Now I'm not into touristy areas or big throngs of people, but Chicago's Navy Pier tourist trap does offer FREE fireworks every Wednesday at 9:30 and Saturday at 10:15.

The best part is that you don't have to go onto Navy Pier to see them, you can watch them from one of the many Chicago beaches or rooftops in the area. I personally recommend Oak St. Beach.

Local Chicago Radio Stations will also synchronize their music to the fireworks. I don't know any

better way to end an evening than hearing Bruce Springsteen's 80's driving music to giant explosions over Lake Michigan.

Every tuesday in Grant Park the Chicago Park district projects some great movies... FOR FREE! Were not talking about lackluster B films that your friends enjoyed five years ago.

Heres a rundown of the lineup for this summer. All films start when the sun goes down, don't forget a blanket and a cooler of beer!

The 2008 Movies in the Park lineup:

The museum of Contemporary Art isn't chock full of hoity-toity tourist thinking they're cultured (well maybe some.) The MCA is full of abstract displays, interactive art, video projections, audio rooms and a plethora of stimulation. This summer don't miss the Jeff Koons Exhibit, which runs until the 21st of September.

Best thing about the MCA and the reason it made this list, is that it is ABSOLUTELY FREE every Tuesday, all day, all summer long.

So weather you're into a string of christmas lights laying on the ground where the name placard seems to have more thought, or a giant room covered floor to ceiling with Vinyl records, the MCA is for you.

Just Walk east on Chicago Avenue until you see the car that appears to be wrecked into the building.

The Good Chicago Beach

The beaches around Chicago are great. The best part about them is that they are also free!

Many beaches are extremely overcrowded, such as North Avenue Beach. To find some better spots, and a place to actually lay out, try the north side of Montrose Beach or Foster Beach. These beaches are bigger than North Avenue and generally have about a quarter of the number of people.

Bring a cooler and make some sandwiches, or find some local vendors for a tasty regional treat.

Be careful of the water as well, Lake Michigan is known to have had incidents of high levels of mercury. So look out for three eyed fish and mermaids, but if your the adventurous type paddle on out and enjoy a dip. The lake is warmest in Late July and August.

The Baha'i Temple is in Cook County, but north of Chicago in the neighboring suburb of Wilmette. Hop on a bike and enjoy a day trip north along Lake Michigan's biking trail then spend some time at the temple.

The Temple and grounds are gorgeous, standing 140 ft tall and made of white concrete and exquisitely adorned. Spend some

time walking around and don't forget a camera.

You can visit the Baha'i Temple any day of the year, until around 7pm.

So get out there and enjoy summer, because activities are best when they're free. And as Chicagoans know, nothing beats a Chicago Summer, but you sure pay for it in February with the cold.

Sta Travel

On STA Travel you can select the continents your interested in traveling to and create a RSS feed of cheap flights that fly to those continents. This site is geared towards student travelers who don't have rigid schedules to adhere too and is a great opportunity to find good deals. You may not know you wanted to visited Paris, but for $490 round trip, how could you not?

Art of Travel

"How To See The World... On $25 A Day On Less!" This website, written by a veteran traveler, is a great resource for how to save money, how to pack, what not to take, where not to go and how to get by on the cheap, you must see this website.

AirNinja.com

Air Ninja is a great flight finder, the way the engine works is you can input your city, and destination and Air Ninja shows you only discount Airline Carriers who fly to and from these locations. Air Ninja only shows discount carriers, so if you can't find a discount carrier going to where you want, you may be forced to book through Travelocity or other brokers.

OneBag

To quote the website "The art and science of traveling light" This website is a great resource for anyone traveling, no matter where your going or for how long. And not just tips on packing but what to bring, what to wear and how to get around. Even the veteran traveler can learn why not to bring cotton towels and the many uses of a clothesline.

Hostels.com

The ultimate database of hostels worldwide. You can book through their website and read reviews. Nothing beats staying in Tokyo for $13 a night.

Couch Surfing Project

Listings of free places to stay all over the world. FREE. Yes FREE. This is great for travelers looking to cut cost. Don't worry about ending up in a undesirable situation, you can do your research of the places you'll be staying. This is also a great way to see the real hot spots of a country and not just the touristy locales.

Fare Compare

Fare Compare allows you to search numerous air ticket sales websites at once and compare them easier than going to each site and imputing your search in over and over.

Hostels are key. Get a hosteling card. HiUsa.com has great resources for international and domestic hostels. Most hostels I stayed in were very accommodating, you may have to sleep in a 28 person room, but if you like to travel, this isn't a problem, your never there but to get some shut eye. Hostels are also flexible about dates and some are flexible with prices!

Many nights I slept in train stations and bus garages. I'm not advocating this for everyone but I traveled with a friend and Japan is a very safe country. The best way to do this is to pack light and put your backpack behind you, lock it with a zip tie or combo lock and put a strap around your wrist so no one can pull anything out while you sleep.

When traveling around the country, save money by taking buses instead of trains. A great method if your only traveling a few hundred miles is to take an overnight bus, while saving money on a hostel for that night and awaking at your destination. I went from Osaka to Tokyo on an overnight bus costing $50, and saving an extra $15 by not spending it on a hostel.

Remember when staying in a hostel to bring a small combination lock for your locker. Make sure you lock things up when your not in your room, even if you are using the showers.

While you lodge, instead of spending money on washers and dryers bring a small clothesline and hand wash your clothes in a sink and let them dry on a clothesline in a bathroom or outside, depending on hostel and time of year.

My friend only brought 2 pair of boxer briefs with him, he would take a shower with one pair on, then let them dry while wearing the other pair during the day, and repeat this every day. Might sound weird but he always had clean boxers and saved room on packing!

View the rest of this series on my $2000 trip to Japan, with tips of lodging, travel packing, and eating.

Safe Travels.

When it comes to finding the cheapest ticket, check all the travel websites first, like Kayak, Travelocity, Orbitz, StudentAirfare, Hotwire and so on. Begin to do some more research now that you have a base price and range.

Check airline websites directly, bypassing the bulk sellers of tickets, sometimes you can save a couple hundred dollars by going directly to United Airlines website for example. Ultimately I found the cheapest airfare through a travel agent, booking the flight for $630 round trip, total.

I flew Chicago to San Francisco to Osaka, previously I've flown direct O'Hare to Tokyo for around the same price.

To make some extra cash while traveling, when you get to the airport, go to the gate and ask the attendant how well sold the plane is. Airlines typically overbook 5% or so depending on flight. Put yourself on a list for overbooking, so if the flight is overbooked you give up your seat for someone else, get a couple hundred dollars in cash, a night in a nearby hotel and usually fly out the next morning. You can't beat this, if you do it on the way there and back you can pocket some extra cash, sometimes up to $200 each way.

One last tip, when searching for a flight avoid the summertime, it's always busier, pricier, and slower. Fly in downtimes and check for flights with crazy layovers. I saw flights to Tokyo that had a 20 hour layover in Rome. This may not be for everyone but you get a cheaper flight and enough time to run around Rome for a day.

View the rest of this series on my $2000 trip to Japan, with tips of lodging, travel packing and eating.

Safe Travels.

Travel gear shops can be complicated by sales people trying to get you to buy equipment that isn't essential to your needs. These five sites provide you with the information you need to get what you want, but won't empty your wallet with a bunch of things you won't need.

REI 

Perhaps the best store for travel gear. They have equipment for every skill level traveler in any situation. From an expert mountaineer on the way up Everest to the Cub Scout enjoying his backyard on a rainy day, REI provides awesome gear at a great price. Plus, they have an “Expert Advice” section so you can get information on what you need without being hassled by an in store salesperson. REI members can earn up to 10% back in their “membership refund” which is then applicable to new stuff in the store. Spend a couple hundred bucks on that new winter jacket and get next year's garden gloves free!

Moosejaw 

Crafted as though it were your local outdoor gear shop, Moosejaw is a great online supplier of quality goods. Arcteryx, North Face, Marmot, and Mountain Hardwear can all be found here at very reasonable prices. With accurate descriptions and user ratings and explanations available for every item you'll know exactly what you're getting from real people who own the product. Moosejaw also has a killer rewards program for those who shop even just a little!

Backcountry

This website offers a huge volume of brands at very competitive prices by cutting out the middle man in retail. While the selection may be somewhat limited, that is because Backcountry provides deals on overproduced or late season goods (though no manufacturers defects), but presents these deals up to 50% off what other sites charge. That's a deal that you cannot afford to overlook!

Sierra Trading Post

Calling themselves “your in-home outlet mall,” STP gives shoppers great prices on many goods. Like Backcountry, STP availability can be somewhat limited as its selling point is providing heavily discounted goods and the latest jackets and such may not be immediately available for a great deal. This site is perfect for those who shop out of season (i.e. those who buy winter clothes in summer and vice-versa). If you're able to plan for your needs several months in advance, check out these prices!

Altrec

One of the most well-known and trusted names in outdoor gear, Altrec has a huge selection and decent prices to boot. They always provide the latest in gear to keep you in style and up on the latest, greatest, and safest gear for your trip. The immensity of their selection affords Altrec the opportunity to help with any of your travel or outdoor needs, whether it be crampons for your summit attempt in K2 or an extra bug free tent for that barbecue next weekend.

First, there are the usual airline carriers. They are fast, safe, and reliable. But they are also pricey and may not always be an option. The second choice would be to go with a budget airline, but their reliability is often in question and in order to get the best deal you may have to fly on dates that do not cohere with your long anticipated travel plans. Fortunately, there are two other very good options to keep your plans afloat without sinking your wallet.

Trains

Fast, safe, and often less expensive than traditional airline carriers trains are how Europeans travel within Europe - and who better to learn from than Europeans themselves? Trains are a great option because not only do they provide an affordable way between almost all cities, but they run more frequently than planes and afford you the opportunity to see more of the countries you are visiting. In fact, an entire trip can revolve around a train trip. Perhaps you wish to retrace the path of the Orient Express. By train it's easy to get off at any stop and stay for a few hours, then hop on the next train to wherever you were going. Non-reserved tickets can be purchased for almost all trains giving the bearer an option of several months within which to travel. The flexibility and affordability are hard to beat!

So why chose anything other than trains for travel within Europe? Well, when trains are an option, you shouldn't! But sometimes towns are too small or too remote for train stations. In that case, take the bus!

Bus 

Often regarded as unsafe travel in Eastern European countries, busses - minibuses included - are safe ways to travel to areas where trains don't go. Busses are ultra affordable and occasionally good alternatives to trains when traveling on a really tight budget. Busses run very frequently and offer smooth traveling - most busses are well designed for comfort, even during extended trips. In fact, many conclude on the end of their bus journey that even Polish minibuses are superior to the Greyhound services available in the United States! The one drawback to busses is that bus drivers rarely speak English and stops are usually announced only in the native language so riding prepared is a must!

For great places to travel by train or bus within Europe check out this list of undiscovered travel destinations.

Whether by plane, train, or bus, happy travels!

Fran's Burgers is one of the best places to go in Austin for a reasonably low cost and great food. They have juicy burgers that come in three choices of large, larger, and huge. There's no place that offers such large burgers like Fran's. The atmosphere is also very old fashioned since it used to be a drive in. The interior and exterior is not polished up at all and looks like they just moved into a building that was falling apart. However, the food tastes great and it is not expensive which is what counts.

Stubb's BBQ is another nice little restaurant that offers good food for reasonable prices and they have live entertainment. The type of food at this restaurant is Texas barbecue food and it has been around since the mid 80's. The one thing I enjoy about this place is that you can listen to a live band while you eat.

If you like Japanese food then there is a restaurant that I would recommend as a place with good food and good prices. The place is called Zen and they offer very big portions that you could share with another person. It also serves chicken, steak and shrimp.
Galloways Sandwich Shop is located off of East 12th Street. They don't have sandwiches but they offer other types of foods including fried chicken and pork chops. They also have breakfasts available with pancakes and fried eggs. Galloways is a very small place but good food with good prices.

A couple of other restaurants to check out are Hoovers which specializes in Southern food and Eddie V's which is located near the arboretum downtown. You may pay a little more at these restaurants since they are near everything but you have to think about the convenience as well. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Austin that have good food for an economical price.

Before you start your trip, you might want to know what to expect gas price wise. Here's my favorite site, Gas Buddy.

Armed with this info, knowledge of your gas mileage and the distances you'll be traveling, you can plan to fill up at the most favorable locations.

Take care of any preventative maintenance your car may need far enough in advance of your trip that you'll have time to make any surprise repairs.

Eating:

Before you leave home, make and pack a few snacks and meals. Make jerky, gorp, and cookies. Freeze a cooked meal like a casserole, stew or spahetti to thaw in the ice chest. Pack a variety of cereals in individual plastic containers to be eaten right out of the container once milk is added.

Stay away from restaurants. Take along an ice chest and stop every other day at grocery stores. Buy drinks and easy-to-fix, easy-to-eat foods like sandwich makings, fresh or dried fruit, cheeses, oatmeal packets, and finger foods like olives or pickles. If you're camping, you might want to choose some cheap, easy-to-heat canned foods like soups, beans, or chili. For variety, grill up some burgers or roast some hotdogs or sausages, and of course, s'mores. If you'll be staying at a motel with a microwave, considering buying inexpensive microwaveable meals.

Souvenirs:

Pick up postcards along the way to commemorate the interesting sites you visit, write a note about the highlights that happened since the last postcard and mail them to yourself. When you return home from your trip, buy a photo album with clear plastic pages and load it up with your postcards. Only fill one side so the information you wrote yourself can be read from the reverse side without removing the card from the page. Of course, if you don't want to “spoil” your postcards by sending them through the mail, don't. I happen to like the used look and enjoy finding them in the mailbox.

Lodging:

Stay with friends or family whenever possible. If your family likes to camp you'll save a lot of money over motels, especially if you don't mind roughing it in areas without traditional campground facilities, such as national forests that allow free camping. Just be sure to check the rules and regulations first. Remember that campfires may be banned during certain seasons.

If you must stay in motels, make use of any discounts you can. AAA, AARP and some motel chains have discount deals. If you ask at the time you check-in, you might be able to get the manager's discount. If you have the time and energy for it, take the time to compare prices on-line before you leave. If you plan far enough in advance, you might find bargains on cabins, time-share rentals and cottages that are often nicer than motels. Even if you don't plan that far in advance, you might luck into a cancellation deal.

Tickets:

Some amusement parks have bargain tickets that are sold at specific convenience or grocery stores. Many have promotional gimmicks such as deals with a beverage company that require you to bring along the right can for a discount.

If you can arrange to buy tickets on-line before you leave home, you may be able to get discount prices. Electronic ticketing can be a time saver as well by allowing you to bypass long lines. Ask about senior citizen or student discounts and check brochures you find at information centers or motel lobbies for coupons.

Don't skimp to the point that your vacation doesn't seem like the escape it is supposed to be, but save a little money and rest a little easier.