Feeling excited? You have finally decided to get with the program. Down tools at work, and book up an exciting trip to foreign lands. Cool! Think about it. Warm beaches, sunshine, cocktails and a good vibe. It's going to be great! Only one thing. First of all you have to get there. And whilst it is great to splurge out the cash when you actually get away on holiday. It is a nice feeling to know that you have not splashed the cash on the flight to get yourself over there in the first place! So, this is where this article will start to set you on the right track. Ok. So you want a cheap air flight to somewhere exotic. What's the first step?
To answer that question the first step really comes with planning. Before you can decide on an exotic location it is necessary to plan. Such factors as budget, length of time that you have available for the trip, preferences in terms of the type and style of holiday that you seek, and the availability both of yourself in terms of time, and any companions that you wish to travel with must be considered. Because, while it can be great to go traveling on your own. And in fact some of the biggest adventures you will ever have will come when you are traveling solo! It is also a fact that traveling with someone you like, get on well with, and which company you enjoy, can make the experience that much sweeter, and that much more fun. (Especially when you only have two brief weeks away from work!)
Okay, so let's get down to planning. So you have decided you want to go on this trip. So how much money do you have to spend? This is a biggie. I was watching a program on MTV the other day about heiresses. There was one lady on there who had a fortune of some $ 300 million dollars. And so to all intents and purposes, her budget was limitless. The trips that she had planned included an island in the Caribbean. Only, not just any island. An island that cost $ 10,000 a day! So you can bet that her idea of getting cheap air flights to her destination, would not be the same as yours;)
So, assuming that you are not a $ 300 million heiress, and that money is a consideration. What cheap flight options do you have? One of the first aspects to look at with cheap flights is to see whenever any discounts are available through your work. This is an often overlooked aspect of getting cheap flights, but is in fact quite useful to consider at times. Especially if you work inside a large organization say for example like American Express or a big car company where they have big buying power for their executives. These organizations will often have travel discount deals already in place with major airlines. So if you inquire with your human resources Department. You may find you can save money, right off the bat!
Another group of people who can often get cheap flight deals are students. There are many student discount travel arrangements, and these apply to all forms of transport, including rail and buses as well as flights. (For example inter-rail passes around Europe). One easy thing to do if you are a student (or under 25) is to check directly with the airlines, whether they have any arrangements specifically for students or young people, and if they do, then to make sure you take them up on them ! There's no point in leaving money on the table, especially when you're a student! And it could be better spent elsewhere;)
Also, the day of the week that you travel is also a key consideration. You'll find if you travel midweek that the flights will cost considerably less than if you travel at the weekend. This is simply a case of supply and demand. People tend to work during the week and take the weekends off, so that tend to be when people fly. So if you can in fact fly during the week, instead of the weekends, then you will save yourself some valuable cash. In the same way, a great way of getting cheap flights is simply to book them at the last minute. Be aware that this does not always work. And can in fact backfire, especially if you do it during peak season, when most flights will be fully booked. (And so can in fact get MORE EXPENSIVE!) But at low season, airlines are typically looking to fill the seats on their flights, and so, what this means is that they will often let them go for much, much lower prices than they would if you bought them several months in advance. For Example, if you are flying to places like Ibiza off-season, (from the UK), then your flight may well cost you one third third (or less) than if you fly during high season.
