Cheap Travel

You remember those television ads a couple years ago, hinting that with all of the discount flight providers continually offering lower, cheaper deals and outperforming each other on an hourly basis, that the easiest way to start a fight was to ask someone how much they paid for their ticket, then telling them how much you paid for yours?

It’s actually true.

I recently went on a weekend excursion with my partner, and because of initial scheduling differences on his part we had to book the flights separately. Thinking that the airline itself would give me the cheapest price, I called the airline directly and booked their lowest discounted fare, satisfied that I had received the best price and offering a smug smile to my partner who had yet to book.

Two weeks later on the day before we left for our getaway, I asked him if he had booked his flight. He said yes, though wondered if he had booked earlier, would he have gotten a cheaper price for the ticket.

Feeling the glowing pleasure of self-satisfaction, I started telling him that he should have booked as early as possible and asked for a discounted flight from the airline.

Then I asked how much he paid for the airline tickets, and got an answer I wasn’t expecting. My jaw hit the floor when he said that he paid half as much as I did by going through an online discount travel operator. Half – for the same flight!!! And he was after an even lower price!

After I sulked throughout the entire flight knowing that I had paid twice as much as he did, I conceded defeat and set my resolve to find the cheapest tickets from that point on.

My first lesson was never go directly to the airline – even on their lowest price, they are only offering a tiny discount compared to what is possible to get flights for.

If you want the cheapest ticket, only go through a discount travel operator who deals with the airlines to purchase bulk ticket prices. The best place to find these operators, by far, is online, as online travel operators are able to pass on savings to you because they offer wholesale flight prices and also end up cutting out the middleman thus reducing the cost of travelling significantly. When you make your travel arrangements online, it eliminates the need for offices, administrative staff, rent, advertising and other expenses that contribute to driving up the price of travel.

Still other discount travel operators pass on savings by select marketing both in the consumer base as well as the travel options. As in some online operators will offer cheap travel to say students, or sales agents who get the discount because of the institution they belong to. Some will offer very cheap travel to destinations that are not the most popular.

Savings can also be found online as companies will offer cheap travel due to the fact that the website bookings can easily be made at the last minute, and can help fill airplane space, or a hotel room that would have been empty otherwise. It’s like having a personal shopper constantly looking for sales for you, and then letting you instantly compare sale prices between providers!
.
Other than making sure that you go through an online discount travel provider, there really aren’t a lot of rules. If you’re not sure where to get started, you can go to your favorite search engine and type in what you are looking for, such as “cheap international flights,” and several online operators will come up. Simply choose one and type in your planned itinerary and watch as the options are displayed. Though almost all discount travel providers will be able to beat the price of the airline, don’t be shy about searching for the differences between even the online operators as some will have even better prices for tickets and travel options than others, and they each offer slightly different services, such as travel packages, insurance options, destination activities, etc. Find the one that is right for you and your travel needs.

By using the discounted travel operators and booking online, you’ll never have to worry about being on the losing end of the “How much did you pay for your ticket” game.

Book Cheap Airfares and holiday packages to worldwide destinations with Direct Flights International award winning booking engine.

SECURE CHEAP CAR HIRE FOR THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. The classic road trip is back in demand after surpassing the last couple years’ travel fad of hoping on cheap flights for inner region go-betweens. This season, forget the planes, trains, and dirigible if you’re looking for a super cheap, totally immersed trip. There’s nothing more economical for a hands-on travel experience than driving.

Though people have shied away from the car-based holiday in the recent past due to the convenience of cheap air fare, the new industry wide cheap car hire is pulling customers back into the driver’s seat – click by click.

A simple search online for cheap car hire is all you need for confirmation. There are literally thousands of operators offering all kinds of great incentives to drive away in one of their cheap car hire deals on your next holiday or business trip. Though you might have glanced over car hire in the past, these new packages are really worth a second look as they are designed for the now highly sought after Economical Holiday Maker, or, the new bread and butter of the travel industry.

Over the past decade, the economic savvy traveller not only emerged onto the travel scene, they dominated it, and have since been dictating to industry giants what they will and will not pay for. Airlines picked this up quickly. The car hire industry did not. So, realising they were losing business to the cheap airfare suppliers, car hire agencies focused on the word that had previously been missing in the title: Cheap. Luxury Car Hire has been replaced with Cheap Car Hire, Family Car Hire has similarly been traded in for Cheap Car Hire, and even Affordable Car Hire has been transformed to the simple, the preferred, the necessary, Cheap Car Hire.

Here’s the thing, though – they’re not cheap cars. They are the same new and certified cars that have always been available from reputable car hire agencies. The only difference is, you guessed it, they’re hired at cheaper prices.

Apart from the name, nothing much else has changed. Cheap Car Hire packages are comprehensive and include everything that is required to comply with legal or government regulations. If you are over 25 years of age you are eligible to hire a Cheap Car, if you’re not, you still pay the small surcharge. All driving licenses written out in English are valid no matter which country has issued them.

So once you decide on your holiday itinerary, do yourself a favour and shop around for the cheapest of cheap car hire prices and availability. If you want to make the road trip hassle free, look out for all inclusive packages which cater for insurance and other taxes and offer you unlimited miles per day. Also make sure that you get the wiggle room you want in scheduling, after all, the whole point of a road based holiday is to get lost in the experience. Demand a cheap car hire plan that is flexible enough to suit your pick up time and cater to one way fees if you are not planning the return journey by road. And yes, if your credit card or airline has promotional discounts don’t forget to take advantage of them. Some airlines offer loyalty plans which are applicable for land tours. All these will help you trim down the cheap car hire total.

And if life is demanding more than just a full tank of gas and a map, most cheap car hire agencies will tailor fit a car for your needs. Once you have booked your car, you can ask for custom made child seats to be fitted or even request a chauffeur. For the animal lovers, grab a can of Scotch Guard and Rover, as pets are always welcome in the cheap care hire agreements. Just ensure that you return the car clean and tidy. If you plan to take the car on ferries, advise the car hire company, as most insurance policies request additional fees for journeys over bodies of water.

Yes, we know, we’ve been there too - the excitement of an open road gets to you, begs for your attention, and occasionally a bit of challenge, so if you throw caution to the wind and happen to get a pesky speeding ticket in the process, the car hire company will take care of it. Your misdemeanour will simply appear as a small entry in your final bill when you return your car.

So what are you waiting for? Give yourself the holiday you haven’t been saving for. At these new prices, a dig through the couch cushions should be all you need to go secure a cheap car hire and get on the road.

Book Cheap Flights and holiday packages to worldwide destinations with Direct Flights International award winning booking engine.