Among the more popular summer trips in the U.S. is Washington D.C. to see the national monuments and museums – it ranks right up there with summer road trips through the National Parks. This summer, however, the double whammy of high prices on airfare and the high cost of fuel means that some think they’ll need to put vacation plans on hold.

If you’d still like to visit the nation’s capital and get the most out of your summer trip without breaking the bank, here are a few tips to help you do that.

Washington D.C. is a great destination for a road trip, but if you live too far away to make that realistic then you’ll need to fly into the area. Luckily, there are a few airports to choose from – and more airport options always means more chances to find cheap flights. The closest airport to D.C. is Washington National (DCA), and another option is Dulles (IAD) – but don’t forget that you can also choose to fly into Baltimore (BWI) as well. It’s not a huge airport, but it’s always worth including in your search for good deals on airfare to DC – especially since it’s served by discount carrier Southwest Airlines.

Accommodation right in central Washington D.C. can get quite costly, especially during the summer high season. What you may not know if you’re not familiar with the area, however, is that your hotel doesn’t have to have “Washington D.C.” in the address for it to be a good option for seeing D.C. In fact, there are plenty of hotels with addresses that say Maryland and Virginia that are still great bases from which to explore the sights of the capital. When you’re looking for budget rooms, just be sure to find out what transportation is like from those cheap hotels in Maryland or Virigina – if you can catch a bus or the metro easily from your hotel into D.C., that makes a huge difference.

Summer isn’t just about family trips to D.C., however – it’s also a time when golf enthusiasts will be looking for travel deals to the U.S. Open. The tournament runs from June 13-19 this year, and could be a fun experience to include during your vacation – Bethesda and Washington D.C. are very close to one another. If part of your traveling group is bored with museums and monuments and wants to catch a day of golfing instead, then it’s easy to split up for the day and still meet up for dinner in D.C. that night.