Once you know which specific cruise you want, you can enter dates, preferred ship and other details at CruiseCompete.com, which passes along your request to consolidators and online agencies that will then e-mail you their best prices.

$avings potential: Some cruises -- even from luxury brands -- cost 75 percent less than in years past. Three-night Caribbean cruises are available for as little as $200 per person, double.

TRAVEL ABROAD

You'd think closer would be cheaper, but it's not always so. Winter is off-season for Europe and other non-tropical destinations, so you can expect savings on airfare, hotels and tours. The greenback is gaining against the euro, and doing even better in Australia, Canada and Iceland. Another money-savvy practice: choose a destination where currency is pegged to the U.S. dollar, like Barbados, Hong Kong, the Maldives and Jordan.

The best deals are usually on packaged trips that combine airfare and hotel; check companies like Go-today.com, American Airlines Vacations, Virgin Vacations and SmarTours. (For more packages, see more members of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, www.ustoa.com.)

$avings potential: According to the U.S. Tour Operators Association, only 5 percent of Americans say they buy vacation packages. Yet they found that travelers save an average 20-30 percent when buying the same arrangements in a vacation package or tour rather than on their own.

LAST-MINUTE DEALS

Last-minute offers faded away during better times, but now they're making a comeback on hotels and cruises. Expect to see them on tours and airfare as well. How to find them?

Sign up for last-minute airfare deals at SmarterLiving.com, which will send you a weekly e-newsletter, and at individual airline sights. Take advantage of cancellations and unsold inventory on SkyAuction.com, Moments-Notice.com and LastMinute.com.

$avings potential: A two-night ski getaway to Denver on Lastminute.com is listed for as little as $346 per person, including flight and hotel. That could be less than airfare alone.

'BLIND' SITES

Unless you're collecting rewards points, you may not care which of the major car rental companies you rent from. ''Blind'' websites like Hotwire.com and Priceline.com show you the rate but don't disclose the name of the supplier until after you pay. The same applies to hotels. While that may seem a bit riskier, consider that you get to choose the general location, and when you can get a 4-star hotel at a $100 per night discount, you might not care as much about knowing which major brand you're booking.

$avings potential: As much as $25 per day on car rentals, as much as $100-plus per day on hotels.

SLEEP FOR FREE

A number of options exist -- but all come with some risk. Two websites, Couchsurfing.com and Hospitalityclub.org, match travelers with people willing to give them a free place to sleep. (The payoff comes down the road, when the host wants to sleep at another member's house.) The drawback: You don't know them, they don't know you.

Another option: Swap your home with a reputable organization like Homelink International. Membership costs $110, and when you've been approved, you can list your home and save thousands of dollars on hotel bills. Having a kitchen lets you save on food, and you might even be able to arrange to swap your car and get free pet care.

The Homelink website has a discussion forum that includes advice on topics like car insurance and preparing your home for visitors. Locking your bills, mail, and valuables in a small locker or a padlocked ''owner's closet'' helps ease the worry of having strangers in your house. But bear in mind that your home and car insurances may not cover swappers, and you may in fact have some liability; check your policies.

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