Money $marts: On-the-cheap tips for summer traveling

High gas pump prices, weakening consumer confidence and a general political malaise do not seem to have affected summer travel habits.

Everybody I know is going somewhere. If you have thoughts of joining them, better get moving and make some decisions. Here are some cost-saving ideas.

Frequent Flyer Miles. It's probably too late to book flights using your miles since scarce applicable seats are available months in advance. But if you want to try, call the airline ticket agents rather than using the unreliable online booking systems.

Upgrades are easier to obtain. You still have to pay for a ticket but first class travel provides some psychological compensation. If not for flights, use your miles for hotels and car rentals. Check your airline Frequent Flyer programs for partnership firms.

Incidentally, more than 90 percent of your miles are never redeemed and will expire after three years. Use them before this happens. Most programs allow for a variety of purchases — even magazine subscriptions.

Car rentals. High gas prices have turned rental car economics upside down. Subcompact economy cars in some cases cost more than "luxury" categories (e.g. SUVs). If you plan on driving a lot, go for the smaller mileage efficient cars anyway. Even if the per-day rate is higher, net savings come from the lower fuel costs. For short trips, rent the lower day rate luxury cars.

Make sure you do not choose the"pay for gas in advance" option. It's almost impossible to return the car with an empty tank. The full tank on return option saves money as long as you do so. If not, you'll get hit with a ridiculously high per gallon fuel cost.

Flexibility. If you can fly at odd hours and have no particular hotel or rental car firm choices, the opportunity for savings increases.

Orbitz.com and Expedia.com, web sites for travel arrangements, often have bargain prices for flights, cars and hotels. You plug in the date and destination to receive prices. The drawback: you do not know the companies or times (for flights) until after you agree to purchase.

The only guarantee is that vendors are well known. Also try TripAdvisor.com for reviews about destinations and hotels.