Just when it seems you can't afford a vacation, you've probably never needed one more.

Take heart.

There are ways to get out of town without breaking the bank. We asked travel experts and dug through savvy sources to uncover ways to save on that much-needed, well-deserved getaway, whether it's a grand tour of Europe or a road trip to Grandma's house.

HOTELS

• Check rates directly with the hotel. Hotel-booking websites such as Hotels.com aren't always your best option. Sometimes you can get a better deal by going to the hotel's site or calling the hotel directly.

• Shun the 800 number. Call the hotel directly and ask for the manager on duty, who is motivated to fill rooms, and begin negotiating for a discount.

• Beware of special deals: That ''third night free'' offer could be more expensive than a regular booking. Compare.

• Call at the last minute. Hotels with open rooms may discount rates. A trick: Secure a room at an inexpensive chain that allows cancellations. A day or two before arriving, call the swank hotel you really want to stay in and ask for their lowest rate. If you get a good deal, cancel your first hotel.

• Ask for deals. If you're staying through the week, ask for a weekend rate for the entirety of your stay. If you're a member of groups such as AAA, ask for a discount.

-- From Peter Greenberg's The Complete Travel Detective Bible, (www.petergreenberg.com).

AIRFARE

• Research before you book. The more you understand the market, the better your odds for finding the best price because you'll know a deal when you see it.

For a quick education, log onto www.farecast.com to view charts that show past price trends for a particular route and predict when prices will be lowest in the future. A watchdog site can also help: www.airfarewatchdog.com sends out alerts about most bargain fares from a given airport; www.travelocity.com and other booking sites will send e-mail alerts when airfares on chosen routes drop or rise significantly.

• Join airlines' sites. More airlines are using promotional rates and e-mail offers to lure traffic to their websites. By signing up for e-mail alerts at your commonly used airlines, you get notice of these fares.

• Log onto meta-search sites. My favorite is www.kayak.com, which checks almost all airlines' fares and presents them at a glance, along with charts that show the price trend for that route. It also offers an option to check rates three days before and after your preferred dates. Flying legs of a journey overseas? Check out www.dohop.com.

• Get and use your miles. Yes, this usually requires advance planning -- but it's worth it if you use miles for a ticket that otherwise would cost $1,000 or more.

-- From Chris Welsch, Star Tribune travel reporter

• Be flexible about when and where you go: Midweek flights, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, are often cheaper. Connecting flights cost less than direct. Be open to off-season destinations.

-- From Beth Caulfield, editor-in-chief of AOL Travel, http://travel.aol.com)

EUROPE

• Rethink where you travel. Skip Rome and London; opt instead for Lisbon, Portugal, or Krakow, Poland. Eastern Europe or small cities can save big money.

• Buy a guidebook. Guidebooks help you know when museums don't charge an entrance fee and which parks offer the best free people-watching.

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