Do you love to travel? I do too, and I am always looking for new ways to find inexpensive airline tickets. I prefer to spend my money on other things rather than spending a bundle on airfare just to get to my destination. I bet you would too. So I have gathered together a few tips to help all of us "thrifty" travelers.
1. Check neighboring cities. For example, if you are planning on flying into Washington DC, be sure to check out prices for flights to Baltimore instead, as these flights are almost always less expensive.
2. If you are not traveling internationally, consider flying on one of the subsidiary airlines for the major carriers (such as Delta Express), as you will usually save money this way.
3. Be sure to use the Internet to check out last-minute discounted fares on the airline's website. Start looking Wednesday for the upcoming weekend.
4. Be patient and wait for a good price to come up. However, when you do see a great price go ahead and grab it.
5. Try to be flexible with your leaving and return dates. Sometimes if you just adjust your dates by one day you can get a better price. For example, leave Thursday and return Monday instead of leaving Friday and returning Sunday.
6. If possible, book your tickets directly at the airline's website. If you use a travel agency, even one online, they will charge you an additional fee. It will also be easier to correct any problems if you are dealing directly with the airline itself instead of a travel agency.
7. Mornings are sometimes the best time to check for tickets, and Saturday and Wednesday mornings are good days to take a look for some great prices.
8. Don't forget to sign up for frequent flyer miles; it is surprising how often people don't take advantage of this perk.
9. Traveling one way? Even though you will find this doesn't work all the time, be sure to check for round-trip prices as well since there are occasions where it is cheaper than flying one-way. Crazy? Sure, but hey, we are trying to save money here so do what you have to.
10. If you plan to travel on a holiday, be sure to book your tickets well in advance. For one thing, you will have a hard time getting the seats and dates you want if you wait until the last minute, but you also will save on airfare by buying early. However, be sure of your itinerary because you will cancel out all savings you made if you have to change your travel dates.
11. Make sure you always book your flights at least 21 days in advance. This will get you the best fares. The earlier the better in this case. Never buy tickets within 7 days of your planned departure if you can help it, as you will pay a significantly higher fare.
12. Consider traveling on the "red eye" flights. Check with your travel agent to see if you can save with these late-night fares. You can often save as much as 25% this way.
Terrie Bryan is a freelance writer who loves to travel. There's no reason you should pay full price for airfare. Click this link if you're ready to discover how to find airline travel cheap. Join the thousands of happy travelers who are already saving money on airfare right now, visit www.the-cheap-traveler.com.
