Ananasfreak

But if Americans plan carefully, they need not scratch the British capital off their 2008 travel lists. And there are new reasons to go: the redesigned St. Pancras Station, now home to the Eurostar and boasting fresh-food markets and soaring architecture; a reimagined London Transport Museum; and a big British Airways terminal, opening in March, that may reduce hassles at Heathrow.

10 DO’S . . .

Here are 10 tips for saving on a London vacation, plus five budget-busting mistakes, all gleaned from a recent trip, travel agents and other experts:

travelocity

1.Go in winter, spring or fall. By avoiding the summer peak season, which many carriers define as late May through the first week of September, you’ll save hundreds on airfare. And because theaters, museums and many other pastimes are indoors, you’ll still have fun.

It doesn’t hurt to also try a few traditional online travel agencies including: Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity. If you use these be sure to book through the airline’s own website though (see tip 3 below)

If you have Fixed Dates and a Fixed Place, and your dates are within the next few weeks also check Site59 which finds package deals within the next two weeks. Even if you don’t need a hotel at your destination, sometimes it finds an entire package cheaper than you can find a flight alone.

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If you have Flexible Dates: (i.e. you can go anytime in July or you can leave within 1-3 days of a particular date)
If your dates are within 1-3 day spread (i.e. you can leave July 1st, 2nd, or 3rd): Use Kayak
If your dates are very flexible (i.e you can leave any time from now until July): Fare Compare, Farecast, and Travelocity — All have searches available by the month

cheap hotel rates

STEP 4 - Check the Fare Trend
Always look at our price-trend graph; after enter your city pair and click to find the fare, this chart is on the lower-left of your screen. In this particular case, I saw the trend was moving downward, to lower prices. Thats a good sign, obviously. If we wait a bit, at least we are on the proper price trajectory.

STEP 5 - Check the Previous Year
Just above the Fare Trend Chart, you’ll see the words Advanced Historical Graphs; click that to see previous months, even years. Again, in this particular case, I saw some nice sales occurred (down to the $400 range) and the prices trended down from November to December of the previous year. You cant always count on that, but generally its a good indicator.

STEP 6 - Sign Up for FareCompare’s FREE Email Alerts
You’ll see this right on our homepage; it takes about 20-seconds to sign up and we will alert you to the best prices for the cities your interested, as soon as that information becomes available. And no one, not even the airlines, will get you that information faster. We guarantee it.

BOTTOM LINE: The buyer should wait a few months before purchasing these tickets, as the price will likely go down.

The more flexible you are, the greater your chances of finding a cheap ticket. There is a catch, however, when you book flights on Hotwire or Expedia. Most of the discount rates are available on unpopular flight times, typically with early morning or late night departures or arrivals. Also, if you have set dates and times that cannot be adjusted, it can be hard to find a cheaper rate. These website services work best if you have a two or three day window for both your departure and your return. That way, the site can choose from a wider variety of flight combinations, giving you the lowest ticket prices available.

Another cheap ticket seller on the Internet is Priceline.com. This website allows you to enter your travel dates and to offer your own ticket price. If your price is accepted by an airline, you can purchase the ticket at that guaranteed rate. This process can several hours, and if you receive the price you proposed, you are obligated to purchase the ticket. Because of this, you are not able to choose which airline you use. Though Priceline is not as flexible as other ways of purchasing cheap tickets, sometimes you can get amazing deals that you can?t find any other way. Travel sites like Priceline and Hotwire do offer another advantage in addition to cheap airplane tickets. They also offer the options of booking hotels and car rentals at the same time as your flight. When you book all of your travel needs at once, you can save even more on your expenses, leaving you more money to spend once you reach your destination.

If you are buying a round trip ticket, staying longer than 90 days usually results in a higher fare.

Search for tickets after midnight EST in the middle of the week. This is when airline databases are updated and sometimes you can grab a cheap ticket that has been returned back to the system.

Take a bus or hitch a ride to the closest major airport hub, rather than leaving from your smaller hometown.

Make sure your luggage is not over sized or overweight. Check individual airline sites for rules.

Flights with longer layovers usually have lower price tags.

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