Expert: Stephen Tanenbaum - 1/25/2005

Question
Hi Stephen. I'm a 23-year-old student and my wife is a 40-year old Nurse who can get a fake Student ID. We have almost no money and we want to go back to my home near London from Buffalo NY this summer. It would help a lot if I could get dirt cheap plane tickets. Also, I'd like to hop over to Amsterdam with my wife, but without paying the three hundred quid for the both of us... what are your techniqies for finding the absolute dirt-cheap tickets, and how do you go about travelling for free, as you have done?

Cheers from a fellow expert
Fox

Answer
Hi Fox:

Wondering, what is you 'expert' category?

I'm getting many requests regarding cheap airline tickets and most requests, understandably, regard free travel.

On the former, cheap tickets, I have no single answer. Even United's free companion ticket is likely limited to domestic U.S. travel.

In any case, I published a Blog site that offers an in depth article on my free travel strategies. By far the best way to share with others like yourself. Hope you enjoy reading it...

Blog address is: http://cheapskatetravel.blogspot.com/

On the cheap ticket question I would consider the following;
1. extensive web search/research for best cheap vendor
2. buy the NY and/or LA Times for their best in the U.S. travel sections where you may find a great deal
3. Dicey but worth checking into...buying someone's award that is legally transferrable....perhaps Ebay?
4. I recalled flights within Europe as being cheap. Did a one shot web search and found a 71quid return flight on British Air(and there are lots of smaller airlines as well) London to Amsterdam and this includes all taxes, fees etc. Kellogg travel's site is: http://travel.kelkoo.co.uk/browse/b/172201/t_Amsterdam.html

This seems less then half your estimated 150 quid per person. Hopefully this comes as a bit of good money saving news.
5. Do web search for free companion flights and also Ebay for free companion tickets.
Good Luck. Steve Tanenbaum