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"Time it right  Try surfing the Web for wallet-friendly airfares Mondays (after 3 p.m. ET) through Wednesday nights, says Rick Seaney, CEO of farecompare.com. That&amp;#039;s the window airlines have been using lately to clear out their extra seats. They usually post fare increases on Thursdays, which competitors match on Fridays through Sundays. So even though the weekend is your most convenient time to hunt for bargains, it&amp;#039;s when you&amp;#039;ll find the fewest.   Fill those empty seats  If possible, fly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays; your bank account will thank you. Those days are often the least in-demand among airline passengers and therefore the least expensive; Saturdays and Sundays are typically the priciest. A Wednesday-to-Wednesday itinerary can often knock 20 percent off ticket prices versus a Saturday-to-Saturday schedule, says Mike Fridgen, vice president of product management at farecast.com, a search site that forecasts airfare trends.  Head straight to the source  Use a search engine like kayak.com or sidestep.com or a travel-agency site \u2014 expedia.com or travelocity.com, say \u2014 to shop for the best airline deals. But before you book through them, visit that airline&amp;#039;s own site. You may find a better deal. Since the Web is the cheapest way for airlines to sell seats, they can wiggle prices down a notch, sometimes by nearly $100 for a family. This is especially true for low-fare operators, such as AirTran, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit, and Virgin America. Bonus: Most airline sites don&amp;#039;t charge fees for booking online. Find secret sales  Try the airline equivalent of a private sale by signing up with airfarewatchdog.com. It can help you find the best-kept secrets in air travel: &amp;quot;promo code fares,&amp;quot; offered by individual airlines for select dates and routes. Another way to save: Sign up for e-mail alerts to hear about discounted fares as soon as they come out; Southwest, for instance, has been touting $49 fares on select routes on southwest.com. Get a suite deal  Booking a suite for your family instead of a couple of standard hotel rooms has always been a money-smart move, but now the discounts are even deeper. Many suite-hotel chains with kitchen facilities (think DoubleTree Guest Suites, Embassy Suites, and Residence Inn) are dangling deals on weekends and at other times when business travelers are scarce. DoubleTree&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;Memory Maker Weekend Getaway Package,&amp;quot; for instance, has a discount of up to 20 percent at more than 185 locations through May 22.  Find a home away from home  If you have a big clan or simply want ample space for minimal money, consider renting a furnished condo or house at your destination. Sites such as homeaway.com and vrbo.com also help families save on meals, since they can eat in their own kitchen rather than go out, notes Nancy Schretter, managing editor of familytravelnetwork.com, a family vacation Website. For example, a three-bedroom home in Phoenix with a hot tub, heated pool, and Wi-Fi connection costs $850 a week, versus $2,151 for three rooms&amp;#039; worth of accommodations with similar amenities at a La Quinta nearby.  Book a motel with extras  If you need to stick to a rock-bottom budget, look for promotions currently available from motels. Chains like Days Inn, Motel 6, and Super 8 typically don&amp;#039;t nickel-and-dime you on extras like parking or coffee, and many offer free breakfasts, says Lynn O&amp;#039;Rourke Hayes, the editor of familytravel.com and a blogger for GoodHousekeeping.com.  Book late  You can cancel some hotel reservations 24 to 48 hours before your stay with no penalty. And at the last minute, prices may drop. So you can search to find similar accommodations for less, or call the hotel you&amp;#039;re booked with to ask that they lower the price you reserved if you find a comparable room for less. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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