| Unless you are planning a short domestic | | | | When looking for discount travel, you should |
| trip, the cost of airfare is usually a | | | | also explore non-traditional methods of |
| deciding factor in an overseas trip. Most | | | | finding flights. Websites like offer reverse |
| people with moderate incomes simply can't | | | | auction systems, that is: you place a bid of |
| afford to fly regularly, as much as they | | | | what you're willing to pay on a given route |
| would like to. There are, however, some | | | | on a given date, and if it turns out that an |
| people out there who are flying all the time | | | | airline is willing to release a seat for that |
| on regular incomes. The secret to achieving | | | | price, your credit card is billed an a ticket |
| this is a willingness to be flexible and shop | | | | is issued. |
| around with airfares, as well as employing | | | | |
| some tried and true discount travel | | | | Another good avenue to explore is "bucket |
| techniques. | | | | shops" - companies who buy bulk tickets from |
| | | | airlines at a heavy discount. They don't have |
| The key to getting a cheap flight is to shop | | | | the choice that travel agent has, of course, |
| around, and the internet makes this easy for | | | | but if you're flexible you can often get a |
| almost anyone to do. There are a plethora of | | | | good deal. A typical bucket shop system will |
| websites that will conduct searches around | | | | work as follows: you give them a week-long |
| the world for cheap airfares. Although the | | | | window during which you'd like to fly and |
| internet is a valuable tool in discovering | | | | some destination choices, and then if |
| cheap airfares, it's important that you don't | | | | something comes up at the last minute you can |
| rely on it entirely. Many sites claim they | | | | have it at a heavy discount. |
| are searching "all flights" for the cheapest | | | | |
| possible fare, but you really don't have any | | | | Another rarely explored discount travel |
| way of knowing what they do and don't have | | | | technique is to look into bucket shops and |
| access to. Oftentimes the cheapest flights | | | | travel agents located in ethnic |
| can come from the airlines themselves, and | | | | neighborhoods. Often, foreign airlines sell |
| you'd be well advised to check their sites as | | | | discounted tickets to these shops, which in |
| well in your search. | | | | turn serve an ethnic community regularly |
| | | | traveling to their home country. These shops |
| No matter how much research you do online, | | | | have access to tickets from airlines that |
| you should always visit some travel agents. | | | | often aren't available at your regular travel |
| Keep in mind that these people make their | | | | agent, and can offer a significant savings. |
| livings selling airfares, and will often have | | | | |
| access to deals that aren't available to you | | | | The important thing to remember in terms of |
| online. Think of it this way: if you really | | | | discount travel is to explore as many avenues |
| could always get the cheapest flight online, | | | | as you can. The more flexible you are willing |
| travel agents would be out of business. The | | | | to be, the cheaper your fare is likely to be |
| fact that they are not suggests that good | | | | - but even if you're stuck with rigid dates, |
| deals are to found the old fashioned way: by | | | | a compressive search will often result in |
| visiting the office of a travel agent. | | | | airfares that are significantly lower than |
| | | | those commonly advertised. |