Searching for the BEST DEALS: (Copyright 1999 / 2000 / 2001/2002/2003 BONNIE BRAGA AND BESTDEAL.ORG)
Getting the best airfare involves PLANNING and making decisions. Air fares depend primarily on when you want to travel and where you want to go; length of time you wish to stay; how soon you can purchase your ticket, and if you want to be able to change your ticket without incurring an extra fee. After all these decisions, you still have to choose where to buy your airline ticket
Plan and search in advance especially for the holidays and school vacations the earlier you plan, the better your chance in finding the lowest fare. In general, the best fares have advance purchase requirements, 21 days, 14 days and 7 days. A difference of one day in departure or arrival dates can save you $$
Try different days and times and in more than one Internet system, after contacting your travel agent Fares are generally lower on low-demand days and times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and on late evening flights. The highest-demand days are usually Fridays and Sundays. International flights are seasonal: low, shoulder and high.
Search nearby area airports When lower fares are sold out at one airport, they may be available at another nearby airport...
Planning your itinerary and shopping for an airfare can be time consuming and confusing, but in the end it will be a saving device and avoid frustration. Your professional travel consultant will offer you first hand experience in accomplishing the BEST DEAL.
Consolidator Fares
Consolidator fares are tickets purchased by "wholesalers" and then resold to travel agencies at substantial discounts. These fares are a good deal for some travelers, most of the time, and certain flights also give mileage credit to your frequent flyer programs. However, airline fare wars and special promotions can be cheaper occasionally, so the best way to find out is to check the scheduled fares first in several systems and then find out if a consolidator fare is available.
Like regular fares, consolidator fares can sell out quickly and may not be available at all times.
Cancellation fees may be higher for consolidator tickets. In some cases, up to 50% of the fare price, so you should only purchase a consolidator fare if you are sure about your travel plans.
"In case of an airline emergency, who would you want to be contacted?"
Effective
FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMS LINKS:
AIRLINE
Travel often? Have a favorite airline? Belong to a Frequent Flyer Program? Your access to some of the most popular programs:
Aer Lingus TAB www.aerlingus.com
Aerolineas
Aeromexico Club Premier www.aeromexico.com
Air
Air
Air
Air
Air Littoral Qualifyer www.airlittoral.fr
Air New Zealand Air Points www.airnewzealand.com
Air Tran A-Plus www.airtran.com
All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club - www.ana.co.jp
Alitalia Mille Miglia www.alitalia.com
America West FlightFund - www.americawest.com
American Airlines AAdvantage - www.aa.com
Asiana
Bonus Club - www.flyasiana.com
Austrian Airlines Lufthansa
Miles & More www.aua.com
Braathens BRA Card www.braathens.no
British Airways Executive Club www.british-airways.com
British
BWIA
Continental OnePass - www.flycontinental.com
Crossair Qualifyer www.crossair.com/de
CSA OK Plus www.csa.cz
Delta Air Lines SkyMiles - www.delta.com
El Al Israel Airlines
Frequent Traveler Matmid Club www.elal.com
Emirates Skywards www.emirates.com
Eva Air Evergreen Club www.evaair.com
Finnair Finnair Plus www.finnair.com
Gulf Air Falcon www.gulfairco.com
Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Miles www.hawaiianair.com
Icelandair Saga Bonus www.icelandair.com
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank - www.jal.com
KLM Flying Dutchman www.klm.com
Lan
LatinPass - www.latinpass.com
Lauda Air www.laudaair.com
LOT Polish Airlines Voyager www.lot.com
Lufthansa Miles & More - www.lufthansa.com
Malaysian Airlines Enrich www.malaysia-airlines.com
Mexicana Airlines Frecuenta - www.mexicana.com.mx
Northwest Airlines World Perks - www.nwa.com
Philippine Airlines PALSmiles www.philippineair.com
Qantas Frequent Flyer - www.qantas.com.au
Sabena Qualiflyer - www.sabena.com
SAS Euro Bonus www.scandinavian.net
Saudi Arabian Airlines Alfursan www.saudiairlines.com
South African Airways Voyager www.saa.co.za
Southwest Rapid Rewards - www.iflysouthwest.com
Swissair International Airlines Swiss Travel Club - www.swiss.com
Thai Airways International Royal Orchid Plus www.thaiairways.com
TAP Air Portugal Qualifyer www.tap-airportugal.com
Turkish Airlines Qualifyer www.turkishairlines.com
Tyrolean Airways www.tyrolean.at
United Airlines Mileage Plus - www.ual.com
VARIG Smiles (best mileage program in
Virgin Atlantic Freeway - www.virgin-atlantic.com
Virgin Blue www.virginblue.com.au
VLM Airlines www.vlm-airlines.com
HOTELS
Accor Asia Pacific Advantage Plus Card www.accor.com
All Hotels on the Web - www.all-hotels.com - links to more than 30,000 individual
hotels, chains and travel sites.
American Hotel & Motel Association - www.ahma.com
Bed and Breakfast in London Homes www.athomeinlondon.co.uk
Best Western Gold Crown Club International - www.bestwestern.com
Choice Hotels Guest Priviledge - www.choicehotels.com
Club Med - www.clubmed.com
Eurotels International - www.eurotels.com
Formule1 Loyalty Card www.hotelformule1.com
Grand Mirage
Hilton HHonors Worldwide - www.hilton.com
Holiday Inn Priority Club - www.holiday-inn.com
The Hotel Guide - www.hotelguide.com - 60,000 + properties listing
Hotel Reservations Network - www.hoteldiscount.com - hotel booking service
Hotels and Travel on the Net - www.hotelstravel.com - 200 + hotel chains
Howard Johnson Super Miles www.hojo.com
Hyatt Gold Passport - www.goldpassport.com
Ibis Loyalty Card www.ibishotel.com
Inter-Continental Hotels Group - Six Continents Club www.ichotelsgroup.com
Marriott Rewards - www.marriott.com
Mercure Hotels Club Mercure www.mercure.com
Novotel Worldwide Card www.novotel.com
Preferred Hotels www.preferredhotels.com
Radisson Gold Rewards www.radisson.com
Ramada Club Ramada - www.ramada.com
Royal Cliff Beach Resort www.royalcliff.com
Sandals www.sandals.com
Sheraton Club International - www.sheraton.com
Sofitel www.sofitel.com
SRS Hotels - www.srshotels.com
Starwood Hotels Preferred Guest www.starwood.com
Superclubs www.superclubs.com
USA Hotel Guide - www.usahotelguide.com - 15,000+ hotels and resorts
Utell - www.hotelbook.com - 6,500 hotels worldwide
Westin Premier - www.westin.com
The Frequent Flyer Magazine, by Randy Petersen, The Frequent Flyer Guru, has almost everything you would like to know about Airline Frequent Flyer Programs / Hotel Frequent Stay Programs / Credit Card Programs / Miscellaneous Products and Services www.webflyer.com
Travel Books and Magazines: www.barnesandnoble.com / www.amazon.com
Suggestive reading:
World Travel Guide - www.travelknowledge.com
Lonely Planet guides - www.lonelyplanet.com, and for those who have purchased their books, they can even download the updates.
Conde Nast Traveler: food, magazines, attractions, events, 500 + locations - www.condenast.com
European Visits Magazine - www.eurodata.com
Arthur Frommer's guide books are always a favorite, and Fodor's Travel Guides - www.fodors.com are among the most popular.
Traveling with a disability? Traveling with Oxygen, finding a hotel room, airline travel, cruise ships, service animals, finding transportation www.access-able.com/tips/
Going Abroad? Don't leave home without them
Good and comfortable walking shoes; a photocopy of the first two pages of your passport and all your credit cards (carry them separately); travelers checks; photocopies of prescriptions for medicine and glasses; personal medical kit; a Swiss Army knife; pocket flashlight; calculator; camera, spare camera batteries and film; your address book; Immodium (for diarrhea); rainwear; currency converter and adaptor plugs (if traveling to countries operating with a different voltage); sun block, sun hat, sunglasses; tissue paper; money belt; ear plugs, eye-mask and an inflatable neck pillow.
If traveling to remote areas: hair dryer, razor, personal medical kit, toiletry kit (toothpaste, toothbrush, Q-tips, soap, shampoo); guide book and reading material; luggage locks; a heater / hot pot to boil water; eating utensils; a supply of your favorite snacks; a sleeping bag - if required; travel insurance www.chinalife.com/tous - insurance.
An important safety measure when traveling is to be in good health. An important tip is to drink and brush your teeth with bottled water. The best advice is to know the area you are traveling and be prepared for any unexpected events.
BOOKING LINKS:
Air Brokers Int'l Inc. - www.airbrokers.com - consolidator specializing in around-the-world fares
The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) - . www.astanet.com the world's largest travel trade association, with over 26,500 members in more than 165 countries
BizTravel - Internet company for frequent business travelers - www.biztravel.com
BROL Trips to Brazil from USA www.brol.com
Cheap Tickets last minute fares www.cheaptickets.com
Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) - www.ciee.org - U.S. oldest and largest student travel agency, deals with the general public too.
Euro Lloyd Travel Group www.eltexpress.com
Europe Online - www.europeonline.com
European Travel Network (ETN) - www.etn.nl/
This site has links to discount airfares, cheap flights, discount hotels and discount cruises from consolidators, discount travel agents, tour operators in 144 countries, and currency conversion.
Eurotrip - www.eurotrip.com - budget travel in Europe
Expedia www.expedia.com
FLIFO - www.flifo.com - hotel, air fare discounts
Hot Wire www.hotwire.com
Intellicast - www.intellicast.com - weather information
Microsoft Expedia - www.expedia.com - uses Worldspan
Opodo www.opodo.com - formed by 10 European airlines
Orbitz www.orbitz.com - formed by major U.S. airlines uses SABRE
Priceline.com - www.priceline.com - air ticket, car, home financing, hotel room bids
Quinwell Travel Service - www.quinwell.com - More than 400 pages and links to over
16,000 travel related sites. QuinWell's online booking center and section titled Travel 101, contains information on topics such as baggage allowances, charter flights, honeymoon planning, tipping and travel safety.
Travel Hub - www.travelhub.com - Discount Airfare Network (consolidator)
TravelNow Network - www.travelnow.com
Travelocity - www.travelocity.com - SABRE booking engine
Travel Web discount hotels - www.travelweb.com
Travel Zoo www.travelzoo.com
World Traveller's Club - www.around-the-world.com
Tour Operators
Abbey Tours www.abbeytours.com - Ireland specialists
Aberdeen Tours www.aberdeentours.com - Asia specialists
ABINOS Travel & Tourism www.abinostravel.com - Syria specialists
Albatross Travel www.albatrosstravel.com - Specialist on groups to Europe
Apsara Tours www.apasaratours.com.kh - Cambodia specialists
Asia World www.AsiaWorld-travel.com - Thailand specialists
Asian Affair Holidays www.asianaffairholidays.com - Singapore specialists
Asian Overland www.asianoverland.com.my - Malaysia specialists including Formula One races
ATS Pacific www.atspacific.com.au/ - Australia specialists
ATS Pacific www.atspacific.com/newzealand
- New Zealand
specialists
Bhutan Lha-Yul Tours & Travels www.lhayul.com - Bhutan specialists
Borneo Adventure
www.borneoadventure.net - Borneo specialists Sarawak, Malaysia
Buffalo Tours www.buffalotours.com - Vietnam and Cambodia specialists
Carbone Vacations Florida Specialists www.carbonevacations.com
CITIRAMA www.ecityrama.com - France specialists
Destination (Asia-Hong Kong) Travel Ltd. www.destination-hongkong.com - Hong Kong specialists
Diethelm Travel www.diethelm-travel.com - Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam specialists
Dorothy Tours www.dorothy-tours.se - Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway Scandinavia specialists
East West Siam www.eastwestsiam.com - Thailand specialists
Ecological Africa Safaris & Travel www.ecologicalafrica.com
Ecosummer Expeditions www.ecosummer.com - Canada specialists
Educacentre www.educacentre.net - Russia language courses
Everest Express www.everest-express.com - Nepal, Bhutan,
Sikkim & Tibet experts.
Exodus www.koreabound.com - Korea specialists
Exotissimo Travel www.exotissimo.com - Indochina experts:Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar
Explore Nepal Richa Tours & Travel www.explorenepal.com - Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Sikkim - India specialists
Fiji www.utcfiji.com - UTC Fiji, The Fiji Experts
Floressa Tours www.floressa.bali.com - Indonesia experts.
Globus and Cosmos www.globusandcosmos.com
- Tours from USA abroad
Go Africa Travel Tours & Safaris www.goafricatravel.com
GO GO Tour www.gogowwv.com - Caribbean specialists
Grand Holidays www.grandholidays.com
- Asia specialists
GreatDays www.greatdays.co.uk
- UK specialists
Himalayan Journeys www.gohimalaya.com
- Nepal specialists
Indochina Services www.indochina-services.com
- Vietnam, Cambodia,
Laos, Myanmar specialists
ITBC Elita Travel www.centraleurope.cz - Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia
Journey to Africa www.journeytoafrica.com
- Tanzania specialist
KZN Tours www.KZNtours.co.za - Africa specialists
Marintur www.marintur.co.id - Indonesia specialists
Nature Style www.naturestyle.com Go Africa Travel Tours
& Safaris www.goafricatravel.com
Ner Tourism www.ner-tourism.com - Jordan specialists
Journey to Africa www.journeytoafrica.com
- Tanzania specialist
Metamondo www.metamondo.it - Italy specialists
Moscow Bureau of Voyage www.moscowvoyage.msk.ru - Russia specialists
Muza Tours & Travel Company www.muza.com.kg/ - Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan specialists
Nature Style www.naturestyle.com - Argentina specialists
Nature Tours www.naturetoursinc.com - Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama specialists
Pacific Protour www.pacificprotour.com - Asia Specialist from U.S.A.
Paris Chic www.parischic.com - France specialists
Pegasus Travels www.pegasustravels.com.pe - Peru specialists
Silkway www.silkwayhk.com - Hong Kong specialists
Rim-Pac International www.rim-pac.com - low cost tours to China from U.S.A.
Shiva Holidays and Shiva Treks & Expeditions www.shivaholidays.com - Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim specialists
Siam Express www.siamexpress.com - Thailand specialists
Silkway www.silkway.com.hk - Hong Kong specialists
SITARA www.sitara.com - Pakistan, Silk Road, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan specialists.
Tahiti Nui Travel www.tahitinuitravel.com - Tahiti specialists
The Trans-Siberian Express Company (GW Travel) www.gwtravel.co.uk/ - Russia from Europe to the Orient
The Travel Advisers www.traveladvisers.com.hk - Hong Kong and China specialists
Timeless Excursions www.timelessexcursions.com - India specialists
TOPPSA www.toppsa.com
- Ecuador specialists
Tour Mandalay www.tourmandalay.com - Myanmar specialists
Turkey Specialists www.anadol.com
UVI Holidays www.uviholidays.com - India specialists
Vacations Travels & Tours www.vacationsindia.com - India specialists
Vermundos www.vermundos.pt - Portugal specialists
Wanderlust www.wanderlustindia.com - India specialists
Cruise Lines and Links
Bergen Line - www.bergenline.com
Carnival Cruise Lines - www.carnival.com
Celebrity Cruises - www.celebrity-cruises.com
Costa Cruise Lines - www.costacruises.com
Holland America Line - www.hollandamerica.com
Norwegian Cruise Line - www.ncl.com
Princess Cruises - www.princesscruises.com
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises - www.rssc.com
Royal Caribbean International - www.royalcaribbean.com
Victoria Cruises www.victoriacruises.com - Yangtze River Cruises, China specialists
Windstar Cruises - www.windstarcruises.com
World Explorer Cruises - www.wecruise.com
Car Rentals Companies:
Alamo Quick Silver - www.goalamo.com
Avis - www.avis.com
Budget - www.budget.com
Carey International - www.careyint.com - chauffeur driven Limousines, Sedans, Vans, and Mini-buses
Dollar Rent A Car - www.dollar.com
FLORIDA WHEELS www.jitrentacar.com
- Special rates for Florida
Hertz Number 1 - www.hertz.com
Thrifty Car Rental - www.thrifty.com
Bus Sightseeing
Grayline - 200+ destinations throughout 6 continents - www.grayline.com
Greyhound - www.greyhound.com - fares and schedules
Cellular Phones
Action Cellular Rent-a-Phone International - www.actioncell.com - available in 150+ countries.
Worldcell Int'l Cellular - www.worldcell.com - U.S. travelers can rent a phone with the same number in 60+ countries (Europe, Asia and the Middle East)
Rail
AMTRAK - www.amtrak.com
Rail Europe - www.raileurope.com
Via Rail Canada - www.viarail.ca
Shipment Tracking
DHL - www.dhl.com
Federal Express - www.fedex.com/
UPS - www.ups.com/tracking/tracking.html
MISCELLANEOUS LINKS:
The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) www.astanet.com The worlds largest travel trade association, with over 26,500 members in more than 165 countries
Asia Travel www.asiatravel.com - information on Asian countries
Austria Tourism Bureau www.austriatourism.com
Brazil www.fiesp.org.br - Events and Expositions
Brazil www.embratur.gov.br
- Tourism to Brazil
Brazilian Business www.cin.org.br - English version
China National Tourism Administration www.cnto.org
China Radio International www.cri.com.cn in 15 languages - check out the section
in Portuguese / verifiquem a seηγo em Portugues
3rd China America Quality Conference www.asqcsd.org/china/ -Shanghai September 2004
FLATA www.atafl.org - Florida Chapter American Translators Association
France www.france.com
Great Outdoor Recreation Pages www.gorp.com
Hong Kong Tourism Board www.hkta.org
MapQuest - www.mapquest.com - maps of over three million locations worldwide
Macau www.macautourism.gov.mo
PATA Pacific Asia Travel Association www.pata.org - a non-profit organization serving travel related companies throughout the Pacific Asia region.
RIO Convention & Visitors Bureau www.rioconventionbureau.com.br
Singapore Tourism Board www.visitsingapore.com
South Africa Safari www.onsafari.com
Smarter Living - www.smarterliving.com - emails weekly specials from selected cities
The Telephone Doctor www.telephonedoctor.com - Customer service at its best
The Travel Channel - www.travelchannel.com
Theatre Direct www.theatredirect.com
Ticket Master www.ticketmaster.com
Travelers Journal - www.travelersjournal.com
Travelon - www.travelon.com - vacation packages
U.S. State Department of Travel Information - http://travel.state.gov/
World Traveler - www.worldtraveler.com - luggage and travel goods