ABOUT THE LIVING LIFE IN COSTA RICA BLOG

I (Vicki Skinner - aka "THE Sarong Goddess") created this blog in 2007 to share DETAILED Finds•Lists•Info•Events•Experiences to help bring more EASE to people living in, visiting or thinking of moving to Costa Rica since DETAILS are NOT easy to find!
I’m NOT an expert (an "expert" 2 ME knows 101%-NOT me). I believe in sharin info•helping where I can! And with over 2,200 entries, so some things might be out of date, so if you find old info PLEASE help each other by getting the updated info & sharing it with me to revise. At least you have some basic info to get you started.
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

CHEAP DISCOUNT AIRLINE TICKET Search Sites & Ticketing•Traveling Hints for trips to Costa Rica

HERE ARE SOME OF MY FORMER
CHEAP TRAVEL HINTS
to help you find the Cheapest Tickets•Times of the Year to Travel

(from my old days in the travel industry.  Not sure if they're still valid but since most are logical, I'll bet they are!)

Sid shared this tool that supposed to be amazing with fare comparisson:
matrix.itasoftware.com


SIGN UP for
AirFareWatchDog.com/fare-alerts

AirFareWatchDog lists low fares that are found and verified by humans. (Yes, real humans!) Our dealhounds check fares on all airlines, from the major carriers to the little guys. We even list promo codes and airline site-only fares you can't find on other sites.  (I think your flight of origin must be a Domestic flights)

Kayak.com also has something along those lines with their Kayak.com/explore program:

SIGN UP FOR THE AIRLINES FACEBOOK, TWITTER and ONLINE NOTIFICATION SITES - AS WELL AS FREQUENT FLIER ACCOUNTS
Facebook and Twitter sometimes run INSTANT SPECIALS that don't last long (sometimes JUST 1 hour to their FB/Twitter "Fans"!!!!) so sign up for these airlines Facebook and Twitter accounts (get their Twitter account from their website or Facebook page)!!



WHEN
Should I Buy My Ticket????

MANY recent studies are saying just about 6 weeks in advance.  But start looking around 8-10 weeks



BEST DAY OF THE WEEK TO BUY AN AIRLINE TICKET
TUESDAY MORNING - AT THE LATEST - TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Airline Sales Fare often hit Monday night.  By Tuesday morning the other airlines have jumped on board - REMEMBER . . .

USUALLY - cheaper tickets are OFTEN based on the plane having less passengers booked (a lighter "load")!!!
So IF it were ME, I'd start looking first thing in the a.m.

MOST Sales seem to end BY Thursday!


CHECK THE "LOAD" ONLINE
If you go on the airlines website, you can often check how full the flight is if you look at the Seating Chart.


SPEAKING OF FIRST THING IN THE A.M.
Another reason it's a good time to look for tickets is because all the people that had to purchase their tickets by midnight the night before and didn't - their seats are purged out of the system so that means MORE SEATS are available - hence it betters your chance to get a cheaper ticket!!!


CALLING AIRLINES USUALLY MORE EXPENSIVE THEN BOOKING ONLINE
MANY airlines have a Sur-Charge for people booking flights on the phone where they're using a rep.  Often +$10 or more $$s!!!  But sometimes ya just gotta talk to a real person - especially if it's more complicated!  So is it worth that extra $10 or so to have the CONVENIENCE???!!!!


BUT I JUST CALLED YESTERDAY AND IT WAS MUCH CHEAPER!!
AND . . . Did you actually BOOK the ticket then - let alone TICKET it???
NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING is solid till you put that cold hard cash down!!!


MY TRAVEL AGENT GAVE ME ONE PRICE - BUT I FOUND IT ONLINE FOR MUCH LESS
THIS is EXACTLY why I got out of doing airline tickets AGES ago!!  You and I could call the airlines at the SAME EXACT TIME and get 2 TOTALLY DIFFERENT prices!!!  GRRRR!!!  It's ALL a gamble!!!


IS IT BETTER TO BUY MY TICKET 9-12 MONTHS BEFORE TRAVELING?
It's ALL a hit and miss thing - a crap shot!  SOMETIMES it could work - but ESPECIALLY if it's a less traveled time - you may get REAL LUCKY!!! 
See the story below on Refunds.


WHAT TIME OF THE DAY IS THE BEST TO FLY
Like with the cheapest days of the week to fly being based on the least traveled time,
the cheapest TIME to travel tends to be when fewer people are traveling - ESPECIALLY
RED-EYES•Middle of the Night flights
(I LOVE them as I usually pull an all-nighter the night before and bring my sleeping mask, earplugs and Liquid Valerian Root [Valium is a synthetic version of it. For me, when I take this tincture - it pretty much knocks me out MEGA fast and even if I only got 2-4 hours - my bod feels like it got 5-7 - what I normally get and wake up all perky over!!])
Next would be late afternoon flights - when you'd be getting in at some un-Godly hour!!!

BEST DAYS OF THE WEEK TO TRAVEL 
(hence to get the CHEAPEST TICKET!!)
TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY 

(Saturday can go either way coming TO Costa Rica)
(the least busiest days are days the airline NEEDS YOUR business - so you're helping THEM out by traveling then - hence they reward you with the lowest prices then!).
(the most expensive days of the week - depending on where you're flying - say coming to Costa Rica - most likely #1 - Friday, Saturday, Thurs., Sunday. 
Leaving Costa Rica - Saturday, Sunday, Monday
(in other words - if you're connecting with a long weekend - chances are higher you'll pay more)


FLY OUT OF BUSIER AIRPORTS
Flights out of Busier Airports are often the cheapest - "WHY?" you ask?  Because there are more people going out of there.  Want to save some $$$?  If you have some leaway/freedom - can you drive to and fly out of another airport???
I've found that Airline "Hubs" (their base) can often be HIGHER - "Why?" perhaps - because they can•they have the monopoly??

CHEAPEST TIME OF YEAR TO TRAVEL
(for ANY form of travel ANYWHERE)

#1  -  The first 2 weeks of December (or starting the Tuesday after U.S. Thanksgiving)  -  Most people if they're going to travel in the winter will do so FOR Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years - so this is traditionally THE DEADEST time of the year to travel - hence the BEST DEALS on EVERYTHING from cruises, flights, car rentals, hotels, etc.  Remember - YOU'RE helping THEM out when they need it the best - so YOU'RE REWARDED with great deals!!  This is a GREAT time to travel often in Latin American countries (ESPECIALLY Costa Rica) because there are LOTS of venues of CELEBRATING happening then!!!

#2  -  The first 2 weeks AFTER the Tuesday AFTER U.S. Labor Day  -  Kiddies are back in school, people are burned out from the summer - all is quite (and the weather is usually still NICE throughout much of the world [except places that have Rainy Seasons - like Costa Rica!!])

#3  -  ON a HOLIDAY DAYOFTEN - if you can travel ON a Holiday DAY (not applicable if the next day is a Sunday or Monday though when people are rushing home to get to work).

#4  -  The first 2 weeks of January  -  Most people are NOT traveling as much AFTER all the holiday hoopla


#5  -  the Tuesday AFTER a Holiday  -  OFTEN Sales come out for up to the next holiday!!

#6  -  The FULLER the flight - the HIGHER the tickets go - so if they have a seating chart on their reservation site - start by looking for flights that are LESS FULL!!!!!!!!!

I NEED to ESCAPE - NOW!!!
Ok - so flying International - at least TO Costa Rica - SO - going last minute shouldn't make a difference in the price -
BUTTTTTTT!!!!
IF you're stopping somewhere along the way - Connecting - you VERY WELL MAY get hit up if it's less than 14 days BECAUSE - most of those cheap cheap deals are for 14 day advance ticketing.

A way around that is try one of the smaller airlines like Jet Blue or SouthWest (who have THE BEST flight attendants I've seen - wouldn't you agree!???)that tend to have less restrictions (at least for the part of the leg of your trip that's eating you up!)


THE MOST EXPENSIVE TIME TO TRAVEL  -  WHEN YOU'RE GOING to PAY $$$ for it!!
The MOST Expensive times to travel WILL be the BUSIEST time to travel like Holidays and times when weather effects people - depending on the destination. 
For Costa Rica - this will be when the weather is BEST!!!

#1
New Years•Anos Nuevos
(MANY people get that 2 weeks between Christmas and New Years off - especially in Costa Rica)

#2
Samana Santa•Easter

(MANY people get that week off OF Samana Santa [the week BEFORE Easter Sunday] - especially in Costa Rica)

#3
Christmas•Navidad
(as mentioned above MANY people get those 2 weeks off and the government literally SHUTS DOWN in Costa Rica.  Hence - do NOT cross the border - ESPECIALLY into Nicaragua from about the Thursday before this event closes down as it could EASILY take 3-5 HOURS to cross - sometimes standing in the HOT SUN - or sometimes rain!!!)


#4
MONTH of February (Snow Birds Escaping their bad weather - or Snow Bunny's running to the sloaps)


#5
2 weeks after New Years holiday is over till a few days after Easter (again - when Snow Birds are escaping)

#6
Mid-June to Mid-August
(when the kiddies are OUT of school)


HINT Regarding Traveling in OUR "Summer"
Isn't it funny how many "adults" - even withOUT kids - have a habit of going on vacation in "the summer?"  It's what we were taught to do - yet they OFTEN do NOT "NEED" to do that.

If you DO have the FREEDOM to travel as YOU'D like - Save yourself LOTS more $$$ and heart-ache (FYI - June through November-ish are Rainy Season in Costa Rica!!!  NOT such a pleasant time to come!!)




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Here is a list of various list of
AIRLINE TICKET SEARCH SITES
to help you find the cheapest flights to•from Costa Rica  

Matrix.itasoftware.com
  -  I've been seeing LOTS of POSITIVE feedback on this.  Some have said they thought they were the search engine behind Kayak and some others! Momondo.com  -  This seems like one of the BEST SITES for searching for everything from

airline flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation homes, travel guides+ PLUS they use automated Internet crawlers to search for the best airfares on more than 700 websites, which means it shows you small and local airlines that don't always appear in other search results.  When I searched for San Jose, Costa Rica to San Francisco the only airlines that showed they work with was Avianca, AeroMexico, Alaska, COPA, Delta, LACSA, Taca, USAirways and United.

SkyScanner.com  -  Sky Scanner is a GREAT site because not only does it have the typical way of searching (for specific dates/airports) - it also lets you search if you do not have exact dates or have flexibility!!!  This automatically comes up in British Pounds so change that to the way you want to pay for it & their airline partners are limited to:  Air Canada, Air France, United, Delta, JetBlue and Frontier.


HipMunk.com  -  This is a GREAT site in it helps you makes sense of the confusion with the various offers - helps organize it and even helps you sort by "agony" (factoring in layovers, departure time, etc.), price, duration, and more. They even automatically shows you Amtrak alternatives (if available) and Hotel options are shown on a map so you'll get a sense of exactly where you're staying before you book!!

BingTravel.com  -  Bing Travel is the closest thing flyers have to a crystal ball when it comes to whether to book a flight now or wait to SEE if it MAY go do.  Just click on their "Price Predictor" - onlinehelp.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/gg429801.aspx - and it will advise you whether or not you should buy now or wait. You can also view the fare history for a specific itinerary so you can see for yourself if prices on a certain route have been rising or falling lately.

AirFareWatchDog.com  -  What makes AirFareWatchDog different from other flight-search tools? It tracks bargain flights on thousands of routes, and it verifies availability before it posts them. Plus, all of the fares featured on the site have recently dropped in price, are lower than average, or are unadvertised specials. We recommend signing up for the fare-alert emails, which track fares on specific routes for you. Or, sign up for alerts on any low fares from your local airport. (Note: AirFareWatchDog is owned by Smarter Travel Media and also powers SmarterTravel's Departure City Fare Alert and City to City Route Alert emails.)
SOURCE:  SmarterTravel.com/photo-galleries/editorial/10-invaluable-booking-sites.html?id=304&photo=27761&max_photos=7


This first batch are ranked in order of preference by online-travel-sites-review.toptenreviews.com
SmarterTravel.com   -  Look for their “Editor’s Pick’s: Airfare Deals” 
Kayak.com  -  I hear Kayak has this "Hacker's Tool" in their site - kayak.com/news/a-new-way-to-find-deals-on-flights-hacker-fares.bd.html  -  where you have the option sometimes of doing 2 one-way tickets to get the best deal!!!
OneTravel.com  -  If you go on and to a request a $5 off per person (max 4 people) ticket pops up - code ST20.
These rest are just in alphabetical order:
EconomyTravel.com   -  low airfares to Europe, Africa and the Middle East
SkyAuction.com   -  SkyAuction YOU Bid on the flight but you MUST be ready to accept and pay if you win
SmartFares.com 


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ARTICLES ON FINDING CHEAP TICKETS

SmarterLifestyles.com/2013/10/01/tips-to-getting-the-cheapest-airline-flights


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WHAT'S THE SAFEST SEAT IN THE PLANE
(you might be surprised to learn!!)
FlowingData.com/2008/05/20/the-safest-seat-to-sit-in-on-a-plane-is



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DID THE TICKET YOU BOOKED'S PRICE GO DOWN??
 

WANT A REFUND??
Yapta.com  -  Did you know that many major airlines will refund the difference in price for tickets that are cheaper after you book? It's true, and Yapta will help you get your refund. Simply save your flight details on the site and Yapta will track the price, send you alerts, and help you claim your refund if the price goes down. Alaska, JetBlue, and AirTran all offer refunds for any price drop, and others (including Virgin America, United, and Delta) will refund you if the price decreases beyond a certain amount.
(SOURCE:  SmarterTravel.com/photo-galleries/editorial/10-invaluable-booking-sites.html?id=304&photo=27754&max_photos=7

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Which site do YOU find gives you the BEST priced Airline Tickets to get to Costa Rica - or anywhere?
Email me your comments to add here and help others!

Do you know a GOOD site not listed?
Let's add it to this list for others to get to try!  Email me at 



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CRUCIAL INFORMATION TO READ!!
If you are ENTERING Costa Rica and do NOT have Legal Residency 
(citizenship, a cedula or a residency•cedula in waiting)

You MUST MUST MUST have PROOF that you are
LEAVING Costa Rica WITHIN 90 days!!!!
PERIOD!!! - NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!

98% of the time the Airlines will NOT let you on the flight withOUT this proof (I think their fine is like $10,000 if they did) 
IF by SOME miracle you did get on
IMMIGRATIONS in Costa Rica will NOT LET YOU IN
withOUT you having that PROOF that you are DEPARTING•LEAVING Costa Rica within 90 days.


THE AIRLINE OR IMMIGRATION DIDN'T ASK ME FOR PROOF I WAS LEAVING
Are you a legal Resident of Costa Rica?  You don't need it.
Were you traveling on leg one of a round-trip ticket?  That ticket goes into the INTERNATIONAL IMMIGRATIONS • TSA system (trust me, "THEY" know EVERY step you're taking!!) and they didn't ask you for that proof you were departing Costa Rica within 90 days when you were departing from your original destination because they saw it there.
If that wasn't the came - then it WAS your Lucky Day and be MEGA GRATEFUL!!!! 



BUT I'M ONLY GOING ONE-WAY OR STAYING FOR MORE THAN 90 DAYS -
WHAT CAN I DO??  


That means PRE-Purchasing an AIRLINE - OR - BUS ticket!




AIRLINE TICKETS
You can Pre-Purchase a one-way Airline Ticket and IMMEDIATELY when you arrive, cancel it and ask for a refund (which could potentially take days).
There are usually 2 types of tickets they will offer you:
"FULLY REFUNDABLE" Ticket -  This WILL cost you a CHUNK of change (OFTEN $1,000+++).  If it's not a ticket you don't see yourself using in the future -  you might want to get one to their cheapest destination like often Miami.
"REFUNDABLE" Ticket will not be AS expensive (it still will probably be $700+), but most likely it will mean you will have SOME sort of fee you will NOT recoup (personally I think you SHOULD pay SOMETHING as you ARE using/wasting their time for YOUR gratification/needs!!  This is often around $45-$75).
NOTE that with both tickets - if you are keeping it to use later, to change the date, USUALLY there is a +$150 Change Fee for International flights PLUS any difference in the price of the ticket between when you purchased it originally and when you're changing it.  
ASK to see the conditions so you can be clear and avoid the MEGA frustration when you get back (and everyone having to hear your story of how YOU [NOT the airlines/Costa Rica] SCREWED up by YOU not doing enough research!!) 

CRUCIAL!!!
WhatEVER day you have on that additional ticket MUST be within 90 days of your arrival BUT - NOTE that lately, sometimes if you have, say that ticket you're not using in LESS than 90 days - THAT MAY be how many days you get your stamp for!!!  In other words - if you by that Return Ticket for say 2 weeks from arriving - Immigration MAY give you JUST a 15 days stamp!!!!



(see my article on why this happens at:


ANOTHER NOTE!!
So lets say you already bought a round-trip ticket - say knowing you're staying longer and you needed it - but you got it for - say - 1 month from your Departure Date.  Guess what might happen?  You guessed it - Immigration MAY just give you a 30 Day Stamp!!
I had this happen to a friend that ALSO had a Bus Ticket and guess what happened?  Yup - they STILL ONLY gave her a 15 day Stamp!!  
SO, if you're staying longer than 90 days and going the route with the Bus TIcket - buy your regular Airline Ticket PLUS the Bus Ticket and you SHOULD be ok!!


WARNING!!
Do NOT NOT NOT get•doctor up a fake ticket as they ARE OFTEN checking these days and guess what will happen to you if they find out you LIED to them??  That's RIGHT - they COULD VERY WELL REFUSE you Entry INTO Costa Rica!!!  Wanna take that chance???



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BUS TICKET
You can buy a BUS TICKET from a company that has buses that leave from Costa Rica and travel into another country.
BUT - NOTE that an "Open-Ended" ticket withOUT a date on it does NOT show proof you are leaving in 90 days - does it??
I personally ONLY get mine from TransNica and with their tickets you CAN change the date for NO FEE - but you MUST make any changes WITHIN 3 days of your Departure Date or you could loose that ticket.  I believe their tickets are good for up to 1 year so you could in essence change it a few time but they will only WRITE on your existing ticket - NOT re-issue another ticket.



CAN I BUY A BUS TICKET ONLINE?
None of the bus companies sell tickets online - 
BUT - 
I have a company in Costa Rica that - for a not so cheap fee - but a HELL of a LOT cheaper than an airline ticket - can go pre-purchase the bus ticket for you and then they will scan and email it to you and then meet you at SJO Airport and give you a ride to where you're going (price of ride included within a certain radius)
They can also do this for people needing a bus reservation ticket in High Season when buses can fill up days in advance (especially to beach destinations)


CONTACT (for now)
From US:  1-941-312-7569 
From CR:  (506) 8-378-6679 (without the 506 if you're already within CR)
Skype:  VallartaVicki (or search under VickiSkinner69@aol.com)  


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1 comment:

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