Free companion podcast is available on Frommers.com

Are You Ready to Travel Smart?

If you'd like to get the most out of your dollar and your trip, this is the guide for you. I put a fresh spin on budget travel, showing you how to see the best for less and how to see it in a more authentic way-the way the locals do.

Instead of spending $300 a night for a chain hotel, why not stay in Virginia Woolf's childhood home for just $150 a night, or bed down in a private home in central London for $45 a night?

Or how about paying only $6.50 for a classic fish and chips meal at the Fryer's Delight, so you'll have money left over for an elegant high tea at the British Museum for just $17, half of what you'd pay elsewhere?

Let me show you the "other" London-the one only insiders know about. Volunteer to help to build a burrow for hedgehogs with the London Wildlife Trust, or spend an afternoon watching the political brawls at Parliament. These are only a few of the great ways to get closer to the culture of London. Read on for more!

Happy Travels,

Pauline Frommer
www.frommers.com/pauline

• Winner of Best Guidebook for 2006 from the North American Travel Journalists Association (Pauline Frommer's New York City)