Before hunting for fares, determine what kind of traveler you are. Personally, I am the type that chooses to go somewhere on a particular date for a particular reason. I don't usually decide on a whim to fly to Houston or Helsinki for the weekend. If you're like me, you'll want to stick to using airfare consolidators and web sites that cater to budget travelers. Conversely, if you like the idea of just taking off at a moment's notice, then you'll want to sign up for the airlines' weekly email notices of low fares for the coming weekend. (Just go to the carrier's web site to sign up.) There are some great deals here, but only for those who are ready to buy right away and jump on a plane in a matter of days.
The key thing to remember about the budget travel web sites is to check them frequently. Even if you aren't going anywhere for awhile, it pays to check in at least once a week. The city you want to go to may be on sale. If it is and the price includes the dates you'll be traveling, buy the ticket right away - even if your travel date is months down the road. Airline seats at a sale price usually go quickly. Most general travel sites, regardless of sales, will "search" low fares for you. Most of these services, like http://www.1travel.com, http://www.previewtravel.com (just merged with Microsoft's Expedia) and http://www.lowestfare.com do this for free, provided you give them your email address and demographic information. I have never been bombarded with any spam as a result of signing up for these services. Sometimes bonuses, like coupons for dollars off a future ticket purchase are awarded when you buy a ticket with them.
Some days, though, the web simply fails. Don't be fooled into thinking that a price quoted on a low fare web site is the lowest you'll find. It often pays to go directly to a consolidator, essentially an airfare-only travel agency with very low profit margins. Consolidators can be found in those tiny ads in the travel section of any large metropolitan Sunday newspaper. The New York Times Travel section is the best place to see dozens of these ads. Even if you're on the other side of the country, it pays to pick up a Sunday New York Times. It doesn't matter if you're in San Diego and the consolidator is in New York - the consolidator's job is to find low fares no matter where you're traveling. Most have an 800 number. Whenever possible using a consolidator, pay for your ticket with a credit card. In the event that you're ticket gets lost on its way to you or the consolidator fails to deliver on your deal, you'll have recourse.
