Expert: Stephen Tanenbaum - 2/10/2007

Question
Hello,

We will be traveling the weekend of 20-23rd of April.  We are traveling by plane.  We are interested in cheap flights and lodging.  We would like to go sightseeing also.  

Thanks
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hello,

My husband and I are traveling from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale, Fl in April and would love to find the travel deals that you've experienced.  Can you help us?
-----Answer-----
Hi Tina:

I need more information.

Are you traveling by car or plane?
If by plane are you visitng areas other than Ft. Lauderdale?
How long staying in Ft. Lauderdale?
If by car what if any major stops before reaching Ft. Lauderdale? Also how long in Ft. Lauderdale? Also driving to other places, ex. ORlando, while in Florida? How long in each place?

Although my expertise if global travel we have visited Ft. Boca Raton, Miami and  spent most time in Orlanda during each of two recent visits.

What are kind of deals are you most interested in? Ex. lodging, restaurants, activities, sightseeing?

Steve T.

Answer
Hi Tina:
Thanks for the follow-up info. My specialty is FREE travel. We simply do not pay for airline tickets and neither should most others. I do not get into lowest price current tickets or short notice flights. With that said I can suggest (1) web research for lowest priced flight and (2) check the Sunday Travel section of the NY TIMES, including many small consolidator ads. While they usually deal with foreign travel one never knows. You also pick up any current major airline deals.

Your future should include free airline travel. To this end here is the article I wrote about one year ago and which includes most of our strategies for free travel.
www.cheapskatetravel.blogspot.com

More current is our Spring 2006 newsletter, also free to you, and which had deals for totally free RT tickets anywhere in the U.S. including 2nd free flights. I did say 100FREE for the FREE flight! We already obtained our TWO free RT tickets (25,000 free miles = one award ticket on Delta anywhere in the lower 48). I checked and this super free deal is NOW ONGOING.

Another offer was for RT tickets to any Hawaiian island or Mexico or Central America for $45 each way. That deal has changed and will cost $169 which comes out to $84.50 from Atlanta to MAUI in HIGH SEASON. A flight worth upwards of $700.
Check our newsletter at: www.spring2006.blogspot.com
and our most recent newsletter at:
www.fall2006CTN.blogspot.com

You will be learning about the SECOND free flight you can have for the asking with you 100free U.S. award.
Ex. Atlanta to L.A then a second free flight L.A. to NY and then home....ALL FREE! It does not get much better than that.

LODGING in Ft. Lauderdale: I use my handy Entertainment book for many bargains. They are are sale. Check out www.entertainment.com for the Atlanta edition. You may already have one.
I also do intensive web research for best hotels and then confirm they meet my strict guidelines for location, amenities and REPUTATION from USERS via www.tripadvisor.com
I find Trip Advisors USER reviews of hotels an essential tool whether booking in a nearby city or Venice Italy.

Caveat: While we could fly free from San Francisco to Las Vegas using 25,000 miles each from one or another airline account we are not stingy stupid. Meaning...the same 25,000 miles can take us to NY to see friends and then Orlando for theme parks and home. So why waste an award IF we can get $59 or so extra cheap tickets on like Southwest airlines. Always measure the value of an award flight against the COST of the flight you are getting. Since we travel abroad 95 of the time we seldom have to make such a decision.

HAPPY TRAVELS.....and hope to see you in the world of free airline travel soon.
STEVE T.