The Art of Buying Cheap Air Tickets (And Why You Should Travel Now)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010 at 3:17PM 
It goes without saying that the majority of us love to travel and experience first hand the world we live in. Travel renews and refreshes the mind with new perspectives and experiences.
But reality is that many of us may be on a tight budget.
This often leads to delaying our travel plans and creating ‘someday' or 'when I retire’ dreams of grandeur. Here are some insider tips on how you can get cheap travel and accommodation tickets now and also why you should beware of the deferred ‘retirement’ plan.
Personally we don’t believe in delayed gratification or the deferred ‘retirement’ plan. It does not make sense all the time. Let me explain.
It’s all wise saving for that retirement plan or someday sometime dreams but the reality is this – Life is fragile and we can kick the bucket at any time (touch wood!).
A few months ago we received very sad news of a childhood friend who passed away suddenly due to unforeseen health reasons. He was only 35.
None of us are spared from the fragility of life. In the end we will all return to the ground. If we truly appreciate that fact, then we can live life wholeheartedly as we really have nothing to lose.
What is dangerous, however, is when delayed gratification becomes an excuse for not living the life you want.
How many people do you know that actually do the things they say they are going to when they reach arbitrary ages of leaving the jobs they have given their lives to? Far more common is the downsizing of dreams along the way.
If you want to play golf all day and take your medication at regular intervals, the 40-year career track plan should work well for you. If you have other ideas or ambitions, though, don’t kill yourself as a slave for the future. Instead, go and figure out where you want to travel and do something about it.
-Chris Guillebeau
Key Lesson - If we don’t take our dreams seriously, really no one else will.
Why delay when there are ways to make it happen now?
What are your 'things to do' (Now) instead of delaying them?
If one of them is travel, here are some tips on how to really find that elusive low fare ticket:
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As part of the efforts to maximize sales revenue, airlines practice Revenue Management. This is simply the process of optimizing inventory (seats), distribution channels and prices. In short, selling the right product to the right customer at the right time and place.
(This of course is not limited to the aviation industry. Hotels, Cargo, Car Rental, Restaurants, Manufacturing companies and even retail industries all practice this on different levels of complexity).
Things to consider when searching for your dream travel ticket:
1.SEASONS
There are peak and low seasons. Cheap tickets are generally only available during low seasons.
Overall the low seasons are during March, April, May, August, September, October and Early November.
Case in point : Firefly Beach Holidays from RM35
Peak seasons to avoid are during year-end holidays (Mid Nov to Dec) and summer holidays in the northern hemisphere (July).
Additional peak seasons will also include specific seasonality’s i.e. Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Christmas Breaks.
If you're planning to travel out of the region, then you would also have to take into consideration international seasonalities e.g. Easter breaks or country specific school holidays.
2.DAY OF WEEK
Going one level down from seasonality, the Day Of Week comes into play.
Peak days to avoid are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Business travelers generally travel on Sundays (or earlier Monday mornings) and return on Fridays. Furthermore most holiday makers also prefer to travel on weekends.
Year ends are extremely peak seasons but if we dig deeper for example during Christmas season - A perfect day of week to travel if on Christmas Day. Only a very low number of people travel then and hence a great opportunity to look for cheap tickets.
3.TIME OF DAY/DEPARTURE
Within Days of Week is the time of day.
General peak times of travel are early mornings and late evenings.
Travelers dislike travelling in the middle of the day to avoid lost time and/or arriving at their destinations late at night.
4.NEW ROUTES
Whenever a new product or new route is launched, there will always be a ‘launch’ price which will more than likely be very low to create buzz and attract new potential travelers.
5.CALAMITIES
This is rightfully not ideal to look out for but calamities are detrimental to the travel business. Think Bangkok riots, and you would remember that the prices of both flights and hotels were at an all time low then. However travel with caution and mindfulness of the surrounding developments.
6.HIGH COMPETITION ROUTES
Routes where there is a high number of competing airlines will most likely cause a price war - that will ultimately benefit the travellers (you). Think Kuala Lumpur - Singapore.
If all else fails, ask. It never hurts to. Especially with a majority of sales representatives who are trained to upsell, it is always wise to ask if there is an alternate time, day and airline with a lower price. More often then not, they will be able to provide a lower cost alternative.
Have a great holiday!
Growth 
Reader Comments (1)
Yup, is true.. need to buy in the right time. Even us as a student, need to buy at correct time in order to have cheap flight to go back to our hometown..