Travelers face higher fares, added fees and more crowded planes.  So, what is a traveler to do?   According to a recent Associated Press report on travel, ?Nearly all of the largest U.S. carriers are making cutbacks. That's bad news for travelers, especially those who fly out of smaller regional airports that are losing flights and service. And it's almost certain to get worse unless oil prices drop and take the pressure off airlines to keep shrinking.?



And air travel comfort and convenience isn't the only issue.  Travelers booking hotel reservations, cruises, car rentals and vacation packages are also feeling the affect of rising oil prices on the ground.   

Although many travel search sites exist, rates frequently change depending on basic supply and demand market conditions.   Airfares actually change hourly depending on percentages of seats booked.  Often times a traveler finds one rate on one site, and ?surfs? to another travel search site to make price comparisons only become frustrated after hours of searches, discovering that the ?low fare? is no longer available. Conventions can gobble up virtually every available hotel room, leaving the casual travel with few affordable options, driving the prices up and reducing availability.

Bidding online for travel deals has become ?caveat emptor? with many people overbidding and not getting much of a value.  Sometimes ?fees? and ?fuel surcharges? are not clearly explained and what seems like a good deal, really isn't. No longer is it as simple as calling a local trusted travel agent for the lowest rates because most of the brick and mortar agencies have long since closed their doors due to the competition of Internet travel agency firms.

A new method to reduce travel costs, planning group travel has become the latest rage.  Group travel specialists put together the free travel quote for families planning trips together for reunions, weddings, religious, and even senior events as well as affinity groups who travel for lodge events, clubs meetings, and fraternity or sorority vacations.  Substantial discounts can be obtained this way due to the combined purchasing power.  

New technologies are becoming available on the Internet to enable travelers to conduct ?power searches?.   These advanced search engine technologies are emerging to level the playing field.   Using this advanced search technology, instead of spending hours comparing the rates and availability on multiple travel sites, a traveler can obtain more reliable and timely search results in just a few minutes.

Travel consolidators have also put together special trips, cruises, vacation packages or ?deals? for private members who are able to choose from a variety of destinations that are ?discount? and pre-purchased.  This low cost approach has enabled travelers to visit the most popular destinations even during peak periods.

Travelers are also relying on creative ways to budget vacation, including frequent flyer miles and credit card rebate and rewards programs.  Hostels have also become popular among travelers.  And with rising fares, rail tickets are getting more attention as car rental rates have increased.  ?Off season? travel has also become a viable option for reducing the overall cost of a trip although weather conditions at favorite destinations are usually the governing factor.

Despite these challenges, travelers are now spending over $7 trillion a year online in booking travel arrangements and that figure is projected to double within a few short years.