When you’re ready to plan a vacation, there are a lot of things to prep for. You’re going to have to book your hotel room, get a rental car, book the plane ticket, and oh, what about attractions? Food? I think I could go on and on. While we all want to have fun on our vacations, it’s essential that you budget so you can get the most for your money.

My family loves to take vacations, and I honestly think that we live for vacation. I will show you how we can get our hotels for next to nothing. By following these tips, you can easily get 40% knocked off your hotel room price.

#1 Take advantage of Priceline – If you haven’t heard of Priceline’s name your own price feature, this is something that you want to take advantage of on your next trip. Basically, you will tell Priceline where you want to stay, what kind of star based hotel you want, as well as how much you want to spend. Priceline will tell the hotels what you’re willing to spend and if a hotel is okay with it, they will accept the price. I’ve been able to get $100 rooms for as little as $55.

#2 Take advantage of last minute deals – I absolutely love websites such as Travelzoo. If you don’t mind booking your vacation 2 to 3 months in advance, you can save tons of money. Travelzoo scours the whole web and gives you the best prices for anything ranging from hotels to plane tickets. I’ve received Myrtle Beach hotels for $39, as well as Florida condos near Disney World for $40! Generally, you’re going to save 40% each time you book.

#3 Purchasing in packages – There are a lot of things that come with a vacation, but if you purchase a package, rather than purchase it separately, you will find that you can always save a lot of money. Use online vacation sites such as Priceline, Expedia, and more to see what kind of deals that you can get.

#4 Look for coupon codes – Just about all hotels today allow you to book on their website. What you’re going to notice is that there are little coupon code boxes that you can use. Scour the web before you buy and see if you can save some money. If you’re lucky, you may find friends and family codes online.

#5 Consider a hotel credit card – All brands out hotels have a credit card out there. Consider signing up for one just to take advantage of the bonuses. Many cards out there will allow you to get a free hotel room, or even sometimes 3 just when you sign up and make a few purchases.

#6 Look on eBay – You will find that some travelers will throw up vouchers on eBay just to get rid of them. This is where you can come in, purchase them, and get them for next to nothing. Search for thing such as, “Hilton coupons”, “Holiday Inn Vouchers”, etc to see what comes up.

These 6 steps will easily save you a few extra bucks and allow you to stay for next to nothing. The next time you need to book a trip, take advantage of the websites above, as well as take advantage of coupon codes to see how much you can save.