Online Gay travel guide with vacations for gays and lesbians.

Since lesbians and gay men (the latter especially) are often viewed as a dual-income, no-kids, frequent-traveler demographic, the travel industry routinely pushes up prices when attempting to court our business. Many gay travelers lament the fact that just to travel with our own kind, we sometimes have to spend more for the privilege than other kinds of travelers.

But with a currently shaky economy, as well as the mainstream's embrace of the gay travel world, budget travel has risen to the forefront of the gay and lesbian travel market. Not that gay budget travel was never there: You just had to know where to look. Here's a roundup of strategies for squeezing the most out of your lavender travel dollar. A companion story offers an overview of gay and lesbian tour operators that cater to the non-Gucci crowd.

Ah, the politics of the gay hotel room. Checking into a hotel as a same-sex couple and asking to sleep in one bed can be a useful test of how gay-friendly an establishment is. Although requesting a single bed can feel awkward in some rural or conservative areas and countries, rooms with one bed often cost considerably less than those with two.

And why check into a mainstream hotel at all? First, check for gay or even just gay-friendly bed-and-breakfasts in the area you are visiting. They often charge much less than comparable rooms in mainstream hotels (especially hotels catering to business travelers, and particularly on weekdays). Breakfast is usually included, you may enjoy the chance to meet fellow gay travelers and you can pick the brains of your host, who's likely to have the lowdown on the local gay scene.

This is especially helpful in off-the-beaten-path destinations. Yes, inexpensive gay-friendly B&Bs can be unearthed all over the world, from South Dakota to Arkansas to Quito to Latvia -- places where staying with locals may mean the difference between feeling lost and having a gay ol' time. Having a hard time finding a budget gay or lesbian B&B where you're going? Surf www.gay.com/travel, www.planetout.com/travel or www.purpleroofs.com for scads of gay-oriented accommodations around the world, some charging as little as $25 per night.

If you're traveling solo, the pesky "single supplement" charge can be a real thorn in your side. This fee, which can sometimes double the "based on double-occupancy" listed price, is incurred when any single traveler joins an organized tour group. How do you get around this hard fact?

Ask the tour operator if there are other single travelers interested in the tour who might be looking to share a room; then the two of you can sign up together and secure the lower double-occupancy price. Sure, you may have to put up with snoring, but at least you'll have another single comrade to keep you company, and your wallet will thank you (and who knows, your roommate may look like Angelina Jolie or Colin Farrell).