Sunday, April 11, 2010

Where To Find Cheap Flight Tickets And Accommodations

By Dale Miller

Just because people are cash-strapped doesn't mean they don't still long for an exotic vacation. Americans are known for grabbing the bull by the horns and getting what they want, regardless of what it takes to get there. Sometimes this means racking up credit card debt for a much-needed break. Yet, there are many ways to find cheap airline tickets and hotel deals if you know where to look. Read on for some of the best resources for securing inexpensive flight tickets, hotel rooms and vacations.

Perhaps you've heard about last-minute travel bargains at cut rate rates. You most likely thought, "What a great deal... but it doesn't fit my travel plans." As a rule, we've got a specific time at which we are able to take a trip, after we've booked time off work. So where can the typical person look for flight tickets for less?

Airline tickets are one of the most popular searches when it concerns online travel sources. Airfare Watchdog is an excellent site for people who are trying to find the greatest airline deals. Users can browse to the site to look for the most recent specials themselves or opt for email updates on sales from particular cities. This site includes fares from Jet Blue, Southwest and other less publicized airline carriers. Farecast has now joined with Bing to run a unique "price predictor" service, which forecasts whether US airfares are expected to go up or down over the coming days or weeks. Traditional sites like Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz have some of the most easy to use interfaces.

Cheap hotels can be found just as easily as flight tickets, but you'll have to determine what sort of traveler you are before looking. For instance, if you're a budget student traveler, then you'd be best looking at Hostelz.com, which offers over 34,000 hostel listings starting as low as $19/night, or Homeexchange.com, which is a house-swapping program costing just $100/year for unlimited swaps. If you're looking for creature comforts at rock bottom prices, you might like the idea of a bed-and-breakfast (Bedandbreakfasts.com) or a plush vacation villa (Villasintl.com) instead. Last-minute travelers who care more for price than where they'll be staying can snag red hot deals at Hotels.com, Laterooms.com or Priceline.com.

Going to Europe? According to Budgettravel.com, a great resource for flight tickets between European countries is Dohop.com. This website conducts simultaneous searches of several different airports in one city to retrieve the best travel deals that other well-known travel sites overlook. Another site they recommend is Venere.com, which will help you find independently owned properties overseas. Instead of staying in a generic hotel, why not stay at a charming inn, bed and breakfast, apartment, farm house or villa for less than 60 euros ($82)?

About the Author:

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