Lodging for less

The economy is suffering, but that doesn’t mean you need to suffer when traveling this holiday season. Here are some unconventional ways to cut your lodging expenses.

1) Think house swapping
Instead of booking a hotel, some people are house swapping. Basically its where two families agree to swap homes for a vacation. This can save you a lot of cash—thousands of dollars in some cases since you don’t have to eat out all the time. Check out homeexchange.com. Here you can search for potential house swapping buddies all over the world. Keep in mind there’s a $100 fee to join. You can also find potential house-swapping mates at craigslist.org.

2) Be wary of couch surfing

Some folks are staying on strangers' couches to save a few bucks. There’s even a Web site devoted to it called CouchSurfing.com. Most stays last about three days and you can expect a bed, but you really have to take precautions here. It's not always your safest option.

3) Get the discount rate
Hotel rates are slightly lower this year compared to last year, and they’re going to fall even more between Thanksgiving and New Years according to Bjorn Hanson at NYU’s Tisch Center for Hospitality. And the good news here is that hotels are doling out more discounts. First, find out what deals are out there on the Web. Then, call the hotel directly and tell them the rate that you found and ask about any packages or discount rates that are available. A third of the time, the answer will be yes.

For more of Gerri's Top Tips, watch CNN weekdays at 11:15 am Eastern Time.