One of the first things that budget travelers learn is that traveling during high season is a death sentence for your pocketbook. Demand is high, rooms, cars and flights are booked and providers jack up rates during the high season. As a result, consumers end up paying top dollar for their favorite experience. But some things like the Super Bowl or the Running of the Bulls you just can’t miss, so you bite the bullet and try to make the best out of the situation.

Mardi Gras is a perfect example of the high-season choke hold. Taking place around the same few weeks in early spring every year, everyone knows when the droves of tourists are going to be descending upon New Orleans, and as a result it’s difficult to find a bargain. Despite the predatory pricing, however, there are a few things that you can do to stay frugal during this southern festival. Here are some suggestions.

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There are a lot of financial advice articles that would have you believe you can save enough money to travel the world simply by forgoing your daily espresso drink. I’m not so sure.

By my calculation, even if you break a serious once-a-day venti latte habit for 12 months, you’ll still only save enough for about an airline ticket or two. If you’re a family of four, you’ll have to save a lot more than that.

My husband and I are taking our kids to the Galapagos Islands next year. The trip is way outside of our budget, but we’re going anyway. You can do the same. Here are five ways you can save for a really big trip.

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Holiday season travel is always hard on the traveler’s wallet, especially for those who book within the last few weeks. Knowing that most of us are going to be on the road, the airlines take a sneaky opportunity to raise prices and squeeze out a few extra dollars, making a typically inexpensive trip shockingly costly. It’s gouging in the finest form and there’s nothing that we can do about it.

Thus, the best strategy for dealing with New Year’s travel is to unfortunately prepare for the worst. Supply is even and demand is high, so economics 101 says that the consumers are going to pay more. After you’ve accepted the fact that your pocketbook is going to take a pounding, try these quick strategies to minimize the pain.

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Mardi Gras is right around the corner (March 8th), which means you’ve only got a few weeks left to buy your case of party beads, join a krewe and get your plan in place before heading down to New Orleans.

It’s the most popular time of year in southern Louisiana, which means that crowds are going to be thick and prices are high. But that doesn’t mean that your vacation has to be expensive. There are plenty of ways to run through Mardi Gras on a budget, and we’ll lead you through a few in this guide.

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