How to expand your travel horizons at lower fares.

A list of suggestions on how to get the most of your leisure travel days. These include knowing your airport options, multiple destination travel and considering independent air carriers.

(PRWEB) August 13, 2004 -- Know your airport options at home and at your destinations. You might find lower fares by utilizing alternative airports For example, choosing Oakland Airport (OAK) instead of San Francisco International (SFO) can save you $20 to $50 per person for a typical round trip. In other instances, the less busy airports might make your travels less stressful or be more conveniently located to what sites at your destination you plan to visit.

Find out about airport locations not near any major city.
A map with commercial airport locations across the continent might let you think about travelling to a national park, ski or beach resort, or some smaller city you might not have thought before easy to get to.

Book more than one destination on your next trip.
For a little more than a typical round-trip airfare, say between $50 and $100 more per person, you can add a second destination to your itinerary. For example, add a weekend in Vegas to your next trip out west.

Compare flight information from online travel sites to independent air carriers. Some airlines have their own online ticketing and are not affiliated with online travel services. They might offer the best fares to the cities they serve. Such airlines include Southwest, Frontier, Jet Blue, Air Tran, etc.

Research flight and fare information well in advance.
Although not so important nowadays to book more than a month in advance it is advisable to plan ahead, particularly near holidays. Specials like Southwests Fun Fares" require a 14 day advance purchase.

A programmed web-page map has been developed to make travel planning easier. Airport locations are shown at cities and towns across North America, including Alaska, Canada, Hawaii and the Caribbean. The name and airport code are displayed as you move your cursor across an airport location. You can actually plot out your trip on this map by clicking on the airport location indicators at your departure point and destinations. Pop-up calendar panels are then displayed to set your travel dates by the days of the week. Then click on a button to request flight and fare information and reserve your flight. Visit www.travelclickmap.com

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