"Everybody has to have the M&Ms," says Darleen Miller as she pulls out her baggy of goodies from her carryon bag.
"And then I have some veggie chips," she continues.
Miller always packs a snack or two to save money when traveling. But as a geneologist her knack for research is what really pays off when looking for online deals on flights.
"I check it at least twice a day morning and afternoon because they'll have a 4 hour period sometimes with a special going and you've got to hit it," says Miller.
Timing is everything according to Rick Seaney the CEO of FareCompare.com.
"Absolutely you need to be shopping for domestic tickets Tuesday at 3pm, it's a very simple reason for that. Most airlines at least one of them file an airfare sale on Monday evening. The next morning all the other airlines scramble to match," says Seaney.
Seaney also says you should buy domestic tickets 3 months in advance because that's when airlines release their lowest fares.
Let's say you buy a ticket but a few weeks later you see the price has changed. You may not know that airlines will refund the difference, but you'll have to pay a change fee.
Sites like Yapta.com help you track the price of your ticket and send you an email.
Darleen says she's so good at finding travel deals her family is now asking her for help.
But if you don't have a seasoned researcher at least you can use helpful websites and knowledge of timing to score a better fare.
The New York Times reports a growing number of websites like LivingSocial.com, SniqueAway.com, TabletHotels.com and Jetsetter.com offer flash sales sent right to your email if you sign up.
You can also save money on both hotels and airlines by searching for coupons online at sites like PromotionalCodes.com and CouponWinner.com.
The paper also say if you are traveling out of larger airports like atlanta there are ways to save on parking. BestParking.com steers drivers toward the cheapest spot off airport lots.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement