Minack Theatre, Cornwall

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
London’s premier alfresco theatre hosts a typically impressive array of events this season. Theatre productions include Shakespeare classics Macbeth and The Comedy of Errors as well as Arthur Miller’s The Cruicible and a retelling of Grimm’s fairytales, Into The Woods. There theatre also lays on fantastic alfresco dinind and drinking options for a complete night out. Dates vary, see www.openairtheatre.org for more info.

Minack Theatre, Cornwall
This stunning open air amphitheatre overlooks the sea from its coastal spot in Cornwall. You can visit for the day or take in a show in the evening. Productions range from West Side Story and Romeo & Juliet to On The Rzzle over summer, so there’s bound to be something that takes your fancy. Dates vary, see www.minack.com for more info.

Illyria
The alfresco theatre pros at Illyria have been touring open air productions at some of Britain’s most gorgeous locations for close to 20 years. This year, the theatre company are taking Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet and James and the Giant Peach on the road, stopping off at Bolton Abbey, Cawdor Castle, Bristol Zoo, Corfe Castle and Winchester Cathedral among countless others. Dates vary, see www.illyria.uk.com for more info.

The Tempest at Cardiff Castle
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men pitch up at Cardiff’s open air theatre set in the castle grounds with their all-male version of The Tempest. The show is part of Cardiff Festival 2010 (July 1-Sep 4) which takes in free alfresco events, music, comedy, theatre and more. Jul 1-2, www.cardiff-festival.com

Portland, Oregon, USA

Who would have thought the second biggest polluter worldwide could hide an eco-conscious gem like this? Portland is regarded as the most eco-friendly city in the US and one of the ‘greenest’ worldwide, because of it use of renewable energy, efficient transport systems and recycling.

Cape Town, South Africa

This one’s well on it way to becoming one of the world’s ‘green’ cities of the future. The city has adopted a plan to reduce it’s carbon footprint by ensuring 10% of it’s energy use is renewable and 10% of homes are solar powered by 2020.

Costa Rica

This Central American country was named the No.5 ‘greenest’ country in the world. And, surprise surprise, it was voted the happiest for 2009 by the Happy Planet Index. Costa Rica plans to be the world first completely ‘green’ country by 2030 through fossil fuel reduction, hybrid vehicle use and increased tree planting initiatives.

Vancouver, Canada

With about 90% of the city’s energy coming from renewable energy sources, Vancouver is as close to ‘green’ as you can get. Canada’s third largest city uses hydroelectric power, but plans to further reduce it’s carbon footprint by adopting solar, wind and tidal energy. It also continuously ranks as one of the best cities in the world to live in – could there be a connection?

For more info on eco-destinations check out www.treehugger.com

Istiklal Caddesi
This lengthy pedestrian avenue (about two miles long) is where you’ll find the hub of Istanbul’s commercial culture. Bars, cafes, restaurants, boutiques, cinemas and markets range from the hip and expensive, to everyday and affordable. Take a stroll in the morning for a quiet perspective, or join the throngs as the sun begins to set.

Turkish tea and coffee
Caffeine is available on every corner in Istanbul so throw out your one-a-day rule and indulge in copious amounts of freshly brewed tea and coffee. The Turkish like their tea strong and served in small glass cups with plenty of sugar. Expect the coffee in espresso cups with a thick, undrinkable coffee base about a centimetre thick.

Pera Palas
This original 1890s hotel has had a complete makeover in honour of the city’s new title and will reopen in April. The grand Pera Palas was known as the hotel of choice for Orient-Express passengers and once counted Agatha Christie, Ernest Hemmingway and Alfred Hitchcock as guests. www.perapalas.com

Cemberlitas Bath
Where better to enjoy a Turkish hamam than in the country of its origin. This steamy institute was built in the late 1500s and continues to accommodate both men and woman looking for a hot dip. Cemberlitas Square on Divanyolu Street. www.cemberlitashamami.com.

Начиная от безумных вечеринок под луной на Таиланде и заканчивая захватывающими дух приключениями в Африке — вот список самых подходящих мест для отпуска любителей адреналина. Согласно исследованиям компании Expedia.com.au, в перечень самых подходящих мест на планете для любителей острых ощущений и вечного веселья вошли:

Легендарный испанский танцевальный рай Ибица. В самый сезон сюда съезжаются десятки тысяч любителей современной электронной музыки, чтобы веселиться всю ночь до утра с самыми лучшими диджеями мира. В число самых лучших танцклубов Ибицы входит Privilege, Es Paradis и Amnesia.

Квинстаун, Новая Зеландия. Этот город считается мировой столицей приключений. Всего в течение одного дня здесь можно полетать на вертолете, заняться рафтингом и банджи-джампингом.

Кейптаун в Южной Африке, не легко проигнорировать, если вы ищите приключений и веселья. Здесь находится самая большая в мире вышка в 216 м для баджи-джампинга. Кроме того, здесь можно заняться затяжными прыжками с парашютом и понырять с большими белыми акулами.

Ko Pha Ngan, Таиланд, известен своими полнолунными вечеринками, которые были признаны самыми крупными пляжными вечеринками во всем мире.

Монте-Карло, Монако. Этот курорт считается одним из самых роскошных и дорогих курортов в мире. Это также дом для самых богатых и знаменитых персон, что дает возможность простым путешественникам столкнуться буквально плечом к плечу с селебрити. (перевод Travel-news.ru)

Costa Verde Resort , Costa Rica

At first glance it seems as though this 1965 Boeing 727 has been taken over by the jungle. But step inside the fuselage and you’ll find a sophisticated teak-panelled hideaway with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchenette and a balcony overlooking the stunning coastline of Manuel Antonio National Park. The resort also boasts the El Avion restaurant bar, housed in a Fairchild C-123 cargo plane.

Costa Verde Resort, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (00 506 2777 0584; costaverde.com). The suite starts at US$452 (301), room only.

Aviator Hotel, Hampshire

Designed by Ken McCulloch (the man behind the Malmaison chain) and owned by TAG Aviation, the propeller-shaped Aviator Hotel overlooks Farnborough airfield in Hampshire. The rooms and suites hint at air travel without being plane-spotterish, so there are framed black-and-white photos of vintage aircraft and cushions embroidered with propeller motifs. The design is sleek and chic, aimed at the private jet-set that take off and land outside. There’s a modern-European restaurant, Sky Bar and deli, too.

Aviator Hotel, Farnborough Road, Farnborough, Hampshire (01252 555890; aviatorfarnborough.co.uk). Doubles start at 190, room only.

Winvian, US

Fifteen architects have created a collection of unique lodgings at this 113-acre Connecticut resort. Set against the rural Litchfield Hills, Winvian’s cottages range from Library to Music, Industry and Maritime, with an inside-out campsite and a curious-looking barn, which houses a restored US Coast Guard Sikorsky helicopter. The chopper now serves as the suite’s living room, with a sofa, flat-screen television and flight deck; the bedroom and bathroom are outside in the “hangar”. There’s also a spa with a log-burning fire and an acclaimed restaurant.

Winvian, 155 Alain White Road, Morris, Connecticut, US (00 1 860 567 9600; winvian. com). Double rooms start at $923 (615), including breakfast.

Airplane Suite, Netherlands

This Ilyushin-18, a Soviet propellor plane well past its fly-by date, has been turned into one luxurious suite. Previous to that, it saw active service in the old East Germany, and was also used as a restaurant. It’s now kitted out with a sauna and whirlpool bath.

Aircraft Suite, Teuge, Gelderland, Netherlands (00 31 6 19 388 603; hotelsuites.nl). The suite starts at 350, including breakfast.

The Plane Motel, New Zealand

Woodlyn Park on the North Island is home to a collection of quirky accommodation, from a Hobbit Motel to this Bristol freighter, which last flew in the Vietnam War. It has an intact cockpit and four modest suites.

The Plane Motel, Otorohanga, New Zealand (00 64 7 878 6666; woodlynpark.co.nz). Doubles from NZ$160 (70), room only.

Jumbo Hostel, Sweden

This 747 was turned into a design hostel earlier this year. It has been converted to accommodate 72 beds arranged in dorm and private rooms, plus a penthouse suite in the cockpit complete with dials and runway views.

Jumbo Hostel, Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Sweden (00 46 8 593 60 400; jumbohostel.com). Dorm beds start at SK350 (30) room only. A deluxe double costs SK1,650 (144).
independent.co.uk

However, competitors Travelocity and Expedia launched their applications earlier this year so Priceline looks like it’s coming late to the game. Not so, said Priceline.com spokesman Brian Ek, who said most of online travel agency competitors are supplying  ”reskins” of their Web sites, or simply the Web site with a slightly different look. Ek says that Priceline did the same thing until its latest launch on Oct. 26.

However, how much profit can be gained from such applications are difficult to measure (and Priceline refused to tell me.) One company executive told me that usage rates and booking travel are still pretty low. That makes it hard to figure out if companies are doing this primarily to make money in the future or show they can match or beat the competition in technology. I’m voting for the latter. Who wants to be known as the old grandma in online travel?

“It’s still very early in the game for mobile applications,” Ek told BNET. “No one knows how long it will be for these to catch on. So for now, it builds experience in the mobile space of what works and what doesn’t, and it’s a nifty little tool for customers on the road.”

Orbitz.com spokesman Brian Hoyt said that his company still hasn’t joined in the iPhone application craze, but instead relies on its mobile phone tools it launched in 2006. Hoyt said that the company may release its application in 2010.

“Just because you don’t have an app on the iPhone doesn’t mean you missed out on the market,” he said. “We’re still trying to find that killer app that gains higher adoption.

Bnet.

Known as the Golden City, this former caravan center on the route to the Khyber Pass rises from a sea of sand, its 30-foot crenellated walls and medieval sandstone fort sheltering carved spires and palaces. So little has changed here that it’s easy to imagine yourself back in the city’s early days, in the thirteenth century. Jaisalmer’s wealth originally came from the heavy levies it placed on camel caravans passing through, and merchants and townspeople built handsome havelis (mansions elaborately carved from the local golden stone). It’s the only fortress city in India still functioning, with one quarter of its population living within the original walls.

Details: Six hours by car from Jodhpur. Stay in the Narayan Niwas Palace, a former caravansary built by the maharaja in 1840. Doubles from $48 (low season) or $60 (high season); 011-91/29922-52408, fax 011-91/29922-52101, narayanniwas.com/.

Best times: October to February.

Highland games, Braemar, Scotland

Begun in the Middle Ages as county fairs for the exchange of goods and news, these summer sporting events gave clan chiefs the chance to check out the physical prowess of the area’s most promising young lads. Of the nation’s 40-some annual gatherings, the ones at Braemar are the most renowned. (Queen Elizabeth usually pops in from Balmoral Castle.) A breed of gigantic men–called the Heavies–engage in “throwing the hammer,” “putting the stone,” and the prime event, “tossing the caber”–in which they hurl a 20-foot tree trunk weighing over 130 pounds. Expect bagpipes, bright tartans, Highlands dancing, and a nip of whiskey to help things along.

Giants Causeway, Bushmills, Antrim, Northern Ireland

The grand and astonishing Giant’s Causeway–on the northern coast of the island–is made up of more than 40,000 volcanic basalt columns, each a foot or two in diameter. Most are hexagonal, but some have four or five sides, and others have as many as 10 (and reach as high as 40 feet). If modern-day visitors are struck with wonder at the sight, imagine the disbelief of the ancient Irish, who attributed the geological wonder to the fabled giant Finn McCool. The warrior was said to have created the Causeway as a bridge to his lady love on the Scottish island of Staffa. We now know it was formed by volcanic eruptions some 60 million years ago. Hopscotch along the columns, or marvel at the Causeway from the clifftop belvederes.

Cha Ca La Vong,
Hanoi, Vietnam

Cha Ca La Vong serves only one dish–cha ca, a succulent fried-fish masterpiece, the recipe for which has been in the Doan family for generations (the name translates roughly to “curried Red River fish”). After more than seven decades, cha ca became so entrenched in Hanoi that the city renamed the lane out front in its honor. A rickety flight of wooden stairs leads to the unremarkable second-floor dining room, full of equally rickety chairs. Patrons cook chunks of seasoned garoupa fish on a charcoal clay brazier, stirring in chives and dill. The rich, oily stew is then spooned into bowls of vermicelli rice noodles and enlivened by the addition of shrimp sauce, fried peanuts, and pickled vegetables. The secret ingredient, if you believe the rumors, is two drops of an essence extracted from the perfume gland of the ca cuong beetle.

Chuuk Lagoon
Lost Fleet Chuuk, Micronesia

On February 17, 1944, American Task Force 58 engaged in Operation Hailstone, dropping over 500 tons of bombs on the Japanese navy. Today, Chuuk Lagoon (also called Truk Lagoon) holds the wrecks of 60 Japanese ships, the largest concentration of sunken ships in the world. The 433-foot Fujikawa Maru is the most famous, an aircraft carrier that sits upright in 30 to 112 feet of water, a gaping torpedo hole in her side. A combination of warm water, prolific marine life, and lagoon currents has acted as an incubator, transforming the WWII hulks–their guns, trucks, silverware, and sake bottles left undisturbed–into artificial reefs.

El Questro Wilderness Park
Kimberely, Australia

El Questro is the ultimate outback experience: a million-acre working cattle ranch in the middle of Kimberley, just a dot on the map of massive, sparsely populated Western Australia. Explore the property’s many tropical gorges or remote water holes, or go on a ranger-led horse, foot, or four-wheel-drive trek to waterfalls, thermal springs, and Aboriginal rock art. There’s a fancy hotel, with suites, cantilevered over the Chamberlain River, but those whose wallets dictate Foster’s instead of champagne can choose one of El Questro’s three less-expensive lodging options–including camping sites under the stars.

Sturgis Motorcycle RallySturgis, South Dakota

For one week in early August, the town of Sturgis (population 6,400) hosts America’s largest motorcycle rally, now attracting well over a half-million people. Begun in 1938 by the local Jackpine Gypsies, the Black Hills Motor Classic grew over the years into a bacchanal drawing gangs of self-styled outlaws. In the late 1980s, the city partnered with the Jackpine Gypsies to civilize the event, and today law and order prevail. Baby strollers are not an uncommon sight–which is not to say that the saloons and tattoo parlors don’t still do a brisk business. Wanna-bes and diehards alike partake in the hill climbs and concerts. Downtime is spent admiring each other’s bikes, marveling at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame, or eating at the Road Kill Cafe–favorites include Chicken That Didn’t Quite Cross the Road and the daily special, Guess That Mess.

Mercado de HechiceriaLa Paz, Bolivia

At La Paz’s Witchcraft Market, proud chola women sit among their goods like queens, unfailingly wearing two braids festooned behind them and bowler hats adapted from the British many years ago. What they sell: herbal-tea fusions, folk cures, coca leaves, figurines, snakeskins, slabs of llama lard to be burned in offerings to the gods, and amulets to guarantee a long and happy sex life. The market has lately begun to accommodate the growing number of gringo curiosity seekers, and booths hawking colorful alpaca sweaters and woven textiles do a brisker business than the vendors pushing dried llama fetuses.

Diving with Manta raysTobago, Lesser Antilles

Divers are flocking to the island of Tobago for the chance to swim with monster manta rays. A dozen or so giant mantas, 6 to 10 feet wide, live in the Batteaux Bay area, some year-round. Divers may have to settle for a sighting of the creatures, but most will be able to interact with them. The friendly mantas encourage divers to hold on for a ride–a practice that once earned them the nickname Tobago taxis. Today’s more-sensitive approach is to merely swim in their presence.

Back in the Middle Ages of air travel, airlines used to publish their rates in telephone-book-sized compendiums updated every few weeks, and your trusty travel agent would actually get on the phone to reserve your seat. Nowadays, fares change as often as the weather in New England. The good news? Ever-evolving technology now lets airlines sell unused seats at the last minute at a variety of venues, producing some of the cheapest prices ever. The bad news? With a glut of information out there, finding these fares can be a bewildering, confusing, and downright frustrating experience.

“There is no magic formula for always finding the cheapest fares,” says Terrance Zepke, author of the Encyclopedia of Cheap Travel. “Comparison shopping is the name of the game.” But don’t take that to mean you should spend more time hunting for your vacation airfare than you’ll actually spend on vacation. We won’t lie to you; the world of inexpensive airfares is dog-eat-dog. But follow these efficient steps, learn some simple tricks, and with a little bit of luck, you will excel in sniffing out the best online airfare deals.

SIX STEPS TO CHEAP TICKETS
#1: FIGURE OUT THE BEST TIME TO BUY
Your first step to airfare success is to determine the best time to buy your tickets. If you absolutely must get home to Mom for Thanksgiving—or to Courchevel before Lance passes through—the age-old advice still holds true: Buy your tickets at least three weeks in advance.

“I think most airline sources would agree that anything outside 21 days before takeoff is considered an advance-purchase ticket,” says Brian Ek of Priceline.com. “Airlines are different, but generally, once you hit 15 days before the flight, the price begins to go up, then it goes up again at the seven-day mark. So if you want a retail ticket, buy it at least 21 days out for the best price.” Consider buying retail and buying early for vacation destinations during popular seasons or during high-traffic holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and spring break in March.

However, if your trip to Whistler can wait a weekend or Mom doesn’t mind you arriving on Thanksgiving day rather than the day before, consider changing your strategy. Timing when you fly is just as important as when you buy. Though airfares can be fickle and inconsistent, cheaper flights are typically available on weekdays, as opposed to weekends, and during non-rush hours. If you can’t avoid major holidays, like Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving, national long-weekend holidays, and spring break periods in March, a good rule of thumb is to try to travel when everyone else doesn’t want to. Think Christmas Eve or day, Thanksgiving day or a week ahead of time. Besides, flying on a holiday is typically more relaxed—the airports and planes are usually less crowded, and the “we’re all in this together” atmosphere can lend to an easy-going travel experience.

#2: UNLEASH THE SEARCH ENGINES
You know where you want to go and when. Mouse in hand, you approach the glaring, daunting screen of your computer. Task number one: Do a drive-by of the big search engines like Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, and Cheaptickets. Consider this as a fact-finding mission: a survey of these sites will give you a good idea on the average going rate for a retail ticket.

These search engines also offer a variety of search flexibility. Orbitz and Travelocity both allow you to search multiple dates—or even whole months—so you can compare rates and plan on traveling on the least expensive day.

Also keep in mind that ticket prices can vary drastically by airport. If you’re flying out of Boston, try Providence. San Francisco? Think Oakland. How about Charlotte? Consider Greensboro. Cheaptickets and Travelocity both have tools for searching multiple airports to come up with the best rate based on proximity, while Orbitz will automatically search all airports associated with a particular destination (for example, searches for Washington, D.C., yields results on Reagan, Dulles, and Baltimore-Washington airports).

#3: ON TO THE AGGREGATORS
A new breed of search engine has cropped up in the past few years: the aggregator site. Sites like Qixo, Kayak, and SideStep search a whole flock of search engines as well as airline sites themselves. Why go the extra step? Many of the budget airlines that have great inexpensive fares, like Southwest, don’t do business with consolidators like Travelocity, so by searching only those sites, you’re missing half the market. Our favorite is Mobissimo, which on multiple comparisons brought up the lowest fares most quickly.

#4: GO DIRECTLY TO AIRLINE WEBSITES
You’ve found the cheapest dates and the best airport, and now you think you’ve found the cheapest fare. Not so fast—you’ve got one more step. If you’ve found a great deal on an America West flight, check out America West’s website. Why? You’ll often find a better deal directly from the airline. And even if price is the same, buying directly from the airline will save you the search engine’s booking fee—usually around $5—and you’ll have a better chance at changing tickets or refunding your money if something goes wrong. Finally, some airlines guarantee the lowest rates from their own websites, backed up with special offers for those who find cheaper fares elsewhere.

That said, if you found an eye-popping deal on a search engine that utilizes multiple carriers, take it—the hassle of pricing individual flights in a multiple-leg, multiple-carrier itinerary will drive you batty, to say nothing of accidentally landing in New York’s JFK Airport when you fly out of La Guardia in 15 minutes.

#5: PERUSE THE BUDGET AIRLINES’ WEBSITES
To go the extra mile, quickly eyeball the budget airlines’ websites that fly out of the airports nearest you. Often, their rates manage to fly, so to speak, under the radar of the major search engines, so it can pay to target them directly. On a recent check, Airtran posted $76 fares between Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale, Southwest had fares for $99 or less from more than 30 cities, and JetBlue had fares from numerous cities starting at $39. Frontier, Independence Air, Spirit, and ATA also post web deals. Many of these low-cost airlines also have weekly or monthly newsletters that announce web-only deals, which is a great way to keep abreast of new deals.

#6: TRY BIDDING ON A PRICE
If you still haven’t found an airfare that fits within your budget, try bidding. Yes, Priceline.com is still alive and kicking. In fact, the site now offers retail tickets in addition to the name-your-price game. But there are a few other players out there, like SkyAuction.com, which also posts deals and takes bids eBay-style.

Determining a bid that’s low but not impossible is a fine art elucidated only by date and destination. Aim too low and you’re wasting your time, aim too high and…well, you know. To start, take the lowest price from the industry-standard search engines (step #2) and the aggregators (#3), knock off 15 to 20 percent, and, using the same search criteria, go from there. Keep in mind, each bidding site likely has its own quirks and tricks. To put more than luck on your side, check out Biddingfortravel.com for additional tips on playing the auction game.

Hotwire.com offers a slight twist on the typical bidding game. Rather than asking you to bid, you enter in your trip info and they generate a deeply discounted clearance price, which is often the best deal going. The catch? All you get is the price of the flight—you don’t see the flight schedule or what airline (or airlines) you’re flying until after purchasing the ticket. For people with flexible schedules, this is a manageable hassle, but if you need to put in a half-day before flying off to the Caribbean, Hotwire.com can be gamble.

LET THE EXPERTS DO THE WORK FOR YOU
Along with the other billion (or so it seems) travel-deal websites out there, there is a unique species that monitors the search engines and airline sites and highlights the best deals. SmarterTravel.com continually updates postings on the most outrageous plane ticket, hotel, car, and cruise sales, and has a team of editors that post travel-tip articles for these ever-changing times. Bestfares.com has a search engine and keeps excellent tabs on fare wars between airlines, such as when a particular city might be the center of downward-spiraling fares for a limited period of time.

Some sites, like adventure-centric GORPtravel.com, also specialize in a particular niche of travel, offering package trips that take care of all the details. Costs vary widely, and in some cases airfare isn’t included in the quoted price, but the expertise afforded by working with industry leaders could offer the assurance you need to make your vacation stress free.

THE LOWDOWN ON COURIER FLIGHTS
So many budget travelers have discovered the air courier trick that flights to Sydney for a quarter and a smile are more fiction than fact. However, there is still a nice load of mind-bogglingly cheap ones—provided you’re willing to make a few trade-offs. Here’s the deal: By law, all baggage on commercial flights must be accompanied by a passenger. For many companies, sending goods on commercial flights with a passenger is far faster than shipping, so they look for passengers willing to fly on short notice, with great flexibility, and with no personal baggage other than carry-ons. The upshot as a courier is that all you really have to do is pack frugally, sit on a plane, carry the customs papers, and hook up with the appropriate contacts at the airport, and you’ll get great fares: Think Amsterdam for $125 or Bangkok for $275. Membership to the Air Courier Association or the International Association of Air Travel Couriers costs about $50 and gets you access to detailed information on the courier life and daily flight options. But keep in mind: flexibility is key—if you’re aching for a two-week break from a grueling nine-to-five gig that can’t be left at a moment’s notice, courier flights probably won’t work. But if you’ve got some flex in your schedule, it’s a great way to save cash and see the world.

LAST-MINUTE SEATS FOR SALE
Airtech targets a similarly flexible demographic as courier agencies, but puts passengers on empty or standby seats at the last minute. If you’re flexible with your dates and destinations, you can get pretty sweet deals, like a flight to Europe for about $200. First, buy a FlightPass for travel between certain regions, say the U.S. and Europe, with a departure window of two to four days. When a flight comes up to your preferred destination, you’ll get a call. If it fits you desires and interests, you head to the airport and redeem your pass for the tickets. Think of it as the budget traveler’s way of flying on standby. One intrepid traveler used Airtech to get home to Greece for the 2004 Olympics. She got the call—a flight to Amsterdam from Washington, D.C., for around $200—and headed out that afternoon. After a leisurely day in the Netherlands, she hopped a train south to Athens and reached her destination for half of what it would’ve cost had she flown direct. Plus she got to go to Amsterdam. But if you need to be in a certain city at a certain time, Airtech ain’t for you.

SMALL-SCALE AND CHARTER AIRLINES
Small-scale airlines and some charter services often offer specially scheduled or seasonal flights to high-traffic destinations for low rates. USA 3000 Airlines flies from Midwest and Northeast cities to vacation destinations in Florida, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico for fares 20 to 60 percent cheaper than major carriers’ fares, depending on the city. Sun Country Airlines is another small carrier based in Minnesota with flights to more than 40 domestic, Caribbean, and Mexican destinations. Especially at the last minute, rates can be significantly cheaper than those of Northwest, Sun Country’s biggest competitor. When purchasing tickets, be aware of restrictions on refunds and rescheduling after missed connections with other carriers. To find small carriers, look up a full list of airlines that service your local airport.

ROUND-THE-WORLD TICKETS
Long to follow in Magellan’s footsteps? Do not buy a slew of disparate tickets around the world. You can save thousands of dollars for your on-the-ground travels by purchasing a round-the-world ticket. Several companies, like Airtreks and Air Brokers International can help arrange complicated global itineraries, sometimes for discounted prices. Also try the airlines directly for their latest fares. The One World Alliance, a group of eight airlines, including American, British Airways, and Qantas, offers around-the-world tickets with up to 20 segments (geo-specific regions of travel). SkyTeam, an alliance of nine airlines, including Continental, Delta, Air France, and KLM, offers round-the-world fares with over 650 stops to choose from.

AIR PASSES
Okay, so you’re not planning on circumnavigating the earth anytime soon, but how about a little continental perambulation? There are plenty of smaller-scale deals with specific airlines and alliances that can save you tons on intra-continental travel. For example, the Star Alliance, a group of 16 airlines, including United, Lufthansa, Thai Airways, and Air Canada, offers discounted air passes for Europe, North America, Asia, and the South Pacific, among others. Passengers buy between three and ten coupons starting at $65 each, which are then redeemable for single-segment flights between any of the alliance’s destinations in the given region. Similar deals are also available within certain countries, with deals on international airfare and a set number of intra-country flights. For example, Qantas, in association with Tourism Australia, currently offers international airfare and three domestic flights for prices starting at $999, far cheaper than any other DIY pricing available. The best way to track down packages like this is to check the websites of the national airlines or the country’s tourism website, easily accessible via Google.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. You think you’ve scored a great airfare to Europe, only to be hit with a fuel surcharge that adds almost a third onto the price. You show up at the airport, packed and ready to go, and discover that second bag you’re checking is going to add an additional $50 round-trip onto the cost of your trip. You’re desperately trying to budget for your big vacation, but every time you research possible airfares, the price has crept up, once again.

While there’s no way to avoid the fuel surcharge, and baggage charges on certain airlines can only be avoided by packing light (a good lesson for us all), airfares are slippery devils that can (sometimes) be tamed. The following tried-and-true methods should help you snag a decent — or possibly free — airfare, a ticket so low in price that — hopefully — those invidious extra charges won’t hurt so much.

Search smart
As creatures of habit, most of us tend to use the same travel sites over and over again. Problem is, there’s no one travel Web site that always provides the best airfare. Just because you once found a terrific fare to London on, say, Expedia, doesn’t guarantee that it won’t be undercut by Travelocity the next time. Or that the fares being sold directly on the sites of American Airlines, Delta, British Airways or what have you, might not offer the best value of all.

But searching multiple sites is not only time-consuming, it’s tedious. The solution? Surf to an “aggregator” site. These are Internet services that don’t sell travel. Instead, they simply “Google” airfares and other types of travel products, scanning all the prices offered by the individual airlines, as well as those from Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Opodo, Ebookers, Hotwire and the like. This results in a deeper and more impartial search. If you end up buying an airfare through one of the aggregators, you don’t pay a booking fee (as you will with the “Big Three”); instead, the site you purchased from pays a small finder’s fee to the aggregator site.

Among the many aggregator sites in business, I’ve had the best luck with Sidestep.com and its new owner, Kayak.com, as well as Mobissimo.com and Momondo.com. You’ll see why in the following searches I did recently. The savings range from piddling to impressive, but you’ll note that the aggregator always wins (and no, I didn’t cherry-pick these results):

*Chicago to Rome, Italy round-trip in mid-April
Orbitz price: $855, Sidestep price: $761. Savings: $94

*Cleveland to Houston, round-trip in late May
Travelocity price: $235, Kayak price: $230. Savings: $5

*Minneapolis to Cancun, round-trip in late March
Expedia price: $358, Sidestep price: $345. Savings: $10

*Las Vegas to Honolulu, round-trip in late June
Orbitz price: $492, Mobissimo price (found at Orbitz) $490. Savings: $2

*New York to Hong Kong, round-trip late August
Expedia price: $1,174, Mobissimo price $1,022. Savings: $152

Pretty interesting, huh? The point here is: You generally won’t miss out on a special being offered by the “Big Three” by searching in this fashion. If the price Orbitz, Expedia or Travelocity is offering is the best one, it will usually pop up on the aggregator sites, too.

Book at the right time
It’s no secret that there are seasons in travel, and that going to a destination at a time of year when no one else is going (October for the Caribbean, February for Europe, July for Australia, for example) is a sure way to save money. There are also often less expensive days to fly during the month; all of the Web sites mentioned above offer their users handy-dandy calendars to identify those dates.

But booking travel at the right time can also yield savings. When you book too far in advance, say 10 months before you plan to travel, the airlines know that you really want to travel at that time, and are unlikely to offer any discounts. The same with traveling at the very last minute: Most people who do book in the week or two before their departure have to travel…and so the crafty carriers take ’em for all they can.

Smartest time to purchase is between 24 days and two months of your departure. It’s during this period that the airlines are doing some soul searching … or at least yield management. You see, airfares are based on supply and demand (and, increasingly, fuel costs). If the demand is low on a certain set of flights, the airline execs don’t really start to panic until about six weeks in advance of those flights, and that’s when they throw a sale. Book too early or too late, and you won’t see ’em sweat.

Conversely, weekends are often the worst days of the week to book because a) you’re less likely to hit a new sale (the execs are home watering their lawns) and b) most Americans are off work on the weekend and therefore wait to book their travel until then. The airlines are aware of this pattern, and so prices can rise slightly on weekends.

One word on holiday fares: Throw all rules out the window for these. Fares are rarely discounted around Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July, and planes can sell out. For these periods, I recommend booking at least two and a half months in advance, to guarantee you get a seat. If low prices are a priority, book on the holiday itself. You may miss the turkey or the carols, but you’ll pay much less than those who flew in a comfortable day or two before the big event.

Don’t forget frequent-flier miles
I know, I know: Redeeming those “magic miles” can be an exercise in frustration. Ten times as many travelers as a decade ago are competing for a dwindling number of seats. (The airlines have always set aside roughly 11 percent of their inventory for award mileage members. However, most airlines are flying fewer and smaller planes today, in an attempt to maximize profits.) But when you do snag a mileage seat, that bit of good fortune can make the difference between being able to afford that vacation and not.

The keys to using your frequent-flier miles are flexibility and persistence. For most airlines, award mileage seats open up to booking 330 days in advance of departure. If you can, try to go online then to snag a seat. But don’t take a “no” as definitive. Yield management dictates when frequent-flier seats are released, and you may find that a “no” in April has transformed into a “yes” in May.

This is particularly true if you can be flexible about the dates you fly, and the airports you’re flying into. As I said before, flexibility is the secret to getting the most use from your miles.

Believe it or not, you can also be flexible in your choice of airlines; your reward miles won’t only work with the carrier you’re most loyal to, but also with their code-share partners. So if your miles are all with American Airlines, they will also work on Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, LAN Airlines, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Iberia and several others. If you’re with Delta, you can use Alaska Airlines, Avianca, China Airlines and Royal Air Maroc. People on the United program should look as well at US Airways, Air Canada, Air China, Lufthansa, SAS, bmi, THAI and a number of other carriers. Because the airlines don’t post the inventory from their partners online, book the old-fashioned way. Pick up a phone to call the reservations center and make it clear that you want to get the lay of the land, not just for the airline you’re calling, but also for its partners. Booking by phone will add about $25 to the cost of your ticket, but you’ll increase your chances of actually finding a flight by a good 30 percent.

Finally, the only way to use frequent-flier miles is to accumulate enough of them. So it’s a good idea to be loyal to one airline when you can and to work the system to build up a large stockpile of miles. This might include getting miles through a credit card, staying at hotels that offer air miles, buying groceries through stores that give miles (yup, you can actually do that), ordering flowers, getting magazine subscriptions … you name it. There are few activities in the inventory of American behavior today that don’t seem to have a mileage value attached! One warning about those mileage credit cards: They often come with significantly higher user fees attached. So if you’re the type of person who has difficulty paying bills on time, these cards may end up being downright dangerous.

However you get there, remember that in this case, it’s the destination and NOT the journey that’s important. Flying is only a means to an end, and that end is a worthy one: Experiencing the world.