If your family is planning a vacation to a tourist area with amusement parks, waterparks, zoos or other attractions, ticket prices can comprise a large portion of your travel budget. These experiences can create lasting memories, so what are the best ways to save money on attraction tickets?

• Buy City Passes - If you are visiting multiple attractions during your vacation, you can often invest in a City Pass. City Passes are available for many different destinations and can save you 10% to 40% off admission prices. City passes can usually be purchased at attraction websites, Costco or AAA.
• Find Discount Tickets Before You Go. As mentioned above, Costco can provide some great deals on admission tickets. Our local Costco offered both a City pass which included a three day Disneyland Park Hopper Pass, a ticket to Universal Studios, a ticket to San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park, and a ticket to Sea World. You typically save 20-40% off the gate price when you buy one of these packages.
• Buy Through Your Travel Clubs to Save Money. If you are a AAA member, you can also buy admission tickets for discounted prices at their website http://www.aaa.com/ or in their offices. You can often show your AAA card at the gate to save 10% off the admission price at the gate. Do not forget to request your FREE Tour Books for your destination city and maps. The Tour Books are a great resource to tell you about local history and local attractions including which attractions offer discounts to AAA members.
• Buy Tickets On-line. If you are not a AAA or Costco member, you can often just buy discounted tickets at the attraction websites. Most attractions have special offers and discounts for on-line purchases.
• If you have a local zoo membership, you can often receive FREE or discounted admission to other zoos across the country. Check with your local zoo to get a list of participating zoos.
• Invest in an Entertainment Book. Entertainment Books are offered for many cities across the US . In addition to buy one get one free food offers, they also include attraction discounts and offers.
• Look for Chamber of Commerce websites or other on-line discount sites for your destination city. When I traveled to Orlando, Florida, for the first time, I requested multiple coupons books, maps and brochures.
• You can get special attraction deals through travel agents or vacation packages. If you are booking hotels rooms plus attractions tickets or dining plans (with Disney packages), you can often receive special deals if you purchase a vacation package.
• Sign up for travel newsletters like Travel Zoo or Hotwire and they will e-mail you the top travel deals every month. These deals often include special offers for attractions tickets.
• If you are active or retired military (or spouse), many attractions offer military discounts. Disney World is currently offering an amazing deal on a 4 Day Park Hopper tickets for only $135 for active or retire purchased at  Shades of Green HERE.

• Saving Money on Travel Part 1
• Saving Money On Travel Part 2 - Airfare
• Saving Money on Travel Part 3 - Hotels
• Saving Money on Travel Part 5 - Food
• Saving Money On Travel - Preparing a Travel Kit