I'm planning a trip in July for a few days and want to lock down the best deal. Any suggestions?
2007-05-01 04:45:34 · 19 answers · asked by mjasfvpld 2 in Travel ➔ Air Travel
Try www.kayak.com It a travel search engine so you just need to enter your starting/ending cities and dates that you want to travel and it searches hundreds of travel sites and gives you the entire list of available flights and prices.
2007-05-01 05:10:44 · answer #1 · answered by Steph 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This will depend on your destination, your expectations, your lenght of stay, and your accomodations. Basically every travel agency, travel website, and even airlines/hotels will gamble for your money. Some may offer you a free night stay, others may offer you lower fares, and so on.
As of me, when I travel I always do my research online...and I don't book until I find the best fare possible. Booking online is very easy, as well as it can be quite cheaper than booking directly...say with the airline. Airlines now charge you a conversation fee...booking over the phone, that is. When you book online, there are no additionaly fees other than your fare and taxes.
Expedia & Orbitz have become some of my best resources to book flight, hotel, and/or car. I have never had any trouble with them. They both show you fair prices, and if you book together, flight/hotel you save even more. if you book separate, you might end up paying more than what you can afford. Also when you choose a vacation package you also save a lot money.
So what you need to do now, is play around. Call around, go online, call the airlines, and until you get the best deal...then go for it...don't wait another minute...because even low fares can go high if you don't book ontime. Here's a tip...if you do end up booking directly with the airline...have them hold that fare for you for 24hrs, they will give a confirmation code, save it...this is in case you think that fare was fair for you, so if no one else gave you a better deal...at least you've a spot saved up. There's no penalty for not showing up, or cancelling..you just don't do anything if that's not the fare you want.
Good luck and have a great trip!
2007-05-01 14:51:37 · answer #2 · answered by ОГОНЬ 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Book with the airlines and hotels directly. Sites like expedia, peiceline and travelocity don't give better deals, and you have no recourse without having to fight tooth and nail if there is something not right. As a general rule, I always book as far in advance as I can. Being a frequent traveler, the peak time to travel is the summer so you will be paying more than if you went in the spring or fall. Also, to save money and enjoy your trips a whole lot more sign up for frequent flier mile accounts and frequent hotel guest points. I have had many upgraded flights and free rooms at 4 star hotels. Rental car companies have programs too. Those can save you a lot of time in hot destinations.
2007-05-02 10:56:47 · answer #3 · answered by Your #1 fan 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I go to a vacation, i normally used the online travel agencies to check for availabilities and prices. If I found a good deal I compare it to the airlines web and see how much I can save if I booked it with the airlines directly. Normally online travel agencies charged extra 5-10usd as service charge.
2007-05-01 11:51:46 · answer #4 · answered by les_18artist 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I go with the airlines directly. Sites like expedia.com or orbitz.com generally don't have better fares than the airlines' websites directly, and also they charge a "booking fee" - at least $5 and sometimes more - so it's actually more expensive. Many airlines also guarantee the lowest fares on their own sites.
2007-05-01 14:13:03 · answer #5 · answered by Mike R 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Checkout a number of the websites listed by other answers. I use travelocity and cheaptickets. After I find the lowest priced ticket on one of those, I go to the airline website and see what price they give. I know that both Delta and Northwest guarantee their websites will give you the lowest available fare on their airline.
2007-05-02 11:05:44 · answer #6 · answered by go_around 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I find travel.yahoo.com generally has the best deals for lazy people. But really, checking each airlines website is the best option. Check your local airports website, for the links to the airlines that serve it.
2007-05-02 19:01:37 · answer #7 · answered by justanotheruser 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I go to cheaptickets.com and I check all the prices of the airlines. Then, I go the website of the airline that i find the cheapest price and buy it there. Also, I am member if spirit airlines and they send me offers like every other week for specific days.
2007-05-01 19:49:09 · answer #8 · answered by whudafxup05 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The best deals come from Travel aGents. On Line sites can only access ADVERTISED fares. Travel AGents can get to special fares as well as package deals not offered on any web site.
In addition, using a Travel AGent costs you NOTHING.
2007-05-02 11:32:55 · answer #9 · answered by Marvinator 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I normally will search travelocity, cheap tickets, last minute vacations and the major airline websites. Southwest does not advertise on any of these websites, so you need to check with them directly.
Have fun!
2007-05-02 13:52:19 · answer #10 · answered by Raine 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋