It can be done. You can have a wonderful vacation in New Orleans without spending your last dime. You just have to be the savvy shopper and find the bargains. Before you go, plan what you want to see and do, and do some research on the web and on the phone. Get brochures, contact hotels, and collect information and coupons.

Save on Rooms

Save money on rooms by considering some options. Timeshares offer exchanges or owners make their suites available for a week or weekend. As you know, most hotels offer special rates during festivals and special events. For example, lower Papa Noel rates are the Christmas Festival special. And hotels offer packages, and sometimes partner with an airline. If you want to spend most of your visit in the French Quarter, you may find a lower rate at a place just outside. Make sure you check into charges for parking, especially in the Quarter, and for valet parking charges. Those can add quite a bit to your bill.

Save on Meals

Don’t forget to check with your hotel about a complimentary breakfast. Some restaurants offer early diner discounts. Many French Quarter restaurants offer special Reveillon menus at a reduced price during the Christmas Festival and during other festivals too. And don’t think twice about taking your leftovers from an upscale restaurant–they’ll be disappointed if you don’t. Also, you get to eat the food that’s prepared on culinary tours and at cooking classes and demonstrations.

Use Those Coupons

Don’t pass up those discount coupons for restaurants’ free or reduced prices. You can get those from New Orleans websites before you travel. Also, use the coupons for lower rates on attraction admission or tours. You can also pick up a coupon booklet at the Visitors Center in the airport. A note here is to be careful about purchasing tour tickets from street vendors; check with the concierge at your hotel for information, reservations, and suggestions for the best money-saving tips.

Looking is Free

Walk and browse, listen to the Jackson Square musicians, watch the street dancers in and around the French Quarter–it’s all free. You can sit in one of the parks along the River and watch the riverboats and cruise ships. You can watch that Old Man River. Ride the ferry across the Mississippi to Algiers Point. Enjoy the sights and sounds, the music that’s New Orleans.