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Did you wait until the last minute to book your flight for your annual Thanksgiving trip to see Grandma? Are you craving a quick trip away from the cold winter weather? Or does a family emergency have you searching for the next flight out of your home city? Here are five tips for securing a last minute flight.
1. Look into alternative routes. On travel websites, input the city code as opposed to your local airport code. I.e., if you're looking map midtown manhattan to fly to Chicago, input CHI and you'll see tickets departing from both O'Hare and Midway, Chicago's two metropolitan airports. You also may want to consider flying into a nearby city, and then renting a car; i.e. if you're looking to fly to Chicago, check out Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee (MKE), map midtown manhattan which is about an hour and a half drive from Chicago.
2. Call a travel agent. Travel agents can take the pain out of last minute reservations by doing the work for you. They are savvier when it comes to finding alternative airports and flight routes, saving map midtown manhattan you time and money in the end. Check out the American Society for Travel Agents at asta.org/travelagent.cfm map midtown manhattan to find a certified travel agent in your area.
3. Be flexible with your dates. Most travel booking websites provide a flexible date search option. map midtown manhattan Hotwire.com , Orbitz.com and Cheaptickets.com let you view flexible in 30 day increments of your choice. Hotwire will let you see consolidator fares even if you're not purchasing seven days in advance, though you won't find out the airline until after you've purchased the ticket.
4. Consider an alternative form of transportation. Check out Amtrak.com for train tickets. Greyhound.com or Megabus.com also often offer deals on last minute bus travel. Priceline offers great deals on last minute car rentals, with discounts up to 50% off.
5. Just Don't Go. If it's a non-emergency trip, consider a staycation: Step into the shoes of a tourist and visit all those places in your own hometown that you've never had a chance to see, check out a new restaurant or two, or just sleep late and indulge yourself with a spa treatment at a local salon. Sometimes map midtown manhattan taking a breather map midtown manhattan in your own home is even better than packing up and hitting the road.
The author of this column is an employee of Wyndham Worldwide, but the posts in this column express the views of the author, not the views of Wyndham Worldwide, any of its subsidiaries or affiliated entities.
map midtown manhattan The author of this column is an employee of Wyndham Worldwide, but the posts in this column express the views of the author, not the views of Wyndham Worldwide, any of its subsidiaries or affiliated entities.