Almost nothing spoils a vacation more than being forced to sit out the fun because you're sick -- although you'll probably feel even worse once you're handed a huge doctor's bill because you didn't buy travel medical insurance.

Still, don't let that scare you into coughing up cash for additional insurance that you most likely won't use. Here are two ways to see a doctor -- and even get a prescription filled -- without spending a penny extra:

First, call your health-insurance provider before your embark on the trip to see if your plan will cover you abroad. That's what I did less than 10 hours before flying off to a two-week vacation in Guatemala and Belize in March.

If you can't afford to live in Tokyo or Osaka, which are the world's two most expensive cities to live in, then maybe you can make due with a short visit to these beautiful places.

Well, that would be expensive, too. But Japan is such a culturally and environmentally rich and wondrous country that you can't afford to skip it, so here are three money-saving tips that I used during my trip to Japan this summer:

1. When you land at Narita International Airport outside of Tokyo, buy this N'EX and Suica public transportation package deal, which shaves $15.18, or 29%, off what you'd pay if you bought the N'EX coach-class train ticket and the prepaid Suica subway card separately. The N'EX ticket will get you on a 1-hour direct train ride from the airport terminals to Tokyo, and the Suica card will pay for most train, subway, and bus rides in Greater Tokyo. Some vending machines and convenience stores also accept Suica cards to pay for purchases.

2. Buy a Japan Rail Pass to save money on traveling between Tokyo and Kyoto or beyond, like Osaka. You could reap substantial savings because the price for a roundtrip coach-class train ticket between Tokyo and Kyoto is about the same price as a weeklong rail pass -- $298 -- but the latter allows you to ride the country's rail system as often and as far as you'd like during the seven consecutive days that the pass is valid for.

Only foreign visitors to Japan and Japanese nationals living abroad can buy this discounted train pass, which is also sold for 14- and 21-day travel jaunts. Just remember to buy the pass at a travel agency before boarding your flight to Japan because you won't be able to purchase it once you land in the country.

This week I moved cross-country for the second time in as many months. And I did it economically by turning an airline into my low-cost moving company.

Instead of mailing several boxes of my belongings from San Francisco to New York at $1 to $1.50 per pound -- or, even worse on the wallet, hiring a moving company to drive my possessions from coast to coast -- I got United Airlines to transport my stuff for free. I lucked out because I've earned United's Premier frequent-flier status, which allows me to check in up to two pieces of luggage for free on each flight this year instead of paying $15 to $20 for the first bag and $25 to $30 for the second bag. I expertly crammed 49.1 lbs. of shoes, shirts, books, and keepsakes into each checked bag, which prompted a "Wow!" from the curbside agent who weighed each suitcase to make sure it didn't tip the 50-lb. limit. Had I shipped those suckers, they would have cost me $100 to $150 total.

I may tap Southwest Airlines to move more of my worldly possessions -- maybe my winter coats, pots, and photo albums? -- to New York in September. After all, I have to fly to California for bridesmaid duty that month, and Southwest lets every passenger check in two suitcases for free. Although I'm not sure I can squeeze that much stuff into these tiny Manhattan closets...

If you aren't fortunate enough to be a frequent flier who receives complementary checked luggage or don't have the luxury of moving your belongings during several flights, try to relocate to your new home via Virgin America. That airline lets every passenger check in up to 10 bags for only $15 per bag. Since the first checked suitcase can weigh up to 70 lbs. and the rest are capped at 50 lbs. each, Virgin's "shipping" rates are only $0.21 per pound to $0.30 per pound -- one-fifth what UPS charges. The airline moves your belongings to your destination much faster, too!

Usually when I'm planning a vacation, I buy -- or, if I'm lucky, borrow from a friend or a library -- a recent copy of Lonely Planet, Frommer's, or some other heavily researched, heavy-to-lug tour guide book. But for my recent cross-country summer roadtrip, I experimented with relying upon the wisdom and whim of Facebook friends and Twitter users to save my family time and money.

Our social networking world -- which in June consisted of my 1,300+ Facebook friends, my brother's 1,300+ Facebook friends, the 660+ Tweeps following @nicolecwong, the 280+ Tweeps following @gregwong, and the complete strangers who ran into our queries in the wide-open Twitterverse -- instantly offered us tips ranging from where to find cheap-but-tasty meals in the town we were entering to which entertainment venues were worth their admission prices.

One of the biggest reasons I'll ask my social networks for recommendations on my next trip is that the advice they give may actually be tailored to my unique tastes, since they probably know me better than a guide book does. Still, advice from strangers can be just as useful. One of my 140-character Twitter updates documenting our travels helped a random vacationer find a fun, free outdoor evening show to enjoy in a tiny Arizona town.
Here are snippets from our 17-day roadtrip's Twitter and Facebook conversations:

Running low on cash to fill your growling stomach and guzzling gas tank? Eat dinner during commute hour -- especially if you're on a roadtrip or driving quite a distance for vacation sight-seeing.

The late-afternoon to early-evening traffic crunch coincides with happy hour, which is when some restaurants and bars offer discounted appetizers. If you pick wisely, you can even eat a full dinner for a fraction of the price at one of the finer establishments simply by sampling every happy-hour appetizer.

Plus, sitting at a table instead of sitting in gridlock means you won't be wasting cash burning fuel that will get you nowhere.

When I travel, I want to get away from it all -- except from the internet. Here are three ways I surfed the Web on my laptop during my 17-day cross-country roadtrip this summer without cracking open my wallet:

First, I booked hotels that offered free wireless-internet access. That saved me much more cash than just the $10 to $20 nightly internet fee that many other hotels charged. I wrung out the additional savings from the ironic reality that the lower-priced hotels, like Super 8 Motel and Holiday Inn Express, were usually the ones throwing in free WiFi. Meanwhile, the more expensive hotels typically slapped on Internet fees, knowing that their main clientele of well-to-do guests or business travelers with expense accounts would pony up to peruse cyberspace. It's situations like these where it pays off to be cheap! HotelChatter.com's annual list of hotel chains that throw in free WiFi is a good resource when you're figuring out where to stay.

Second, on those unlucky occasions when I wound up in a hotel that charged for internet access, I simply went to bed early so the next morning I'd have more time to romp around online while sitting in a nearby cafe that served free WiFi along with a delicious breakfast. Also, some hotels that charge for in-room internet will waive the fee on the spot if you sign up for the chain's free customer-loyalty rewards program, so be sure to ask about that.

Amusement parks, museums, and other tourist attractions often cut senior citizens and students a break on admission fees, but you don't necessarily need to be a cash-conserving retiree or a scrappy college undergraduate to take advantage of those deals.

That's because the elderly threshold is edging downward, and anyone can become a student again.

While age 65 is widely accepted as the gateway to one's golden years, some places consider senior citizens to be anyone age 62 or older, 60 or older, and sometimes even age 55 or older. So be sure to ask if there's a discount for senior citizens and what the criteria is.

If you're on the age borderline, don't be bashful about nicely telling the cashier which other places gladly consider you to be a senior citizen. A little bit of perceived commercial peer pressure could save you 10% to 25% of the entry fee.

The recession-choked hotel industry is making it easier for guests to score free nights at major chains, so this summer is a great time to embark on that multi-city roadtrip you've been mulling over. In some cases, the complimentary night could be at a much pricier hotel than the ones you paid for.

I just arrived home from a 17-day family roadtrip from Boston to San Francisco. Along the way, we paid for a total of four nights at three Holiday Inn Express hotels and earned two free one-night stays redeemable at more than 4,000 properties worldwide that are also under the InterContinental Hotel Group umbrella, including the much more upscale InterContinental Hotels & Resorts brand. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. -- which includes brands like Aloft, Westin, Sheraton, and St. Regis -- also is offering a free weekend night at its top-tier hotels after guests stay at any of its hotels twice by July 31.

These are among the best hotel deals being dangled. The three of us paid $119 for a night at Holiday Inn Express in Fort Smith, Arkansas; $119 for a night at Holiday Inn Express in Amarillo, Texas; and $140 per night for two nights at Holiday Inn Express in Page, Arizona (all prices include taxes and free continental breakfasts). Yet we can cash in our free-stays at some place posh, like the InterContinental Hotel Los Angeles Century City, where a standard room costs $199 to $829 per night before tax, depending on the popularity of the reservation date.