So you’ve been elected ”travel agent” for the family’s summer vacation…what an honor! And what a headache. But we at FareCompare.com can help. In fact, with our FREE Email Alerts, planning a summer vacation can actually be a lot of fun.Oh, and don’t miss Tip #6, for winter holiday vacation planning.

TIP #1 - BE FLEXIBLE

• Don’t Fly Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday: These are business travel days and prices will be high.
• Fly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday: The cheapest days for airfares.
• Avoid Non-Stops: If you can live without this convenience, you can save real money..

TIP #2 - CHECK OUT THE CHEAP AIRLINES FIRST

• Southwest and JetBlue: you can count on some great deals year-round.
• Virgin America: Richard Branson’s latest venture is also offering very good deals. And watch for Virgin to open up more U.S. routes.

TIP #3 - CHOOSE CHEAP DESTINATIONS

• These are some summer destinations that are traditionally less expensive than most:
• Florida
• The Rockies
• Las Vegas
• Chicago
• Note: While traveling to Europe is generally expensive in the summertime, once there, hop on a discount carrier like Ryanair to travel cheaply to other must-see cities on your list.

TIP #4 - USE FF MILE FOR LOW-PROFILE DESTINATIONS

• Frequent Flyer miles are getting harder to use: Airlines are getting stingier with them and popular destinations go fast. Best bet is to use FF miles for off-the-beaten path locales such as Santa Fe, the Canadian Rockies, and the Midwest.

TIP #5 - USE FARECOMPARES FREE EMAIL ALERTS

• FareCompare’s FREE Email Alerts find the cheapest fares first: and when you know about the cheapest fares first, you can be first to buy them.
• Get Refunds with Email Alerts: if the price of your on-line purchased ticket drops later in the day, many airlines will give you a refund; FareCompare’s Email Alerts will notify you of such drops.

TIP #6 BEST SUMMER TIP EVER FOR WINTER TRAVEL

• Buy Winter Holiday Tickets in the Summer: purchase Thanksgiving and Christmas air fares at least 4-months in advance.