Commitment: The Magical Effect of Buying Plane Tickets - Travel Every Day - page 36

chance to experience Italy without having to compete with crowds of fellow
sightseers.

2. Use online tools such as Kayak, Adioso, and Google Flights to research the

prices for trips of various lengths and at various times of the year 3 . In some
cases, you may be able to receive fare alerts when prices drop for a partic-
ular route. I also recommend a simple online search to learn which airlines
fly directly to which airports, to aid you in your quest for savings.

3. Fly as directly as possible. This trip is going to be amazing, and you want to

do everything in your power to make sure that the travel goes as smoothly
as possible. The more connections you have, the greater the chance that a
small delay will turn into a serious problem and that your luggage won't ar-
rive with you.

4. Include a Saturday night in your trip, if possible. By including a Saturday

night, you'll typically be charged a much less expensive excursion fare in-
stead of a business fare. And in addition to flights often being less expensive
on these days, the fact that the flights are less full means there will be greater
upgrade availability.

5. Use airline miles or credit card points to buy or upgrade your tickets if pos-

sible. By choosing one airline to use whenever possible for both business
and pleasure, and by obtaining the corresponding credit card for that airline,
it's possible to accumulate a reasonable number of redeemable miles as time
goes on. For example, my wife and I both use a United Mileage Plus Visa
card wherever possible. Which credit card you choose will depend on prac-
tical considerations, such as which airlines service your local airport most
thoroughly, but your choice should also be influenced by the quality of their
frequent-flier programs. For more information on this topic, I recommend
the online forum FlyerTalk. And finally, a word to the wise, unfortunately
also based on my own experience—I recommend setting up a time every
week where you log on and pay off the full balance of your card. It's very
easy to lose track of spending with a credit card if you only pay it off once a
month.