Facts That Cannot Be Avoided

Now that you are familiar with the 10 Rules of Cheap Travel, I must say that there are facts that unfortunately, cannot be avoided.

For example, airfare is airfare. When planning a trip overseas, taking a plane cannot be avoided (trans-Atlantic cruises are more expensive and therefore not an option for a Queen of Cheap Travel).

The best way to afford airfare is combining rules 2 and 3. Use the Internet to research the airfare and check company websites to ensure that the general travel planning sites gives you the best airfare – and vice versa. Do not forget to research your destination’s air carriers as well. Sometimes, you might find better fares from them and most often than not, they have understandings and use air carrier companies that you are familiar with.

Also, check out major airports within a couple of hundred miles from your home. A drive to a major urban center might mean shaving off a few hundred dollars per ticket. This option can be valuable, especially if a connecting flight to your hometown is four hours after the arrival of your overseas' flight. Instead of waiting at the airport, you can be on your way driving. For example, when my husband and I went to France for our honeymoon during the 2002 Holidays, we drove to Chicago O'Hare Airport from our small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We could have flown from Green Bay to O'Hare and then on to Paris but on our return, we had a four-hour wait in O'Hare. By the time we would have made it to Green Bay, we were already home!

The best way to limit airfare damage to the travel budget is simple: travel during off seasons. Europe in November? February? Caribbean in June or August? Nothing wrong with that. It actually even has advantages: lower prices for accommodations and fewer tourists at popular sightseeing places. However, in some places, such as the Caribbean’s, summer can also mean hurricanes. Wherever you plan on going, know that things can go wrong.

Another way to afford airfare is to subscribe to a frequent flyer program that offers access to a credit card. Basically, the program works as follow: for every dollar spent on the credit card, you receive a frequent flyer mile for the chosen air carrier. But as with any credit card, there must be a disclaimer. The only way to accrue significant miles using a credit card is to put as many purchases on it as possible – which means using it to pay for mundane items such as food and gas – but that (and this is the important part) it must be paid in full every month. Cheap travel cannot happen if you cannot afford it. That is rule #1.