Here it is, Spring--mostly? But more importantly, Spring Break is upon us, and that means travel! It's way too easy to spend a bunch of money during a vacation, but we've got some ideas tohelp you save so there will be as much green in your wallet as in the trees.

Plan in Advance Whenever Possible

The number one enemy of your wallet when you're traveling is surprises. When you aren't expecting something to happen, resolving the issue usually costs money straight out of your pocket.

While you don't want to micromanage your entire vacay, planning out things like flight/airport times, hotel check-in/check-out times, restaurant reservations, and park/event passes can keep you from being charged extra along the way.

Go Incognito For Searching

It's a nifty trick: when you're looking for flights and hotels, the most popular searching websites use cookies that keep track of the things you search for and, in some cases, can affect the pricing you're shown.

Skirt the system by using a private or incognito mode in your browser whenever you're searching for reservations!

Midweek Travel is the BEST

No, really--take advantage of your Spring Break schedule and travel in the middle of the week. This will likely mean fewer people traveling at the same time as you which means less chaos and shorter wait times. Win!

Double win? Because midweek travel isn't as in high-demand as weekend travel, you can often get much better deals for flights and hotels! 

You Don't Have to Dine Out

If you get a hotel room with a fridge and a microwave (which are fairly common and not terribly expensive), you can bring some of your own snacks and drinks and save some cash.

Just remember that you might want to pack some paper plates and plastic silverware just in case--preplanning never hurts.

Find Things to Do For Free

At any given time, most cities have events going on, often completely free or very affordable. Before you take your trip, check the city and town websites near your destination. Many of them will have calendars of the events you may otherwise never know about: block parties, concerts, festivals, fairs.

If city calendars are coming up empty, check local radio stations as well--many organizations promote their events through local radio, and these are often listed on the websites!

Spring Break is about fun--it shouldn't be about going broke!