No. 11 in our 20 recession travel rules: Snag coupons from your destination’s tourism office before you leave home. It only takes a few minutes to check the online versions of key visitors' bureaus (try local, city, and state) to see if there is a discounts page.

Increasingly often in this dismal economy, you'll find a city-wide or even a state-wide promotion going on. The Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism has just launched a downloadable "MassValuePass," which lets you save at least 25% at more than 300 hotels, restaurants, and attractions until March 31. Participating properties are grouped into six regions across the Bay State, with a concentration in and around Beantown. More than 60 Boston-area hotels are offering a substantial discount, ranging from 25% off to 3rd-night-free (a.k.a. 33% off). Dozens of hotels and attractions are also offering deals. (See the list for Greater Boston here.) To redeem discounts, just mention the pass when booking a hotel and have it available to show at restaurants and attractions.