There are a million posts out their offering advice on how to find the best deal on your flights but yet there are still so many people end up paying over the odds for their tickets. Here are some general tips for finding the best and cheapest times to fly.

Book 4-6 Weeks In Advance

Although airlines release random airline ticket deals throughout the day, it is a wise idea to try to book ticket 4-6 weeks in advance. Valuable deals are made available at all times. Booking tickets six weeks in advance usually garners a price slightly lower than the average fare. Looking for tickets at the last minute is a bad idea and usually guarantees that you’ll be paying higher prices. Also remember, shopping too early can also have an adverse effect. Airlines don’t begin releasing discount tickets until 3-4months before the date of departure. As an average, those who book 6 weeks in advance pay almost 6% cheaper than average fare price.

Also, staying on the lookout for tickets in advance gives you more opportunities to spot a rare discounted ticket.

Let’s take a look at some other strategies to help save you some money. Once you have booked your ticket, utilize the 24-hour rule as last minute cancellation can occur and the airline will try to fill up the seats. Consequently, the ticket can be a lot cheaper then when you originally purchased it. If your airfare has dropped, then call the airline and cancel your flight. Next, re-book your flight and now you just saved yourself some money for your trip.

Fly On Wednesday

Another way to save on airfare is to fly on a Wednesday. A huge number of seats go unused mid week and the airlines are desperate to fill these, and therefore the price is often be discounted.

Fly With Two Different Airlines

Yet another great money saver is to fly with two different airlines. This means flights can be cheaper for the return trip or the outbound flights.

Let someone else do the hard work for you

Sites such as momondo.com provide a great tool to help find the best travel times, months and days at the cheapest prices. It’s all easily selectable to suit each couple, individual or family’s needs.

Don’t Forget Rewards Cards

Having a frequent flier card can be a great benefit. Most (if not all) credit card companies provide frequent-flier miles when using the card. These points will add up and can save you some money for your next trip.

Overall, it’s not that difficult to find cheap airfare, you just have to be smart about it. These are just some of the way’s to find cheap airfare and help save you some money leaving you top have more to spend on your actual holiday!

Author Bio: David Bell is a freelance writer and blogs about travel, interior design, online marketing, telecoms and small business solutions. Follow him on Twitter @DavidBellWriter

Then few days after May started, I began putting photos together through Fotolor dot com.  After finishing the collage, I still find myself lazy to begin the post. And now, May 8 in the evening, I hope I will have the strength to finish up the whole post.

1. April 3-7, 2013. I attended the 60th Anniversary Homecoming in Mountain View College, my college Alma Mater. It was a few days of meeting old friends and making new ones. It was a fun time of reminiscing days gone by.

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2. April 17-18. Together with the Marketing team of the hospital, we traveled to Mountain View College to promote our newest hospital services, the Stem Cell Therapy.  The group stayed overnight but me and Tata finished the Thursday night program, so we ended up going home early the next morning.  Thanks to Ate Loida A for giving us a room at the Old Guesthouse.  Yeah old, but to me, it is the only guesthouse that got a very beautiful view, be it sunrise, sunset, and in-between hours.

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3. April 21, 2013. It was in February that we decided to meet up on the 21st of April. Of the few that planned it, only 6 of us made it. The faces you see in the photo were elementary school classmates. We were few but we also had a nice time recalling the past. The times when we were still yagit. lol! Our school was Tibanga SDA Elementary School here in Iligan City. The school still exist now but on a different location. We think the building in our time was nicer compared to the concrete one that is now.

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4. April 24.  Farewell Get-together for Eleonor Taer – Adam, our highschool classmate.  More of the story is posted here.

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5. April 26. PCHA Meeting in Manila. Details here.

^^&^^

7. April 28 – Renewal of Vows @ Iligan City SDA Central Church.  More details posted here .

April was just simply nice.  Memorable.

The lighthouse at Balinguan Port. Taken while up at the barge already.

Camiguin Island as seen from Bainguan Port

This is telling us that we are nearing the Island

At last we arrived @ Benoni Port

From the port we directly went to JJ Pen Fish Restaurant.

While our fish for breakfast is being cooked, we saw this water snake. It looks venomous. I was so scared. It reminds me that indeed it is a year of the snake.  It looks small but the thought that it is not a friendly snake, makes me ran far from the site.

Okey, so the reason why we went to Camiguin that day, was to check a property. The documents of ownership of the property is being mortgaged in the hospital. So, the Admin decided to check the place because if it is a good site for investment, then the hospital can take actions that will ensure the property be secured in the name of the hospital.

This is the land mark to the property.

The stones!  They are pretty that we wish we could carry them home

hushhhhhh I pocketed a few and some of us had it packed in a plastic bag. ^&^

 This stone is now used as one of my paper weights in the office.

The place is actually very quiet except for the sound of vehicles occasionally passing by and also the sound of pump boats.  I can imagine I would have a hammock in place and sleep the afternoon away.  The place was just a great place to relax.

While others were busy picking stones, some of us where just busy taking pics, talking, and exploring a bit of the area.

So when we the plane landed, we are so excited to grab our bags at the overhead bin. When I deplaned, the thing I felt was the cold wind that splash my face. I said to myself, wow ang lamig ng Ilocos!

When I saw this, I felt a rush of excitement because surely I will be able to see these windmills for real and up close. This is a part of the itinerary in Day 2 tour.

The airport terminal is small. Almost like Cagayan de Oro City and currently it is undergoing some major renovation that they don’t have baggage belt. I am sure in the next I will visit, meron na din sila.

The baggage were just hand-carried by the airport ground personnel and we have to grab it from one corner. But the place is far from this point with the signage.

People were everywhere. Oh well, naturally, it’s an airport and a plane just landed.

The airport is not very far from the center of the city but the only public transpo available is the trike.  The hotel told me that the fare is Php 12/head.  But we took the airport shuttle because it delivers passenger door to door.  Our stop was at :

It is at this hotel that we stayed for the night.  The rooms we reserved will accommodate 3 people in one room at a very affordable price of Php 850.00.;  You divide it by 3 and you will end up paying just a bit more of one hundred pesos.

More info of our first night hotel will be posted next and the url will be included in here later.

So we went back to the place where we had our breakfast.   Not just to have dinner but also to sleep.  Yes, at J & A Fishpen, they have aircon and non-airconditioned dormitories.  We took the non-aircon @ Php 1,000.00 for ten people.

Sorry I forgot to take a shot of the room.  But it was really a cozy one with enough bathrooms, enough comfort rooms, and wash sinks outside the room.  The beds were sturdy built and strong enough to be in place even if someone as big as me will go up the second deck.  But I opted to stay down because it is me who got a problem – I have a hard time going up. lol!

This is me after we said our grace -

 One of the foods we ordered — Pancit canton with no meat on it

Here’s us on the next morning.  We woke up three in the morning to catch the first barge scheduled to sail at four o’clock.

Me, tatay, pastor diaz, mam legaspino, and mam bacus. Nonoy (in red shirt)

Room Rates:

Aircon Rooms:

Php 1,300.00 (good for two persons)
Php 1,000.00 (good for two persons)

Dormitory (Aircon)

Php 3,600.00 (good for 18 persons)
Php 1,500.00 (good for 5 persons)

Dormitory (Ceiling Fan)

Php 1,200.00 (good for 12 persons)
Php 1,000.00 (good for 1o persons)

Cottage and Floating Room
Php 500.00 (good for 2 persons)

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J & A Fishpen Resort & Restaurant
Taguines Lagoon, Benoni
Camiguin Province

Tel # (88)387-4008
cp # 0919-753996 (smart)

@ the front of the restaurant

It was here that the guy took the fishes for our orders.
So it is like you point and they catch that for you and they cook it according to what you like.

Before our orders arrived, we had the time to around the place and took some photos.  Here are some more of my clicked photos:

We ordered fish tinola and grilled fish. A simple but satisfying Filipino breakfast. The warm soup really warmed our cold tummies.  After sometime, our ordered arrived!

++++

J & A Resort and Restaurant
Taguines Lagoon
Benoni, Camiguin

A very accessible place to dine when you arrive Camiguin through Benoni Pier.

Seattle to Los Angeles

Travel in style on the luxurious double-decker Coast Starlight to experience all the opulence of a bygone era. The sumptuous fixtures of the train only enhance the spectacular views along the West Coast. Following the Pacific Ocean shoreline, this journey offers a fabulous opportunity to see some epic scenery. From the dazzling spectacle of the Cascades and the surf at Santa Barbara to the friendly charm of San Francisco and stunning views of Big Sur, this trip has plenty to admire.

[photo source: trip advisory]

Cass Scenic Railroad

Travelling from Cass to Bald Knob, this heritage railway journey takes you a short way through West Virginia and a long way back in time. Originally built to transport lumber from the sawmill at Cass, the line is over one hundred years old. Visit the locomotive shops to see how the vehicles are maintained before enjoying a scenic trip through the mountainous state park. A ride the open-air carriages, pulled by a lovingly-restored steam locomotive, makes this historical trip truly unforgettable.

Chicago to California

Follow in the footsteps of pioneers in this epic journey west along the emigrant route on the renowned California Zephyr, surely a must for any traveller. Starting in Chicago and ending up in Emeryville, California, this route covers an astounding seven states and almost two and a half thousand miles. The varied countryside offers an array of breathtaking sights, from the deserts of Utah to the Western slopes of the majestic Rockies. Gaze down on the city of Denver from the elevated tracks, cross the Donner Pass as you travel through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and enjoy jaw-dropping views of the Colorado canyon. Simply stunning.

New York to Montreal

Travelling on the Adirondack, this trip first takes in the sights along the Hudson River, including bridges, an island complete with a castle and fantastic West Point. Moving on, the route follows the shore around the magnificent Lake Champlain. Offering incredible views of the Adirondack Mountains and the Green Mountains and lakes of Vermont, this 11 hour trip is truly delightful.

Anchorage to Seward, Alaska

This route along a section of the Alaskan Railroad showcases some of the country’s most dramatic scenery. The train passes within 300 feet of the Bartlett Glacier, offering an unrivalled opportunity to enjoy this wild landscape. Cross a river gorge for impressive views that you can’t see any other way. There is plenty of nature to enjoy along the journey, from moose and bears to bald eagles and even the occasional Beluga whale at Turnagain Arm.

With so many fabulous railroad routes available, you’ll be spoilt for choice. One thing is certain; wherever your train journey takes you, you’ll have the experience of a lifetime. Traveling from outside America?  Compare cheap flights at http://www.cheapflights.co.uk/USA/ for the best

Anyway, before talking too much about saving and the dream to go vacationing again, let me share with you how the Americans Holidays and what they have spent on during the holiday season.

Source: FastLoanTree.com

This was taken at the airport before we went out because we were still waiting for her Omi and cousins to fly in from Australia.

From the airport, we went straight to Disneyland and this was taken when we were waiting for the Disney train to take us to the Disney kingdom. =)

I have more Disney photos to share with stories in it, but oh this post is just one of the backlogs and thank God I have made it now. =)  By the way, this trip was a 24 hours trip to Hong Kong. I will try to make a separate post about it. =)

photo credits: Erlina O

If you’re on the hunt for cheap holidays, don’t leave home without trying some of these tried-and-tested tips and tricks for finding your perfect bargain break.

First off, take some time to compare your travel options. If you’re planning to go somewhere that has a high frequency rate of scheduled flights, and you’re planning to stay in a town or resort that’s close and well connected to the airport, a package holiday might not be the cheapest option. Instead, look for scheduled flights, local hotels, and research transport options – but remember that return taxi transfers can be extortionate, so look into local train connections and hire car options first.

If you do fancy a package holiday, it’s never too early to start looking. By booking ahead most tour operators will be able to offer early bird deals on holidays departing next year, and in some cases, even the year after. You’ll often find special discounts on holidays booked well in advance, plus you’ll have that bit longer to pay off the cost of your holiday which helps to lighten the load.

Another favourite method of finding a bargain is to book a late deal. This generally only works with package holidays and, in some cases, hotel-only bookings. It rarely works with scheduled flights so remember, if you are considering a DIY holiday, make sure you plan your flights well in advance.

photo credits: Erlina O

Where package breaks are concerned, you can often find bargain last minute holidays by searching within the last few weeks before the departure date. This is when travel agents reduce the prices on many of their package holidays to try and sell off the last few places – after all where tour operators are concerned it’s better to sell rooms at a discount rather than let them go empty.

What are your best bargain holiday tips and tricks?