Travel Advice from Ninjas and Hackers

(the title is kind of deceptive...I know...)

I'm not really in the mood to give instructions or prattle on today, so I will simply point you towards two travel blog entries I read today that I found particularly informative.  I do not know either of the authors, I came across the sites in a google search.

The first is entitled: Buying Air Tickets – How to find the best flights and cheapest fares

The writer gives a clear, basic run-down of the differences between major and budget carriers, including the pros and cons of each.  Followed by some good general tips on how to obtain cheaper tickets.  I personally prefer Expedia.ca over Kayak for flight search engines.  The Skyscanner site he mentioned was good when I tested it with flights within Europe but didn't pull up anything insightful to get me across the Atlantic.  I know little about Round The World tickets but I'd be willing to investigate :)

The Ultimate Travel Hacking Guide's title made me chuckle (I'm easily amused), I collect aeroplan and air miles like everyone else, but I guess I don't have that kind of cash and flexibility to take weekend getaways to random places for the sole purpose of earning "double the miles". The tips for how to search around different sites and what to look for is pretty helpful if you're willing to put in the time and patience to find some savings.  As for the part about saving a few bucks from a favourable exchange rate, I haven't tested other currencies much, but CheapOair got me some small savings when I flew to San Francisco. The credit cards and mileage runs are not for me, but it is interesting to learn how to win one back from these credit giants and overpriced carriers.

Another handy little tool that I plan to start utilizing more is the Bing Travel price predictor for popular routes.  Search for your flight and in the results page you will see a "Price Predictor" with a suggestion to either buy now or wait, if you click on the link it'll give you a little more background info.  I wouldn't use Bing Travel for booking my flight per se, but sometimes it does make a difference knowing I can wait until the next paycheck to pay for my flight.  Some other sites are also beginning to develop price predictors as well, glad this is catching on.