One of the first steps to getting a good price on a flight is figuring out how much other travelers are paying. To find out, plug your route into Kayak.com, then click on the site's Fare History charts, which display the lowest fares and the overall average prices found during the month you've selected. Kayak also shows you a calendar of the best fares for your itinerary found by other users in the past 48 hours. While there's no guarantee you'll get a steal, at least you'll have a ballpark figure of how much you should be paying.
Travel is full of pitfalls. One wrong step and your vacation could be ruined by a seedy hotel room, an overpriced restaurant, a wasted afternoon at a tourist-trap attraction or an overnight flight crammed in the middle seat. So, guarantee a smooth trip by planning thoroughly. Here's how to make all the right moves.