By Natisha Dominguez
Times Staff

Not all students are able to afford the week trip to Mexico or even the flight back home. Luckily, there are some penny-pinching, savvy ways to spend summer or a weekend this year.

For those students working on an almost non-existent budget, a weekend trip is right up your alley.

An example of a quick weekend getaway could be a drive to Monterey. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a popular attraction and tickets are only $27 with student discount. If that is over your budget, then try browsing Craigslist.com. A lot of people sell their tickets for cheap, but remember- safety first.

After taking in the ocean-based wildlife, there are a variety of speciality shops, restaurants and hotels along Cannery Row. Monterey Bay not fast-pace enough? Try the city by the Bay, San Francisco.

Caltrain helps save gas and parking fees. Tickets are $15 round trip and it drops off near AT&T ballpark. There are deals starting at $69 a night for hotels with the help of hotwire.com.

For those who have saved up all semester for a lavish trip, a vacation to southern California or even New York might be a good idea. With the help of Travelocity.com and Statravel.com, students can customize their own vacation packages while saving money.

The way these websites work is that the more you add to your “package,” such as a rental car or excursion, the less everything else will cost, such as the plane and hotel. the price.

There are five day trips to New York starting at $389, including roundtrip airfare and hotel stay on travelocity.com.