Article Written By: Adriana Noton
Traveling to far away place with strange sounding names does not have to cost a king's ransom. Shop for discount flights. Last minute flights are usually the most expensive so you should try to plan ahead. Cheap international flights are available if you are willing to look for them. Like any business, airlines want to maximize profits. It may seem obvious but it helps to keep that rule in mind when shopping for bargain air fares. Airlines don't make money on empty seats. Figure out when seats are most likely to be empty and you will have a pretty good idea when you can fill one of them cheaply. The law of supply and demand decrees that you pay more for something everybody wants and less for something nobody wants. There are some days and times when everybody wants to fly and others when everybody is already where they want to be. Airlines charge lower prices for for people who are willing to fly at ridiculously early hours in the morning just because those flights so inconvenient and unpopular. In the US it's pretty common knowledge that the busiest day for flying is the day before Thanksgiving. That's also generally the most expensive day to travel. The flip side of that story is that hardly anyone flies on Thanksgiving day because by then nearly everyone is where they want to be. A clever planner with a flexible schedule can depart early on Thanksgiving Day. The first flights on any day are unpopular. Most people travel home on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That's the day when ticket prices will be highest. You can save money by leaving early and traveling on Friday or Saturday. Or you can stay over Sunday and fly home on Monday.International travel is different. Other countries do have holidays and special events that cause large numbers of people to want to go to the same places at the same times. Find out when those days are in the countries you are planning to visit and avoid them.Many people travel on business. Those people are often on tight schedules and are willing to pay top dollar to get on flights going where they need to go when they need to go. If you don't need to go at the same time they do, don't. By being flexible about when you will fly you can gain a lot of flexibility in how much you will have to pay.A simple rule for saving on air fares is to travel when people are least likely to be traveling on business. The least popular days for business travelers are in the middle of the week. Wednesday is a great day for travel bargains.Business travelers and even tourists tend to crowd the same airports. A tourist who isn't in a hurry can take a cheaper flight, land in a nearby airport and catch a train to the final destination. Flights to less popular airports can sometimes save you big money.Remember that most European cities and cities in other countries too have excellent rail transportation. By landing in a smaller city and taking a train to your ultimate destination you can save big. You can have a lot of fun shopping for bargains to buy with the money you saved on cheap last minute flights.
This Article Has Been Published on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 and Read 249 Times