With planning, foresight and a little bit of hard work, you can go ahead and have that dream vacation the economical way. Here's how:

*Search the internet, call airline agencies and watch the news to keep yourself up to date on discounts. There are a lot of promotional fares offered by airline companies that are new in the industry.

*When you do travel a lot, sign up for frequent flier miles.

*Ask about student fares or senior citizen discounts.

*Keep a flexible travel schedule. Go with the flow. If the promo states that they only give discounts every Tuesdays, then set your departure on Tuesday. Generally, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are the days that have fewer reservations, so it in on these days that tickets are sold cheap. Monday is usually the busiest day of the week.

* Do not go ahead and make reservations to the first airline company you see with promotions. Take the time to source out a variety of options. Take the time to find out if the promotion is indeed the cheapest in your area. Ask the clerk about other offers available. When checking through the internet, make sure you check at least five sites before you decide where to buy your tickets.

*You can have the option of purchasing tickets trough consolidators. These are people who buy a whole block of tickets and resell them at certain discounts. This helps the airline fill up still available seats. The travel section of the newspaper is the place to check for ticket consolidators.

*Try flying on off peak hours schedule. Usually if you take the before seven in the morning flight or the after seven in the evening flight, tickets are at their cheapest. This too, will be a wise decision since it is at these times that airlines are not overcrowded, thus getting more space for yourself and your luggage.

*Be sure to inquire if the airline offers travel packages. Some airlines do offer packages such as car rental discount or a hotel room discount that comes with the travel ticket.

* When you are flying off season, be very sure to ask about certain standby fares.

*Have an early booking. Promotions are usually offered when one reserves a ticket three weeks beforehand. Remember that due to over crowding during the holidays, you may not use your frequent flier miles. So book in advance if you plan to travel during the holidays.

*Staying with only one airline on your entire trip may too, give you discounts. Airlines offer special rates to round trip tickets or connecting flights.

Have a safe trip and enjoy!