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My traveling friend Pinky Pooler once told me, "Adventure is where you find it!" Pinky isn’t very famous, he’s just a guy who lived next door to me when I lived in upstate New York, but he knew a lot about traveling around the country on a bike. Every six months or so, he and his wife Sue brought their home life to a halt and took off for a week or two to some destination. Over the years, they had worked out this system for planning and implementing a trip and Pinky boasted he could save enough on every trip to buy a new television set. The Poolers have vacationed all of the country and "...while it ain’t cheap," Pinky says, "it’s affordable if you know how to do to do."

Granted, vacationing nowadays ain’t cheap. What with the high cost of gasoline, campgrounds, motels, dining out, the cost of attraction admissions and incidental spending money, even budget travelers are feeling the pinch. "At some campgrounds, we pay more for a site than we did for a motel room a few years ago," Pinky said. It’s safe to say that many would-be vacationers are being left behind because they can’t afford to hit the road. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that knowing in advance where you’re going and what’s available when you get there can help save money. If you know the accommodation options and who charges what, what attractions are available in the area, what free things are open to visitors, where the best (and most reasonable) dining out spots are located and what events are planned during your stay, you can become a participant and keep your expenses down to a minimum. Leave the overspending to the uninformed; those who arrive with no knowledge of what’s going on.

You can get this type of money-saving information from many sources and all of it is free. If you’re Arkansas-bound, for example, dial 800-643-8383 and the state office will send you a couple of pounds of free vacationing material. Somewhere in that towering pile of stuff, you’ll find free road maps, campground guides and what-to-do information, so you can shop in advance and plan what you’re going to do when you get there. In some packages, you’ll find discount coupons good for two-for-one admissions and dinners, so let your fingers do the walking through this material and you’ll surely find something that will introduce you to interesting and low-cost things to do, see and experience.

Most coastal states distribute free beach guides and most states give you a good idea of what to expect wherever you plan to visit. All states provide full-color, fold-out road maps pinpointing the most popular vacationing spots in the state. Many states have toll-free numbers so you not only get free information but the phone call is also free.

Headed for the White Mountains of Vermont? Call 800-346-3687 for a free package of information. Do your interests lean toward ghost towns? Call 800-842-8257 for information and guides to what Arizona has to offer. Washington state is standing by to provide you with everything you need, so just call 800-544-1800.

Tourism is big business and some areas report that tourism contributes more to the local economy than business and industry combined. To insure you enjoy your visit and discover bargains and things of interest, they publish and distribute this information free of charge. Just call them or send them your name and address (a postcard will do) and explain you’re planning a trip to their area. Then step back as the postman’s delivery truck backs up to your door and deposits this valuable material on your doorstep. Careful study of what’s provided will uncover low-cost solutions to high-cost vacation expanses and introduce you to some interesting things to do.

Start planning ahead, get the bike ready to roll and throw in some suntan lotion and bathing suits if you’re headed south.