|
Considering the
'land only' option - Save $$$ on Airfare
If I can find a wonderful airfare
option for a group, I will provide it to my travelers without hesitation. However, some of
my trips do not include airfare and there is a good reason for this; many who
travel with me wish to have optional days at either end of the tour allowing
them to explore a bit more than what we see on the tour. As such when
airfare is not include or if you would like to consider staying a few days
longer, or arriving earlier, the following tips might be helpful when trying to
negotiate the best airfare deals.
-
Try to have flexible travel
dates for either the departure or return date or both. Having some
flexibility on the day can save as much as $200 over the cost of a ticket.
For the best flexible rate searchers try searching
Orbitz or
Travelocity
-
If you have lots of flexibility,
then you might want to consider signing up with one of the airfare watch sites
- they will notify you when the price drops or comes within your range.
Try: Airfare
Watchdog or
Farewatcher (by Travelocity).
-
Book your flight as far in advance
as possible ~ sometimes it's true, the early bird catches the best
flight....deal.
-
If you are booking last minute,
check one of the last minute specials sites like:
lastminutetravel.com,
Priceline.com
or
Hotwire.com.
You might also check the airline's own website for "hot deals" or "specials".
-
Check the round-trip price, even if
you are only flying one way, sometimes it is less.
-
Fly mid - week, Wednesday usually
having the least expensive fares. Tuesday and Thursday are also
sometimes less than other days.
-
Try using smaller, neighboring
airports. For example today I searched for a flight for my daughter.
Departing from Long Beach instead of LAX (a 15 mile difference) would save
$179 one-way.
-
My personal choices for the best
fares:
Ultimate Fares and
Kayak.com
|
