Smart Shopping: Travel Deals

WSVN -- Going on your dream getaway doesn't have to be just a dream.

Brian Kanziger: "I travel as often I can. Traveling is what I love to do. It's my passion."

Brian Kanzigar goes on vacations whenever he gets a chance and knows how to book the best travel deals.

Brian Kanziger: "This summer I'm flying to Alaska to go on a cruise, and I'm flying first class for free."

Brian is flying for free thanks to his frequent flyer miles. He says no matter how little you travel, you should sign up.

Brian Kanziger: "The more you fly, the more miles you earn. You can get credit cards that earn miles, and the more you spend, the more miles you earn."

Brain says Smart Shoppers know which cards to sign up for.

Brian Kanziger: "If you like to fly Delta Airlines, you're going to want to get the American Express card. If you like to fly American Airlines, you want to get the CitiBank credit card."

Another travel tip: don't just check travel websites, check the airline's site for good fares.

Brian Kanziger: "Websites like Travelocity and Expedia charge you an additional $5 to $10 per ticket."

A five minute search can save you hundreds. Now, if you want to know when is the best time to book your next vacation, check out farecast.com

Rick Pujals: "They'll give you a chart saying when this fare was at $200, then it went up to about $350, then it went down."

The site lets you compare deals and, at the same time, predict what travel dates offer a bigger savings. Rick Pujals has been in the travel business for more than 10 years. He says try searching destination airlines.

Rick Pujals: "Try to look up the European websites, something that specializes in Europe. They usually provide the best rates."

Search Al Italia for Italy, Lufthansa for central Europe or British Airways for England, Ireland and France, and it may pay to wait until the last minute to make your travel plans.

Rick Pujals: "There's a website called lastminute.com, which they bundle together airfare and hotel, and they make it into a package."

Reed Cowan: "Other Smart Shopping websites are Travel Zoo and Hot Wire. You could sign up for a weekly e-mail alert with the best last minute bargains, and, to save even more, try setting your own price on priceline.com."

Rick Pujals: "You put in a price and then you get a hotel back, based on the star rating."

The only set back here, you won't know what hotel you're getting until you actually pay.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

www.farecast.com
www.lastminute.com
www.travelzoo.com
www.hotwire.com
www.priceline.com