63	Fly somewhere on a budget

Ah, vacation. The smell of sunscreen, the sand, the hot bodies, the picnics, the palm trees, the hotel pool, the surfing—it’s nice to daydream about these delights while you’re sitting in class during a cold winter. But all this and more could be yours, just a short flight away.

Maybe you’ve gone on vacations with your family, or maybe you’ve never left your state, but you’re an adult now, and you can go wherever you want! A road trip with your friends (see page 108) and studying abroad (see page 80) are good points of entry into travel. But if you want to take travel to the next level, book a flight somewhere. The beach or a ski lodge, the Caribbean warmth or Canadian slopes, are an airport away, and you can usually go on a budget. So quit daydreaming and start traveling!

HOW TO DO IT

If you haven’t flown often, check out these secrets to getting cheap flights.

1 / SEARCH ONLINE. Sites like Kayak.com and Priceline.com aggregate the cheapest flights available (sometimes with hotel and car-rental packages), but you can also go to individual airline websites, like Jetblue and Virgin America, to check out round-trip deals.

2 / PLAN AHEAD. The further in advance you book your tickets, the cheaper your flights usually will be.

3 / BE FLEXIBLE. The more flexible you are with flight dates and times, the cheaper the tickets will be. Also, if you’re not picky about where you want to go, you can sign up for discount email updates from sites like Groupon, which offer vacation packages.

The friend game

You know that friend who won’t go anywhere without her phone, or the friend who will inevitably lose his passport and have a freakout in the airport? Leave that person at home. This is vacation, not a babysitting gig! Bring along friends who can handle the unexpected, because when traveling, it’s best to expect the unexpected. Plan another activity with your higher-maintenance friends.

4 / BE PREPARED. After booking a flight, arrange for a hotel or hostel and transportation way before you depart. Do you have a friend who lives in the area you’re traveling to? It’s always cheaper to stay with someone you know and borrow a car if you need one.

5 / STOCK UP. Buy groceries when you get to your destination instead of indulging in fine dining every night.

6 / CHOOSE WISELY. Some places are just plain more expensive than others. A trip to Mexico City is going to be far cheaper than a trip to, say, Paris. Flying in the off-season helps, but the weather might suck, so weigh the pros and cons and take the trip that works best for you.

Once you have all the details taken care of, it’s time for some hard-core relaxation. Planning a vacation isn’t always easy, but at least you’ll have a tan to show for it.