Travel

Visit this guy, for cheaper than ever before. Image via Wikipedia

Yes, you can travel on the cheap. And no, you won’t need to go in hurricane season, hoard frequent flier miles, book at a hostel, or face those near-$5 gas prices .

With the economy on the cusp of recovery, consumers are finally fulfilling their wanderlust.

According to a recent report. fifty-three percent of consumers plan to travel more in 2012 than 2011—an 18 percentage point increase from 2011— despite a lack of confidence in the economy. Additionally, two-thirds of travel-bound consumers plan to increase their travel budgets. However you don’t have to spend more to make your vacation worthwhile; this year, it’s all about alternative destinations and cool search tools to save more money.

These tips for scoring travel deals will get you from office cubicle to beachside cabana without waiting on that tax return. Get ready to choose-your-own-adventure at choose-your-own-budget prices!

1) Weekend Trip: Create a trip around a cool experience. If relaxing poolside isn’t your idea of a vacation, what about a one-of-a-kind experience led by a local? New site Vayable offers unique activities you can easily build a vacation or staycation around. Created and hosted by people from all over the world, you can explore experiences in categories like Food Wine, Social Good, and Going Up Down Things. Here’s a glimpse of your future brag-worthy moments: make a lovo with local Fijians, take a tour of an eco-farm in Costa Rica, take a nightlife tour of Berlin’s decadent underground, or venture into your own backyard and ride a Tesla Roadster in San Francisco or take a tour of New York with a celebrity. Beats Googling “fun stuff to do in ____.”

Cool deal: Most experiences are around the $30-$60 range and as low as $3. More pricey excursions are are in the hundreds of dollars, like $500 for a daylong white water rafting trip in Uganda.

2) Weeklong Adventure: Go to more affordable destinations. While you might have your sights set on top travel destinations like Paris or Rome. going off the beaten path to lesser-known but equally beautiful locales can save money, not to mention expand your horizons to places and culture not found in travel books. Plus, you won’t have to compete with touristy crowds or inflated prices. Check out Wanderfly. an online search travel tool that is the digital equivalent to spinning a globe and jutting your finger at a mystery spot. You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going; the site suggests travel destinations based on interests (like adventure or romance), budget, travel dates and length of stay.

Cool deal: You could go to Paris for upwards of $3,000 for flight and hotel for six days, or you can go to Metz, France and see its astonishing cathedrals and churches for about $813 per person.