COMPARE FARES
Buy your air tickets on Tuesday afternoons. Fly during the middle of the week. Sign up for airfare alerts at FareCompare.com. In the current world travel climate ticket prices are going up daily. Do not wait for a sale. There will be none.
BE PRO-CHOICE
Pick what view you want from your seat on the plane; it could be left side land or right side water. And choose port or starboard for your ship cabin. A cabin facing west in the afternoon will be warmer due to all day sun, but it might be the land view.
HOTEL HAPPINESS
When you enter your hotel room, walk around each room and look at the view. If everything is not just as you want it, go back to the front desk and politely request a different room to make your stay more enjoyable. It is your right, your money, and even your obligation to get exactly what you expected when you made your reservation. Hotels are eager to make you happy; upgrades are often given as an apology for your initial dissatisfaction.
It is hard to think about, but now is the time to book your holiday air. The fares are already going up for November/December travel. There will be no significant sales to wait for. Spend a little time now deciding which airline and flight best suits your travel plans. Keep an eye on the fare for a week or two then book it.
There is nothing in the travel industry more frustrating and impossible to keep up with than the rules of the airfare game. Just when you get a handle on which day is the best to buy tickets or how much your suitcase is going to cost to ship, one of the airlines sends up a trial balloon.
If we don’t scream too loud at the potential change, most all the other airlines adopt similar increases. Over the past two months there have been enough changes in the air business to make me wonder if there is anyone with common sense and decency running our not so friendly skies.