Visiting friends isn't the only way to save big on hotels this summer. Far-flung friends who live in other cities and have jobs that require travel might not mind a visitor in their apartments while they're gone. Girlawhirl might be using this exact strategy to grab a week in Los Angeles this summer.

Instead of going somewhere on vacation, she might just use her vacation days to take on a project. A friend recently asked Girlawhirl to help her de-clutter her apartment and really clean out her closet. After they were finished, the whole place was more organized, (they had even set up an easy recycling system) and her friend is finding it easier to get dressed in the morning with her closet in better shape. Tackling these types of jobs can result in a feeling of calm that's similar to that after-vacation peacefulness, but an at home kind of calm that doesn't fall away after the first day back at the office.

This summer Girlawhirl and a Super Pal might just create their own at home spa, staying at one of their apartments. They'll juice for breakfast, go to a couple of classes they never get to take at their gym – mixing it up of course, something aerobic followed by a stretching or yoga class – followed by a light lunch and an afternoon movie or a mani-pedi or massage. They can order a week's worth of spa dinners delivered to their doors, so spa-mode can continue for the rest of the week.

For those who feel that travel must be part of the vacation equation, Girlawhirl's still got a few tips that are sure to save:

--Look for opportunities to share a ride on car trips. Girlawhirl has friends who regularly drive north for long weekends, and it just so happens that one of her old college pals lives about an hour off the route they take. They've worked out the perfect system for drop-offs and pick-ups.

--Try priceline.com or other sites that allow for bidding. Girlawhirl admits that she's never been a big fan of these sites because she's picky about the location of the hotels she stays in and since she travels frequently for business, when she's on a vacation the last thing she wants is an unhappy surprise when it comes to where she plans to hang her hat for a few days. But now she's a convert. After accompanying a friend on a cross country road trip, where they each took care of reserving hotels at designated stop points, she was completely embarrassed by her hotel choices. She had spent a lot of time checking out descriptions online, and actually ended up spending more than her friend who just chose a general location and bid. On the nights they stayed in hotels her friend chose, they were in brand name chains, with gyms, restaurants and internet access. On Girlawhirl's nights, they were off the beaten path, in hotels she never would have chosen – in fact one night they just left, because there was no way they wanted to stay in that hotel.

--Use miles or points to get free flights or hotels. Or, top off frequent flyer accounts with mile purchases, some airlines are offering bonuses of 5-10%. While blackout dates might throw a wrench into plans that require specific travel dates, Girlawhirl's been asked to trade and transfer miles with friends and family members and some have offered to purchase some of the miles she's racked up from all her travel for work.

--And Girlawhirl's not completely ruling out paying for air travel. She's already seen a few sales from the airlines and she's got her favorite travel sites like epxedia.com and hotels.com bookmarked.

With all these great ideas, Girlawhirl's sure to find something to suit her mood and budget this summer.

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May 14, 2008:

Is it possible to travel with a group of girlfriends? . read full entry