Kath

I'm not a seasoned traveler, so I'm wondering how those who are handle this. Say you are watching the internet for a good airfare and after a few days you see one you want. You've also done research and have a couple of places in mind where you want to stay. What do you do first? My first impulse is to buy the good fares as SOON as I see it because it can be gone in minutes. But what if I buy it and then the places I have in mind are no longer available? So then do I hold off on the tickets, call the resort, make sure the time I want is available, make a reservation (usually with a large deposit) and then go back to the airline website and purchase the tickets, thus probably missing the good airfare? Ack. I'm not sure how this is supposed to be done? Opinions?

SiD

ALWAYS buy the airplane tickets first. Cause there are PLENTY of hotels to stay at your destination. What good is a hotel reservation if you have no plane ticket.

Patty

Depends on the destination for me. If it's a resort area, I usually have a very specific property in mind where I want to stay. As a matter of fact, sometimes my choice of destination is based on a particular resort. In that case, I would confirm availability first then book airfare. However, if my destination is a large city, then I would book airfare first knowing there are plenty of good hotels to choose from.

Marilyn

Twice now I have lost incredibly good fares on the internet because I didn't book them immediately when I saw them. I'm not even going to LOOK on the internet until I'm ready to BUY, because it's just too frustrating to have the fare jump $50 in a few hours. To tell the truth, I'd rather not know.<BR><BR>To reply to Kath's original question, it's a gamble when you're trying to get a deal. You can't necessarily get everything you want. I'd buy the ticket and then go for the hotel. The only way to get the exact property you want is to not be looking for bargain travel. Then you can control more of the variables (theoretically, anyway!).

David

If I wanted to stay at a specific resort, I'd check with the hotel first and reserve a block of days which could be cancelled without a penalty; then I would buy the plane tickets. <BR><BR>I once had to call the hotel while I had an internet fare on my computer screen so it can be done that way too.

Kath

Thanks for all the feedback guys. If airline fares didn't change every 30 seconds it wouldn't be so frustrating, but hey that's part of the game. Thanks.