Taking off for a week in Europe or a long weekend in the Caribbean may sound exciting, but for a poor secretary, vacations are usually out of the question. However, it is possible to whisk yourself away on an exotic escape if you know how to get the cheapest airline tickets out there.

For starters, you need to know how airline pricing works. In the airline game, there is no set pricing no constant $100 dollars for Row 10, Seat A. Prices are constantly shifting due to supply and demand. If a flight begins to fill quickly, airlines may raise prices on remaining seats to increase profits. Consequently, prices may go down on a flight thats nearly empty. Other factors at play include competition for certain destinations, an airlines market share on desirable routes and more.

Pricing decisions occur rapidly throughout the day and may change without warning. This information is communicated through a set of four central reservation systems, which in turn pass this information on to travel agents, discount travel websites and other ticket retailers. For this reason, you may get the best deal by consulting a travel agent. Travel websites may have good deals, but a travel agent has been trained to work with the reservation systems and knows how to locate bargain flights.

The key to getting a good deal is to be open and flexible in your vacation planning. If youre dead set on going to Paris on October 22nd, you may have to settle for whatever fares you can find. Start searching early (at least 1-2 months) to get the best deals. However, if you arent set on a specific date or time of day, you should be able to reduce your costs most airlines offer lower fares for mid-week travel and red-eye flights.

If youre totally flexible, you may be able to score a last-minute bargain. Many airlines offer deep discounts on tickets in the week before a flight to fill any remaining empty seats. Discount travel sites like Travelocity and Expedia often offer package deals including flights, hotel stays and car rentals. Why not explore your adventurous side by setting aside some vacation time for the future and picking your trip the day or two before you leave?

Check the airport closest to you for small discount airlines that may offer low fares on flights to specific destinations. Jet Blue offers a $49 flight each way from Boston to New York City perfect for a weekend getaway. Also look for smaller airports if you cant fly into Detroit Metro Airport, you may be able to land at the Willow Run or Ann Arbor Municipal airports.

Are you a Triple AAA member? A senior citizen? A student? Some airlines offer discounts for these demographics and bonuses for frequent flyers. You may also find a good deal from a ticket consolidator. These companies purchase discounted tickets directly from the airlines avoiding the reservation systems altogether and may offer them at further discounts. But be sure you buy from a reputable website like Lowestfare.com or CheapTickets.com small start-ups can go out of business overnight, leaving you with an invalid ticket.

No matter what you do, be sure to check for any restrictions on your ticket. Some deals may require a 21-day advance purchase, a Saturday night stay in your location or steep cancellation fees. Always read the fine print before spending your hard-earned money any mistake you make is on your hands, not the airlines. Once youve made your ticket purchase, sit back, relax and try not to gloat about the good deal you got on your vacation.
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By: Sarah Russell

Sarah Russell, aka "The Sexy Secretary," is a connoisseur of living the good life on a budget. Check out her website at www.thesexysecretary.com for more fabulous ideas on how to trim down your expenses without reducing your quality of life.

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Budget air travel tips

A cheap flights guide to the lowest budget air travel
Want to go on vacation, but spending $600 for a flight to New York too high of a price tag? Believe me I understand, as a recent college graduate travel for me is always on an economy budget. Whether you are taking a weekend getaway or going on a family vacation, here are a few tips to follow to help you find cheap flights and the lowest budget air travel.

Shopping online
A decade ago, booking flights was not as easy of a task as it is today. With the advent of the Internet, booking flights has only gotten easier and easier and with that it has only become easier to find cheap airfare deals. Many airlines will give small flight discounts by booking on-line. Also, try signing up for airline e-mail updates, to alert you of the most current cheap flights.
My mother told me, you better shop around
With so many different airlines to choose between and a vast array of travel sites, it is easy to uncover some great deals by simply doing a little bit of investigating. Visit every airline Web site that is available locally and visit several travel sites like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline. The only difficulty involved with booking through sites like these is that oftentimes only certain dates are available, which may cause you to have to be flexible with your travel plans.

Check out non-sale prices
The sale price on a plane ticket at an airline isn't always the lowest budget air travel price. Other airlines or Web sites may offer better budget air travel deals than the one you could get from the airline.

Be flexible
The more flexible your travel plans are, the more cheap flights you'll find. Try looking up different dates, because some weeks can be busier than others. It's best to avoid flying on weekends, so the best deals can be found if you leave mid week and stay through Saturday. The time of day you fly also can help to determine prices. More unpopular times like early morning or late night flights can be cheaper. If the prices still are high, try looking at departing or arriving at different airports. Sometimes neighboring airports will offer better deals. For example if you are vacationing in San Francisco, arriving in Oakland or San Jose may save you hundreds of dollars. Additionally, if you are looking to save money, nonstop flights can oftentimes be more expensive. If layovers are not too bothersome, they can oftentimes save travelers money. The more you shop around - the better deals you will find. Also, the more flexible your travel destination is the better. Web sites like Site59 offer cheap last minute deals on flights, flight and hotel package deals, and flight and car rental deals. So if you're looking to go on vacation, and the destination is flexible, you can find some cheap airfare deals.

Wait till last minute to book
Airlines don't like to fly with empty planes, so oftentimes great deals can be found if you wait until the last minute to book. It can be a risk, but sometimes it's worth the gamble.

Ask about taxes and fees
Some ticket sales may look like a deal, but once you factor in the fees they no longer are. When quoted a ticket price, always ask to have the fees and taxes added in because these can oftentimes add up to $100 or more to the price.

Check out package deals
Look into package deals that include hotel reservations and/or car rentals. Oftentimes you can save hundreds of dollars by purchasing package deals. However, before you do, always look into how much it would cost for you do purchase these things on your own and compare.
All it takes is a little bit of time spent shopping around and little bit of flexibility and anybody can find the lowest budget air travel deals. The more money you save on cheap airfare, the more money you'll have spend having fun while on vacation.
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By: Jillian

Jillian Scheeler makes it easy to provide ways to save money by using budget airlines while travelling. To recieve free part mini course visit the www.travelpost.com

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