What you should know to get cheap air tickets

It's not that easy to find air tickets at a convenient price, especially when you're in a rush. Taking into consideration the fuel costs going up every now and then it's quite unlikely that finding cheap air tickets will become significantly easier in the future. Though, you can use very simple tricks to get affordable tickets by exploiting certain traits of the airline ticket market. In fact you just have to know about the following tricks that will increase the chance of finding cheap air tickets:

The first ant the most important rule is buying tickets in advance. The rates usually go up within two weeks before the flight, so you may want to make the purchase several weeks in advance. While buying tickets for international flights it is advised to start shopping even several months before the trip. As a rule of thumb, the earlier you buy the tickets the cheaper they are, and you can actually get the seats you want while they are available. Surprisingly, there's another extreme to the situation that can deliver the same results:

Paradoxically to the previous tip, buying late will also get you cheap air tickets in many cases. It's important to know that "late" gets quite extreme in this sense, since you'll be aiming for the last-minute deals for flights that might be just hours away. Late tickets are usually sold when the flight isn't sold out fully and the airline has to make the trip feasible by selling the remaining seats even by half the original price. In that case you can get very cheap air tickets but there may be certain inconveniences involved. It's really hard to pick a seat and you'll have to act fast in order not to miss the offer.

Next, your own flexibility with your flight can also deliver cheap air tickets. For instance, by moving the departure dates several days around you can get lower rates. In case there are several airports in the area you live, it may be cheaper to choose a different one. If the flight is international and rather long, different transfer points can result in very different rates as well. To put it simply, to get cheap air tickets, make sure to turn your flexibility to the max.

Shopping around is the first thing to do wherever you go. All those airlines on the market will surely compete for every passenger and offer more flexible rates on different flights. So it can be very effective to use air ticket aggregators and rate comparison sites to shop around online. There are situations when a simple choice of a different airline can get you very cheap air tickets, however you should be rather cautious with certain airline types, especially the discounters.

Discounters, budget or low-cost airlines are exactly what you would expect from the name. These airlines will always offer cheap air tickets as compared to ordinary airlines. It is logical, all that will be done at the expense of lower luggage limits, higher meal costs, low space planes and other little details that make a difference between a convenient and an uncomfortable trip. It's good to check the discounters while bearing all the small details in mind if you want to get cheap air tickets.
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Getting cheap air tickets online

The Internet is one of those things that have become invaluable without you noticing it. There are still many people who remember what it was like doing all the stuff we do today online without the web. This includes buying cheap air tickets, and there are many travelers who tend to do it the old-fashioned way and look for cheap deals in the real world. However, even if you're not tech-savvy or simply don't like buying things online, there are undisputable advantages to buying cheap air tickets on the Internet. Here are some of the most important things that you get booking your fights online:

Check and book specific seats

One of the main advantages of getting cheap air tickets online is the ability to choose specific seats in the plane. Moreover, many ticket sale sites will also offer convenient plane schematics so that you could see where exactly the seat is located, what is the distance between seats and other useful information. So if you don't like gambling with your flight seats, especially when doing long flights, it's better to get the right seat by booking it online.

Shop around

Shopping around always makes sense, especially when flying a highly competitive destination with more air companies present. Even the big companies can offer different fares, not to mention discount airlines, which usually add even more saturation to the competition. That's why when looking for cheap air tickets, it's highly recommended to shop around for them online.

Get last minute deals

Last minute deals represent a very simple way to get cheap air tickets. These are usually the seats that haven't been sold and that the airline is willing to get at least some money from. Checking last minute deals online is usually very easy, since there are many sites that provide information on such deals in real-time and allow you to book them right away. Thanks to the popularity of smartphones and tablets, you can actually do it while sitting in the airport in order to not miss the flight.

Enjoy the best prices

Since the competition among air ticket sites is very high due to their abundance, you will usually get the best deals such sites will be able to find. This means that they will strive to find discount flights and cheap air tickets, and make it as easy as possible for you to get. So, at times, you won't even have to shop around because these sites will do their best to get you the most attractive deals right away, so that you would bookmark them and keep using their services.

Book anytime anyplace

Probably, one of the best things about buying cheap air tickets online is the possibility to book flights regardless of local time or your location. There are no working hours that may apply to air ticket sites, so you can book a flight 24/7 on any day of the week, even if it's a holiday. And you could be sitting in the middle of nowhere using your mobile Internet to book the flight you need at any date in the future. There are many situations in which such simple advantages can mean a lot.
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Make your journey convenient with car rental companies

It's absolutely clear, traveling long distances is always accompanied by certain inconveniences. No need to mention that today's travel and airline companies try to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible, but there are more things to it than just feeling comfortable in the plane, boat or train. Once you arrive to your destination getting around can be tricky, especially if you're in a different country and don't know much about local transportation. A car would be a great solution then, but only a few people can afford bringing their own cars wherever they go. What should one choose in that case? Using the services of car rental companies of course!

Nowadays car rental companies are present virtually everywhere on the surface of the planet. Wherever there are roads and decent numbers of travelers, there will always be car rental companies competing for their money. For sure it's a very convenient type of service, which caters to the needs of various types of travellers. For those who have never used the services of car rental companies while traveling, there are a few good reasons why they should definitely start using them during your next travel:

Convenience

Having a car to get around is certainly a great feature during a travel, especially if you're planning to travel around the place a lot. Some areas just have a complicated or undeveloped transportation system that is not very useful for you as a traveler. And then it might be much simpler to rent a car for the duration of your stay and drive around as much and anywhere you want. In fact it's like having your car at home, only while not being at home.

Affordability

Generally people tend to avoid the services of car rental companies thinking that they are too expensive. Nevertheless, it's a misconception that fades away when you enter the rental office. It's really so that the rates may vary a lot depending on the place you visit and local competition. But those ones who don't need anything exclusive in terms of the vehicle, you can get a car for just a few bucks per day. Will this seriously affect your travel budget?

Flexibility

All over the world you will find car rental companies which offer a wide range of cars for any taste. Don't forget, the selection will vary greatly depending on the scale of the place you're visiting and local competition. But even in the smallest towns you usually get to choose from at least a dozen cars of different types. No matter if you need a small town car, a large minivan or an exclusive luxury auto, competent car rental companies will always do their best to satisfy your requests.

Booking option

And speaking of requests, car rental companies all over the world usually let you book a particular car in advance just like booking plane tickets. Moreover, just as in case with airlines, you a very likely to get a discount for booking a car early. This way you can easily plan your journey ahead and rest assured that there will be the car you need upon arrival, and it will turn out to be even more affordable.
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Advice on getting insurance when renting a car

One of the things that people often get uncertain with about car rental companies is insurance. All car rental companies around the world offer various insurance waivers for their cars and they usually insist clients on getting insurance all the time. It's quite understandable, since these companies are for-profit businesses that want to generate income any way they can, so they will offer extra services to get more money from you. But is the insurance offered by car rental companies really that necessary? And what happens if you don't get any insurance at all?

Car owners know that car insurance is mandatory in nearly all countries over the world. Driving a car without a valid insurance policy usually results with fines, penalties and other legal punishments. So it's easy to assume that if you don't get insurance for a rental car, you will be driving it illegally. Well, it would be so if it were the actual car insurance that was lacking. The truth is that all cars offered by all car rental companies are always insured according to local requirements, otherwise it would be impossible to rent a car. Rental companies have to carry at least basic insurance for their entire fleet of cars, it's a part of their operational costs, so you can rest assured that any car you rent carries at least minimum required coverage. So, why car rental companies offer insurance on top of that already carried by default?

The insurance offered by rental companies is different from the one you deal with as a car owner. They always offer insurance waivers - additional types of coverage that are designed specifically for rental purposes. So, if you refuse to take the insurance offered by the insurer you are actually refusing from optional coverage that is not mandatory. That's why it's perfectly legal to drive a rental car without getting additional insurance from the company. But what if you actually do? Do these insurance weavers carry some useful features or they are just a way to spend more money?

Consider the actual coverage you need

In most cases rental insurance waivers deliver different types of coverage that is aimed either at the car, the people inside it or its contents, which can prove to be useful in various situations. For example, the loss damage waiver, which is available with virtually all car rental companies across the globe, covers the loss due to damage to the rental car caused by the client. Personal effects coverage waiver, on the other hand, covers the cost of the belongings kept in the car in case they are stolen from it. So, as you see, these waivers can be rather useful depending on the place, situation and intensity of rental car use. But are these waivers worth paying for?

Well, it's usually a matter of personal budget. If you've chosen the cheapest car for your trip and have a very thin wallet then you will probably go off better without any insurance, since it will usually add several to several dozen dollars to the daily rental rate. On the other hand, if you can afford paying a bit extra for having some peace of mind, why wouldn't you? It's not that the rental will instantly become too expensive, since rental insurance rates rarely exceed half of the standard daily rate for a given car. Yet again, the final decision should always be made with the actual situation and location taken into account.
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Is there anything wrong with cheap air tickets?

Cheap air tickets are always a priority for travelers, especially those on a tighter budget. And it's hard to blame people for wanting to get cheaper tickets seeing all the price hikes airlines pull off every now and then. Today, people are quite used to travelling by plane and the intensity of both domestic and international flights has soared over the last couple of decades. However, the quest for inexpensive air tickets can sometimes lead to very strange and disadvantageous situations. That's why it is highly recommended to be aware of the potential drawbacks cheap air tickets may deliver to the traveller:

Lack of flexibility

Flexibility is a trait that is often overlooked with cheap air tickets. Though it usually depends on the carrier, it's very likely that you'll be purchasing cheap air tickets as special deals or from discount airlines. And in that case you will usually have a much narrower range of options to choose from in terms of departure date, departure airport, particular seats, choice of transfers and many other things. Moreover, cheap air tickets will often make you sacrifice the flexibility in order to save money by choosing various options that aren't necessarily convenient for you.

Inconvenience

that's a thing most difficult to avoid when buying cheap air tickets is the inconvenience of options provided by the ticket. It may be a small inconvenience such as an undesired seat in the plane or a major one, such as a different departure/arrival airport that will force you to travel additionally or inconvenient and long transfers for international flights. Of course, all these inconveniences are rarely combined in cheaper flights, but you have to be ready that by saving additional money you will sacrifice some conveniences in return.

Hidden fees

This is usually the problem when flying discounter and low-budget airlines that will offer you really cheap tickets but will want to make more money on every extra thing they offer. For example, the luggage restrictions may be more rigorous, so you will have to pay more for extra weight. On-board drinks and meals may come at a high price and be excluded from your ticket. There may be various extra or hidden fees that won't be advertised but will raise the cost of your flight in the end. So make sure to look out for things like that when buying cheap air tickets, especially from companies that specialize in cheap flights.

Unwanted options

Certain "extras" may be included in cheap air tickets, which may look good as you see the offer, but you'll soon find them that aren't really helpful. For example, when flying a long international flight you may have more transfer points at really awkward locations that will extend the duration of your trip and make it more tiresome. And it will be hard or impossible to choose other options and keep the price for air tickets lower. Of course, things like that usually depend on the particular company you're flying with, but you should be ready to encounter such things more often when buying cheap air tickets.
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