Airfares....

Sunrise on the plane - January 19 2011

I guess, this is what we get for living in one of the best countries in the world. Being away from everything often means rubbish airfares. However, in the volatile market we are currently experiencing, there are some absolute bargains to be had.

The only reason we decided to take our holiday to Florida at the beginning of this year is because in Late September/Early October last year, there were some absolute bargains to be had. We travelled for $1336.36 each return to Florida. We flew with V Australia on the Boeing 777 aircraft. We flew Sydney-LAX-Orlando. On the way over we had a 3 hour stop in LAX, and once clearing customs and security, only made our connection to Orlando with about 30 minutes to spare. On the way back from Orlando, we had a 12 hour stop in LA so we hired a stretch limo for the day (that worked out about $85 a person) and toured the sights for 6 hours! The cheap airfare was really competitive with some of the Asian Airfares that were around at the time - and for just over $600 each way we weren't complaining.

Remember that peak periods in America tend to be June, July and August, plus Thanksgiving through to New Years. We travelled from the 19th January - 6th February. The longest wait we had for any ride was about 40 minutes. It was FANTASTIC!

Approaching LAX - January 19 2011

When we travelled for our Honeymoon, we were there in peak period. We booked at the last minute and our flights were about $1500 each. However, we only flew Sydney - LAX (you are now seeing what an absolute bargain our Florida tickets were!!).


If you are looking for a potentially less expensive option to get your Disney fix, might I suggest that you look into flying Jetstar to Tokyo?? We flew in December 2009 for $1200 return - $600 each!! $300 each way!! Tokyo Disneyland is a smaller version of the one in California and has it's own unique flair - but the Tokyo Disney Sea park is out of this world!! (Can't wait to blog about this one later!) Disney Sea is one of my favourite Disney Parks - I'd rate it top 3! Plus, the Japanese people are so lovely and accommodating - not to mention their economy could really do with our tourist dollars at the moment!

Michelle's Magic Tips:

Have some money saved in the bank for a trip that you intend to take in the next 6-18 months. You used to be able to tell when the sale fares would hit, as it used to be the same time every year. Now, with the introduction of internet booking, when you see a bargain fare, you need to be ready to book then and there! If possible, try and travel outside of peak - this tends to rule out December and the first week or so of January - and for your sanity, try to not travel in the Northern Summer (June, July and August). Also, watch out for Spring Break.

Otherwise, if you can't just book, spur of the moment, plan as far ahead as possible. If you are happy to pay agent fees, by all means see a travel agent and talk deals!

Happy Bargain Hunting!

Until Next Time - Have a Magic Day

Love,
Michelle

xxx