1. Fly from further afield

This may sound silly, but by widening your choice of departure airport, you could save a lot of money. The larger airports carry more flights and that allows airlines to keep prices low. By flying from a bigger airport you could save a lot of money on your flights.

2. Travel out of season

If you’re not bound by school holidays, take the opportunity to travel out of season and fly during the week rather than at weekends. Flights are often cheaper during these times in order to encourage travel, so think about leaving on a Thursday rather than a Friday and see what a difference it could make to the price.

3. Register for updates

Cheap discount vacation travel companies often operate newsletters or email updates to let you know about special offers and last minute deals. Registering for these communications gives you advance information about discount travel, allowing you to take advantage of offers that suit you.

4. Find hotel reviews

Cheap holiday hotels aren’t always good. It’s best to get as much information as you can from the travel company and to go online to look for reviews. This is a great way to find out if you’re booking a great little budget hotel or a place that could spoil your holiday.

5. Book online

You can often get discounts on flights, hotels, car hire and vacation packages if you book online. Make sure that the site you’re booking with has a secure payment system and that you print off your confirmation so that you can call the company with any queries or problems. Use reputable discount holiday travel sites and you could get your holiday for a much cheaper price than on the high street.

It is possible to get great cheap discount vacation with a little bit of research and a flexible approach to travel times.

Symptoms if jet lag include fatigue and general tiredness, inability to sleep at night, loss of concentration, headaches, malaise and disorientation. It is caused by the disruption of biological rhythms as a result of rapid transitions across multiple time-zones. Such desynchronization of circadian rhythms also affects employees who transfer to night shifts.

Preflight preparation isone of the most important aspects of combating jet lag. Before leaving, be sure you have all your affairs, personal and professional, in order. Avoid late farewell parties, so that you are not tired or hungover from a function the night before. Participate in regular exercise in the days prior to departure and if possible try to avoid exposure to people with flu or colds. Get a full night of sleep just prior to departure.

There is evidence that jet lag is less acute on eastward rather that westward flights, as it is easier to force oneself to stay up later than normal than it is to fall asleep earlier than normal. Daytime flights cause less jet lag than overnight flights, which is why the latter are called “red-eye” flights. Due to cramped seating and ambient noise, don’t expect to get a good night’s rest on one of these flights.

Drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, since the dry air in airplanes causes dehydration. Water is better than coffee, tea and fruit juices. Alcoholic drinks are a poor choice for combating dehydration, and demonstrate a markedly greater intoxicating effect when consumed in the rarefied atmosphere of an airliner compared to ground level.

A blindfold, neck rest or blow-up pillow, and ear plugs can help you get quality sleep while flying. If there are some spare seats on the flight, lay across them, since it easier to fall asleep laying flat than sitting propped up.

Get up and exercise frequently. Walking up and down the aisle, standing for short periods, and doing twisting and stretching exercises in your seat reduces discomfort from swollen legs and feet, and prevents potentially deadly Deep Vein Thrombosis. On long flights,get off the plane if possible at stopovers, and take a short walk around the airport. As far back as 1988 the Lancet report estimated “that over three years at Heathrow Airport, 18% of the 61 sudden deaths in long distance passengers were caused by clots in the lungs.” These clots originate in leg veins where blood pools and coagulates due to passenger immobility.

There are many products purported to prevent or cure jet lag. One of them is melatonin, a hormone produced naturally by the body to produce sleepiness. Another product, No-Jet-Lag, has been proven effective in a scientific trial of round-the-world passengers and confirmed by longhaul flight attendants in a test conducted in cooperation with their union. Since it is a homeopathic preparation using extremely low dosages, No-Jet-Lag has no side effects and is compatible with other medications.

If you plan to use melatonin, it is important to take it at the right time or it may make matters worse. When traveling east, on the day of the flight, take one dose of melatonin between 6 and 7 p.m. your time. On the day of arrival and for the next four days, take a dose of melatonin at bedtime (between 9 and 10 p.m.) local time of your new location. If you are on a stopover and will be traveling further east, take one dose of melatonin on the day before flying onward, again between 6 and 7 p.m. local time, instead of at bedtime). On the day of arrival at the final destination, take one dose of melatonin at bedtime (local time) and for the next four days.

For westward travel, melatonin will not help if you are going less than five time zones to the west. For distant westward travel, on the day of arrival, take one dose of melatonin at local time bedtime and continue to do so for the next four days. If you wake up before 4 a.m., take a little more melatonin (half a dose) to get a complete night’s sleep. Dissolve this dose under the tongue, if possible, so it will be more fast-acting.

Sleeping pills are not advisable, especially on the plane. They produce a drugged state which has little in common with natural sleep, and suppress natural body movement, not desirable in a cramped environment where the risk of DVTs is already high. Many over-the-counter sleeping pills are anti-histamines which tend to dehydrate the mucous membranes, creating a parched, sore throat when combined with the already dehydrating atmosphere inside the airplane.

Hopefully these tips will help you arrive at your destination awake and energetic.

One of the challenges that many people face is finding a cheap Orlando vacation. After all, airfare, hotel accommodations, meals, and theme park entrance fees can take a big bite out of your pocketbook. Here are some tips on booking an Orlando vacation at a bargain price.

1. Purchase a package

Although some people are intent upon purchasing airfare, hotel accommodations, and park passes separately, the truth is that you’ll get a much better deal if you buy an Orlando vacation package. Those who sell Orlando vacation packages get deeply discounted rates, and can pass those savings on to you. Although you may suspect that some packages are too good to be true, once you check out the reputation of the sellers, you are likely to find that the offers are legitimate.

2. Be flexible in your travel dates

The more flexible you are in your travel dates, the more likely you are to find a cheap Orlando vacation package. If you’re insistent upon traveling during peak periods, you’re going to pay premium prices. If, on the other hand, you are able to travel in the non-peak season, you’ll find a plethora of bargains from which to choose.

3. Look for the extras in accommodations

Travel packages vary widely in the types and length of accommodations offered, as well as the tickets that are included. It pays to do your research and find the package that offers you the biggest bang for your bucks. You may, for example, find a cheap Orlando vacation for only $249 per person, double occupancy. It could include such features as four nights of hotel accommodations near the Disney Main Gate plus two nights of hotel accommodations in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

4. Look for the extras in tickets

Some Orlando vacation packages offer an amazing array of tickets and passes, so be sure to find the one that best suits your interests and needs. For example, you may find a package that’s discounted 65% from what you’d normally pay, and that still includes two one-day passes to Disney or Universal, two Kennedy Space Center tickets, Sterling Casino Day Cruise tickets, dinner theater tickets, and so forth.

5. Consider a timeshare

If you love all that Orlando has to offer, consider purchasing a timeshare in the area. A timeshare provides you with access to all of Orlando’s attractions while giving you a place to call “home.” As those who own timeshares can attest, it’s a great feeling to know that you have a place to stay while you’re in Orlando – particularly if that place is a resort. For those who are looking for a cheap Orlando vacation and who don’t own a timeshare, there are resort companies that offer incredibly cheap Orlando vacations in exchange for listening to a sales presentation. You really can’t beat the prices when all you have to do in return is give up an hour or two of your time.

Don’t let cost keep you from visiting one of the most magical places in the United States. Find a cheap Orlando vacation and enjoy all that the Sunshine State has to offer!