Manila, here we come!
DH and I have been going back and forth on dates we may be able to travel back to Manila for a short trip. So far, end of May and December are our choices. However, we aren’t able to confirm anything or buy tickets yet due to the fact my friend O hasn’t given me a definite wedding date. She’s thinking of a May or December wedding—the same months we’re considering for a trip to Manila! We spoke briefly last week and when I tried hounding her for a definite date—again—she promised me she’d give me an answer within two weeks’ time. Supposedly, everyone else and their mamas have been bugging her and her fiancée about a date that it’s starting to really stress them out. Welcome to wedding planning!
So two weeks’ it is and we’ll finally be able to lay out our Manila plans too. I just hope it won’t be too late to grab some of the nice cheap tickets I’m seeing online. One of the sites I’ve been frequenting is Cfares.com. They search the top travel consolidators, major airline sites, and online travel agencies to get you the best fare possible. If you’re familiar with Costco (a big warehouse full of goodies that you can buy in bulk at super low prices), Cfares has similar rules – you must be a member to take advantage of the low airline rates. But don’t be worried about having to pay a membership fee because, as told in MONEY magazine, you get that money back in one trip if you were to take a family trip overseas. The savings are worth it! I did some comparison shopping at priceline.com and surprisingly enough, I was still able to get a lower price at Cfares.com for a round-trip ticket from San Francisco to Manila—and that was just for a free Gold membership (there are two types: Gold and Platinum). Imagine my savings if I had a Platinum membership? Not only do Platinum members get the lowest rates in the industry direct from wholesalers and consolidators, they get below market airfares created in real time just for them—and these rates aren’t available anywhere else on the web! Best of all, Platinum members have purchasing power through cAgent—an exclusive service where you know your airline, travel times, and set your own price in advance. You’d be able to see everything before you buy.
I’m so ready to purchase. This is going to be a long two weeks.