Cheap International Travel

International travel can be one of the most rewarding, frustrating, fun, scary experiences of your life.  Having traveled the world many times, I must state with vigor that you do need to be careful when selecting your international airline.  Cheap deals are great and you want to seek them out, but make sure you only fly reputable airlines.   Below is my top 10 list of how to get great international tickets cheap:

1. Use an international consolidator.  Consolidators basically buy a group of tickets well in advance and then sell them off cheap.  These tickets cannot be changed, re-routed, or modified.  If you run into agenda problems, you are on your own.  This being said, they provide great deals.  On many international flights you can save $400 or more.
2. Use the special alters feature on Orbitz and Hotwire.  This is just an amazing feature and can notify you of the latest specials being offered.  Each spring there are amazing offers to Europe and Asia, but only for a short period of time.  These alert tools allow you to pick up on great international airfare offers by the individual airlines.
3. Book well in advance.  There is NO ticket more expensive than a last minute international ticket.  Don't even attempt this route.
4. Try routing through several different hub cities.  It is amazing how different routes can save you big dollars.
5. Consider an extra day lay over in another international city.  Often times you will only be charged an extra $50 for a layover in a route city.  This could allow you to see exotic cities such as Tokyo, London, Paris, or Amsterdam almost for free.  I love this option, which allows you to see a fun city for an extra day.
6. Consider doing an around the world fare.  This allows you to jump multiple times and stop in many cities.  It is also awful fun to brag to your friends that you traveled around the world.
7. Use the typical discount engines such as Hotwire or Orbitz.  They can provide you great prices if you shop well in advance.
8. Use your frequent flyer miles to get a ticket.  There is no better use of mileage than international.  However, you do have to book well in advance to use these.
9. When traveling, drink tons of water, and sleep all that you can on the plane.  Alcohol will just kill you with jet lag on these long international flights, so just don't do it.  A good sleep on the plane really makes a world of difference for enjoying the trip.
10. My favorite international travel slogan is, "It is not better, it is not worse, it is just different."   Roll with the punches, and accept the fact it will not always be efficient.  Give your self plenty of time and enjoy the experience.  It is a different world, so be sure to recognize that. Make sure you put yourself in a roll-with-it attitude or you are going to have a long miserable experience.