In celebration of the New Year, my wife and I once again decided that this was the year we’d really get in shape. Not that we need to go on the Biggest Loser - we’re in decent shape already - we just want to take our fitness levels up a few notches. What better way to do that then to give ourselves a goal to work for. And because normal goals just don’t cut it, and we figured it be too easy to flake out if we registered for a local race, we decided we’d rather do a race half way across the country, in Nashville.

My wife wondered if it was that smart to register before we booked our flights. To which I did the normal guy thing and replied, “Don’t worry about it.” Apparently she didn’t know she was married to an online travel expert. I told her that if I couldn’t find us a couple of cheap plane tickets then they didn’t exist. She rolled her eyes.

For inexpensive plane tickets my go-to site is www.farecast.com.  The great thing about this site is that by analyzing the historic prices of airfares to your desired destination, they are able to provide the current prices and forecast whether or not you should buy your ticket now or wait. What’s more, they compare the rates across multiple airlines and travel sites giving you a nice snapshot of what to expect. And when you find the ticket you like, they link you to the carrier’s web site so you can buy direct and save some cash. I love it because I always know if I’m getting a good deal, and it cuts down on the time I spend looking for inexpensive flights.

If you’ve got the flexibility, loosen your travel dates and times then check out www.priceline.com and www.hotwire.com. These guys will find you the cheapest flights by searching up to 30 days around your ideal travel dates. So, if all you know is that you really want to go somewhere and don’t care when, they’ll hook you up with the most inexpensive plane tickets available.

Last but not least, it never hurts to visit the airline’s site. Often they’ll have specials available only through them or for members of their frequent flier programs. If you like to fly Southwest Airlines, the only way to book a flight is by doing so is directly through them. In my experience, if Southwest flies to where you want to go, check them out. Often they are the most inexpensive ticket around.

So, how much did the wife and I pay for our tickets? After visiting the above-mentioned sites, we were able to pick up two round-trip plane tickets for the dates and times we wanted for only $200 bucks a pop. The way I figure it, our plane tickets are cheaper than the gas it’d take to drive there and back. Needless to say, my wife now knows I’m the guru of inexpensive plane tickets - I’ve told her many, many times.