Finding Cheap Airfare Online
The Internet has been the most significant revolution in the travel industry since the advent of commercial air travel. Consumers, once at the mercy of airlines and travel agents, now have the ability to plan their own travel arrangements, compare prices, research destinations, read countless first-hand reviews, and even bid for airline tickets and hotel accommodations on auction sites. The impact on travel costs has been dramatic. The old travel industry adage that no two travelers on any given flight had paid the same price for their tickets has been rendered largely obsolete, as greater consumer access to information has had a general leveling impact on ticket prices. Using inflation-adjusted figures, air travel is now cheaper than it has ever been.
Nevertheless, many travelers still pay more for their travel needs than the need to. Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you find the greatest possible airfare bargains.
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1. The day and time of purchase can have a significant impact on ticket prices. Every night at midnight, airlines reload their reservation databases with available seats that had been reserved but were not paid for. For that reason, it is best to conduct your search in the wee hours of the morning. This is one of the reasons that, in the past, travel agents had access to better airfares than the general public. Today, however, you can search for these tickets yourself on any of the major travel sites (Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, etc.)
2. As with all service industries, convenience usually costs more. For example, a weekend getaway may be significantly cheaper if you are willing to fly on Saturday and return on Monday than if you needed to leave on Friday and return on Sunday.
3. A little flexibility can save you a lot of money. This is true with regard to travel dates and airports. For instance, at the date of this writing a ticket from Miami to Washington, DC purchased with 60 days advance notice currently costs $183 plus taxes; however, the price drops to $133 if you are willing to depart from nearby Ft. Lauderdale instead.
4. Frequent flyer programs can be an excellent way to save money, but redeeming your miles requires a little extra diligence. Most airlines set aside only a small percentage of their available seats for travelers redeeming miles, and they are usually available for reservation 330 days before the departure date. For these reasons, it is always advantageous to book reward program travel far in advance, and to be as flexible as possible about your travel plans. Also, many airlines charge more for telephone reservations for reward program travel, so it's always best to book these arrangements online if possible.
5. It is often advantageous to reserve and purchase tickets at least 21 days before your departure; however, there are exceptions. The emergence of last-minute reservation discounters has made spontaneous far more economical than in the past. In many cases, ticket prices are comparable to advance-notice prices. For instance, at the date of this writing the best price for a round-trip ticket from Miami to New York for travel dates four months in advance is $195, offered by American Airlines. The same ticket for travel on the same days of the week next week is only $236 with no booking fee on LastMinuteTravel.com.
6. Shop around. Because different travel-related websites have different relationships with air carriers, it's always best to check more than one site before purchasing. Just because one site had the best fare for your last trip doesn't mean that same will be true for the next one.
With a little effort and web-surfing, you truly can save a lot on airfare by booking online. I hope that these tips will assist you, and happy trails!
Travelers with Disabilities: The Untapped Market
When most people think about accommodating people with disabilities in their business they get a scared feeling in their gut and their mind scrambles to search for that all-important date when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) went into effect. It doesn't have to be that way! When business owners open their eyes and start to realize that there are literally billions of dollars to be made in the accessible travel market, I believe we will start to remove the fear associated with the ADA.
There are currently more than 50 million people with disabilities in the United States and 180 million worldwide, representing the single largest untapped tourist market in the world. According to a recent Harris Poll conducted in conjunction with the Open Doors Organization and the Travel Industry Association of America, the 50 million people with disabilities in our country have a combined income of more than $175 billion. In 2002, these people took 32 million trips and spent more than $13.6 billion on travel ($4.2 billion on hotels, $3.3 billion on airfare, $2.7 billion on food and beverage, and $3.4 billion on retail, transportation, and other activities). This study suggested that these travelers would double their spending if some minor amenities were made available. Meet and greet programs at airports, preferred seating on airplanes, hotel rooms closer to amenities, and employees who go out of their way to accommodate guests with disabilities topped the list.
The current trends in adaptive travel show most of these travelers taking advantage of destinations that they know are already accessible such as cruise ships, Florida, and Las Vegas. The visitors bureaus and businesses at these destinations that have gone to great lengths to ensure their visitors that there will not be any accessibility issues during their stay. From personal experience and years of traveling in a wheelchair, I can guarantee that these locations have built and will continue to build strong relationships with travelers with disabilities. This group is a very loyal one, who will often return to the same city, hotel, or activity provider year after year if they have a good experience. If everyone were to catch on to this we would see growth in the tourism industry like we have never seen!
With this in mind, it is a wonder that more business owners have not taken steps to make their accommodations more accessible and even start marketing to these travelers. If the staggering numbers listed above aren't proof enough, the U.S. Census Bureau recently stated that nearly 16.5% of all people with disabilities in the U.S. leave their home two days per week or less. That constitutes nearly 11 million people that are not traveling at all. Also keep in mind that there are millions of people in their golden years that are looking for accessible travel accommodations. Many of these people use canes or walkers, travel with oxygen tanks, or have other mobility impairments, and are not included in disability statistics.
With millions of people in need of accessible travel options, and with our Baby Boomers (almost 25% of our population) starting to reach retirement age as well now is the time to start thinking about improving marketing efforts to include people with disabilities and about better overall accessibility in general. By educating business owners on the benefits of marketing to people with disabilities and educating travel agents who are fighting a losing battle with the internet, we can begin to focus on this new target market.
If you want to take advantage of the rapidly growing adaptive travel market, get started now! I recommend hiring an expert to get your business rated and start removing barriers to access as soon as possible. Think about accessibility anytime you're planning a remodel or addition. These improvements will benefit everyone, not just people with disabilities. For those of you who have already taken steps to improve accessibility, start bragging about it.
Barcelona - City of Amazing Architecture
I visited Barcelona a few years ago and I fell in love with its architecture. Especially work of Gaudi is amazing. Antonio Gaudi, who lived from 1852 to 1926, designed buildings with unique shapes and colors inspired by nature (roots, branches, etc.) There are no square shapes in his works as there is none in the nature...
Gaudi's most known work, Sagrada Famila, an astonishing unfinished church, is surrealistic in its surroundings (La Sagrada Famila entrance fee: 8 EUR Students - 3 EUR; Elevator - 2 EUR).
Park Guell, also designed by Gaudi, is another "must see" in Barcelona. It is in the northern part of the city, 20 minutes walking distance from the Lesseps metro station. You will find here elegant arches made of stone, and sinuous, geometric surfaces with designs made from broken ceramic tiles at the main entrance. Guell Park was declared a place of World Heritage by UNESCO in 1984.
The house where Gaudi lived for 20 years, until his death in 1926 is located in Park Guell. It is a museum now, with furniture made by Gaudi himself. Museum entrance fee: 4 EUR; students 3 EUR.
La Pedrera (the quarry), also know as Casa Mila (Mila house) , is an apartment building located on Passeig de Gracia. It is the last piece of extraordinarily architecture by Gaudi I was able to see during my short stay in Barcelona. The entrance fee is 7 EUR.
Live goes on after dinner at Las Ramblas which stretches from Monument Colon (memorial to Christopher Columbus) to Placa de Catalunya. It is a 1.2 km (0.75 mile) walkway in the heart of the city centre with restaurants, theatres, local artists, souvenir stores, and Miro mosaic pavements.
Florence In A Day
Overflowing with history, art and culture, Florence is a city that's very hard to do justice to in a single day. A visit to the Uffizi museum alone could easily eat a day or two into any itinerary.
If you're fortunate enough to visit Florence for the first time, but unfortunate enough to have only a single day to savour the delights of this city, you will need to ensure that you have a plan.
So allow me be your guide for the day and take you on a whistle stop tour of the sights and sounds of Florence. I can't promise you the Uffizi in a day, but hopefully at the end of the tour you'll feel like you've seen the best of the city. Your only problem will be deciding when to come back for more!
The first thing you'll need before you start your tour is a map of the city. The centre of Florence is pretty compact, so the best way to see it, without missing a thing is by foot. If you don't have a map or a guidebook and you're not the type that enjoys aimless wandering, make your first stop of the day one of the tourist offices where you can pick up a free map of Florence.
Starting off in the main Piazza, you'll easily spot the famous Duomo, with its magnificent terracotta coloured cupola. If you are there early enough to avoid the crowds and feel you can face the 463 steps I'd recommend starting your tour by climbing up into dome for a spectacular view of the city. The Duomo is probably the most distinctive feature of Florence's skyline and is the result of years of work spanning six centuries.
Once you've taken in the view, catch your breath with a leisurely stroll around the streets surrounding the Duomo, and then take a walk to the nearby Piazza della Signoria. Here you'll find a unique outdoor gallery of sculptures, including Neptune's Fountain and a copy of the famous Statue of David. You'll also find the Palazzo Vecchio (the Old Palace) here. This was built in the early 14th century and is still used today for its original purpose, as a Town Hall.
Just beside the Palazzo you'll find the Uffizi museum, with its unrivalled collection of Renaissance art. If you're an art lover, you don't want to miss the Uffizi, but it's not something that can be easily covered in a short 2-hour visit!
Alongside the Uffizi you'll find the River Arno, with its many bridges. If you take a right turn you'll arrive at the Ponte Vecchio, the famed bridge that houses a multitude of goldsmiths and jewellery shops, with its medieval workshops overhanging the bridge. The bridge itself was built in 1345 and is the only bridge on the Arno that wasn't destroyed in World War II.
Once you've crossed the bridge, you'll arrive in the area called Oltrano, which literally means "Over the Arno". Here you'll find the Palazzo Pitti - a large 16th century palace. The palace was originally home to the Medici family who ruled Florence almost continuously between 1434 and 1743 and it now houses several important museums and galleries.
You may want to finish your day by taking a relaxing stroll in the Boboli gardens, which can be accessed through the Palazzo Pitti. These gardens were laid out in 1550 for the Medici a year after they bought the Palazzo Pitti and were opened to the public in 1766. Many parts of the gardens give stunning vistas over Florence and make a welcome retreat after a day of walking round the city.
If you have the time, it's worth returning to view the Ponte Vecchio at sunset, followed by a walk along the bridge after dusk, when the lights on the bridge reflect on the River Arno and everything seems almost magical.
Finally, don't forget to take a break from your sightseeing - stop for lunch or a drink in a pavement café, take some time to soak up the atmosphere and do a spot of people watching.
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