When planning a trip, one of the biggest expenses is planning for your flight travel. Airline tickets, especially for international flights, can be quite costly; however, there are ways to get more value for your travel dollars. Here are a few tips:
- Use Kayak.com to look for cheap flights from hundreds of travel sites on the web. Don’t forget to also check discount airlines like Southwest.com, Airtran.com, and USA3000.com which don’t advertise on Kayak, which often have lower fares when traveling within the United States.
- Using Bing.com/travel (formerly Farecast.com) can help you decide when to travel by letting you know when fares will go up or down, based on its “price predictor” which takes into account historical data. If you give the site your itinerary, it will tell you to either purchase your tickets or wait for an anticipated drop in prices.
- Make use of each airlines’ loyalty programs (which are free to join) and they will send you information on special deals via email.
- Join Airfarewatchdog.com and input the city you typically fly from, and the site will find you the best deals on flights from that city, as well as any close alternative airports you might consider flying from.
- Take the flight less traveled: flying midweek (AKA Tuesday or Wednesday) and also on Saturday afternoon, in between the crushes of travelers on Friday and Sunday, can offer the lowest rates.
- Pick your destination based on cheap flights. If a Florida beach vacation is in mind, but no particular area, use Kayak’s Buzz to see which city is cheapest and fly into that airport. (Many times Orlando is significantly cheaper than flights to Florida’s east or west coast, but within an hour and a half drive to either.)
- Check out flying fees, and avoid them. You can avoid charges for buying your tickets by phone or at the counter by booking with the airline you’re flying, or with Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity- which don’t add any booking fees. Baggage fees have increased substantially over the last year or two, so pack lightly when traveling, and compare airline baggage fees at FlyingFees.com.
- Consider booking through a connector city to save money. London is a great connector city to most of Europe; as it is inexpensive o fly there from New York City. Booking to London and then using the smaller discount European airlines to reach your final destination can save you a lot of money, even if you need to overnight in London.
- Pack snacks and drinks into your carry-ons. While you are not allowed to carry liquids past security, you can bring an empty water bottle and fill it after you get through security. Add powdered drink mixes for great, inexpensive drinks, no matter how many layovers you have. You can also bring snack foods, crackers, and fruit in your carry-ons to consume on the plane.
After booking your flights, the cost of accommodations is the most expensive part of a vacation. Use a site with which you can compare hotels and rates in all of the areas you are interested in.
Do You Want To Know How To Save Huge Amounts Of Money On Your Air Travel?. Do You Want To Learn The Inside Secrets Of The Travel Industry?. Do You Want To Know To Know How To Knock 0 Right Off Your Next Ticket?. Do You Want To Know How To Get Cheap Airline Tickets Worldwide?.
Advertisement
EmoticonEmoticon