There are a number of things you need to know before you head off and get those tickets. Work out all the places you want to visit and determine if you need to arrange flights with stopovers in various countries. Determine the length of your holiday and when you can leave and when you need to return.

Once you know your destinations and timings get your travel tickets to fit in and buy ALL your tickets at one go as it will work out cheaper and will give you sure timings for departures and arrives. Don't forget that you need to book airline tickets first BEFORE you book accommodation, car hire, show tickets, tours, or pay for anything other than luggage, clothing, travel guides or maps. Sometimes you cannot get tickets for the days you want so you need to be flexible and if you have pre-booked lots of stuff you might not get to your destination on the day you have selected. So, get the airline tickets first or you might be up for quite a bit of expense and time re-arranging various bookings.

Now, with your flight bookings in hand, plan the timing for the rest of your trip and make necessary bookings. Book accommodation, theatre tickets, train travel and other short flights you know you will be making. Do not make bookings for things you might not attend or places you might not go - attempts to get refunds can be very time consuming and frustrating and some organisation will not pay a refund.

Be ready to pay a flight or departure tax. Some countries will require that these taxes be paid so make sure you have enough money (in local funds) to pay - having to convert foreign funds can be expensive.

Myths

A round-the-world ticket is cheaper than a selection of different tickets for different flights and airlines - false - it is not always the truth that one ticket is cheaper than a swag of them. It depends on what you want or need. It is generally a fact that tickets by local airlines will be cheaper for flying around a country than any attempts to get your round-the-world airline to fly you around, lets say China or Europe. Also a ticket from New York to England and back is certainly a lot cheaper than a Round-the-World if all you want to do is visit Europe.
Reroutable tickets, those ones that let you select your next destination as and when you want are a lot more flexible than any other type - false - check the fine print. Sometimes these tickets will limit the direction of travel (eg must keep heading East to West and cannot, even for a short trip head the other way), can be limited by time (eg must be used up in three months), can have limited numbers of stopovers (eg max of 5), of limited duration (eg can stay at any one stopover for no more than 2 weeks), limited distance (eg no more than 18,000 kms) and have a limited number of destinations (eg usually limited to the destinations the carrier flies to).
Tickets are cheaper at the last minute - false - Sometimes you will have to pay a premium for a last-minute ticket. The airline assumes it's an emergency and will gouge you for the privilage of getting you to your destination. Today the problem with most airlines is overbooking not underbooking. So the opportunities that used to exist with cheap standby passangers are almost over. However, sometimes you can be lucky but do you really want to wait for, maybe up to a week, to see if you have got a cheaper ticket - that wait can totally use up you vacation time. Time you could have spent enjoying your trip rather than waiting at home for a call from an airline.
You can trust yuour travel agent - false - they are human too and are as likely to fleece you as your local used-car salesman. The first thing to do is ask for the cheapest flights from a number of airlines. Let them know you will also be checking with a number of other agents as well and that they need to compete for your business. Also check out fares on-line.
The best ticket is the cheapest - false - the reason some airlines are cheap is because they cut corners. Check out those airlines that are notorious for crashes and you might just see a pattern. Travel with Air Burundi if you want - I don't want! Check this out as an example.
You must hold a ticket from the airline to get on the plane - false - today many airlines allow you to check in just with a name using a self-service terminal where your boarding pass will be printed for you. Also some airlines, especially if you book over the internet, will e-mail you an itinerary and that will be sufficient for you to book in at the airport. (Note: it is a good idea to keep a copy of your complete travel iteinerary on you at all times and to also have copys of IDs [passport pages - the one with the photograph on it, credit cards, drivers license, at least one type of photo ID, etc.]).

Buying tickets online is safe and will require you submitting your credit card details. My personal experiences of using the internet to make purchases, including airline tickets, have been great. Nothing has ever gone wrong yet and I find it far more convenient than having to visit a travel agent - especially if you know exactly what you want and where you want to go. If you book this way you will not receive a physical ticket but will instead be e-mailed an e-ticket with a booking number that is registered in the airlines computer. When you book into your flight at the airport they will need to sight your e-ticket to issue you your boarding pass. Print out all your itineraries and keep them with you on your trip. Attempting to remember dates and times can be very difficult and a missed flight is not something you want to experience.

Budget airlines and cheap ways to travel are things you should keep your eye out for if you are budget challenged. The only real disadvantage is that most budget airlines only fly major routes so they are fine for flights from and to capital and major cities. If you need to take those short hops to strange and out of the way places you'll probably have to use a local carrier (ie Air Zimbabwe or some such). Also budget airlines are 'frills free.' If you want something to eat or drink you might have to supply it yourself so be ready to take bottles of water and tons of snacks aboard for a long flight. If you do have to get as meal or drink on a budget flight expect to pay for it. Note that these flights are NOT for those in illhealth or with children - get on a carrier that can offer you some comfort and maybe even a bit of childcare.

Charter flights are also a good way to grab a bargain if ones available. A friend caught a charter flight from London to Greece that came with 5 days accommodation in Athens - just where he wanted to go for the first leg of his Meditteranean trip. He purposefully missed the return flight because he wanted to travel around and the charter flight was cheaper than a one-way flight with a regular airline - especially as it has the accommodation included.

This article is copyrighted by Lance Chambers a senior partner at www.accommodationnear.com You are at liberty to copy and distribute it as long as no changes are made to the content and this bio is included as is.