Number One Travel Savings Tip

The best way to save money on travel is to choose your destination wisely. Costs for lodging, food and travel vary widely in different parts of the world, and tend to be highest in big, well-known cities such as London, Moscow, New York, Tokyo, Paris and Zurich. These cities are very much worth visiting (I've yet to make it to Tokyo,) but be prepared for high prices. Even my town, Montreal, now ranks among the most costly cities in the world.
One way to cut the cost in big cities is to combine a stay there with some time in a nearby smaller city or town. For example, combine Paris with Tours or Rouen, or New York with nearby Tarrytown (especially appropriate at this time of year because it is in Washington Irving country. Irving wrote about the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow, a good Halloween tale.)
There are some big cities that are relatively inexpensive--Buenos Aires, Argentina and Berlin, Germany are two of my favourites. Mexico City is also very interesting, but security is more of a concern there.
In general, South East Asia and Latin America are among the cheapest places on earth. I haven't visited East Asia, but it gets rave reviews from a lot of people. Roberto Rocha is a Montreal journalist who is writing about his world travels at http://mojotrotters.com, including a lot of posts from Asia.
I will be bringing you more tips on keeping travel costs down in the days ahead.