When to Fly - Tips

The Economist has some great tips for snagging the best price when traveling.

Here's the breakdown:

• Buy two months in advance. On average, flights are the cheapest about eight weeks before the departure date.
• Buy during the middle of the week. The cheapest fairs are usually available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
• Afternoon is the best time to buy. One of the Economist's experts even figured out the perfect time: 3 pm on a Tuesday.
• Follow airline Twitter accounts for last-minute deals. Many companies will post specials only to their social media sites.

You can also use your favorite travel search engine like Kayak.com to send you alerts. This way you can have an idea on how much your flight is going to cost and when a below average price might occur.

Last but not least, you can try and fly to hub/gateway city first. For example if the flight has a stop (usually the hub), you can seperate your flight and buy two tickets instead of just one. One from your local city to the hub and another from the hub to your final destination.

Free Travel Guides, Advice, and More

Need new ideas or guides on a particular destination? There are sites around the web that can help you for that. When I am in the need for an inspiration or some guidance, these are some of the sites I frequent:

1. Lonelyplanet
2. Wikitravel
3. Schmap
4. Tripadvisor
5. Fodor's
6. Frommers

Airline, Airport, Flight and Seat Reviews

Cool website kind of like SeatGuru but with a bit more information. You can see rankings and reviews for many airlines. You can also find out which are the best seats on the plane. Last but not least, they have an official SKYTRAX Airline Star Ranking which rank airlines from the best (5 stars) to the worst (1 star). Give it a try: Skytrax

How and Where to Find Low Airfares

The Seattle Times published and excellent article on how and where to find good airfare deals. Most of theses search tips I have already mentioned, but it does not hurt to read these tips again. Check it out here How and where to find low airfares

Quick Tips for a Cheap Vacation

Sherman's Travel Newsletter gives 5 quick tips for cheaper vacations:

Tip #1: Avoid long-weekend holidays and school breaks, like Easter and spring break.

Tip #2: Book air and hotel together. You'll pay just one price upfront, and save a bundle over booking them separately.

Tip #3: Consider off-the-path beach destinations where your dollar may go further.

Tip #4: Check departures from alternate airports. It might even be worth your time to drive an hour or two to a neighboring city's airport when factoring in the savings.

Tip #5: Go midweek. Hotel and flight prices are often cheaper Monday-Thursday than over the weekend. So if you have vacation days to spare, you'll save by using them.

Damn Good Rates to Cancun

Vivaaerobus, the low-cost airline has announced new daily nonstops from Austin to Cancun and Monterrey, Mexico, with fares starting at $9.99 each-way (not including taxes and fees).

Service begins on May 1, super-cheap fares require at least a five-week advance purchase. So if you live close to Austin, why not enjoy some nice scuba diving or snorkeling or maybe ruin-watching south of Cancun in Tulum (just like the photo)!

Collection of Travel Related Websites

I was in Flyertalk the other day and noticed this comprehensive list of Travel Related Websites. Enjoy!

Affordable Europe

Some time ago, The New York Times published some great city guides. They offer money-saving tips for visiting 15 major European cities. You can also read suggestions from other Times' readers plus share your own tips on visiting Europe affordably.

Take a look at it here.