If you're feeling jittery about a trip to Europe this summer, you're not alone. Whether you're concerned about your family's safety overseas, or worried about the high exchange rate, you may already be searching for an alternative vacation spot.

Travelers looking for deals to low-risk destinations can turn to http://www.SmarterLiving.com. Not only will picking the right place to take your family help put your mind at ease, but with airfare typically more expensive in the summer, saving money will also ensure that your trip's a successful one.

"World events and the cost of the euro shouldn't scare you away from traveling this summer," says Jon Douglas, "Deal Hound" columnist for SmarterLiving.com. "If you're ready to book when you see a deal, you'll be able to find some amazing bargains."

Douglas says that popular destinations like Orlando, Las Vegas, and Hawaii remain affordable from anywhere in the U.S., mostly because domestic airfares continue to stay low. SmarterLiving.com lists dozens of deals for early summer vacations, including five-night air-hotel-car trips in Orlando from $349, three-night Las Vegas getaways from $179, and seven-night escapes to Honolulu and Maui from $689.

If you're in the mood to travel somewhere a little more exotic, Central and South America are also great bargains this year. "You could fly to Costa Rica and get five nights hotel from $399 per person, visit Belize instead for just a couple hundred more, or take a three-city South America sampler from $999," says Douglas.

With the world climate somewhat unstable, some people are taking a wait- and-see approach to summer travel. Bargain-hunters holding out for a last- minute deal should subscribe to SmarterLiving.com's free e-mail newsletters. The online travel publisher sends out the best last-minute airfares of the week for 81 different cities. This week's fares included $269 from Boston to Mexico City, $289 from Washington, D.C. to Bermuda, and $314 from New York to Reykjavik.

"If you're flexible about where and when you go, last-minute deals are great ways to save money on your vacation," says Douglas.

SOURCE SmarterLiving.com Web Site: http://www.smarterliving.com