Each year we round up a list of fabulous freebies, valuable offers with few or no strings attached. This year's list is packed with more something-for-nothing deals than ever. Here are our eight favorite travel freebies, including free flight perks, free stuff on the road and free tour guides.

For our complete list, see Fabulous Freebies 2012.

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8 Fabulous Travel Freebies

Domestic airlines are stingy with giveaways. But some airlines still offer a few freebies for fliers. One of our favorites: Southwest lets you check two bags for free -- which can save you up to $120 on a round-trip flight. JetBlue lets you check one bag free, plus gives you access to free TV, satellite radio and all-you-can-eat snacks.

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Free Flight Perks

If you have to fly, you may as well earn extra credit for it. Sign up for the airline’s frequent flier program to accumulate points toward free flights and other goodies. See the “Program Guide” at WebFlyer.com for the lowdown on each airline’s rules.

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Free Flights

You’ll pay about $15 at the post office to get your picture taken for your passport. Instead, take your photo with your own digital camera, then upload it to ePassportPhoto.com, which will help you size it properly before printing on your home printer. The best part: You can redo your picture as many times as you like. After all, who wants to get stuck with a bad photo for the next ten years?

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Free Passport Photos

Prepare for your international getaway with the free foreign language lessons online at FSI-language-courses.org. Or go to Openculture.com= for a list of lessons around the Web that you can download to your MP3 player. Your public library may also offer courses or software to help you prepare for your travels.

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Free Language Lessons

Traveling is expensive enough. Don’t get nickel-and-dimed at every step of the way. Stay at hotels that offer free breakfast, free Wi-Fi, free fitness facilities, free parking, and other perks. Priceline.com maintains a searchable database of hotel freebies.

Traveling with kids? You deserve even more freebies. Children under age 2 can fly any airline or ride Amtrak free of charge when they sit on a paying adult’s lap. Also, watch for kids-cruise-free and kids-ski-free promotions, and ask the cruise or resort in advance about free supervised kid programs so you can have some much-needed grown-up time.

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Free Stuff on the Road

Don’t you hate it when you pay for a flight, and then the price drops? Enlist the help of Yapta.com, which tracks your flight’s price after you buy your ticket. If the fare drops, it will notify you and help you collect a refund or travel vouchers from the airline. (Note: Yapta only kicks in if the price drop exceeds the ticket-change fee you’d be obligated to pay.) Yapta does the same for hotels too. For rental cars, try AutoSlash.com.

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Free Price Watcher

To get a real feel for a city when you’re traveling, team up with a local. The Global Greeter Network organizes volunteers in several cities worldwide to show you around, give you the inside scoop and answer your questions. Tours can last a couple hours, and there’s a strict no-tipping policy.

Prefer to explore at your own pace? Browse the free audio walking tours available for download at iTunes.com, Audisseyguides.com and iAudioguide.com. You can also search the Web for walking tours of your destination. In our simple search, we found free audio tour downloads from Boston and Chicago to Dublin and Jerusalem.

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Free Tour Guides

By simply carrying a credit card, you may be entitled to some cool travel freebies. For example, most credit cards come with free rental-car insurance, and some cards will cover the cost of your vacation if you have to cancel your trip. Call your card issuer to find out what perks you qualify for.

International travelers can get slammed with a 3% currency conversion fee every time they charge their credit cards, or withdraw money from an ATM overseas. Bypass the fee with a Capital One or Discover credit card.

SEE ALSO: 7 Little-Known Credit Card Perks

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Free Credit-Card Perks

Fabulous Freebies 2012

10 Free Travel Apps for Your Road Trip

4 Aggravating Travel Fees to Avoid

Guide to Scoring the Best Deals

SPECIAL REPORT: Kiplinger's 50 Top Money-Saving Tips

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