How to Find Cheap Air Fares
By Chad Buleen
When planning a golf vacation, one of your main expenses might be the airfare. If you can save some money on the plane tickets, you will be able to use that money on other things -- an extra round or two, or a new putter. Even if you don't need to save money, there is nothing wrong with getting a good deal.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Be flexible when looking for travel dates. Search for flights on websites such as Kayak, Travelocity or Orbitz. Check the box that says "Flexible Dates." This will pull up ticket prices from a variety of dates and allow you to easily see which dates are offered for less expensive prices.
Buy early. Book your flight at least two weeks before departure. If you buy at least three weeks before departure, you may save even more. If you are departing for an international golf vacation, it is best to book at least a month in advance. Don't forget to reserve your tee times, too.
Do not limit your thinking. The old thinking was that you could stay over on a Saturday night to find a less expensive flight Sunday. While this might allow you to get another round of golf in before your vacation ends, this will not likely do anything to make your flight cheaper.
Try to avoid weekends. You are more likely to find cheap air fares if you travel in the middle of the week. Because airlines know that people will be traveling a lot on weekends, they often charge more for these flights. The golf courses also may be less crowded if you play in the middle of the week.
Check the round-trip price. Even if your flight is one way, you may be able to find a less expensive flight if the tickets are round-trip. There is no rhyme or reason for this, aside from the fact that airlines want to offer competitive pricing and sometimes end up outdoing themselves.
Avoid the year's heavy travel days. If you book a flight on Christmas Eve or the day before Thanksgiving, you are essentially asking the airlines if you can pay more. Try to leave a day earlier and return a day later than the normal rush of people do around holidays. You could see a significant difference in ticket prices. Likewise, you can get a couple of extra days of golf in by choosing to fly this way.
Tips & Warnings
In some cases, you can find last-minute deals, but waiting until the last minute typically means you will need to pay more.
Remember that you likely will have additional baggage charges if you check any bags, including golf clubs.
About The Author
Chad Buleen is a Society of Professional Journalists-award winning newspaper and magazine writer and editor with more than 10 years' experience. He has been published in "Utah Spirit," "Charleston Gazette," "Idaho Falls Post Register" and numerous other publications. Buleen holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications with an emphasis in print journalism from Brigham Young University-Idaho.
