Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds
Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/510478
d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m S u m m e r 2 0 1 5 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N 43 all of these websites are working with the same, limited fight information, and there simply isn't the kind of competition in the industry that created the system- wide airfare sales we used to see a decade ago. Also, remember that Southwest keeps its pricing information of third- party sites, so if you're fying to any of the cities it serves, you should check the fights listed on Southwest.com. An informal survey of this author's as- sociates, colleagues, and friends—who include travel writers, travel agents, and average citizens—revealed that all use third-party sites for research only. When it comes to purchasing fights, they pre- fer to do so directly on the airlines' web- sites. Tis trend toward direct booking has been fueled by the rise in metasearch engines—most notably Google's fight search service (google.com/fights), but also similar ones such as Hopper and Hipmunk. Taking note of this tendency, airlines have invested heavily in making their own websites more customizable so that travelers can add (and pay extra for) such perks as extra legroom, priority booking, and WiFi. Check reviews for com- ments and features you won't find online FlyerTalk, TripAdvisor, and the customer com- ments on Priceline are great sources of travel information from real people. Before using a travel company or booking a hotel room, res- taurant, or other attraction, do a search to fnd out what others thought about it. Te travel companies Faregeek and Trip- sta, for example, were recently excoriated on FlyerTalk for poor customer service and, in some cases, outright scamming. Hanson observes that female travel- ers in particular seek specifc informa- tion about hotel rooms that branded sites don't provide. "Women traveling by themselves often want a room near the elevator, for instance, because of safety issues," he says. "Tey don't want to walk down a long hallway alone." Or they may want to know how pow- erful the hotel's haird- ryer so they can decide whether to pack their own. Hanson suggests that solo fe- male travelers peruse TripAdvisor for comments and anecdotes from other women about a hotel's overall "vibe." Did they feel safe? Were they comfortable eat- ing alone in the hotel restaurant, or was it a pickup scene? Overwhelmed? Get help from a human Kristy Hall, a New Jersey–based consul- tant for the Tropical Travelers, an agen- cy specializing in Caribbean vacations, recommends Tripology and Viator for travel planning. Both sites allow you to do everything online (and are free) but have the backing of live experts—travel agents like Hall, who got started in the Buy your ticket on a Tuesday after- noon • According to FareCompare, Tuesday at 3 p.m. eastern time is the best time to fnd a deal on a domestic airline ticket. Why? Because airlines usually launch their sales late Monday night or very early Tuesday morning. By the time the afternoon rolls around, their competi- tors have had time to match those offers. If you're awake, you can also try search- ing after midnight on a Monday, which is when airlines release any fights that haven't been paid in full yet. Buy two one-way tickets, and use different airports • If you live in or near New York City, for example, it may be cheaper to leave, say, from Newark airport but fy back to LaGuardia or JFK. In any case, it never hurts to check. Be flexible with dates and times • Ac- cording to FareCompare, Tuesday is the cheapest day to fy, followed by Wednes- day and Saturday. The most expensive days to fy? Friday and Sunday. You'll also get a better price if you book a red-eye or a fight with a long layover. Delete your cookies and browser history • If your computer remembers you've been on a particular site before, it won't always show you the lowest prices available. Check social media sites • Some- times companies' Facebook page and Twitter feed will mention last-minute deals. Check Airfarewatchdog and Travelzoo for deals • If you haven't decided where you want to go, they can be great sources for last-minute sales. Save money after you purchase your ticket • After you've booked your airfare, go to Yapta.com and enter your fight details. This site will help you get a travel credit if your ticket price drops 24 hours after purchase or if it drops more than the airline's change fee. Yapta doesn't charge you up front to use the service, but it will take a percentage of the money you save. However, with many domestic airlines charging change fees of $200 or more, this service may only be worthwhile when booking expensive international tickets. travel business by planning vacation re- quests through Tripology. Indeed, with so many new travel web- sites out there, brick-and-mortar travel agencies are making a comeback, accord- ing to Donna Quadri-Felitti, a clinical as- sociate professor of hospitality and tour- ism management at NYU. "Especially for consumers who aren't particularly cost sensitive, a travel agent who's a desti- nation specialist can be a great option," she notes. "If you're looking not for the cheapest deal but for the best experience, a travel agent who can get you backstage passes or other insider deals may be the best choice. Tey can save a busy profes- sional a lot of time." DW In the long-ago days before 9/11, Sara J. Welch few to Europe several times as an air courier, paying less than $300 round trip. Ways to Save on Flights DW Life > THINKSTOCKPHOTOS