Where do You Turn for Off-The-Radar Restaurant Recommendations?

Skiing has a reputation as a pricey, perhaps even snobby sport. But even if some skiers seem to have their noses raised in the air, there's no reason to pay through the nose to ski. Here are four easy strategies to keep the costs of skiing in check: SKI PACKAGES Ski resorts and mountain towns hate for precious winter weeks to pass by while area hotel rooms remain empty. To attract skiers and boarders to the slopes, not to mention nearby restaurants and hotels, just about every resort offers a constantly shifting roster of hotel-lift ticket packages. They're often terrific values, especially during midweek and early- and late-season periods when hotels struggle to fill rooms. Sometimes, the price you'll pay for lodging and a lift ticket is nearly as cheap as what it'd cost just to buy a lift ticket on the spot. To scope out packages, check out ski resort websites, specialists like Ski the Rockies, state ski association sites such as Ski Utah, and, of course, Budget Travel's Real Deals. DISCOUNT LIFT TICKET SITES Before embarking on any ski trip in which lift tickets aren't included, take a moment to visit a website such as Liftopia or LiftTickets.com. These sites sell lift passes at dozens of North American resorts for a fraction of the price you'd pay at the mountain-side ticket counter. Discounts start at around 15 percent, and range as high as 70 percent, with the bigger discounts available for off-peak times paid for well in advance. The one catch with discounted tickets purchased at such sites is that they must be paid for ahead of time, and cancellations or changes are not allowed. It's also worth looking into lift ticket discounts provided by resort websites; some mountains will likewise knock off a few bucks, especially for multi-day passes, for visitors who buy online ahead of time. LIFT PACKS, SKI CARDS Consider packs of four or six passes and frequent-skier cards as the equivalent of a "buy in bulk" discount. For the former, a resort (or perhaps several resorts) sells a packet of lift tickets that can be used throughout the season for a price much less than it'd cost to buy tickets individually. Frequent-skier cards, by contrast, are sold for a flat fee (perhaps $50 or $75), and then grant the holder discounts on every day skied that season (perhaps 20 percent off weekends, 50 percent off weekdays). The main downside for these packs and passes is that they limit where you ski. Also, in many cases, these options are often ?src=blgrc">only available for sale early in the season. This isn't always the case, though. For example, in New Hampshire, Cannon Mountain's 10 Pack can be purchased at any time: $579 for 10 fully interchangeable adult lift tickets, giving a discount of more than $10 per ticket off the usual price ($68). GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN It's hard to say which is worse about an overly crowded ski resort. The masses of people clogging up cafeterias, lift lines, and narrow ski trails are bad enough. Then, there's the knowledge that you're paying top dollar to boot. With some flexibility, careful planning, and a small degree of sacrifice, though, there's a solution for beating skiing's big crowds and bigger prices. The solution boils down to: Go where the crowds aren't, and go when they aren't there. After skiing during a blissfully empty midweek, non-holiday period, it's hard to go back to elbowing for space (and usually, paying extra) on a peak weekend. So take a day (or three) off from work; you won't regret it. Also, consider going against the grain by picking an off-peak peak. Rather than sticking solely with the Vails and Big Skys of the skiing world, check out smaller B-list mountains like Montana's Bridger Bowl and Colorado's Wolf Creek, where the terrain is superb, the atmosphere is not remotely stuff, and lift tickets top out at $48 and $54, respectively. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: Where to Go for Snow It's Ski Season! Check Out Strategies for Cheaper Lift Tickets Ask Trip Coach: Ski Vacations

It's a known fact that Americans just aren't as good at taking time off as, say, their European or Aussie counterparts. According to a recent study by Expedia, the U.S. ranks among the most vacation deprived nations in the world along with countries such as Canada, Japan and South Korea. First off, we are only given on average 14 vacation days. The only countries with fewer vacation days are Japan, with an average of 11, and South Korea with an average of 10. Furthermore, we leave an average of 14.3 percent of our vacation days, or two days, unused. There are other countries that leave more days on the table (perhaps surprisingly, Italians only use on average 21 of their 28 vacations days). But why do we have any unused days at all, especially when we already get so many fewer days than most other countries? According to Expedia’s Vacation Deprivation study, based on a survey of 7,083 employed adults in 20 countries that took place between September and October 2011, 34 percent of Americans said that a possible reason for not using all their vacations days was because they couldn't afford it. Another 15 percent said they don't plan far enough in advance, and 15 percent said that "work is my life." Interestingly, while there is a stereotype that vacation is somehow frowned upon in the U.S., a surprisingly high number of U.S. respondents (73 percent) said that their boss is actually supportive of them taking vacation time. Only 8 percent said that their boss is not supportive of vacation time, and 19 percent said they weren't sure. Part of the problem is that there is no law guaranteeing paid vacation leave in the U.S. In fact, Americans have the fewest guaranteed vacation days and holidays of any major industrialized country, according to an Economic Policy Institute report cited by the Chicago Tribune. "By law, workers in Britain are guaranteed at least four weeks' paid vacation. The industrious Germans get the same, plus 10 paid holidays. The Japanese, famous for their work ethic, have a statutory minimum of two weeks' paid vacation. We Americans: zero," the Tribune reminds us. Mull that one over next time you’re lounging on the beach, trying to resist the urge to check your smart phone. More from Budget Travel: 3 New Ways to Locate Hotels Based On Travel Time To Major Attractions Lessons Learned From a Vacation Without Reservations Are you Less Likely to Cruise?

A new study says the cheapest domestic airfares can be booked six weeks before a flight. The typical savings is 6 percent off the overall average ticket price during the four months prior to departure. The study is unusually authoritative. It was done by Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), a company that processes ticket transactions, including 144 million purchases of domestic flights last year alone. The study is much more statistically robust than a previous one by an economist, which suggested that eight weeks in advance was the best time to book. In a press release, a spokesperson for ARC clarified that, “We’re not advising people to purchase tickets only at this time during the cycle as there is no guarantee they will receive the lowest price of the year.” In other words, airline sale alerts from sites like AirfareWatchdog and ticket price monitors, such as Yapta, continue to be useful. For a specific route, you can also check out the predictions of whether fares may go up or down within the next week by using Bing Travel. If your dates are flexible, you may benefit from using a fare calendar, such as the one on metasearch sites Kayak and Google Flights. Is the study meaningful? Critics will point out that, if a large number of travelers find out about the six-week rule and start buying at that time, the pattern will change for everyone. The retort to this is that most people aren't reading websites like this and won't change their behavior even if they hear about the rule. Other critics will say that flight prices are too volatile to follow broad patterns. For instance, a route that's popular with last-minute business travelers may follow a different pricing pattern than the average flight. Granting all those points, sometimes it's nice to have a general rule-of-thumb for making a ticket purchase. What's your rule of thumb for finding the cheapest ticket? SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Feds to Airlines: Stop Hiding Ticket Fees and Taxes Case Study: What Happens When One Airline Dominates an Airport The Disappearance of Cheap Red-eye Flights

I've been a travel editor for almost 12 years, logging countless miles around the world, and I pride myself on my efficiency at the airport. I am a whirling dervish of organization as I breeze through security—toiletries out, shoes off, pockets metal–free, and all back together again. I smugly never check a bag. I did a weeklong trip to French wine country with just a small duffle and still had room to bring home a couple bottles (this was pre 3oz rule). In fact, the last time I checked a bag was in 2009 on my way back from the U.K. after buying too many bottles of Scotch (post 3oz rule). And then I had a kid. This Saturday we will take our first flight with our infant and I am petrified. I finally came to terms with the fact that checking a bag is unavoidable, even though I am not happy about it. It's the logistics that are now keeping me up at night, juggling him and a stroller and bags while not holding up the line at security and being "those people." I have poured over the TSA's Traveling with Children pages to make sure that I am well versed in current regulations. In a fit of hyper organization, I even considered staging a mock check–in at home. And then I realized I had gone to the dark side. What tricks do you have for getting through security with a little one? Are airlines lenient about checked bag fees when a baby is involved? Do I really need to worry about the TSA confiscating bottles of formula? Will we get dirty looks from other passengers, no matter what we do? Please save my sanity! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Flying With Kids: A Survival Guide 15 Places Your Kids Should See Before 15 5 Easy Overnight Adventures for Kids