Do you know that going on a vacation along with your family not only helps you relax but also helps in bonding with the family? It is not necessary that you go for a long vacation spending hundreds of dollars but you can have a great time even in a short vacation.

First and foremost you will need to decide where you plan to go for a holiday. You can consult your family in this regard and get their opinion about the choice of vacation. After you have arrived at a decision, you can start hunting for the best travel deals.

Is it really the lucky few who get the best travel deals or is it possible for everyone to get amazing deals while they travel? The truth is all of us can get discounts on flight tickets and hotel rooms, if we plan everything in advance. Deciding on which time of the year to travel will also help you save a lot of money.

In the travel industry there are two seasons, namely peak season and off-season. When you make your travel arrangements during the peak season, you will find that the ticket rates are costlier. But if you plan your vacation during the off-season, you will be able to get amazing discounts on everything.

Most airlines and hotels offer discounts to travelers during the off-season, which will encourage them to travel. If you shop around the Internet, you will be surprised to see great deals on offer. You will be able to save a substantial amount of money, which can be used to enjoy every moment of your vacation.

So you are in the market for cheap airline tickets, but not sure where to start and how to find the best travel deals. The reality is that in order to find the cheapest flight fares and schedules you need to know when and where to look and how to search. Yes, it is that easy, and all you need to know is several tricks. First of all, do you need a domestic or an international travel ticket?

Domestic Air Travel

These can be US domestic flight or flights within Europe, or within any country or other continent. If you are looking great flight deals, you need to know WHERE to look for low airfares. If you are looking for flights within the US, you may contact local US airlines or travel agencies or look up flights on the online travel search engine.

Airlines compete among each other and they can give great flight deals (just know WHEN to look). Travel agencies might also find you great deals. Here is the truth… lately several airlines and several large and well known travel agencies started having some issues and several airline banned those huge agencies from selling their airline tickets. Therefore, small and specialized agencies still do have very good contracts with major airlines of the world. So, my advise is to look who has the best flight deal, not at the size of the agency or the popularity. At the end of the day, it matters how much you pay for the ticket and that you have a confirmed seat.

Most smaller travel agencies have online only booking so they can save YOU money by eliminating staff salaries. Most of the time travel agencies use the same fares as airlines offer (unless negotiated better rates), but usually with 0 commission. Since agencies need to survive, they are forced to add a small service fee on the top of the ticket price. If you do not mind that, call your travel agent or best of all go online and check flights yourself. If you are traveling within Europe, you might want to contact a travel agent or search online travel agents’ websites first. In Europe local travel agencies and agencies outside Europe that specialize in international travel will have low fares because they use very low so called consolidator fares. This is nothing else, but negotiated contracts with airlines to sell special very low priced airline tickets.

International Travel

Whether you live in the US or other country, you travel internationally if you leave your country of residence.

What concerns transatlantic, transpacific or other between countries international travel, your best bet is a travel agency. The consolidators will offer you the best fare deals and will find you the best schedules. Depending on personal preferences, some might prefer talking to a travel agent, while others would want to do their own fare search online at their own pace. There is no right or wrong choice here. As long as you find a flight and a fare that works for you, you succeed. HOW to find a travel agency or a good travel website Always work with the travel agent or travel website that specializes in your travel destination or region. For example, if you need to fly from the US to Europe, search for ‘flights to Europe’ or so. Usually online search will give you best results. Check several websites or call several travel agents and compare the deals.

NOTE, you might know lots of huge agencies like Travelocity, Orbitz, etc. They might seem attractive to you because they are big and well known. But they will not always give you the best flight, hotel or cruise deals. They might be good for US domestic travel, but not always for international travel.

HOW and WHEN to search for best fares

Where you need a flight, hotel or a cruise, you need to know how to find the best fares and when to look for those. Let’s say that you found a travel agent or travel website that specialized in your travel destination.

5 tips on How to Find your Best Travel Deal:

1. Be Flexible. In order to find lowest price, you might need to be flexible on travel dates, arrival/departure times, airlines, and sometimes destinations. In short, there are different price levels for every flight and the only difference is the price and number of seats an airline assigns to that price level. Therefore, all depends on when you buy a ticket, how popular is the destination, travel season (peak or low), and how full the flight gets.
2. Book domestic travel tickets as early as you can (this applied to some international travel as well). Most domestic airlines have best fares with 21, 14, and 7 day advance purchase. This means that you may find lower fares when booking (= purchasing) a flight this many days before the flight.
3. ‘Play’ with the search. This means that you need to be creative when searching for flights. Check flights couple days or weeks (if possible) earlier and later, check various airlines, different connections (an airline might have several hubs or fly with 1 or several connections), search based on price and try searching based on schedule (you’ll see different results).
4. Check travel package deals. If the purpose of your travel is vacation, instead of booking flights, hotel, and car rental separately, check on travel package rates. Sometimes your total package rate is lower that if you book everything separately.
5. Use miles or points when possible. Apply for airline/ hotel/ car rental, etc. frequent traveler programs. They are FREE, and you can get lots of benefits. For example, I cannot remember the last time I paid for a hotel room when Hilton Hotel is in my destination. Check out hiltonhhonors.com website. Go to the airline, car rental, or hotel websites and sign up. The only disadvantage of using miles and points is that you need to book your travel early as there is limited number of seats for miles or points on the plane and they go fast.

If you cannot decide whether to use an airline or a travel agent, here are some suggestions.

AIRLINE vs. TRAVEL AGENT/AGENCY WEBSITE

Advantages of booking a ticket with an airline:

* you are talking directly to the carrier, the entity responsible for a flight
* it may take much less time to deal with the airline directly (if an agent knows his/her job)
* airline customers representatives are usually open 24/7

Advantages of using travel agents or travel websites:

* lower negotiated (consolidator) fares
* more flight options; travel agents/travel websites search all possible airlines, not just one
* low fares available 24/7 given that an agency has a online booking system

Please send in your comments on how you find your best deals, and I shall be happy to share them with the rest of the world. Good luck!

When it comes to travel deals, there are key things you want to know so you can get the best airline prices and discount airline tickets.

The first thing to understand is what certain travel terms mean, such as ‘high-peak’ ‘shoulder season and ‘off-peak’.

High peak is when certain cities and destinations experience a flurry of travelers and though travel deals can be difficult to procure, knowing where to look will help you book discount airline tickets. The goal is to do your due diligence and search for airline ticket prices at online travel agencies like CheapOair; a top online travel website offering year-round travel deals. Moreover, CheapOair offers consumers travel coupons and has over 18MM exclusive fares and a lowest fare guarantee. That being said, finding airline ticket prices with your budget is absolutely possible should you choose to travel during high peak season.

Shoulder season is when vacationers travel before or after high-peak and off-peak seasons. Travelers will absolutely be able to book discount airline tickets during this time because it’s not high-peak season. Travel deals will be plentiful and online travel agencies will offer great deals, so it’s an ideal time to book your travel. Another thing to consider is that when you vacation during this time, there aren’t as many tourists, so lines are shorter, cities are quieter and beaches, spas and resorts aren’t as full. For student travelers and family travelers, the shoulder season is a great time to consider booking travel deals.

Off-peak season is when discount airline tickets abound! Though seasonally, the weather at your chosen destination might not be pristine, the travel deals are outstanding and the savings are potentially mindboggling. Airline ticket prices drop. For example, if you’re traveling during high-peak season, airline ticket prices to ‘destination A’ might cost $400 whereas airline ticket prices to that same destination during off-peak season can be half the price or less. WOW—that’s a travel deal worth booking. The other benefits are that you’ll run into fewer tourists, so you’ll really have an opportunity to explore at your leisure without having to deal with other travelers. Again, for students and families, off-peak travel can be the most affordable. In addition to this, even if you’re engaging in romantic travel, singles travel or senior travel, you’ll save BIG on discount airline tickets.

When you’re ready to book discount airline tickets, remember, you can search, plan and book all of your travel needs on CheapOair — a site that caters to budget travelers during all seasons.