Monday, December 1, 2008

Tips to Get Airline Travel Discounts

We all need to get away. Our vacations are the one thing that we look forward to all year. Unfortunately what happens sometimes is that we tend to feel the stress of how am I going to afford the vacation that I've been dreaming about? Well I hope that with a few of my tips, you will be able to get some airline travel discounts.

Here are some tips to find the lowest fare air ticket:

  • Buy tickets 3-5 months before your departure date

  • Some airlines offer discounts for early buyers. It's also best to buy your tickets at least 20 days in advance to ensure the best seating possible, most discounted tickets sell out fast. You should also know that Airline Tickets are subject to price increase, especially during Christmas season, so buying early avoids further ticket increase.

  • Never fly on weekends

  • If you're planning a trip, plan to leave on weekdays, preferable Monday to Wednesday. Weekends are high traffic times, for travelers and would probably cost you an additional $25-$40 increase.

  • Don't travel During Peak season

  • Airlines tend to increase ticket prices during Peak travel season due to the increase in demand. Traveling during low season is also advantageous if you want to avoid airport and tourist spot crowds. If you really have to travel during peak season, consider leaving home early and going home late to avoid the rush.

  • How long to Stay

  • Yes your travel stay also affects airline ticket prices. Airlines give discounts if you stay at least a week at your destination and return within 90 days.

  • Consider a Connecting Flight

  • Contrary to popular belief, direct flights aren't always the cheapest. Some people have saved up to $1000 dollars on booking connecting instead of Direct flights. If you don't have a lot of luggage, and aren't very particular with time, it is best, and a lot cheaper to book a connecting flight instead of direct.

  • Use the senior citizen discount

  • Some Airlines offer the same senior Citizen discount for the companions of the Senior Citizen. Ask if it's available.

  • The Early Bird gets the Airline Ticket

  • Call Airlines at 12:01 am on Wednesday mornings. This is when airlines release all the new fares and seat plans. You can be first and choose the best and cheapest tickets at this time.

  • Shop on the Internet

  • The best feature of the internet is that you see all available Prices from a very convenient place, your home. You won't have to canvass travel agencies. Some internet sites even offer internet only discounts that you can benefit from if you use their services.

  • When you do shop on the internet

Check first with travel agents regarding prices, Internet prices aren't always the cheapest, it's best to ask a good old travel agent. It won't hurt to look at news papers too, as some airlines publish discounts on print. If you're planning to buy more than 6 months in advance, it's probably best to ask a travel guide as internet sites don't usually have schedules for longer than six months.

Airline travel discounts are everywhere; you just need to know how to find them! I hope that with these tips, that's exactly what you are going to be able to do. Now go out there and get that lowest fare air ticket! Happy travels.

Author: Sarah W

Seven Ways To Get Travel Discounts

Do you love to travel but don't have the money to take all the trips you want? What if you could cut your travel costs? You might be able to take more vacations or finally visit that special destination you've been dreaming of.

Finding travel discounts does take a bit of legwork, but in this age of computers you can do a lot of the legwork right in the comfort of your own home. You can find discounts on airfare, hotels and car rentals at major airline and travel web sites if you want to invest a little bit of time in surfing the web.

But getting discounts on your airfare and hotels aren't the only way to save on vacations. Here's seven things that might help you cut costs the next time you take a trip. 1. Shop around for the cheapest flight online either at the airlines website or the big travel sites. Airlines offer discount tickets periodically so you should check their sites often. The big travel sites have specials as well and it can really save some time if you register to receive an email when a discount to your destination comes up. Don't forget to check these sites often since you never know when a good deal might pop up.

2. Look for web-only discounts offered by hotels and airlines for people who don't mind making reservations online. You must commit to your reservation but sometimes you can save half the cost with one of these specials.

3. Check on detour flights other than the straight one you'll most likely get when you inquire. Your total flight prices can be cheaper when you take two flights instead of one. Some people save thousands booking their flights this way.

4. Check out package deals for your dream vacation as you can usually save a bundle and it's a bit more convenient for you too. Packages that combine airfare and hotel can be had at a steep discount compared to what they cost when paid for separately. Even better, try to get a trio package that combines airfare, hotel and car rental for a really great travel.

5. If you'll be staying in the same hotel for more than 7 days, call ahead and ask if they have any week long stay discounts. Sometimes you can get a free day or a bit off your overall price.

6. Travel to great vacation places that have a low cost of living - the prices there will tend to be a bit less than other vacation spots. Malaysia and the Philippines are good examples where both have great scenery and tourist spots but prices are reasonable. Make sure there is plenty of English speaking people there unless you enjoy the challenge of communicating with people who do not speak your language.

7. Once you've gotten all your travel discounts on hotels and airfare, you can still save some money on your vacation by buying food at the grocery and cooking it yourself instead of eating out for every meal. Restaurants tend to have cheap food that might not be the healthiest so do your wallet and your health a favor by eating in. Of course, you'll want to make sure to get a hotel room that has refrigeration and allows for cooking too.

Author: Lee Dobbins

Get Cheap Air Travel Rates The Easy Way

Before, traveling overseas can cost you a fortune. And to get a good and cheap air travel would require you to pull out several tricks just to make sure travel agents will give you what you want. But in the end, you have to settle for the rates that your travel agent has given you.

Today, to get cheap air rates whenever you plan to travel overseas it is not a great task. And with the help of the Internet, you can find several cheap air travel sites that can offer you deal that are really affordable. With a little navigation skill further, you can even dig dipper and get the best of the best deals available. To help you do this, here are some of the ways to get yourself a cheap air travel you have always wanted:

Do research. Do it thoroughly if you want. The Internet offers a lot to those who look closely and thoroughly. Visit several sites that offer cheap air travel deals. Use the search engine to pinpoint the sites that can help in your search. Read online articles regarding cheap air travel; they often offer several links that could lead you to travel agents that provide cheap air travel. If you have found a site, add it to your "favorites". In this way, you can easily get back to it once you search for more sites. Compare the rates of all the sites you have chosen.

Sometimes, online research is not enough. If this happens, contact travel companies or tour operators and ask for cheap air travel rates or packages they offer.

Consider package deals. Especially if you are traveling for holiday vacation, taking package deals would give you cheap rates. When you arrange this, include to the list your plane tickets, hotel accommodation, car rental and other necessary itineraries like food coupons you think might help to lower the air travel rates.

Travel in a group. Several cheap air travel agencies offer big discounts when you travel with a group. If you are traveling alone, join open groups. Although you might not know who's with you, you can always choose not to be with them.

Travel during off-peak season. Air travel rates are a lot cheaper when you visit a country in its off-peak season. Usually, the summer season is the most expensive time to schedule your trip. Except summer, you can get cheap air travel rate throughout the season (depending on the popularity of the destination).

Buy return flights. Although it is always a practice to buy return flights, you still cannot disregard the savings it could give to you. Buying two one-way tickets are more expensive than the return air tickets.

Make you flight open. Tell your airline operator that you are willing to get bumped. If you are after discount, this is for you. You might not get your scheduled flight but you can get discounts you can use on your next flight.

Fly on one airline. In this way, you can accumulate miles of points where you can use on your next flights.

There are more tips you can use to get cheap air travel but generally but the mentioned above is the most common. Be sure to do at least one or two and you are surely on your way to other country without spending so much.

Author: Sandra Stammberger