Best ways to find a deal?

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jf3193

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Location
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Good evening. We frequently dive the Caribbean ( from the states) and I was just curious what everyone does to find deals, Especially on airfare.
We tend to do vrbo/Airbnb ( over resort type visits), but we always here those travelers who pay much less than we do.
Is there certain websites, etc. that people use to find specials, etc? ( I know that’s broad, but was looking to see if there’s a pattern everyone uses.
I use sky scanner a lot, especially since we don’t have our hearts set on one location, but we do have our faves,( looking at you Bonaire)
Thanks!
 
we usually wait for a seat sale before considering our options.

we also use a credit card that we collect dollars on that can be used for any flight purchase with one of our main airlines here.

the biggest saving for us is to travel during off season or shoulder season.

being able to fly during the week can help keep costs down as well.

when traveling on a budget it is all about making choices. sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing in order to be able to afford to enjoy another. so for us, just as an example, many times we choose a more basic accomodation instead of a fancy place in order to put that money towards diving.
 
Probably not what you have in mind, but where live-aboards are concerned, I've noticed Aggressor Fleet the past several years has had big sales, 30+% off, each year. Last year it was in November. These tend to cover the Caribbean and Bahamas boats, and there may be lesser sales on some more foreign boats. I recommend not paying list on those, as the sales are too good to pass up.

Some destination options aren't prone to big sales. When I was researching CocoView Resort in Roatan, I learned they don't often do big sales, but their usual prices offer a good value proposition so I went for it and I'm glad I did.

With Bonaire, airfare is a big chunk of the trip. I don't have the airfare researching skills some some and I don't play the 'points' games...I try some different dates on Orbitz and see what comes up. On another thread someone suggested Wednesday and Wednesday for week long trips sometimes gives better fares, so if you have the scheduling flexibility, that's worth a look.

High season vs. low season often makes a difference, but not huge...the impression I've gotten is maybe $100 a person, give or take a little? If you're solo, no big deal. For a family of 4, might be...
 
we usually wait for a seat sale before considering our options.

we also use a credit card that we collect dollars on that can be used for any flight purchase with one of our main airlines here.

the biggest saving for us is to travel during off season or shoulder season.

being able to fly during the week can help keep costs down as well.

when traveling on a budget it is all about making choices. sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing in order to be able to afford to enjoy another. so for us, just as an example, many times we choose a more basic accomodation instead of a fancy place in order to put that money towards diving.
Thanks!
 
Probably not what you have in mind, but where live-aboards are concerned, I've noticed Aggressor Fleet the past several years has had big sales, 30+% off, each year. Last year it was in November. These tend to cover the Caribbean and Bahamas boats, and there may be lesser sales on some more foreign boats. I recommend not paying list on those, as the sales are too good to pass up.

Some destination options aren't prone to big sales. When I was researching CocoView Resort in Roatan, I learned they don't often do big sales, but their usual prices offer a good value proposition so I went for it and I'm glad I did.

With Bonaire, airfare is a big chunk of the trip. I don't have the airfare researching skills some some and I don't play the 'points' games...I try some different dates on Orbitz and see what comes up. On another thread someone suggested Wednesday and Wednesday for week long trips sometimes gives better fares, so if you have the scheduling flexibility, that's worth a look.

High season vs. low season often makes a difference, but not huge...the impression I've gotten is maybe $100 a person, give or take a little? If you're solo, no big deal. For a family of 4, might be...
Yea. We love bonaire. Airfare tends to be the biggest expense of the trip. Curacao looks a little cheaper, but we’ve never been.
My wife is a non diver, so the liveaboards probably wouldn’t be a good fit. We’ve looked into some of them, as she enjoys relaxing and unwinding. Cocoview was a good fit surprisingly, as she had the entire resort to herself most days, and enjoyed the down time with a good book.
 
I use Google Flights to keep track of airfares once I've got my dates set. Scottscheapflights.com is a free subscription alert service that announces fare deals and mistake fares. Try booking your flight as 2 one-way tickets with different carriers. It's often cheaper and you get a better schedule that suits you. Some airlines have their best fares if you fly on Tuesday or Wednesday. I use Trip Advisor to research reviews for resorts and hotels. Once I find a couple that I like, I subscribe to their e-mail newsletter so I know when there are specials. I also subscribe to the local tourism center e-mail news to learn more about the area. I don't use VRBO-type places because I find the fees to be excessively high. Just a personal preference.
 
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