Save Big Money Flying Home From College

The rising cost of air travel can hit budget-focused college students especially hard. Luckily, undergraduates have some unique money-saving options at their disposal.

• Several websites offer special airfares available only to professors and students. In my experience, StudentUniverse.com is the best of these; STA Travel is also popular. Savings tend to be more substantial for international travel.
• If you're flexible, traveling on the holiday itself is often cheaper than flying just before or after. For instance, the current best one-way fare for a flight from Los Angeles to Boston is $271 on December 23, but it drops to $190 on Christmas Eve or $205 on Christmas Day.
• For last-minute travel, AirTran has an excellent program. AirTran U offers students standby travel at a flat rate of $69 one-way ($99 for longer routes). No checked bags are allowed, and there is no guarantee you will get on a given flight, but the fares are terrific. Given the nature of standby travel, it is impractical for routes requiring a connection.
• Southwest has a student version of its frequent flyer program, College Rapid Rewards, which grants a free roundtrip flight after only three paid roundtrips.

The simplest way to follow ever-changing prices is to sign up for fare alert emails, such as those from FareCompare.com or SmarterTravel.com sister site Airfarewatchdog.com. These sites track airfares and email you when the fares drop on your selected routes. Also, be sure to check out our general tips for booking the cheapest airfare.

Have a great travel tip you'd like to share? Send your insider travel strategies to editor@smartertravel.com.