| Being a contrarian traveler, that is, doing the | | | | visit friends. I've also decided that I want to take |
| opposite of what the majority of people are doing | | | | a vacation at the end of the year. I will not be |
| is a smart way to save money on airfares. The | | | | able to depart until December 22nd, peak travel |
| theory in this being that while everybody is | | | | season. Unfortunately leaving between |
| traveling one way, for example heading back | | | | mid-December and mid-January will cost me |
| home at the end of their winter vacations to | | | | pretty close to double the regular fare. Forward |
| Thailand, the planes going back to Thailand would | | | | planning being one of the fundamentals of saving |
| be relatively empty. This creates an opportunity | | | | money on travel, knowing my end-of-year travel |
| for the savvy traveler to take advantage of | | | | dates will enable me to save a lot of money. |
| reduced airfares as airlines scramble to fill as | | | | What I do is instead of buying a 5 day return |
| many seats as possible. | | | | ticket for my May trip, I buy a one year open |
| Unfortunately we are not all able to travel when | | | | with the return date of the ticket sometime in |
| we want and work commitments may dictate | | | | January when I want to come home from my |
| that we must take our holidays at the same time | | | | end of year vacation. Upon arriving in Bangkok I |
| as everybody else. This is where the laws of | | | | put this ticket away in my suitcase and purchase |
| supply and demand kick in and the airlines and | | | | a second ticket from Bangkok to my original point |
| hotels crank up their prices. | | | | of departure, or my home city. The return |
| But what if you really wanted or needed to travel | | | | portion of this ticket (and this is the crucial part of |
| at a time that was a peak travel time in your | | | | the plan) is set to December 22nd. |
| country? Do you just have to bite the bullet and | | | | This works because each airline in each country |
| pay the inflated prices? | | | | determines their fares from the point of |
| Fortunately there is a strategy which allows you | | | | departure. What this means is that the return |
| to both travel to and return from popular | | | | date does not have as big an influence on the |
| destinations at the same peak times as everyone | | | | fare as the departure date. Basically they don't |
| else, without having to pay pumped-up holiday | | | | care if the return section of your ticket is in a |
| fares. | | | | peak period in the country you are coming back |
| Let's take Bangkok as an example because it is | | | | from. |
| an extremely popular holiday destination and it is | | | | One year open tickets are a little more expensive |
| also one of the cheapest places in the world right | | | | than your regular 7- 30 day open tickets, |
| now to purchase airfare tickets- a fact whose | | | | however you should look into this option and you |
| relevance will become clear in just a moment. | | | | may find substantial savings doing it this way than |
| Let's say it's May and I am going to take a short | | | | paying the inflated peak time airfares that the |
| 5 day trip to Bangkok, on a business trip or to | | | | airlines charge. |