A good motto for summer travel this year would be: Follow the deal. Let your wallet guide you to a vacation that maybe you wouldn't have thought of otherwise. To wit:

• Travel last minute. Airlines are still struggling to fill their planes, albeit less than a few months ago. Still, keep an eye on last-minute airfares to see what's cheap. If an airline has a cheap fare and the destination looks interesting, why not go for it? If that's not your style, pick a few places that interest you and see which is the cheapest. Monitor fares for a bit and then pick whichever is the best deal.
• Speaking of last-minute travel, who says you can't snag a last-minute vacation rental deal? Senior Editor Christine Sarkis did some digging, and found last-minute savings of up to 50 percent.
• Look to ski resorts and other traditionally winter-centric destinations. Lodging is often deeply discounted in the summer, and many resorts offer top-notch summer activities such as mountain biking, rock climbing, and watersports.
• More generally, look for destinations that are off-peak during the summer. In her recent roundup of the top five off-peak destinations for summer, Associate Editor Jessica Labrencis suggests the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Costa Rica, San Antonio, and the Ft. Myers area as good bets for some off-peak savings.

Have any tips for traveling cheap this summer? Perhaps an out-of-the-way destination or a unique and inexpensive place to stay? Leave a comment below with your ideas.