How To Save On August Vacations

August is a great month to travel because it's usually easier to take time off, the weather is great, and the kids are out of school. But it can also be frustrating, because everyone seems to travel in August. Airports are jammed, you can't find a spot on the beach, and everything is expensive.

There are ways around these problems: You just have to be smart about it. And the best news of all is that some of these could save you lots of money.

Smart Money magazine's senior editor Leigh Gallagher offered advice on The Early Show Wednesday.

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Another thing to keep in mind is cancellations. Most people don't like to make their plans at the last minute, but you can get into some places that would otherwise be booked. The Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie, Wash., was fully booked last year for August, but had 18 rooms open up at the last minute. This year, they're nearly booked, but if you call five days before you want to go, there will probably be something available, especially during the middle of the week.

TIPS FOR AFFORDABLE AUGUST TRAVEL

Go to a hot spot

For resorts in year-round hot places, August is off-peak season. If you can bear the heat, there are great deals.

Arizona is hot but not humid, for example, and you can get a great deal at a place like the Westin Kierland Resort. It has several deals, including a package that gets you a $169 per night room rate and a 20 percent discount on services at its spa. Another package includes unlimited golf for $199 per night during the week and $239 on weekends. It has plenty of activities for kids, including a special Tumbleweeds Kids Club that plans activities such as hikes and arts and crafts. It also has a golf camp for kids. It even has air-conditioned golf carts.

Or, if you've always wanted to go to Canyon Ranch, visit in August instead of May or June, and you'll save $1,800, or 30 percent, on a weeklong stay. That includes meals. It will be hot, but dry, and there's plenty to do inside during the peak afternoon hours, such as getting a massage. They have specials with kids right now.Hit the slopes

Ski resorts can be beautiful places to visit in the summer. Here again, this is their off-peak season, and many resorts are trying to build up a summer business, so they're offering deals.

At Utah's Park City Mountain Resort, for example, a suite in its five-star hotel costs $1,130 for five days in August. That's roughly $226 a night, and that's 60 percent off what the hotel charges during the winter ski season. There's plenty to do here: They have mountain biking trails, horseback riding, rock climbing, hiking, an alpine slide, and a new Zip Rider ride where, for $19 a ride, you can get a big adrenaline rush. You zip down a cable on top of the mountain at speeds of 60 miles an hour. If you're less risky, there's also an adorable town with shops and restaurants.

Go north of the border, to Montreal
Montreal is a great place to visit in August. It's close to the East Coast, the weather is nicer there now than at any other time of the year, and Canada is one place where the dollar is actually still strong. The greenback buys 15 to 20 percent more than its Canadian counterpart. There are deals out there. There's a new W hotel there, and it's running several August deals, including a spa package, an 'on the town' package, and a 'girls' weekend' package, if you book and travel in August.

Follow the school calendar
Many schools actually start in the middle of August. All schools in Georgia, for example, start Aug. 15. Some schools in Atlanta start as early as July 31. Most schools in Dallas, San Jose, Calif., and Indianapolis start Aug. 15.

So you'll find is that in certain vacation destinations, especially ones that rely on family business, rates actually drop off significantly after Aug. 15.

A condominium in Myrtle Beach, for example, is $400 less for the last week of August than it would be for the first or second week. link=http://equinox.rockresorts.com/>The Equinox Resort & Spa in Manchester, Vt., slows down the last week of the month. It's a charming New England in that's great for all ages.

Fly a new route
You can save big that way. JetBlue added a route to Seattle this year, for example, so flying in August round trip is $400, compared to $430 on Delta and $900 for American. Song just started flying there,too, and is offering rates of $207 each way. This is great, because you can go to destinations that normally cost much more.

Flying on smaller airlines, some of which you may have never heard of, can get you a great deal, with Independence Air, Horizon Air and Frontier Airlines, among them. You can fly round rip from New York to Seattle in August on Independence Air for $428.