The weather is hot, the kids are hanging around the house, and you're wondering how to get away from it all on a tight family budget. The last few years have been financially tough for those who love summer travel. While staycations -- vacations where you stay at home -- may be cheap, they don't let you disconnect from your daily household routine. If you're really looking to get out of town, then pack your bags and try these travel tips.

1. Get your travel budget in gear.

There's no sense dreaming of a backpacking adventure around Europe if just buying the backpack strains your travel budget. It pays to do the simple math before booking your trip to know what you can afford. Start by setting yourself a daily budget for hotel, meals, and activities, and then decide how far your money will take you.

If you're new to budgeting, get the details in 3 Steps to Starting a Simple Budget and How to Track Your Expenses -- both articles have free downloads to get you started.

2. Search for online coupons.

Many airlines, car rental companies, restaurants, and hotels offer secret online coupons to web-savvy shoppers, with discounts ranging from 5% to 50%. So don't book a thing until you've searched online for promotional codes and travel coupons. Here's how to do it:

1. Open a web browser and launch your favourite search engine.
2. Enter the retailer name, and then enter the words coupon code.
3. View several results to see if the online coupons or promotional codes are valid.
4. Try the coupon or promotional code in your online shopping cart.

If you're still looking for web travel deals then try these 8 Stealth Ways to Uncover Big Savings with Secret Online Coupons.

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"Your currency is strongest at home" and "buying currency outside a country is always more costly than buying it inside said country." You've heard them both. But which outweighs which?

With the exception of a lengthy remote backpacking trip, I would recommend exchanging enough cash before you take off to pay for the predictable arrival activities like cabs, buses and any airport duties at your destination. 

Other than that, I have found that buying local can often lead to more in your pocket than exchanging money here at home in advance.  But you should do research on exchange rates as part of your trip planning activities. 

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Contact your destination hotel and ask what their rates are, if there are any service fees for exchange, and compare their answers to what your bank or local currency exchange office has to offer today. 
2. Then do the same thing with a currency exchanger near your local hotel, and compare.
3. Now call your credit card and see what rates they're using.

You will often find that using your credit cards offers the cheapest and quickest exchange rate of all.  Even with a 2.5% conversion fee on top of the exchange rate, American express (for example) still has an overall better rate than some banks (for amounts under $1,000) with the added bonuses of no line ups at the currency exchange, no identification to haul around, it’s automatic, secure and your purchases are likely insured.  It's yet another case for the fantastic tools credit cards are in the arsenal of an effective household CFO.

Getting away for the holidays or travelling across the country to visit friends and family can be an exciting, yet expensive time. To get to your destination in the most frugal fashion, consider these five travel tips before packing a bag or flying south for the winter.

1. Be aware of excess baggage fees.

Don't step foot in an airport this holiday season without knowing your airline's baggage allowances for checked and carry-on luggage. Many airlines have changed their luggage rules this year, so don't pay the price for overpacking.

For travel within Canada, Air Canada allows one checked bag with a maximum weight of 50lbs. A second checked bag will cost you $20 each way, and packing an overweight bag (50-70lbs) is a hefty $75 charge. See Air Canada's Checked Baggage Rules for luggage restrictions based on your fare, destination, and date of travel.

WestJet also charges a $20 fee for checking a second bag on domestic flights and a $75 fee for baggage exceeding 50lbs. But review WestJet's Checked and Excess Baggage Rules first, because guests with flights booked prior to November 3, 2010 are permitted a second bag at no charge.

Download this free Travel Checklist and Packing List to help you pack the essentials.

2. Use a luggage shipping service.

For those who must fly with everything (including the kitchen sink) consider shipping your wares with a luggage shipping service rather than paying the airline's excess baggage fees. You could save a few bucks since shipping services charge based on size and weight, while airlines charge a flat fee for any baggage exceeding their limits, even if you're over by only a little bit.

A luggage shipping service often picks up your luggage at home and drops it off at your destination, usually via UPS, FedEx, or DHL. Plus, you can take public transportation and save on cab fare and car rentals since you'll be travelling light. The SeatGuru website (by Trip Advisor) lets you compare the cost of various shipping services, or call for a quote from Canadian-based Skyluggage.ca.

3. Travel with unwrapped gifts.

If you're playing Santa in another province or country, be sure to travel with your gifts unwrapped. Security officers in Canada, and the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) may have to unwrap gifts if they need to take a closer look, so ship wrapped gifts ahead of time or wait until reaching your destination to wrap them. Having to rewrap any gift costs additional gift wrap paper, bows, and time.

4. Pack your own food, bring a water bottle.

Resist the temptation to dine at airport restaurants and don't get stuck buying food on board your flight if you're on a tight travel budget. Airports charge outrageous fees for simple snacks, so travelling with kids in tow can get costly quickly.

Menus on most WestJet flights are limited to snacks and sandwiches priced from $2.25 to $6.50, while food on board Air Canada flights ranges from $3 to $7 per item. Packing your own meals and snacks helps keep family food costs down, and bringing water bottles to refill once through security can easily save $3 per person over buying bottled water.

5. Skip rental car insurance?

Check with your car insurance or credit card company before paying for rental car insurance -- you may already be covered. British Columbia drivers with ICBC's RoadStar package have insurance coverage for rental vehicles, and certain Visa credit cards are eligible for insurance coverage when the card is used to pay for the full cost of the rental.

For example, if renting a medium-sized car through Budget in Toronto, you could save around $25 a day on insurance if you're already covered.

Your Turn: What's your trick for cutting costs on holiday travel?

Kerry K. Taylor writes at Squawkfox.com, a blog where frugal living is fun. Kerry is the author of 397 Ways To Save Money: Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less.

Are you feeling like winter will never end? At this time of year when the winter blahs are catching, the best remedy is a little sun, sand and surf. But if a beach holiday is beyond your budget, there are lots of fun activities you can do at home that will bring the sunshine to you. Try a few of these hot ideas to help you make it through to spring.

Host a Hawaiian theme party. Say an early “Aloha” to spring! Invite friends over, welcoming them with leis and fruity umbrella drinks—try Michael’s for party supplies. Serve pineapple, mango, banana bread, and other luau delights, and be sure to check the Save-On-Foods, Loblaws and Sobey’s flyers for weekly specials. Don’t forget the loud, brightly coloured shirts!

Plan a sunshine movie night. Watch movies set in sunny locales. Try the recent Couples Retreat or old favourites like Shirley Valentine, Cocktail, Summer Rental and more—see the Wal-Mart flyer for movie deals. Then just add shorts, flip flops and snacks.

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