Last month, TripIt held another fun Twitter chat, where participants shared great tips and ideas for those daydreaming about their summer getaways.

What is a Twitter chat? For those not familiar, TripIt holds a monthly chat on Twitter on the third Thursday of each month from 2-3pm Pacific Time on the hashtag #TripItChat. Every month there’s a new travel topic where we encourage participants to share advice with one another. To learn more, please see: http://landlopers.com/2013/05/01/tripitchat/

Here are some of the key takeaways from our last #TripItChat on summer travel:

Aim for Augst

When it comes to the best time to travel, @Kayak shared that August is shockingly the cheapest time to hit the road. Travelers may want to avoid Europe, however, as August is a major holiday month on this continent.

Plan in Advance

To avoid the traditionally high cost of traveling in the summer, @LeeAbbamonte recommends planning far in advance so you can take full advantage of hotel points and airline miles. He says it’s important to also avoid popular travel days like the weekends.

Or Find Last-Minute Deals

If you’re not using points, @Kayak pointed out that the best time to buy summer tickets at their cheapest is 21-25 days in advance.

Summer Discounts

@RoadTripsFeedMe pointed out that certain credit cards offer discounts at theme parks, museums and other travel-related destinations, which is perfect for family travelers.

Where to?

Chat participants shared many of their favorite “hidden” travel hot spots. Some of the most popular were Lake Tahoe, South Africa, Delaware, Yosemite, Burlington Vermont and even Death Valley according to @TurnipSeeds.

Lighter bags, warm weather and a chance to unwind were why most of the chat participants love summer travel. What do you love about taking a summer vacation?