How to Vacation on a Dime

With airline and entertainment prices rising, “free stuff isn’t just a bonus, it can be a vacation-saver,” writes Jeryl Brunner in Travel + Leisure, which offers 11 ways to beef up your trip on a budget.

1. House-swapping: Cancel the hotel, and vacation in someone else’s home for free while they reside in yours.

2. Free skiing: Volunteer for 4 hours at Colorado's Winter Park Resort for a 1-day lift ticket.
3. Free sporting events: Trade the trip to Beijing for a glimpse at Olympic-style training in Park City, Utah, and Lake Placid, New York.
4. Free bikes: Cities like Helsinki and Copenhagen let you tool around on two wheels in exchange for a returned-when-you're-done deposit.
5. Free music: Who needs $100 arena seats when you can dig jazz for free in Montreal? 

To cut more travel costs, click below.  (More air travel stories.)