School is just getting out and you want to have fun, but then reality hits and you remember that, as usual, you’re low on funds.

Summer vacation doesn’t have to be a complete bore. If you’re up for a little adventure this summer, there are several places to find vacation deals.

Many airlines and Web sites offer packages deals. The prices depend on the destination and when the trip will take place.

One airline, Southwest, offers packages but the trips have to be booked at least three weeks in advance. The prices can vary depending on what hotel you choose, the day of the week you travel and how many days you stay. These deals can be found at swavacations.com.

Popular sites like orbitz.com and expedia.com also offer great deals. On almost every Web site the thing to remember is the earlier the flight and hotel are booked, the better the deals can be.

Comparing prices and deals ahead of time can also help save you money.

Layni Lim and Miya Mendoza, both students at SF State, went on vacation to Las Vegas over spring break on one of these package deals.

The two split the $908 cost of the trip with two other friends, paying $227 per person. The package included round-trip airfare on America West and three nights and two days at the Imperial Palace hotel.

Lim, who planned the trip, said she searched through several Web sites before deciding upon the deal the group chose.

“We started planning this trip about a little less than three weeks in advance,” Lim said. “However, I knew from first-hand experience that airlines usually give better deals if you get packages straight from them.

“So then I basically opened up different windows and compared the prices on each Web site for the dates that we wanted to go and experimented on which days and prices were the best.”

This was the first time Mendoza took a trip on a package deal, she said.

“I paid more for the tickets alone the last two times I went to Las Vegas,” Mendoza said. “I was completely satisfied with the whole (deal). The flight was great and the hotel wasn’t first class or anything, but it was a place to sleep. It had a big bathroom where we could all shower and get all primped and ready to go out. It was money well spent.”

Being flexible about hotel and airline choices kept the price low, Lim added.

“It all depended on how much the package came out to,” she said. “We weren’t particular or set on any hotel or airline so we were just really concerned about the budget, considering we’re all broke college students.”

May Asa, 25, a former reservation agent for Apple Vacations in San Jose, said most young people planned trips to Cancun, Florida and Hawaii during her tenure.

Cancun is great because it’s a big party scene and the drinks are cheap, Asa added. She said a lot of the hotels are inclusive, meaning that they provide breakfast, lunch and dinner at no additional cost.

“We got a lot of young people for Mexico," Asa said. "They booked packages together."

She estimated that for about a four-day, three-night trip might cost $600 to $700 a person.

If you’re looking to travel outside the United States this summer, hostels are not only cheap but also a convenient and safe place to stay while you’re on the move.

A great place to search for student and faculty deals on international round-trip and one-way airfare is on http://www.studentuniverse.com. The great thing about this is not just the price but also the flexibility. You can stay for as long as you want, fly just one way or return home from a different city.

The site also offers vacation packages, flights information and listings for hostels and rail lines.

Hostels are a whole lot cheaper than a hotel when you’re on a budget. In addition to studentuniverse.com, there is also hostels.com. The Web site, which is a database of hostels, offers testimonials of hostel experiences, customer ratings on various aspects of each hostel, and city guides.

Amelia Peterson, 24, a photography major, said she has stayed at a lot of hostels in both Europe and the United States.

"It was fun (and) a good experience,” Peterson said. “I was ... 18 and I had graduated from high school.”

Peterson said her stay in London was probably one of her best experiences, adding that she enjoyed meeting other travelers at the hostels. Though she had to stay with about 20 people, she said, the experience was a lot of fun.

"It's interesting because it's predominantly young people," said Peterson.
Whatever the destination, saving a bit of extra cash by getting a great deal will keep you happy and your wallet full.