Planning a honeymoon, need some flight tips...

[Kanis]

My DF and I are trying to plan our honeymoon. We've decided to forgo a big wedding and spend the money on a trip to Greece instead. I've been searching the internet for cheap flights but it seems to be hit and miss. Does anyone have any advice/tips on finding those affordable (and I know they're out there) flights? I've gone on expedia and travelocity but find them to be rather expensive. Any tips?

Christa

[mapgirl92576]

Try orbitz, they're my preference for flight search engines.

As far as other tricks -- layovers. The price of your ticket should drop a bit if you're willing to take a stop or two along the way.

Finally, the biggest tip - is to fly to a destination during the off season.

You can sign up via yahoo travel for ticket alerts to various destinations, and that may help you as well.

Good luck.

[jennylomond101]

Flying off-season is a good idea, and you can save a substantial amount by flying out on an off-day. Like, on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, rather than a Friday or a weekend. Do you have any frequent flier benefits on any of your credit cards? If not, you might look into getting a credit card with frequent flier mile benefits.

http://www.visa.com
http://www.mastercard.com

Do a search on Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity, and Orbitz, and see which airlines are consistently cheaper. Try going to their website; most of them have a fliers club (or something like it) and will give bonus miles to members.

And I know that this is stressful, but the closer you book to your departure date, the more likely you are to get a good deal. Change airport locations too; ie, flying out of San Francisco is about $200 cheaper than flying out of Oakland. Check all nearby airports to see if they're cheaper.

Courier-ing could possibly be an option. I have a friend who went to China for half price because he went as a courier. A lot of companies need people to personally deliver things overseas (documents, usually) and will give travellers a major break on their ticket if they accompany something across the pond. The companies are all reputable and I think couriers go through an agency...well, that's a pretty far-out option, but anyway.

Good luck!

[Kanis]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, being a teacher, my holidays are pretty much dictated. I have no choice but to travel during the peak season. I've checked out some of the online booking systems and have found them to be pretty expensive. Unfortuantely, I cannot access Priceline because I live in Canada. The courier thing is something to check out, only concern I have is that I've heard you have to travel super light. I'm still checking, still looking.

Once again, thanks for the advice.

Christa

[Pattiecakes]

Here is a site which is powered by the same software the online sites use. I use this to research flights, times and prices then call the airlines directly and ask for them.
http://www.itasoftware.com/
You can log on as a guest to search for flights too.
Have fun!
Patty

[deborahdarling]

Hi Christa,

The best advice I can give is to find yourself a good travel agent. They have access to consolidator fares that you can't access yourself. Save time and hand it over to a pro!

Debbie

[Kanis]

Okay after spending so many hours searching on the net for affordable tickets, we finally got them...through a travel agent. I contacted a number of agents and we got the best price from an agent who was referred by a friend! His price was at least 200$ cheaper than the other agents and a good 500-1000$ cheaper than any of the websites. We leave for Athens, Greece July 5th and return on the 29th! I'm soooo excited!

My conclusion? I think the net is a great place to do research but the best way to go is with a travel agent! smile.gif

Thanks for your help!

Christa