By: jackie.sauter

You’ve probably heard that Ocean City, MD had a great turnout this Memorial Day weekend — the highest number of visitors since ’93. It’s to be expected; the resort town posted higher-than-average numbers in April and early May, and gas prices are down considerably over last year.

It’s no secret that a long weekend in O.C. is a heckuva lot cheaper than the exotic splurges of years past. And Marylanders aren’t the only ones buckling down: a new USA Today poll finds that half of Americans don’t plan to travel much this summer, and a quarter are spending less on vacations thanks to the recession.

I buy it. My traveling companion and I are clamping down on “frivolous” spending, too. But a good deal is a good deal – and we found one we couldn’t pass up at voyij.com.

The travel aggregator found us a room at a four-star hotel in New Orleans’ French Quarter for $100 a night. Then we got a sweet deal on airfare through kayak.com, another aggregator that specializes in flight deals.

(Totally unpaid plug: check out those sites. Trust me, it’s worth it!) 

My point being: consumers will continue to seize a bargain, even if it’s not for an essential item. Don’t you agree?