We're not talking about a starvation budget here, just the consideration of some alternatives on the road.

How about a picnic lunch purchased at a local market? In Europe, you'll find supermarket prices to be extremely reasonable in most cities. Another plus: you get to see how people in other countries live their everyday lives.

Some travelers like to load up on their free breakfasts at the hotel and skip lunch altogether. Others eat a light snack at midday.

The point is each time you sit down in a restaurant, you are going to spend a lot of money.

Don't forsake restaurant dining to any large degree. Food is part of the story in each place you will visit, and restaurants prepare it well. But save your restaurant money for memorable meals, and eat the routine "survival" meals from a picnic basket or street vendor.

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Sometimes, you can't afford to bid on travel products. The affordability doesn't involve money, but time.

Your honeymoon must come off as scheduled. Services like Priceline.com don't allow you a choice of flight or sailing times beyond a specific day.

But when it's practical, Priceline, Hotwire and other Internet travel auctions can save you a great deal of money.

I can give you personal examples from the past year in which I got downtown hotel rooms for maybe 25% of their normal costs. Staying in a four-star hotel for a two-star price has its advantages.

My personal preference is to use bidding for hotels rather than airfares. The finality of bidding on something sight-unseen is a little more risky when the higher dollar values of an airline ticket are involved.

If you bid, remember processing charges and taxes can add 20% to your total. Parking fees, energy fees, and other add-ons aren't included, either.

Remember too that there are Web sites that will show you successful bids of previous bidders for the same product. Our articles on this subject will link you to those services.

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The point with all of these resolutions is to try something different in the new year. There are many ways to save money on travel, but most require a spirit of adventure.

Make this a year in which you explore new ideas and new places at the same time.