Just because the economy is in the toilet doesn’t mean vacations should be canceled. Travelers just need to be a bit more careful about spending the cash they have and that starts with finding the best airfare from a dizzying array of prices. A recent search for a flight from Seattle to Los Angeles for March 18 to 20, 2011 for a family of four showed a range of prices from $244 to $376 per person. So how does the average traveler find the best price? It all comes down to shopping.

Need Cheap Airfare? Try a Travel Agent

With the introduction of do-it-yourself web searches the travel agent industry has fallen out of vogue. However, a good travel agent can still find killer deals, especially for complicated flights or to overseas destinations. By booking tickets through wholesalers or group packagers, travel agents can often provide rates significantly cheaper that those found online. Plus, travel agents may be able to create a destination package that includes a lower cost airfare when combined with a hotel and car.