The Story: Huzzah! Your library has approved your trip to ALA, and they've even agreed to pay for it. Now, to book a plane, hotel, conference registration, and shuttle service in a city you've never been to, know nothing about, and are going to by yourself, all while trying to get the best deals. No sweat, right?
You suddenly remember all the ads you've seen for travel websites, each claiming to be the best at getting you deals on flights, hotels, "and more!". But who to trust? You therefore spend hours, both at work and at home, combing every single one, debating the merits of taking a redeye or an unheard-of airline for a few dollars less, calculating the savings of booking your hotel with your flight versus with your conference registration, looking up public transportation, measuring and weighing your luggage in various arrangements, and in general, just going crazy about the whole thing.
The Lesson: Don't sweat it. You'll find that the same planes are flying at the same times for roughly the same prices no matter which website you book from or search from. You'll find that no matter how carefully you read the regulations, you'll wind up paying for something unexpected (parking at the airport just a couple hours too short to get the week-long discount and instead paying for six days at full-price, for example, or finding that one airline gives you free checked baggage but is more expensive by the same amount of money it would cost to check your baggage on another, "cheaper", airline). Always plan for at least $100 in miscellaneous expenses. Save all your receipts and write on them what they were for, especially if it's not obvious. If you can take advantage of flexible flights and travel in and out in the middle of the week as opposed to the weekend, you'll save probably a hundred dollars or more on your flight, but if your library can't afford to lose you for that long, be prepared for $300-$500 prices on economy-class flights anywhere within the USA.
Sometimes direct flights are actually cheaper than ones that have layovers, but other times not. Don't sacrifice all your time and comfort for a bargain. Three connecting flights might save you $50, but is it worth it to be traveling for an extra four hours and give the airlines three chances to lose your luggage? Traveling out of the big-city international airport (and likely flying direct) may save you $100, but how much will it cost in gas/parking/train fare to get there as opposed to your smaller airport closer to home (and needing a connector), not to mention extra travel time and more opportunities for circumstances beyond your control to intervene and make you miss your flight? You can book different airlines going there and going back, so don't be afraid to do some shopping around on your own on each airline's website in addition to all those travel websites, if you've got the time.
Also, when booking your flights, don't forget to take into account what time you're actually allowed to check in at your hotel and how long it takes to get there from the airport using your transportation method of choice (rent a car? public transit? hire a shuttle?), or you may find yourself sitting in the lobby for two hours, sweaty and grumpy from travel, and desperately in need of a nap/food/shower/all of the above, or else lugging your whole entourage around the conference for half the day, or being that awkward person in pajamas with a suitcase and a travel pillow at the restaurant where you went to kill time while they got your room ready. Suddenly that cheap early flight isn't all it's cracked up to be. Don't forget snacks, even if they say they serve food on the plane, and bring an empty water bottle to fill after you pass security instead of paying exorbitant amounts of money for their duty-free-shop water. Wear flip-flops to get through security faster, but pack a pair of warm socks in your carry-on for comfort on the plane. Always pack underwear in your carry-on. Even on a direct flight, never underestimate the ability of an airport to lose your baggage, and always have a couple extra pairs of underwear and enough clothing/toiletries for two days. Trust me; this is not a lesson you want to learn the hard way.
The Resources: Personally, I've had good luck with the travel websites JustFly, Google Flights, and Kayak, as well as the airlines Jet Blue, United, and Southwest. However, I don't fly frequently enough to effectively rate every single one, and I do know that companies are constantly changing things, and new ones are coming on to the market all the time (like Skiplagged, for those who travel light), so your experiences may vary greatly from mine. If you are going to the conference on your own dime, save money on a hotel by staying on someone's couch. Couchsurfing is great for that, and it's pretty easy to find people anywhere on the planet willing to host someone for free. You just have to be friendly and plan to spend some time getting to know your hosts and talking about yourself and what you're doing at the conference in return for their hospitality. They've got a user feedback/ratings system, so you can choose only to contact potential hosts who have hosted people before with all positive feedback. Also, don't be afraid to stay in a cheaper hotel, like Extended Stay America, which may have fewer frills, but you'll be spending all your time at the conference anyway, so what does it really matter? If you do wind up staying in a hotel, use the app TraffickCam by ExchangeInitiative to do some good while you're traveling. Take pictures of the room you're staying in and upload it to their database along with the hotel information. The authorities then use these pictures to compare against the backgrounds of hotels in child and other illegal pornography, bringing them closer to finding out where these crimes are taking place and making it easier for authorities to track and bring to justice the people carrying out sex trafficking crimes.
Clear skies and happy travels, from one librarian-turned-travel-agent to another!
