Book your own flight to keep flying affordable

With the holidays here, many Americans will be traveling over the next few weeks.Luckily for us, booking a flight is so much easier than it used to be. In the times before the internet, you would have to either contact a travel agency to do the legwork for you or call up the airlines to book. You didn't know if you were getting a good deal, or what your options really were.Nowadays, it is easy to do this sort of thing yourself, as long as you have a little time and know where to look.For me, my biggest concern is a straight flight. I hate layovers. So unless the difference in price is extreme, I am willing to spend a few extra dollars to have a direct flight. My next concern is the price. I have no allegiance to any airline (although I typically book Southwest) or airport, we just want a straight flight at the best price possible.You can start out by going to sites such as Expedia.com and Priceline.com, and in the past, I have booked through them. The problem is that the flights always have layovers, and I have been able to get a straight flight directly through the airline at a cheaper fare on many occasions.Another site that is nice to check is Kayak.com. This site will allow you to compare prices through different vendors.A couple ways that I ensure I'm finding the best price is to pick a couple days that I feel I could leave and return. I then do the searches to see which day offers the best deal. It is a good idea to do these searches at the different airlines/travel sites, and you should be able to see a pattern.Three airports that I prefer using are Akron-Canton Airport, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. I do searches for flights at each of these airports. A few years back, I even traveled to Columbus, as I was able to find a great deal there. Any farther than that and it wouldn't really be worth it to me. The last couple of years for me, Pittsburgh has offered the best deals.Although you do spend some time researching, you will most likely find a good deal. I usually fly several times throughout the year and I always book my own flights. I've gotten quite used to the process and if you know what you are doing, you should be able to constantly find the best deal for your travel. This is just another instance in which the internet makes life a little easier.Lee