Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Maldives - ...the last paradise

Sparkling white sun-kissed beaches; crystal-clear lagoons studded with profusely-colored corals; azure warm seas with an undisturbed, exotic marine life; palm-fringed islands; the pervading serenity; all of it summarized by the famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta Maldiveson describing Maldives as "One of the wonders of the world". Maldivian archipelago located 300 miles southwest of the southern tip of India and 450 miles west of Sri Lanka is a beautiful string of 1,190 low-lying coral islands scattered across the equator in the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, giving us a rare glimpse of what is aptly described as a tropical paradise.

The Sun, the Sand and the Sea. These are just the three simple realities beckoning tourists from far and wide to these little islets, giving as a result, a glorious sense of happiness and proving to be a heavenly getaway from the world and its worries. No wonder then that tourists flock in large numbers to the 70-odd self-contained island resorts provided with all the comforts and warmth exuded by traditional Maldivian hospitality.

Student’s Guide to Last-Minute Travel Deals

If there's one thing college teaches you, it's how to put things off until the last possible minute and somehow still manage to come out on top. Procrastination can sneak into every aspect of your life, including your travel plans. So, if you've been putting off buying those airline tickets for your next trip, you're going to want to keep reading.

Super-cheap last minute tickets are harder to find than ever in today's world of major online ticket consolidators such as Orbitz.com and Hotwire.com. These behemoth Web-based resellers can usually offer a pretty good deal whenever you book, so wildly discounted last-minute fares are becoming scarce.

Set Your Own Airfare

There are some loopholes that you'll definitely want to keep in mind when looking for a last-minute deal. Priceline.com lets you name your own price for many of their roundtrip flights, which means you can sometimes get sweet deals on last-minute trips. There's a lot of blogobabble out there in cyberspace about how to get the best deals from this bidding feature, so you'll definitely want to do some research. Basically, you check what the advance purchase price would have been for your ticket, then bid in that ballpark and cross your fingers. The trick is to bid a price that will be accepted but still keep it low enough to save you a few bucks. You might not get the super-deep discounted rate you were hoping for, but you can often get a better deal than the standard last-minute prices.

Major online ticket resellers like Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, Hotwire.com, and all the others are always a great place to start your search. Keep in mind that many of these websites release new fares on Wednesday morning, so this is often the best time to do your surfing for cheap tickets.

If you're not looking for a specific destination, but just a cheap trip to anywhere-but-here, then you've actually got a lot of options. AirfareWatchdog.com has great sections for weekend deals and a Fare of the Day section with deals that drop lower than you'd believe. How about a $1 flight from Atlanta to Orlando or from Detroit to New York, round trip! If you're in the market for a last-minute spring break deal, this is a great place to look-it's got $32 tickets from Las Vegas to Ft. Lauderdale!

FareCast.com is a very useful website that not only makes it easy to search for great deals from multiple carriers, but can also make airfare predictions for domestic flights-think of it as a crystal ball for budget-minded travelers. They've figured out a bit of the science behind frenetically fluctuating ticket prices and can tell you if you should book now before the price gets higher or wait for the fare to drop. So if you find a fare that's getting cheaper, you can be sure to get a better deal if you wait until the last minute to book it. Additionally, FareCast.com has a great newsletter feature that will let you know about last minute and future deals for flights leaving from your home airport.

Sometimes, the best way to get a good last-minute deal is to buy directly from the airlines. They will post last minute deals and online-only deals on their websites, so you'll want to do a bit of surfing before you make your purchase. In some cases, you can sign up with the airline and have them auto-email you about deals and specials. You just have to weigh the spam against the possibility of getting a cheap ticket.

Student Discount Travel
When searching for a last-minute deal, don't overlook student discount websites. Often student and youth fares are far cheaper than anything else you can find. TravelCuts.com is a student airfare discounter that offers great deals on flights for collegiate travelers on a budget. Be sure to check out the Flight Specials section for its Deals of the Week, where you can find cheap tickets to domestic and international locations. Also check out their Hot Deals section for limited time offers and last-minute deals.

AirtranU.com has a great standby program for last-minute travelers between the ages of 18 and 22 years old. You pay only $69 per segment of your flight or $99 for long-haul segments, and you get to fly on the cheap when economy seats are available just before takeoff.

STAtravel.com is a no-brainer for students looking for a cheap flight, but the site also has some great features that will help you to find the best last minute deals on the Web. Check out its Last Minute Packages section, which combines the discounts of last-minute flights with the additional discounts of booking a package holiday-great for spring breakers on a budget!

STA is probably a step or two ahead of the game with its RSS feeds, which allow customers to select multiple destination areas and build a custom feed. If you're unfamiliar with RSS feeds and how they work, you'd better look it up on Wikipedia and get yourself up to speed! Basically, RSS is a syndication tool used by websites to notify their readers when they have updated information. For budget airfare searchers, this means that you can simply subscribe to a feed for your destination or for your departure location, and you'll be notified about new and cheap tickets as they come out. On STA's website, just head to its Cheap Flights section and you can easily get your airfare feed started.

Keep in mind that you won't necessarily get the best deals by booking last minute. Your best bet is probably to book the cheapest fully refundable ticket as far in advance as you can, and then keep your eyes open for better deals. If you do wait until the last minute, you run the risk of your airfare crippling that party-budget you had planned for your spring break trip. But with a little bit of planning, even on a last-minute airfare booking, you can usually save yourself a couple of bucks.

Justin Jones is a professional procrastinator and travel writer. Find out more at www.JustinWasHere.com.