For many people, this is the time of the year to plan a getaway to somewhere warm and get away from the harsh winter weather. (Right now, I'm in the middle of a snowstorm here, so this sounds like a really good idea!) Others look to get away to find the winter weather and plan that ski trip.

Thanks to many of the online traveling sites, it's easier than ever to save money when you travel. Due to the slowdown in the economy, it's even easier to get a great deal on hotels, air fare and even complete travel packages.  While most of my travel is business related, this strategy can easily be applied to pleasure travel as well.

Most are aware of travel sites such as Priceline, Hotwire or Expedia. You can receive great travel deals through these sites. For most of my hotel reservations, I now use the Name Your Own Price option on Priceline, and generally get the same hotel that I could by reserving on my own, but at half the price.

However, by joining the free site Bigcrumbs, you can also receive cash back on your purchase at these sites, on top of the best deal you can negotiate. Many of the largest travel websites are participants. A short scan of their current retailers shows the following:

• Priceline
• Hotwire
• Expedia
• Travelocity
• Economy Travel
• Enterprise Rent A Car
• Hilton Grand Vacations
• Hotels
• Rail Europe

How this program works is detailed elsewhere on my blog, and there is also an instructional video on the Bigcrumbs webpage. To be automatically invited to join, please go to my About Me page.

Thanks and happy travels!