The summer travel season is about to get underway, and with gas prices and airfares the way they are, many people are rethinking their vacation plans or opting for a local “getaway.” Before you ditch your getaway idea, consider these 6 ways to save money on summer travel.

1. Stop & Shop gasoline rewards. Now when you use your Stop & Shop card, you can earn points, called Stop & Shop Gas Rewards, that save you money on gas. For every dollar you spend at Stop & Shop, you earn one point on your card. For every 100 points you earn, you save 10 ¢ / gallon on gas. Visit stop & shop.com for details and terms and conditions.
2. Be creative and don’t follow the crowd. If you’re just looking for a getaway but don’t have a destination in mind, think about where most people go during the summer months, and then plan to go elsewhere. During the summer months, Aruba offers 30 to 40 percent off normal hotel rates. You can also find great summer discounts in Las Vegas, where average temperatures hover around 100 degrees. Just plan to drink lots of water and hang out in many air-conditioned hotels and casinos.
3. Departure and return in the middle of the week. Weekends and holidays are traditionally peak flight hours, so booking your flights midweek is a smart way to save. Departures and returns on Tuesdays or Wednesdays are generally the cheapest flights. If possible, fly during the first two weeks of June or the last two weeks of August.
4. Consider a one-stop or stopover. Non-stop flights during the day are more expensive, so be flexible to fly late, overnight, or early in the morning for better fares. Also, consider a stopover in a less popular city; You could save money on the second leg of the flight from a smaller, less crowded airport.
5. Kayak.com. You may not have heard of it yet, but Kayak.com is fast becoming one of the most popular travel research sites on the web. Using metasearch technology, Kayak searches over 200 travel sites to find the best deals on airfare, hotels, car rentals, and cruises. You can even set alerts and send them to your cell phone or app.
6. Pay your baggage fee online. In an effort to generate revenue, most commercial airlines now charge a fee for checking a bag. Jet Blue allows a free suitcase on domestic flights, but they are the exception. Baggage fees have become a nightmare for many travelers, but there’s a way to beat the system: pay the baggage fee online, ahead of time. Fares change regularly, so visit http://www.airfarewatchdog.com for the latest rates for checking bags on major US airlines.