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.