Hi Stephanie,
A have a quick question since I am not an experienced traveler...

Is Expedia pretty reputable for booking flights...I have never booked through them or is it better to call the airlines directly, to see if they offer any deals?
Thanks for you help,
Suzette

When you call an airline, the only information that you get is about that one carrier. You probably are not aware of ALL the airlines that fly non-stop or with connections to the destination you want to go to and even if you did know who the carriers are that you should call you don't have enough time in your life to call each one, sit on hold, and ask about the fares. Even if you did that, the fares you are told are not guaranteed until you buy the tickets so by the time you did your research, the best fare could already be gone by the time you go back to make your purchase. . . even if it's only a few minutes later! Fares are often created in tiers so that there are only 3 seats or 8 seats at a certain price and when that number of seats are sold the price jumps to the next price point and that can happen even while you're looking at the fare!

Worse than that, most airlines are charging a fee for making a "live" reservation with you on the phone and their special "internet fares" are not available when you call the airline so you wind up with higher prices and a service fee on top of it!

Worse than that, the average person does not know what to ask for to get the least expensive fare. On any one flight there may be dozens of fares in economy and there may also be five or more business and first class fares!

Check out some of the internet air sites online where you can get a number of airlines' fares but keep in mind that you will never get the kind of personal service and assistance that you can get from a travel agent who will probably charge a service fee but will be able to customize your trip for you and hold your hand throughout and while you are traveling.

If you are planning to take a trip with not much lead time for your travel plans, you might want to check out LastMinuteTravel.com. They specialize in travel arrangements for the 'last minute' traveler. Historically, the closer you get to a date of travel, you wind up having to settle for what's left rather than select what you want. And many times, as you get closer to a date of travel, prices get higher from the law of supply and demand as fewer spaces are available. But LastMinuteTravel.com's business is all about the last minute traveler and their website features special deals in a one-stop shopping site aimed at providing the last minute traveler with great deals so take a look at their site when you're planning to get up and go without much lead time!

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Radio Show Host
Travel Expert
Stephanie Abrams