging to a loyalty program, you can get respect at the front desk, including upgrades.

-- Watch for freebies: Breakfast, resort credits, kids-eat-free and other specials can subtract hundreds from your vacation budget.

-- Book early: Last-minute deals are great for people who can go off-season or don't much care whether they get two rooms or four berths or two beds. As a family, that's probably not you. To get what you want, when you want it, at an affordable price, plan ahead.

-- Check out free attractions: In Washington, D.C., entry is free at more than a dozen Smithsonian Institution facilities, including the National Zoo, National Air and Space Museum and National Museum of Natural History. In London, most major museums and art galleries, including the British Museum, are free to visit. Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo is also a worthy freebie.

-- Look for something new to do at old familiar places: Liven up a visit to family with a side trip to a park or attraction you've not seen before. The newly updated book "Off the Beaten Path," which contains maps, has scores of ideas and tells whether you can expect an admission charge.

-- Book a package: With airfare, hotel and rental car wrapped together, you can shave costs. The reason? The sellers don't have to disclose who gave the discount, so they can keep advertising higher rates to the general public.

-- Travel midweek to resort locations: Rooms that go for hundreds on weekends often sit vacant on weekdays, discounted by 20 percent or more.

-- Stay in business destinations on the weekends: When the road warriors go home, hotel prices sometimes drop, making them affordable, although often slightly off the beaten path.

-- Consider a hostel: These budget, dormlike accommodations aren't just for starving students anymore. Many now offer family rooms; some even have private baths. Check out the options at Hostelling International USA, www.hiusa.org.

-- Take the train: Sleeping accommodations aren't cheap, but you can avoid them by snoozing in your seat or, better yet, taking day trips.

-- Consider "attractions cards": One company, Smart Destinations (www.smartdestinations.com), lets you buy one card with dozens of attractions (Go Card) or one card with three attractions (Explorer Pass). They're available for most major cities and can be bought online.

-- Look for coupon codes. For attractions, Google the name of the place and "coupon code" or "discount." That tactic recently uncovered a two-for-one admission (now expired) at Washington's National Museum of Crime & Punishment that saved nearly $20 off the adult admission price.

-- Check bargain e-mail newsletters: SmarterTravel.com offers great bargain advice, of course, but look also at some of the broader Web sites such as Dealtaker.com, which periodically lists travel specials.

-- Eat before you leave: By feeding the kids, you can minimize trips to overpriced theme park snack bars and restaurants. If you can bring food from home, pack your own lunches, drinks, etc.