Platypuspublications: Travel Tips

Use these tips to save money while enhancing your travel!

          Remember that to learn all of our Strategies you will need to get our FLY FREE, STAY CHEAP! GUIDE , but here are a few ways to
          obtain deeply discounted air fares, or save some money when you are not using our strategies for flying for FREE. We still believe that for
          International flights, the best way to fly is on a FREE ticket, but you will need our guide to learn more about this.

ANOTHER WAY to obtain sometimes free and discounted flights is to fly as an Air Courier. You can find out more about this at (www.courier.org). If this doesn't appeal to you, then there are many other ways of flying for very cheap, Under $200 from coast to coast.

Go to the Most Used Flight Booker on the Web, Travelocity . They didn't just hit their 10 millionth booking for no reason. They are the largest online booking agency because they know how to satisfy their customers with easy reliable, convenient service and the absolute lowest fares.

We have partnered with them, to be able to offer you all their clout right from this Web site!

But, we would not be recommending them, if we didn't use them ourselves. They are head and shoulders above the rest. Being the largest gives them the competitive edge that enables them to have the technology to find you the very lowest prices available. There are times when you can buy a ticket so cheaply, that it makes more sense to buy it , than use your Frequent Flyer Award miles. (bonus miles).
There are also many things you have to gain when flying on a paid ticket. Check out our Fly Perks page to learn what you have to gain when flying on a paid ticket.

Travelocity also lets you know if there is a cheaper price from a city near you. This gives you the chance to decide if it is worth it to drive a little farther to save even more money. Many people use the "hidden city" technique, flying from another less used Airport, to save money on flights.
Sometimes you can save 50% or more.

A very convenient way to use Travelocity is to go to their "BEST FARE FINDER" which is only one click away on this Web site. It continually shows the best deals from major gateways and gives you the option to select the departure city, to find the "Best Fare" available from your home. We hi ghly recommend visiting the travel center that we have set up so you have access to all of Travelocity's outstanding features right from one page. We have been getting great feedback from our Visitors on how well this is working for them.

Next preference is to visit your favorite Airlines on the Internet and see what deals they may have available. Travelocity has been so successful, that now the Airlines want to jump on the band wagon making their bookings available through their Web sites. You can access all the major Airlines through our LINKS page where we have assembled the best list of links on the Internet, to save you money on every aspect of your travel planning. Beside finding unexpected deals from your favorite Airlines, you might get up to several thousand Frequent Flyer miles, as a bonus for booking with them. Once in a while there is a really good deal for booking, the most has been 10,000 bonus miles. If you buy a package trip from an Airline, especially from their Web site, you should always find out if they are giving away miles. This is an area where they can be generous.

Another way to buy a ticket for very little money is to use travel vouchers that you have been given by an Airline. To learn how to have the Airlines pay you and make your next flight practically pay for itself, read all about how I was given $1,000 dollars worth of vouchers in 1999-2000. Go to our BUMPED page to learn how this is done and other suggestions on how to get the Airlines to pay you for traveling with them. My husband who flies on average of every six weeks, is so successful at getting bumped that the last time he gave up his seat, he not only got a voucher for $300, but ended up being upgraded to business class and arrived at his destination sooner than he would if he had not given up the seat on his original flight. Sometimes you have to be willing to take a chance. Overbooking is a fact of life, rather than have "egg on their face" the Airlines will pay you well, to give up your seat, and then possibly treat you royally, too. They are very grateful for your willingness to help them out of a tight spot.

TRAVEL ONLY WITH HAND CARRIES. DO NOT CHECK IN BAGGAGE. The new cabin size, carry-on, rolling cases make it easy. Save big, (up to 75% off), buy them at discount stores or pharmacies, instead of expensive luggage or department stores. Since they are not going to be subjected to the same punishment that check-in bags endure, they don't have to be as well built, or as expensive. If you have no check-in baggage, you eliminate a lot of hassle, no bags to be lost or stolen, no time wasted or missed flights. The extra bonus will be, always having what you need with you, and you'll breeze through airports, with more time to enjoy your trip! You can also offer your seat more easily (get bumped for profit) if Baggage claim is not in your future.
WHEN PACKING, put everything out for one week's stay, then put half of it back. This really is important and it really works! Clothes and toilet articles can be separated in Jumbo plastic "ziplock-type" bags. This will protect them and allow you to pack more efficiently. You can push all the air out of the clothing bags, before closing them, which will act as a vacuum seal, making them super flat, keeping them wrinkle free & allowing room for more. I always include "Diaper Pins" because you never know what might need to be held together, fast. They are a very good deterrent for pick pockets who might want to get in and out of a back pack, or fanny pack fast.
IF YOU USE BLACK, (or another neutral color) for your basic things, then everything else in your wardrobe will coordinate, and you won't need a lot of different accessories.
SAVE BIG WITH ATMs. Before traveling to a foreign country, check before you go, to see if ATMs are available. You can save by not taking so many traveler's checks and the rate of exchange is often much better through the ATM. The ATM card is the best way to have cash for small purchases, as you travel. The only country I have found that doesn't have great access to ATMs is Japan, so you must take cash or traveler's checks when you travel in Japan, and make sure you get plenty of Yen to last you over weekends. Most everything you buy, when you travel can be bought with Credit Cards, which will usually give you a better exchange rate than you can get in a bank or a hotel, just like the ATM card. Putting as much as you can on your Credit Cards, especially your Airline's Frequent Flyer credit card is the way to go! As I am sure you know, when you buy something with your gold or platinum Credit Card you will also have insurance against fraud and other problems you may encounter. Check before you go, as some even give you FREE Travel Insurance, especially covering those pesky fees when you rent a car.
FREE DAYS AT MUSEUMS! You can save a substantial amount, if you check to see what day a Museum is open for FREE. Many museums in Europe offer FREE admission, one day a week.
CHEAP EATS, that might even be gourmet food, can often be found, in lovely cafes, inside many of Europe's "Finest" Museums.
If you enjoyed these Travel Tips, you will LOVE our book, Fly Free, Stay Cheap! Just click on the link below, "Get the Guide".
ON LONG FLIGHTS be sure to stretch your legs frequently, to make sure that deadly blood clots do not build up in your legs. The more cramped the space, the less you are apt to move and that can be dangerous, especially if you are overweight, smoke or are prone to heart problems. You can help to make this situation safer by taking aspirin as directed by your Doctor, to keep the blood thinned. Massaging your lower extremities and walking around the plane as much as possible, to keep the blood flowing also can help alot. The blood clots, if formed usually breakup on their own, but the danger comes if they don't dissolve and find their way to your heart or lungs. The airlines are beginning to see this as a problem and some are making an effort to give their passengers more "leg room". If you think you may be at risk, talk to your Doctor about this before you go. There should be no more risk than sitting at your desk, all day without moving or any other sedentary activity, where the blood flow to the legs is impeded.

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This page updated February, 2002

Use these tips to save money while enhancing your travel!

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