3 online discount airfare “secrets” guides: are they worth it?

Perhaps you’ve seen ads for “insider secrets” eBooks purporting to offer little known ways to save thousands of dollars on airfare and travel.  Are these eBooks worth it?  Do they offer valuable insights and advice that can legitimately be called “secret?”

I recently took a firsthand look at two such books (more on those two in a bit) and was about to purchase a third…

That eBook (Save on Airfare Secrets) was authored by someone who was purportedly fired by “the airlines” and offers to reveal the “shocking truth” about the industry to “gain revenge” and help you save big.  Before purchasing this eBook I searched for online reviews and discovered that it was thoroughly debunked last year on SmarterTravel. (Read the entire review by clicking on this link.)

If you’re not interested in reading the entire SmarterTravel article, here’s a direct quote from the review that should give you a good idea as to the veracity of the eBook:

The second section details the benefits of specialty discounts, claiming that senior, military, and “family” airfares in particular are greatly reduced; a nice idea that is usually not true in reality. Particularly iffy is the claim that airlines offer lower prices for travelers who say they are headed to business meetings.

“Save on Airfare Secrets”  sells for $24.95, by the way; not at all inexpensive.

Another, similar offering that may have caught your attention is The Travel Secrets Guide by James Steubing.  Google this title and you’ll find dozens and dozens of “reviews” in support of this eBook.  I have it, and frankly requested a refund within a few hours of downloading it.  Your mileage may vary, but I was astonished by how skimpy and/or obvious some of the information is; just a few examples:

• Chapter 7 – “Other Secrets”   The first page of this section is devoted to “packing smart.”  The entire “article” is 99 words long.  I summarize:  take half of what you need; bring an empty bag for the clothes you buy while traveling.
• On page 23 the author encourages “back to back” flights despite the fact that airlines are getting more and more vigilant – and punitive – in policing against back ticketing.  Just one example:  if American Airlines determines that you’re engaging in back to back flights, you “may be denied boarding, have the remainder of (your) ticket confiscated, and may be assessed the difference between the fare paid and the lowest applicable fare.”  (For the uninitiated, “back ticketing” or “back to back ticketing” is the practice of purchasing two discounted tickets with overlapping travel dates in order to circumvent minimum stay requirements.)  See related article:  Airline booking ploys @ Wikipedia
  
• On another page he suggests that if you’re traveling with a senior citizen it is “generally possible” for you to receive a senior citizen discount.  Try this sometime and see how far you get.  Nowadays it’s difficult for seniors to get senior discounts on airfare, let alone their travel companions.  Utter nonsense.
• Here’s another “secret”:  get an airline frequent flyer miles credit card and charge stuff on it including “ordinary monthly expenses” – you’ll get frequent flyer miles in return.  This information is to “secret” as Gary Busey is to “coherent.”
• The guide does link to lists of hotel, airfare and cruise consolidators.  I checked several of the airfare consolidators’ websites to get airfare quotes from Chicago to Rome, Italy and did no better than I did with Kayak.  For that matter, TravelZoo routinely offers tremendous air/hotel packages that seemingly outperform the airfare consolidators Steubing refers to.  To be fair:  perhaps over time one would find that these consolidators do indeed offer terrific savings; my initial experience, however, wasn’t very positive.

This guide sells for $39.95  It’s 62 pages, but frankly is light on content.   My advice:  save your money.  If you’ve used this guide and want to argue that it’s worth it, I’d love to hear from you.

A quality eBook that does offer some unique and solid ideas is Chris Guillebeau’s The Unconventional Guide to Discount Airfare.   Chris covers a number of topics including:

• How to achieve elite status quickly on several major airlines
• Getting into airline lounges
• Alternative routings, free stopovers, and unusual trips
• The world’s best airlines
• Beyond Travelocity:  what I use
• Discount Airlines in Europe, Asia, and North America

Here’s the deal:  Chris is an actual traveler who’s in the middle of trying to visit every country in the world.  Along the way he’s uncovered several things which truly are travel secrets.  At $24.97 (for a 29 page book), the Unconventional Guide isn’t inexpensive, but Chris offers free updates “for life” for all buyers.  If that seems like an hyperbolic promise, it’s not; Chris is the real deal.  If you’re a frequent traveler or are tired of poor service from most major airlines, check out Chris Guillebeau’s website and work.  (Note that the unconventional guide is aimed primarily at U.S. and Canadian travelers.)

Found any great travel secrets?  Some worthwhile discount travel-oriented eBooks?  Please join the conversation and share them by commenting!