But in times like these, people are trying to save every penny possible. How can a family of four plan a trip to go see grandma across the country on a budget of, say, only a couple hundred dollars? Can it even be done?

The answer is a resounding yes. With plenty of advance planning and a little saving, it’s definitely possible to make a cross-country trip without spending your entire budget on the airfare itself. Here’s how to do it.

Book Well in Advance

Plan your trip a month ahead. Not only will you have the headache of planning at the last minute prevented, you’ll also save hundreds of dollars. You could even end up spending less than $100 per ticket if you do this in conjunction with the following tips.

Play with Your Dates

Before you plan out your entire trip while you’ll be away, play with the dates you use to find tickets. Sometimes just changing your departure (or return) date by one day will save you a few hundred dollars.

Skip Holiday Charges

Airfare tends to rise over the holidays, so see if you can have Christmas with Nana a little early instead of right on Christmas day. Then your family can have two Christmases! Who wants to travel on Christmas anyway?

Don’t Fly During the Weekend

You might have to stagger your vacation dates–say, Wednesday through Tuesday rather than Monday through Friday–but you’ll save a few hundred dollars doing so.

Specifically Search for Cheap Flights

Search for “Flights Under $100″ and you’ll find round-trip fares all across the country for around $70 each. Southwest Air is particularly famous for such prices. Once you add in fees they’re a little higher, but still often under $100 per ticket.

Here are some tips for traveling on the cheap.

Buy tickets in advance. Some fares will be lower if you buy them three weeks in advance.

Buy tickets during the week. Skip making purchases between Friday and Monday morning, as air fare tends to increase on Thursday evenings as well as over the weekend. Usually prices roll back by Monday afternoon.

Don’t use airports far from home. Save some gas or cab fare and stay close to home.

Shop around. Don’t settle for the first price you see; visit multiple sites and find out what the lowest fare really is. That said, book your best price quickly, as it is liable to change fast.

Buy more than one ticket. If multiple tickets equal a discount and you’re traveling with family or a colleague, buy your tickets together and save some money.

Use air passes or frequent flyer miles. Make use of any discount you’ve got!

Leave your extra stuff at home. If you can get by with a single piece of luggage, do it. Save yourself the extra fees.

Bid on ticket prices. Set a fee for your ticket at Priceline.com or a similar site that you are willing to pay and see if you can get one that way.

Embrace the layover. If you don’t mind having one, you could save some money.