Good Evening All,

Not that we're counting, but can't wait to return to paradise. Any advice on advance airline ticket prices. Thought maybe some old pros might have a tip. We found a $760 round from Detroit and wondered if that might be as good as it gets in light of fuel costs. I realize that no one can predict, but wondered what others have seen over the last six months to a year as a barometer. Hope you all keep ducking the storms and have a great second half of the weekend...Peace

I usually found the prices to be cheaper when it was within 3 months of going, I would wait.

THANKS Kra-Z!

you're welcome. it is too bad you have to wait so long. Funny thing, I am counting down too until I return to the states...to my home state. Been a long time and really looking forward to 5 days there.

Book late, the Board will save you the money by the advise you receive. We look after everyone who comes here as we would our own family (except certain exceptions like Pedro1, who doesn't need help, of course!)

unless you come during xmas time. if you wait more than 8 weeks, it goes up, up, up. At least in 2003 and 2004 it did. It kept going UP, UP, UP. It was $500 in Oct, then $600 then to $850 when I purchased it then $1000 for a ticket I usually paid in the $400's for. Dec/Jan trips seem to be the time you should buy 2-3 months ahead.

I'm from Michigan and now live here, so I've shopped for those same tickets many times. My parents and little brother flew here last year from Detroit for $450, but that was in March. My brother and sister-in-law just were here a few weeks ago and they flew from Charlotte, North Carolina for an all time low of $350. If you can get a travel agent to route you through that airport, you may get a cheaper rate. You can do it yourself, of course, but it's such a pain in the butt and takes forever to check all of the websites where they try to route you all over the U.S. with overnight layovers. I need to take my own advice and book when the fares are lower, I'm flying to Florida for a few days and it's costing me $660. My mom follows the rates pretty regularly for their next visit, so if you pm me I'll be happy to send you a message when the fares are down. My husband and I sometimes fly via Cancun, which is super cheap, and spend a few days in Playa del Carmen drinking margaritas. That definitely makes the hassle of a 5 hour bus ride from Chetumal to Playa and then the 50 minute shuttle to the Cancun airport totally worth it! Good luck and happy travels!

Kra-Z-K

I know what you mean, I am really looking forward to visiting the States too. It's funny the things that you end up missing most. What are you looking forward to most? For me, shopping at the mall and going to a movie are definitely on my must-do list. Okay, I'll admit it, I also miss fast food... My mom talking about having lunch from Taco Bell and I was missing it until I remembered that my last taco fix was snapper tacos at Wild Mangos, which were super yummy. But after a short while I'm so ready to get back home.

BrownEyedGirl, there is little I miss...but I just am missing my family the past 2 days. You said after a short while you are so ready to get back home. How long have you lived here?
I love it here, just looking forward to 5 days in Minnesota.

Kra-Z-K,
I've lived in Belize for 3 years, the last 8 months here on the island. I absolutely love it here and pinch myself everyday that I'm lucky enough to call Belize home. Living the dream is amazing.

It is hard to be apart from family, I really miss them too. But I get to see them fairly often because they come and visit and we go to the the U.S. to visit our families a month a year in the summer. That way we get to vacation with them and spend some quality time together. We also fly to Michigan or Florida for a couple weeks at different times of the year, so it's not too bad.

As far as living though, I definitely prefer life here over Michigan for sure. I've had enough long winters to last a lifetime!

me too! definately here.

So, what's the bottom line - book early or book late??? We're coming Jan/Feb 07 - booked the hotel today, but unsure about booking the flights. Checked Expedia 3 weeks ago - found roundtrip for under $900 - now it's $1382 for same exact. Help!

wait.....keep checking and if you see a deal, jump on it. I would not be too concerned at all in waiting until at least late November.

Like klc says...keep checking. Program your city pairs into a site like Treavelocity that will notify you if the rates change, then be ready to buy.

InZanelyn, not sure how you came up with your profile name but I LOVE the name Zane! Had I given birth to a boy, Zane would be his name.

Thanks again - just found a great site for Canadians - it's www.flightcentre.ca (Best prices out of all of them and least amount of layover time). The gal at customer service said to wait until Aug-Sept and start checking for deals - she said this knowing the hotel was booked and I was ready to Visa her on the spot. That's good customer service!

Try these guys. For international, it's best to call so you can get the consolidator deal. You can ask for Roger if he's around.
http://www.bootsnall.com/internationalairfare/

I just purchased a ticket from the west coast to Berlin (one stop!) for the World Cup. I paid about $300 less than any other fare I could find that didn't have 3+ stops.

They take credit card fraud seriously - you will have to fax a copy of your ID and credit card along with an authorization form so be aware of that prior to making the reservation.

And yes, you may be a bit too far out to get the best deal...

Mika

DAMN DO I FEEL BAD OR WHAT!

I am sooooo sorry for the delay in checking back on my post...real world living sux compared to the excitement that a trip to BZ brings around our house...i truly want to thank all of you for your input...we are looking forward to coming and have actually taken the BIG step of inviting several family and friends down to share time (and get them hooked) in beautiful SP…I do want to update you on where we are in case any other folks read this (I may send an additional copy of this post directly to a few of the posters I read and apologize if this is over sharing)…obviously our friends and family have been discussing gas prices and any potential impact on plane tix…we began checking about the time of this original post and have discovered some wide ranging prices and possibilities…FIRST, I would also recommend a fare watcher/tracker option to see how low it might go over the next few months…the $500 mark seems to be a great possibility from here in the Midwest (IN), but the possibility of saving beer and rum money always lingers in the back of one’s mind…LOL…GULP, GULP…anywho, my father-in-law jumped early…and I decided last week to brave the miles redemption process with some excellent results (remember to check and double check and triple check if you can only get one ticket and want/NEED to travel with the whole family…we will be saving some $$$ cashing in miles, but it was a LOOOOOOOOONG seven hours to get us all scheduled properly…BIG NOTE: did you know that children tix are full fare AND that under two still adds another 10% + taxes/fees…OH WELL, it does feel nice to know that we have a plan and that we are now down to 292 days…woooooo hooooooo!!!!...how can we describe the feeling one gets when they step onto SP soil and breathe the tranquil wind of r&r (that really means rum and REAL relaxation!)…please let us know if we can offer any help to others (we’ve been down now five/six times)…and thanks again for the DB love!...PEACE, mdh