Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Start browsing the big travel websites and look up the flights you need. Write down the flight numbers, dates and times, and rates for flights you are considering. Using this information, move on to the individual airline corporate sites, which sometimes feature low fares not advertised through travel agents or online booking engines. If nothing appears to your fancy, take the next step.
Try the large bidding sites that have become popular over the past five to 10 years (see Resource 1). Gauge the rate range for your flights by the posted fares. These sites can sometimes provide you with excellent rates if you are open to flying an airline you won't know the name of until after you have paid. If you still haven't found anything, the next move will depend on your destination and departure points.
If you are flying domestic in the United States, point to point in Europe, or relatively short routes throughout the world, there are many budget airlines that will get you there without any frills but with baggage fees galore. The rates are sometimes so shockingly low, you may question their validity.
Rates can be as low as 1 Euro (about $1.40) on some European carriers, with taxes added in to make it $50 or so per person. These fares are unbeatable. Unless you are traveling on long-haul routes, these cheap fares are worth a look (see Resource 2).
Try the air auction sites to see what is out there, but go in knowing that you may or may not end up with a ticket (see Resource 3). Should you win an auction, most travel that is sold this way is subject to availability, so it may not actually exist when it comes time to book.
If after all of this, you still have not found the ticket you need, get out your map and start plugging in nearby cities and smaller, less traveled airports. Many times airlines will operate secondary flights to these destinations to supplement their main lines, or lesser known airlines will operate here to save on airport fees. If you don't mind the journey to and from an outlying airport, this can result in much lower fares.