I was very happy to receive travel questions this week. Some of you (as far as I can tell) are fearful about traveling. The first thing I can say is relax.

While traveling does have its downsides, the advantages make up for it. Not many people have ever been out of the country, and if you do leave, you will have a great travel story to tell the folks back home.

One question that was asked was, “If I want to request a later departure time with my airlines, how do I do this?” The first thing to do is check how you booked your ticket.

Sometimes when booking with a consolidator (on a low cost Web site such as cheapfairs.com) you cannot change your ticket or fly times, depending on the airline. But it is best to read the policy. Sometimes you can change your ticket, but additional fees apply.

Either way, I suggest that if you want to change your flight time, call the airlines. Some airlines seats are overbooked for your first flight, so they might welcome the change. Other airlines will only do this for a fee.

The worst possible case is that you call and the airline says no. But if you don’t try, you will never know.

Another question posed was, “My plane departs at 11:05 a.m. from Heathrow. What time do you think I should get there so I don't miss my plane?”

All airlines suggest for international fights that you arrive at least 2 hours before departure. Because of long lines at various stations I suggest at least 2 and a half hours.

If not many people are waiting in line then 2 and a half hours will be too much. (That’s OK, you can always do the duty-free shopping before you get on the plane!)

If lots of people are at the airport and flying that day, you’ll be glad you have this extra time. You should also note that many airlines only open the check in counters 2 hours before departure. But if you arrive early you’ll be the first on in line, and well on your way to catching your flight.

When booking a flight, I suggest shopping around for the best prices. Some people have a preferred airline, and by doing so gain frequent flyer miles. The problem that I have with frequent flyer miles is that you have to fly often the same airlines to either 1) have enough miles to redeem, 2) if you do have enough miles and want to fly somewhere, sometimes blackout dates apply, 3) there are a limited number of seats that the airline gives out per plane with frequent flyer miles, (so if they are taken you’re out of luck), or 4) the miles expire over a period of time (about a year) depending on the airline carrier.

I always check websites like: cheaptickets.com, cheapoair.com, expedia.com or orbitz.com first, and then if I find a cheap price, I go back to the original airline Web site. So, for example, if on low-cost flight Web site x I find a good flight for Lufthansa, then I go to Lufthansa’s Web site and compare prices. The low-cost Web sites don’t always have the best prices.

It pays to shop around; sometimes you can save up to $200 or more by doing this. Some Web sites also offer students discounts like: statravel.com, studentuniverse.com or studenttravel.com.

The above sites are the ones I use, but there are many more. Just Google cheap flights or student travel.

Also, if you know a foreign language, then try looking for a flight in Google under that language. For example in German, try the German Google Web site under www.google.de.

If traveling or backpacking in Europe, I also suggest flying. Now some of you might think that this is not in your budget.

But flying in Europe on a low-cost airline is not only cheap but safe as well. I have flown many of these low-cost airlines where the ticket was free, or a few cents.

You have to pay the taxes, but depending on the airport this ranges from 20 to 50 Euros one way. The sooner you book, the cheaper the ticket is. If you wait and book the ticket a few days before you fly, then it can be expensive.

Not all airlines fly to all destinations, but often flying long distances in Europe are cheaper than taking the trains. You might ask how these airline companies can afford giving or selling tickets at such cheap prices. V

arious regional governments support and subsidize these airline companies. Often these flights fly to smaller destinations, because these regional governments are looking for tourist dollars. Busses can take you to the main cities or town for a fair price.

Feel free to send in more of your travel questions to Krista at editorial@uwmpost.com

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