Although all college students love a good road trip every now and then, there are times when flying to a certain destination is the only feasible way to go. For instance, if you attend school in California but want to go home to Michigan for the holidays, then taking a plane is definitely a better option. The same thing holds true if you want to go to New Orleans to watch your school’s football team play in the Sugar Bowl, or if you want to go to Daytona Beach for a legendary spring break. And while these kinds of trips might seem to be out of your budget, they’re actually quite affordable thanks to student airfare discounts.
As the phrase would suggest, student airfare discounts are special deals that airlines or travel agencies give to students who can show valid school identification cards. The amount of money you can save on a ticket varies depending on a number of factors including destination and departure dates, but generally range from 5 to 30 percent or more. But just knowing that student airfare discounts exist isn’t going to get you lower prices on your tickets; you have to know where to look to find these deals.
The easiest place to start is with websites that specialize in obtaining student airfare discounts. These sites automatically compute your discount into their fare quotes, making it a simple matter to compare prices for the lowest rates. Just keep in mind that these sites require students to provide some kind of verification of their current enrollment status before any tickets are actually issued.
If you don’t have any luck with these websites, talking to a travel agent would be the next step. Since travel agencies deal with the airlines all the time, they know which ones are likely to offer student airfare discounts to certain destination cities and can secure your deals quickly and efficiently. Moreover, a travel agent can arrange for hotel stays and ground transportation once you arrive at your vacation spot, leaving you with nothing to worry about except for getting to the airport on time.
And finally, if all else fails, don’t be afraid to contact the airlines directly. Not many airlines bother to advertise the student airfare discounts they offer, but the deals exist just the same. All you have to do is call their reservation line to begin making inquiries about cheaper fares. Bear in mind that the more flexible you are with your plans, the easier it is to get good deals on tickets.
Being short on cash seems to go hand in hand with being in college, but don’t let that prevent you from taking at least one great vacation while in school. Be sure to ask for student airfare discounts the next time you book a flight to ease the burden on your wallet!
