Finding Cheap Flights – The Definitive Guide

Posted by David Gunnarsson - 29/12/09 at 11:12:03 am

Finding cheap flights is one of those holy grails. When flying from A to B, how do you make sure you get the lowest price possible? The answer is not really straightforward, and it isn’t always easy but there are a few things to keep in mind and of course some tricks of the trade.

Search everywhere
Obviously you can just go to Orbitz or Expedia, but that really wouldn’t be fair. Those two sites, along with thousands of similar ones are online travel agents (OTA’s). They buy millions of airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises, and holiday packages and then resell them at a higher price.

OTA pros & cons
This means two things: One, their prices will vary greatly based on availability, their margins, the season, weekdays, and a lot of other things. Second, a single OTA will never give you the full scope of available prices so you will not be able to determine whether you’ve actually found the lowest price.

What to do
In order to make sure you do everything you can to find the lowest price, you need to search at least one flight meta search engine. There are plenty of those, and this being the Dohop blog, I guess you could say I’m a little biased. However, there are other good ones out there, most notably our friends at Kayak.com and Skyscanner.net. There are also a few meta-meta searches (they search a pool of meta search sites), but they’re usually problematic. Don’t pick one you like just yet because they’re not all the same.

Too many choices
If you’re only looking for a short single leg flight, for example from New York to Washington D.C., there are plenty of options but they will not vary greatly in price due to the fact that these are simply shuttle services without a lot of variants. For longer distances, international flights, and especially if there’s no direct flight, using a meta search will save you time and money. A meta search is also helpful if you want to include low-cost airlines in your search. Dohop includes all low-cost airlines and actually takes flight search one step further than most others.

The case for Dohop
Taking flight search one step further is what Dohop is all about. We are more about finding the best itinerary to your destination than anything else. We search all possible routes and then match them as efficiently as we can, even matching otherwise unconnected legs. This means every time you search on Dohop, given that you’re not looking for a relatively short single-leg flight, we create so called self-connect options, allowing you save even more money.

Self-connect pros & cons
Self-connecting means just that. You’re creating an itinerary that only you are responsible for. This means you may not be able to check your bags all the way through, you are not covered if your flight is delayed and you miss your connection, and you may even have to change airports within a city. However, in many cases this can save you tons of money and Dohop is the only flight search engine in the world that makes this possible.

Long story short
If you want to fly from New York to Washington, D.C., just book a flight. Flying within the US, Kayak.com is generally a good bet, although Dohop has the same prices they do and we’ll generally show you more low-cost airline options. But for international flights, especially over long distances, you can almost be sure that Dohop will find a price that’s impossible to beat.

Traveling during Christmas Time

Posted by Katrín Sif - 29/12/09 at 11:12:07 am

The nature of the holiday season always gives me an obsessive cumpolsive urge to travel, since its the time of year when everyone has time off and either goes home or to some sunny destination for Christmas time. I, of course, was resisting the other voice in my head, which said “no, dont travel now, there is so much air traffic, airports are so busy, and bad weather is all over the northern hemisphere that traveling right now would be stupid.” However, the choice was much simpler than that for me, since I am completely broke and have no way of getting anywhere right now, so I stayed put in Vancouver. This has worked out great, since all my friends who have left have vacated their place to me, asking me to house-sit, feed plants or walk dogs and having access to 3 or 4 different refuges has been kind of special. However, I am so overcome by jealousy of everyone elses travels that I’ve spent alot of time traveling through other people’s pictures, reading blogs, and planning my own future travels.

I have been hearing so many horror stories about people’s traveling times over the last few days. Average delay times in JFK New York and Newark airports were reported at above 3 hours, storms all over the east coast have grounded Chicago and Boston bound planes, and worst of all, an attempted Christmas day terrorist attack from a Delta flight east-coast bound from Amsterdam could have ended fatally for hundreds, but miraculously, passengers extinguished the chemical bomb before it detonated.

Traveling any other time of the year somehow seems more efficient and safe, not only for the above reasons but also because of airfares; I could not make it back to Iceland for the holidays since flights were out of my affordability reach, over 110.000kr, about 600 Euros, when Ive paid only 56.000kr for the same flight other times of the year. A friend of mine paid $2,700 US to go from San Francisco to Cape town (its usually around $1500), and others have had to take 3 flight connections just to get from coast to coast when one, 5 hr flight usually suffices.

Going from Iceland to Canada or vice versa always makes me lose a day in transit, and the 8 hr jet lag takes a couple more to recover, so I’m generally too confused to know what day is actually christmas.It has also been nice to not have to do anything in preparation for Christmas; no packing, shopping, wrapping gifts; I have really just been able to enjoy the free time and stay put for once. Despite all these negative reprecussions of travelling, avoiding peak season is a good enough recipe for efficient travel and successfully enjoying the holidays. I can day dream about so many places I want to go and journeys I want to take, but it has been extremeley satisfying to not travel this christmas season. But, don’t get me wrong, I still look very much forward to my next travel experience, beginning Jan 11th, just after this Christmas hustle and bustle finally slows down.

Top Tips for Christmas and New Year’s Travel

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 28/12/09 at 11:12:05 am

There’s nothing festive about standing in a long queue at the airport when you should have been lying in that hammock, reuniting with family or chilling at the beach hours ago. However, that’s what often happens in the peak holiday travel season, when everyone hits the airport and tempers start to fray.

Here are some tips for keeping your cool this holiday travel season.

Be digital – Some airlines allow you to check in online in the 24 hours before your flight which can save yourself a lot of standing around at the airport. Same goes for the self service kiosks, although online check in is probably a better option due to numbers of tech savvy passenger having grown (and therefore a bigger queue). There will still be a queue for bag drop-off but it tends to move fairly quickly. Online check-in will also allow you to choose your seat.

Prepare for crowds – January 2 and 3 are likely to be the busiest days at airports this year, when many people will be returning home. If you’re travelling on or around those days, plan to get to the airport long before your flight and prepare yourself for long queues. You don’t wanna miss your flight in case it is overbooked.

Pack light- It’s hard to pack light at Christmas but it does make life easier, as well as help you avoid excess-baggage charges. Airlines have little Christmas spirit when it comes to overweight bags.

Think ahead – If you’re going to need airport transfers, airport parking, hotel parking or other arrangements, book it now. Seeing the “car park full” sign when you have a flight to catch can make you feel wretched and you shouldn’t assume hotels will have parking available when rooms are fully booked. Dohop can of course help you with this!

Be distracted – If you’re flying, get yourself that book you’ve been wanting to read so you can turn waiting time into relaxation rather than frustration. Accept that things are going to take longer than normal and use the time enjoyably. Downloading some podcasts or new music before you leave can also make a big difference. If you have children, a cheap, portable DVD player may help bring peace and goodwill.

Don’t forget your Christmas spirit – If there’s one guarantee about the holiday travel season, it’s that there will be spectacular tantrums in the airport and on the roads – and we’re not talking about children. In the airport, remember the staff are doing their best to get thousands of passengers on the right planes at the right times – it’s not in an airline’s interest to take off late. It may also help to remember that everyone else is trying to get to their holiday destination as well… wear a Santa hat, listen to music, do whatever it takes to remember that Christmas is supposed to be fun, not survival of the fittest.

Happy Holidays from Dohop!

Posted by David Gunnarsson - 24/12/09 at 09:12:38 am

We’d like to wish you a very merry Christmas and happy New Year. Thanks for faithfully reading our blog this year – and remember to tune in next year. 2010 will be the year of great airline deals and if you plan on finding cheap flights for the summer you really should start planning right away.

Go to dohop.com now to find and book your cheap flights and make 2010 a year of great travels.

Happy holidays!

Top 5 Places to have a Very Merry Christmas

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 23/12/09 at 08:12:56 am

Do you want to do something different this christmas? Did you suddenly have a change of plans and are pondering what you should do in the holidays? It’s not too late to book your dream christmas vacation!

Boston, United States – Get cozy in snowy New England, book a hotel with a fireplace and have a roasted lobster instead of your usual christmas dinner! Perfect for those that enjoy the American kind of christmas spirit, shopping and decorations.. Christmas can not pass you by in this place!

Bay of Islands, New Zealand – Want to get out of the cold and to a less christmasy place? It’s easy to forget all about snow, christmas and restless spending in the northern tip of the North Island. Just sit back in the sun, sip some wine in the next vineyard and relax.

Tromso, Norway - The snowy city island of Tromso offers unparalleled views of the Northern Lights and a chance to say you’ve been to the North Pole – well, the Arctic Circle, anyway – for Christmas. Plus, there’s dogsledding, great food, and a mountaintop cable car!

Vienna, Austria - For an old-fashioned kind of christmas, head to the Austrian capital where the christmas warmth softens the hard edges of imperial architecture with twinkling decorations and three outdoor Christkindlmarkets, which are best visited at night. Vendors sell crafts and ornaments, while visitors fuel their shopping with finger food and a glass of spiced mulled wine.

Mexico City – Mexican christmas has cool, sunny days and long, tequila-fueled nights. Los reyes magos (the three wise men) bear gifts along with Santa and you’ll hear a swinging mariachi sound track to one of the best Christmas parties around. Join the thousands of celebrants at Catedral Metropolitana, one of the world’s largest cathedrals in one of the world’s largest squares.

If you’re not sure, remember that a simple change of scenery will do the trick in conjuring the holiday spirit and supplying a dose of much-needed rejuvenation at the end of the year… you just have to choose hot or cold, christmasy or non-christmasy and pick your destination accordingly!

The Dreamliner

Posted by Tihomir Rangelov - 21/12/09 at 11:12:51 am

The aviation industry is definitely undergoing rapid changes these days. Now that Airbus is producing more and more of its giant A380 Boeing successfully carried out the maiden flight of its newest aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner, near its base in Seattle. The 787 has been the fastest selling wide-body airliner in history and that is obviously for a reason.

Boeing is aiming to set new standards in air travel with the Dreamliner. The plane will offer more comfort to passengers with a brand new interior design, larger windows, cleaner and better air, more storage space and internet connection.
Some of these conveniences are possible because of the new materials, which Boeing is using to build the aircraft. Instead of aluminium, Boeing uses composite materials for constructing the fuselage, which allows for higher internal pressure during flight (that means less dizziness for you) and higher air humidity, as the composite materials are not subject to corrosion as aluminium. Besides, with the 787 Boeing is introducing new systems to improve passenger experience during turbulence and heavily reduce noise from the engines. The new materials also make the aircraft lighter than comparable planes and Boeing promises that the 787 will use 20% less fuel than its current rivals.

The Dreamliner will be able to seat less than 300 passengers, which makes it tiny compared to Airbus’ A380 but the idea behind both planes is totally different. The A380 was designed with the belief that in the future people will prefer to fly long distances between hubs and then take smaller planes to their final destination. This is the so-called hub-and-spoke model, which is in active use at the moment. Boeing, on the other hand belives in the point-to-point model, that is that people will want to fly directly to their final destination rather than change planes at big airports. The Dreamliner is capable of doing that as it has a range of more than 8,000 miles (enough to fly from New York to Asia or between Dubai and Los Angeles).
The 787 starts regular service at the end of 2010 with All Nippon Airlines. Although only the future will show which industry model is more successful, the most important thing is that air carriers get a better selection of aircraft and passengers will get better service at competitive prices.

The very scary New York City

Posted by Rúna Vala - 18/12/09 at 10:12:52 am

I grew up in the capital of Iceland, so I’m a small town kind of a girl. You know what Imean if you’ve been there. Everyone is kind of aware of each other and deep down we know that we’re one big family. Seriously, we’re all related!

Last year I spent a semester as an exchange student in little Iowa City, Iowa, USA. I learned some ASL (American Sign Language), got to know the co-op way of living and made a few good friends. I had a great time. When the time came to go home my friend drove me to Cedar Rapids airport. The trouble started there: JFK airport in NY had been closed down due to weather (I looked out the window and thought: what weather?) so they had to re route me to La Guardia (that’s what? 15 kilometers away from JFK? How could they fly there if they couldn’t fly to JFK I ask myself to this day). I’d have one and a half hour to collect my bags, get the shuttle and check in at JFK to catch my connection flight. I ended up staying 6 hours at O’Hare airport, Chicago.

I was in contact with my husband via text and he found me a place to stay in NY at an old co worker’s place, just in case. When I finally made it to NY he informed me that my plane had already left. So, I grabbed a cab (one of them yellow ones, mind you) and as soon as I told the driver where I wanted to go he started yelling at me for wanting to go such a short way. He’d been in the line for customers for two hours and because he’s only going so short he wouldn’t get a waiver to get in front of the line. I was very tired and stressed out, so I yelled back at him to leave me be ad not yell at me, since I’d had a long and hard day. When we reached the house he asked me if I wouldn’t tip him. I said that he’d been rude to me and he made some lame excuse that I can’t even remember. In the end I think I tipped him a dollar. When I started ringing the doorbell, there was no answer. This is where the tears started flowing: me, alone in NY, with two 50 pound bags, no credit on my cell and I didn’t have the guy’s phone number. The first reaction on the behalf of the cab driver was: what am I supposed to do? But then he saw how upset I was that he told me that he knew owners of a bar just by and they’d definitely let me call. On the way he offered me to take me to his place and let me call there. I refused.

When we reached the bar I gave him fifteen dollars. The first reaction of the bouncer when I barged in with my two enormous suitcases was: what am I supposed to do? I showed him my ID and asked him firmly to watch my luggage while I went in to make a phone call.

Of course, the bartender’s first reaction when I explained the situation to him was: what am I supposed to do? Then the tears flowed even harder and he looked at me and went to get his iphone. I made the call. When my husband asked me: honey, are you OK? I cried: NO, Im NOT OK! I’m alone in New York, without credit, no one answers the door and I don’t have the guy’s number! OF COURSE Im not OK! Next I called the guy and he explained that they had been asleep. The bartender called me a cab (no a yellow one, just to fit the chain of events) and then he informed me that he’d just heard about Iceland (probably in relation to the bank crunch), and that otherwise he wouldn’t have believed that I was from there.

When I finally reached my final destination I cried a little bit more, but this time out of relief.

From this experience I conclude that most people are good people, and even though they wouldn’t help at the drop of a hat, they most of the time end up helping a fellow Earthling in need.

Brushing Elbows with the Stars in NYC

Posted by Katrín Sif - 16/12/09 at 11:12:03 am

I decided it would be a good time to go to New York to try and get some down time while working on my final essays and thesis chapters due at Berkeley. I thought it was a good idea since flights were only $179US round trip from San Francisco, and I didnt have to be here to work on my school stuff since classes have been out since Dec. 3rd. It turned out to be a pretty irresponsible trip, however, since it was all play and no work.

I got to see an amazing Russian Pianist, Valdimir Feltsman, play at Carnegie Hall the first night I was in the city. I spent one entire afternoon at the Metropolitain Museum of Art and only managed to see less than half of the displays. I went to the infamous exhibition “Bodies,” and decided I didn’t like the use of deceased persons as (expensive) entertainment for tourists. However, the highlight of my trip was definitely the last night in town, where a friend of mine from Canada invited me to his work party.

Let me begin by explaining, his ‘work’ is professional modeling, and the party host was the modeling agency Wilhelmina, one of the top agencies in New York. The party was at a super chic bar in Chelsea that didnt look like much from outisde, no line, guest-list only, and an open bar once you got inside this little brick cave. I have never seen so many beautiful people in my life. I happened to be sitting right next to Ricky Martin at one point in the night, and as we were leaving, Leonardo Dicaprio brushed past us.

If that wasnt enough of an introduction to star-glamour, our VIP night carried on with one of my friends stylists taking us to Timbeland’s CD release party at a club whose entrance was right beside the stinky alleyway where hot dog vendors store their stands overnight. Justin Timberlake was performing, and later on hanging out behind a sea of oversized black security guards. Then, an after-after party took us until the wee hours of the morning, and I could barely handle the amount of eye candy and free alcohol without sticking out like sore thumb amongst some of the most important and beautiful people in the fashion industry.

It was definitely an interesting and exciting glimpse into the life of the rich and famous, and also into the complex, underground nightlife that hides in all sorts of umassuming corners of New York City.

Eat Like a Local

Posted by Mica Allan - 14/12/09 at 08:12:39 am

Climbing up the rickety stairs suggested I was about to reach an attic rather than a restaurant. Emerging into a roomful of people deep in animated chatter, I could see the walls had been painted a vivid, turquoise color: about thirty years before. Paint was peeling off the walls. Soon our waiter appeared in a white tracksuit, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his pencil poised to take our orders.

Such was the beginning of one of the best meals I‘ve ever had in my life one rainy night in Hanoi.

Although the surroundings were less than salubrious, the atmosphere was alive, warm and the food of fresh local fish, noodles and green vegetable leaves was superb. I learned a valuable lesson that night and that‘s if you‘re searching for an authentic culinary experience eat where the locals do and you won‘t be disappointed.

All too often we‘re drawn to a fancy restaurant with a touristy menu, or with fabulous decor and whilst these kind of eateries have their place, looking beneath the surface of what a city has to offer can serve up some tasty treats. Arguably, the quality of your surroundings may be less than palatial but trust me, this can add more to the charm and it also allows the food to remain center stage, rather than the state of the art lighting or the provocative art splashed around the walls. In short, whilst these places may not look palatial, you will certainly eat like a king.

So, as it gets to that festive time of year again, if you‘re travelling somewhere different for the holidays and will be eating out, you‘d be opening up new adventures for your taste buds in going where the locals go to eat.

Things to do and see in New Zealand

Posted by Freyja Oddsdóttir - 11/12/09 at 10:12:19 am

I have lived in New Zealand for 6 months now and not even discovered a fraction of what there is to do and see. If you’re on your way over here, here are some of the things you simply must do.

1. Sample some of the best white wine around in the vineyards on the west of the Southern Alps.
2. Go to a New Zealand beach. The sea is clear, the sand is white with beautiful shells and all around the beach there will be green hills with trees.
3. Take the TranzScenic train from Picton to Christchurch (South Island). It’s called scenic for a reason!
4. Go skydiving, bungee jumping or paragliding!
5. Have a burger and kumara fries at Burger Fuel – a New Zealand food chain which will probably take the world by storm soon. Best hangover food ever!
6. Have a honey experience in a store that only sells honey related products.
7. Go to an All Blacks game and see the haka… and the rugby players…
8. Go tramping… or in other words, hiking!
9. Do a kiwi road trip from the north tip of North Island to the south tip of the South Island.. the Interislander will take you across the Cook Strait.
10. Have a roast meal on a Sunday night… I recommend the lamb!

Search