$avings potential: Endless.

FOOD

When you eat out, save big splurges for lunch, when prices are low but menu items are often the same. For lunch or dinner, look for pre-fixe meals which offer three or four courses at a set price far below what you'd pay for a la carte items. Ask locals for good-value eats; those aren't always the most obvious.

You'll save additional dollars by bringing snacks on airplanes, picking a hotel room with a refrigerator or kitchenette, and grabbing take-away meals from supermarkets.

$avings potential: $25-plus per person per day.

GROUP TRAVEL

By traveling in a group of 10 or more, you can snag significant discounts. Contact the group travel department at airlines, hotels and tour companies, where specialists can assist you with everything from booking to itineraries.

Triporama.com takes the headache out of planning a group trip, allowing you and your friends or family to build a personalized website for checklists, day-to-day itineraries and private message boards.

Groople.com is a travel-booking website that lets you to book four or more hotel rooms at discounted rates. Groople allows you to pay for all of the rooms up front or pay individually through the site. Individuals can also arrange for separate check-in and checkout times and other special requests.

$avings potential: Groople offers an average savings of 21 percent on hotels. Rooms at the Days Inn New York are available for just $108 per night if you're traveling with 10.

PARK IT

Why not enjoy the great outdoors? Once you've paid the entrance fee at national parks and forests, expenses are minimal for campers. Many camps cost less than $20 a night at locations ranging from mountaintops to sandy beaches; you'll need your own tent. A National Parks Pass costs $80 and provides unlimited access for an entire year. Many state parks also have lodges and cabins that you can rent, from primitive to plush.

Many ranger programs, such as guided nature walks, are free of charge, but some, such as cruises, have a fee and require advance booking.

$avings potential: Hontoon Island State Park, near DeLand, offers 4-person primitive cabins at $25 per night. Boat slips are available for $12 per night, including water & electric hookups. Primitive tent camping is just $12 per night.

$$ CONVERSION

You may be incurring up to 3 percent in fees every time you use your credit card when traveling abroad. Usually Visa or Mastercard charges a fee, and then your bank adds an extra (and unwarranted) charge. Fees vary, so it pays to shop around for a bank that doesn't tack on charges. Capital One doesn't charge a fee and even absorbs fees assessed by Visa and Mastercard.

Using an ATM is often better than converting cash, but major banks have begun charging up to $3 in fees for each overseas ATM withdrawal. Find out your bank's policy on the type of account you hold.

$avings potential: If you charge $2,000 in hotel rooms, meals, and purchases on your credit card, you'll save $60 by using a no-fee card.

AIRPORT PARKING

Rates in airport parking lots are sky-high, and during peak travel times, traffic delays and increased demand can potentially end your trip with a ''Lot Full'' sign. Before you go, visit AboutAirportParking.com, which lists the best places to park at more than 100 airports, often at significant savings. The site provides information on each lot, along with prices, Google maps, online reservations, user reviews and details about services like valet parking, luggage assistance and even oil changes.

$avings potential: Long-term parking at MIA is $15 per day, while AboutAirportParking shows some off-airport lots as low as $6 -- a savings of 60 percent. You'll potentially save $60 for a week's parking.

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