Here’s some of my best international air travel purchasing tips, in Top-12 List form, for those of you who are thinking about, or actively planning a vacation abroad. Look out for #9 (WARNING: Sticker Shock Ahead!)   THE FARECOMPARE.COM LIST Top 12 INTERNATIONAL Travel Tips (Trans-Atlantic Focus)

1. Know Your International Seasons: There are 4-5 date ranges in a year (depending on the city pair) with big price differences, swings of over $1000 in coach

• Summer is generally most expensive, winter is typically cheapest, buy your tickets just before the higher price seasons to get the best deal
• Use the FareCompre Research Airfares Mode (from the homepage query box) which shows the cheapest prices for departure for the next 11 months; this will indicate the cheapest season of the year for your destination country

2. Anticipate High Ticket Taxes

• Trans-oceanic taxes are averaging $100-$150; fuel surcharges run $120-$180, so your looking at high $200s before you start buying
• Transiting through a different country can add $50-70 to your ticket
• Transiting through Dublin, instead of London can save up to half on transit taxes

3. Fly Big-City to Big-City: Generally, this is cheaper

• Live in Milwaukee or Madison WI? Save big and drive to Chicago
• Competition in bigger cities drives down prices for international travel, so weigh convenience over cost of the commuter flight add-on through the larger metro international gateway city

4. Check Out New Routes and Promotions

• U.S. airlines are adding more international capacity moving wide-body jets from domestic routes (and some narrow body jets) to international routes — golden rule of cheap prices (more seats = cheaper prices)
• When an airline adds a new route like Delta from Salt Lake to Paris, you’ll see some very good promotional pricing for a short introductory period
• Airbus and Dreamliner jets will add capacity, more fuel efficiency and longer non-stops in the coming years — remember the golden rule of cheap prices stated above
• New routes continue to open deeper into Eastern Europe and Asia (the Olympics in 2008 will be an excellent test of capacity to China)
• Use FareCompare’s Email Alerts to learn about great international airfares first from your departure city (cities)

5. Look at Low-Cost Transatlantic Airlines

• Condor, Eurofly and others fly to between some major cities in the U.S. and Europe
• March 2008: “Open Skies” kicks in; allowing lower cost airlines to more easily establish transatlantic routes — more competition = cheaper prices

6. In Europe, Check Out European Domestic Airlines

• Dublin-based Ryanair is a popular one; there are over 30 at last count …
• Not all these low-cost carriers fly out of major cities; be prepared for some inconvenience (possibly including having to check your bags for every segment of your flight)
• Pack light and pre-pay baggage costs: baggage fees are high (and may even cost more than your ticket!)

7. Don’t Rule Out International Carriers (like British Airways)

• Short hauls on British Airways are averaging only 10 pounds a leg more than low-cost carriers
• An added benefit: they check your bags all the way through
• IMPORTANT: avoid Heathrow if checking bags; the London airport is notorious for losing luggage (though BA will unveil a new luggage system in March 2008 in their terminal only)

8. Fly All-Business Class Jets: Luxury has a price, but now it is discounted

• New airlines Maxjet, Silverjet and Eos offer all-business class seats; Virgin has said they may join in
• Full prices on legacy airlines for business class can cost $4,000 to $6,000, save 20-60% using one of the all biz class airlines
• Use FareCompare.com to look for cheapest rates on business-class jets; when shopping, be sure to click on the “cabin” pulldown for first or business class prices so you can compare them to coach

9. Warning: Currency Sticker Shock Ahead

• The weak dollar means a $30 hamburger is not unusual (well i like mine with extra pickles …)
• Anticipate that everything will be expensive, and budget accordingly
• The good news is the gasoline (petrol) was already expensive so it won’t matter

10. Know Your Passport Requirements

• Check with passport officials to make sure yours is up-to-date and that you have proper visas
• Check with your destination country’s embassy or consulate: make sure you understand their passport and visa requirements (some countries won’t allow you in if your passport will expire in 6-months)
• Earlier this year there were monumental delays getting folks new or renewed passports so plan ahead

11. Use Frequent Flyer Miles for Your European “Dream” Trip

• Start your search early for dates and times available, be flexible and you can usually find what you are looking for
• Look for places off-the-beaten path for best success
• Redeeming miles for expensive summer trips gives you the best value for your hard earned mileage

12. Let Technology Do the Work for You

• FareCompare’s sophisticated software finds the best deals first before they are posted on the airline sites, which is even more important when planes are packed, know what a good price is, and make the best airline ticket buying decision
• Don’t sit in front of the computer all day hunting and pecking: use FareCompare’s Airfare Email Alerts– our computers never sleep, let them do the work for you