| I hope you appreciate this. I'm a professional travel | | | | 6. Consolidaters buy up blocks of tickets in bulk at |
| agent giving you invaluable information (which you may | | | | near-wholesale prices. This means that they can offer |
| not be using to book travel on my website). But I'm | | | | you highly discounted airline tickets. Some consolidation |
| such a nice person, I'm still going to offer it, hoping that | | | | prices are better than others. We're not talking dirt |
| at some future date you might repay me by booking | | | | cheap here, maybe $100-150 off a $500-$600 ticket. |
| your family vacation, tour, or luxury cruise on my site. | | | | But savings are savings, right? |
| So what are some ways to fly free or almost free? | | | | 7. If you hire on as a courier, you can fly cheap, |
| 1. If you or a family member begins working for an | | | | sometimes free. A courier escorts a package to its |
| airline, in most cases, your family can fly free 0n that | | | | destination. Companies do this to avoid delays getting |
| airline, owing only for taxes. This is an almost priceless | | | | packages through customs. If you're at least 18 years |
| perk if you and your family like to travel and have the | | | | of age, would like to travel the world, are willing to go |
| time to do so. | | | | with two small carry-on bags, can travel alone, and |
| 2. You can win airline tickets in sweepstakes but, I | | | | you have an adventurous spirit, this could be your |
| admit, the odds aren't great for that. However, it's | | | | dream come true. You can usually work it out so you |
| becoming quite common for companies to offer free | | | | spend a week or more at the destination before |
| airline tickets when you buy some service or big ticket | | | | traveling home. One of the best deals I ever came |
| item. Keep a lookout for such offers. Two airline | | | | across was Los Angeles to Tokyo for $100 in taxes. |
| tickets anywhere in the continental U.S. can be worth | | | | The ticket would have cost about $1800. |
| up to $300-500. There are also occasional Buy one | | | | 8. If you are a writer and like writing about new places, |
| Get one deals. | | | | you can fly free if you're hired to write about it for |
| 3. If you're not flying on a tight deadline, overbooking | | | | some sort of travel periodical. A few people, such as |
| thank you vouchers can be very nice. Most are | | | | Bill Bryce, have turned their love for travel into a very |
| familiar with the overbooking of flights in which the | | | | lucrative writing career. This is rare because even |
| airline asks if anyone would agree to take a later flight. | | | | good writers can rarely entertain so well that readers |
| For this favor, the airline gives you a voucher, | | | | will buy book- length copies of their travel experiences |
| sometimes for the amount of a full airline flight in the | | | | and perspectives. If you're interested, though, you can |
| future. Be prepared for such cases, because when | | | | find out more about this by googling "become a travel |
| the offer comes, you usually are on the jet and you | | | | writer." I would also suggest that you begin gradually |
| don't have 15 minutes to discuss with your spouse | | | | building a reputation as a travel writer by getting |
| whether or not to take the voucher. Last minute | | | | published by magazines or, even easier, by ezines. |
| standby deals aren't as common as they used to be, | | | | You may eventually have enough notoriety to merit an |
| but occasionally it still happens. This means you just | | | | offer here or there as a paid travel writer. |
| show up at the airport and request that if someone | | | | 9. Some U.S. carriers offer discounts for individuals |
| misses the flight in question, you'd like their seat at a | | | | over 50 years of age, others offer them for those 62 |
| discounted price. Of course, check in advance and | | | | or older. You can also buy senior-discount coupons in |
| confirm whether the airline accepts this practice and if | | | | books of four. These coupons can sometime enable |
| there's any discount. | | | | senior travelers to save almost half off a full-priced |
| 4. Most everyone seems to know about frequent flyer | | | | airline ticket. |
| miles. If you fly often, you can earn bonus points | | | | 10. Flying charter flights can save money but this is not |
| toward a free airline ticket every time you fly with a | | | | one of my favorite options. Charter flights are |
| particular airline. There are also many credit cards that | | | | scheduled less often than domestic flights and they |
| issue you miles/points for every purchase you make | | | | book to complete capacity. This is definitely no |
| using the card. Gold and Platinum cards, especially, | | | | frills---you're packed in so tight, there is little room to |
| offer lots of bonus miles in exchange for use of the | | | | move. If there's any food on a longer flight, it will be a |
| card. | | | | very simple brown bag. The only exception is if you're |
| 5. Making yourself a savvy travel booker can save big | | | | lucky enough to book first class on a charter flight. |
| money for you. New airlines often reduce fares | | | | Then you're basically getting first class service at a |
| drastically, or an airline reduces fares when adding a | | | | coach fare price. |
| new route/destination. Also be aware that you can | | | | I found a few other ways to save money on flights |
| sometimes reap large discounts by flying during the | | | | but I didn't consider them worth telling. I know there are |
| slowest days of the week or the slowest days of the | | | | many people hurting right now economically, so, if |
| year, flying to popular destinations at unpopular times, | | | | you're one of those, I hope this information may |
| purchasing during the cheapest times of the day, or | | | | possibly enable you to take that trip or vacation you |
| buying a super cheap travel package, though you can't | | | | really want to take. Good luck. |
| use it at that moment. | | | | |