When planning this year’s travel schedule, you can expect to pay more for airfares, gasoline, dining and hotel rooms than you did last year. However, there are places in the world where you can enjoy at least part of your visit absolutely free. Here are a few.

Downtown and the Strip, Las Vegas NV: Gambling is the main industry of Sin City, so to lure you into the casinos, there are many free things to do there. We enjoy strolling around on Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street at night to enjoy all the fun things happening around us. Free shows include the dancing fountains in front of the Bellagio Resort, the downtown Fremont Street Experience and the Volcano in front of the Mirage Hotel.

British Museum, London, England: We’ve spent days there going through the wonderful exhibits, and it was all free. Founded in 1753, it’s the world’s first national public museum. It contains thousands of historic and art examples from Prehistoric Africa, Ancient Egypt, Classical Greece, the early Middle East and Renaissance Europe. More than six million people visit  annually. Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago: Even when Chicago’s winter weather is howling outside, go into the Conservatory and marvel at the Orchid House, the Fernery and tropical palm trees setting. The zoo has a variety of exibits including, deer, buffalo, giraffes, great apes, big jungle cats, exotic birds, amphibians, insects and much more.

The Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Japan: This estate in mid-Tokyo is the residence of the Emperor. The palace is located within the grounds of what was the ancient 12th Century Edo Castle. The latest version was built in the 1860s, but it has been damaged several times from a devastating earthquake in the 1920s and wartime bombings in 1945. 

Torch & Hula Show, Kuhio Beach, Waikiki, HI: There’s a great place there where you can have your nightly Hawaiian experience without spending a penny. Pack your own picnic dinner and beach blankets, then head for the Kuhio Beach Hula Mound on Waikiki Beach. The show is performed by the famed statue of surfer legend Duke Hahanomoku. The free entertainment is everything great you can expect from Hawaiian dancers, singers and musicians.