Travel Wiz

One question that I am often asked is how far in advance should I book my flight? Air travel or any vacation can be expensive if you don’t book at the right time. The answer really depends on how far away your travel dates are and how flexible you can be.

My Travel Dates Are Some Time Away

If you know you will by flying in the future, your best bet is to look for the sweet spot for the lowest price. This is typically between 14 and 21 days in advance.

If you book too early, you may not find any deals. On the other hand if you book too late (within 7 days of your flight) you may not find the best deals.

Be On The Look Out For Low Fares

About 2 – 3 months in advance begin looking at flight costs and announced sales. You can search the major suppliers such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, or Hotwire for the best deals. You can also search the major suppliers at one using the Travel Wiz Airfare Search Tool to look for deals.

Compare Fares

If you search multiple travel sites you can find deals – even if with the same airline.

The Date is Set And Is Soon

If you must book within seven days of your departure date, the airfare can be costly! Business travellers typically book airfare last minute and the prices are much higher. Some things you can do you reduce your costs include:

Look for alternative airport – If you drive away from the major airport may find air tickets much cheaper. The Travel Wiz Airfare Search Tool will display airports near your departure city.
Consider a Saturday Stay – If you stay an extra day and fly Saturday your flight cost may be lower.
Consider Another Time of Day – You may find deals if you are not fussed about your departure time.

As always, compare multiple sites with the Travel Wiz Airfare Search Tool. Doing so will save you money!

Last Minute

If you want to leave right away, may sites offer lat minute deals. Travelocity has a Last Minute section of their site.

Save with Last Minute Deals From Travelocity.com

As do other travel sites.

Major Suppliers

You can also search multiple travel sites using the Travel Wiz Airfare Search Tool.

Disney World On A Budget

Travel Admin — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:25:45 +0000

When I travel, I hate to think of budgets and constraints. I mean I’m on vacation and I should not have to worry about how much I have spent and how much I have left to spend.

There are a couple of thinks you can do to fix your budget before visiting Disney World in Orlando and take the financial worry out of your vacation.

Disney Park Tickets

Disney tickets are sold at several levels: the Magic Your Way base tickets cover the cost of visiting one theme park a day for each day of the ticket. On top of this, you can add the Park Hopper option, which allows you to go through multiple theme parks on the same day as many times as you like. You can also add the Water Park Fun & More option, which grants admission to the two Disney water parks as well as other attractions. Each of those add-on options costs $50 above the cost of your tickets, regardless of how many days are on your tickets. Neither is likely worth it if you buy only a one-day ticket, but their value goes up sharply as you add more days.

We recommend the Park Hopper option because of the flexibility it offers. Without it, you could be stuck with nowhere else to go after doing everything you want to do at one park; or you could run out of time to do one last attraction and be unable to come back another day to pick it up. If you have seven-day tickets, it only costs about $7.00 a day to add this option; the value of being able to visit one park in the morning and another in the evening should not be underestimated.

Multi-day tickets do not have to be used on consecutive days. However, these tickets will expire 14 days after they are first used, so be sure to use all the days purchased prior to that. A no-expiration option can be added to any multi-day ticket with at least one day remaining; with this option, the ticket expires when the last purchased day is used, which can be months or even years after the initial use. A side benefit of this option is locking in your admission price for your next visit(s). The price for this option is variable, based on the number of days purchased.

The best feature of a Disney admission ticket is its flexibility. Options can be added even if the ticket has already been used at least once. For example, a base ticket (no park-hopping) can be upgraded to include park-hopping by paying the $50 cost for the option. Or, if a change in travel plans will not allow the user to utilize all purchased days prior to the ticket’s expiration date, the “no-expiration” option can be purchased for the remaining days. These changes may be made at any ticket window or at the Guest Relations office inside each theme park.

The prices below were accurate as of June 2009 (6.5% Florida sales tax not included):

“Magic Your Way” Online Prices
Days	ages 3-9		ages 10+
Days	Total	Per Day	Total	Per Day
1	$63	$63.00	$75	$75.00
2	$125	$62.50	$149	$74.50
3	$179	$59.67	$212	$70.67
4	$184	$46.00	$219	$54.75
5	$187	$37.40	$222	$44.40
6	$190	$31.67	$225	$37.50
7	$193	$27.57	$228	$32.57
8	$196	$24.50	$231	$28.88
9	$199	$22.11	$234	$26.00
10	$202	$20.20	$237	$23.70

Children under age three are admitted for free.

Book Your Disney Vacation Today

Here are some of our current Disney travel deals.

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Priceline – Flights, Hotels, Cars, Vacation Packages – Orlando Air + Hotel vacation packages from $295 pp!
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Parts of this article were reproduced courtesy of WikiTravel.com and is based on work from Peter Fitzgerald, Eric Polk and Colin Jensen.

Who Needs A Passport To Travel?

Travel Admin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:24:57 +0000

If you are traveling, be sure you have the right travel documents. Nothing can be more disappointing than starting your vacation only to be turned away because you don’t have the correct documents.

Here are some helpful tips for your next vacation.

You Are Never Wrong With A Passport

It is recommended you have a valid passport before you travel. Also ensure that your passport if valid six months following the end of your travel plans.

Travel Documents For A Cruise

As of June 1, 2009, all U.S. citizens embarking on cruises that both originate and terminate in the U.S. are not required to have a passport.

You will however, be required to provide proof of citizenship which includes an original or certified copy of your birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship, and if 16 and over, a photo ID is also required.

If you are unsure of what documents are required, contact your cruise line for more information.

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For more information, a complete list of WHTI-compliant documents or to obtain a passport application, visit www.travel.state.gov.

U.S. Alien Residents need a valid Alien Resident Card, Non-U.S. citizens need a valid passport and a valid, unexpired U.S. Multiple Re-entry Visa, if applicable.

Travel Documents for Air Travel

Passports are required for air travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, The Bahamas and Bermuda.

Again, if you are unsure of what documents are required, contact your travel agent for more information.

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