If you plan on traveling back home to the islands during the busy holiday season, then the key is to start early.
Once your passport is up to date and visas are obtained you can proceed with the next step in your travel journey — procuring your tickets to travel. Even after you found best departure and arrival time, you'll still want to get the lowest available fare.
The longer in advance of departure the ticket is purchased, the better the chances of getting the lowest price. Airlines divide up their inventory of seats into different categories. The lower fares are not the most numerous, so shopping earlier is better.
If you are the type of person or just have the possibility to go off traveling at the last minute, then you can also get good deals on tickets — but they are often available very late, sometimes literally the day before. This option is usually more common during the low season — non holiday periods and outside of the summer months.
It's also best to be sure of your dates before you make payment for the ticket because the lower the fare the more restricted it is, in most cases. In some instances the tickets might be non refundable or have a hefty fee attached if changes are made. The last minute deals are usually the most restrictive.
These days there are several ways of purchasing your tickets. There is the good old-fashioned trip to a travel agent — yes they do still exist. A travel agent would be your best bet if you are going to hit several different places during a trip and will require many airline travels or a combination of plane and train and hotels. There is still the possibility of calling the airlines directly, too. But the most popular method these days is booking a ticket yourself online.
There are several different online services available for booking a ticket. You can use a Google search for "airline ticket purchase" and several website will appear. Pay close attention to every details of online booking, making sure that the proof of payment is evident. Be sure to print out several copies of your itinerary, one of which you should leave with a trusted friend or family member. Put another somewhere in your luggage, separate from your passport and other travel documents. Carry yet another with your passport.
If you happen to be traveling on a flight that allows you to order a special meal, make sure you speak directly to a representative of the airline. Most online bookings have a box to check for a special meal request, but further on in the booking, it might say be sure to call the airline directly to confirm requests for special meals. Most people miss that line and are surprised when their special meal is not on board the plane.
If a travel agent is handling your travel plans, do not just sit back and assume that every thing is in line. Check over all your documents after they are handed to you. The travel agent is not invincible. He or she might miss something or forget to confirm some aspect of your travel plans, and that could cause some delay which you will only find out along the way when you are far from home.
Maybe you are planning to use your airlines' miles to obtain your ticket. (Don't tell me you still don't have one of the many credit cards that can earn you air miles from your purchases. If you do not, then get one fast). Earlier is even better in that case. There are very few seats allocated on each plane for use of airline miles. If you are traveling business- or first-class then, no matter when you buy your ticket, the fare is pretty much the same.
I say ticket in a hypothetical kind of way because an actual airline ticket rarely exists anymore. Almost every airline now has ticketless travel. Instead of getting a ticket in your hand, you get an itinerary which gives you details about your airline, departure and return dates and times.
Maybe all that advance purchase, lowest price stuff is of no importance to you because it is your company that's paying for the ticket or it's the organization that invited you to come speak, sing, dance or preach to them, as the case may be.
In any case, one of the most important things to do when reserving your ticket — or after someone has reserved it for you — is to pre-reserve your seat. Most airlines will allow you to pre-select your seat. If you are traveling with a group of people and you want to be seated beside each other, (face it sometimes you do not want to be seated next to your travel partners), then it is best to pre-select your seats. This will prevent disappointment at airport check in time. Without a pre-selected seat you could end up waiting until the last minute at the departure gate to get your assigned seat. If you are traveling with someone else, there's a good chance that you will be seated apart.
Bon voyage!
Miki Forrestier is contributor to Carib Press
Image of the Caribbeans from www.caribbeantravel.com
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