Making Airplane Reservations

We stick to running Adventures and, therefore, can't make airline reservations for you. However, we do have a lot of experience in this and can offer a few suggestions. The internet is an excellent way to make airline reservations and you can easily book tickets online. We suggest you proceed through the following steps, writing down the best route and fare at each step, to get the best possible airfare.

1. Check general search sites that pride themselves on offering the lowest published fares. For U.S. domestic flights, we recommend checking Orbitz and Travelocity . A site that takes a bit of getting used to but gives you information just like a travel agent will see it is EasySabre .  For international flights also check out TISS.  Try Cheap Hotels & Airline Tickets for a site that searches all major booking engines at once.

2. Using these same sites try again using slightly different travel dates or a different, nearby airport. These sites allow you to do this by clicking on, for example, "flexible travel dates."

3. Go directly to the website of airlines you know service your route to get regularly published fares for direct and convenient flights.  You will find most of these airlines in Orbitz or Travelocity but Southwest Airlines, for example, is not listed on these sites.

4. Log on to sites that offer discounted fares not offered directly by airlines.  These include CheapoAir.com, www.cheaptickets.com , www.lowestfare.com, and 1Travel.

5. Some people like to use "name-your-price" websites such as www.priceline.com . The big hitch is that you are making an irrevocable bid without knowing the times and exact routes of your flight. This is too big a hitch for us and we don't use an auction site.  A similar but better option is www.hotwire.com , which gives you a discounted price rather than making you bid. In this way, you at least can see a price and you have 30 minutes to decide, although you still don't get to pick your airline or times. Hotwire is best when you have maximum flexibility in travel times.

7. At this point, you should have written down the best possible fare for your planned tour.  Book it!