This is the debut of a new CheapAir blog series: Why I Travel. We invite our community to submit their own stories for this series to Stories@CheapAir.com. Joanna B. is a marketing manager for CheapAir.com.

A view of Sydney from the Botanical Gardens

Flash back to New Year’s Eve 2012, Sydney, Australia. I’m in a German restaurant and I’m standing in the front of the room, with the band. At a glance, any unassuming passerby in the street outside would think the restaurant is small; tight quarters, even. But truly, inside it’s a labyrinth of tables and rooms; of communal diners chowing down at long maple tables, servers in traditional German garb, flustered hosts trying to squeeze past trays of steak and fish. We had ended up at the Lowenbrau in Sydney, of all ridiculous places, mostly by happenstance. Booking dinner reservations from the other side of the planet for Sydney’s busiest night of the year isn’t easy; we snagged the first one we got.

The band lead hands me a bell.

Before I know it, I’m jamming with the band and shaking the bell like it’s going out of style. My husband has moved to the front of the room and he’s taking picture after picture. I feel like I’m five years old again. I am giddy and two-days jetlagged and my face aches from laughing.

By the end of the night, we’re on a first name basis with the older couple sitting next to us. They’ve whipped out their cell phones to show us photos of their kids. We slip out the door with them just before midnight to watch the Sydney fireworks explode in the sky above the Harbor Bridge. We walk to the train station together and linger in the streets. Email addresses are exchanged along with promises to stay in touch.

Strangers turning into friends—that’s why I travel.

Of course I travel for other reasons, too.

I booked a trip to Croatia a few years ago, on a whim with a friend, just to get away. We did no research and at the end of what started as a normal phone call, flights were booked. We left the country with no idea where we were going to sleep each night. I think there was something that we loved about that: the sheer unknowing, my urgent negotiations with locals at airports and bus stops to rent rooms; the quick exchange of cash for key. At one point we ended up in a small flat inside the walls of a castle…lovely, right? Well, we found out too late that anything within castle walls can’t legally be renovated. If only I had a photo of what the bathrooms looked like!

The unknown—that’s why I travel.

Sunset in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica, it was a different matter. My husband and I sauntered into town one sizzling afternoon and bought tickets for a zip lining tour. We had agreed to go zip lining, because that’s what people do in Costa Rica, right?

“I’m scared of heights,” I told the sales guy. “How high is this thing, really?”

“Oh, it’s great for people who are afraid of heights! A really perfect first challenge, not so high compared to others,” I was told.

I reflected on his words, two hours later, as we climbed up a mountain by van, slowly carving up narrow pathways through jungle. And we climbed…and we climbed.

Sure, I had the good ‘ole harness on, a hard hat, and hooks seemed to be attached to every surface. But my palms were sweaty. I made nervous jokes with the instructors and one interrupted me with, “You’re a control freak, aren’t you?”

Before I even thought to be offended, I said, “Yes!”

The exhilaration I felt as I took that step off of a wooden ledge—onto nothing but air, with trees and a waterfall hundreds of feet below me—is indescribable.

The challenge—that’s why I travel.

CheapAir Community: Why do you travel? What inspires you and motivates you to hop a flight or hit the road? Send us your stories to Stories@CheapAir.com.

Photo courtesy of OffTrackBackPacking

If you’ve ever dreamed of just taking off on your own without a care in the world, you may be the perfect candidate for solo travel. Plus, between varying schedules, finances, and priorities, finding a friend to travel with can be difficult at best. Although it can seem daunting at first, traveling on your own can be one of the most exhilarating, eye-opening experiences of your life. Traveling on your own can make you insanely self reliant and confident. Here’s what you have to take into consideration.

Get the right guidebook

Certain guidebooks are geared towards families, while others cater to those who are only interested in luxury travel. Snag a guidebook like Lonely Planet or the Rough Guides and you’ll find a plethora of listings that are aimed at pleasing the solo traveler from restaurants to hotels.

Talk to strangers

We know your mom told you never to talk to strangers, but in this case we’re sure she’d give you the green light. First off, if you don’t you’re going to find yourself very, very alone and likely bored. Of course you use your instincts and talk to people who seem warm and friendly. If you’re a woman and you don’t feel comfortable talking to random men then talk to another female. But then again, there are lots of stories of love on the road, so keep an open mind!

Eat at the bar

When you’re solo, one of the easiest ways to make new friends is to sit at the bar. Other people are likely to sit next to you and seeing you sitting alone, are more likely to strike up conversation. If nothing else, you can always chat up the bartender for a little conversation.

Avoid Romantic Destinations

Unless you’re masochist, trying to hang solo in a place that’s known more for honeymoons is a recipe for disaster. The nightlife will likely be non-existent and you’ll feel left out as you watch couples canoodling.

Stay at the right hotel

It might not seem like the most important consideration, but don’t be fooled! This one is serious essential. A bland chain hotel might earn you points, but you’ll be enjoying those perks alone. You’ll want to choose a hotel that has an active nightlife scene, communal eating, or revolves around a group activity like yoga or surfing.

Photo courtesy of Tech Cocktail.

Sure, it’s a straightforward thing to declare, that we’re better than the competition. But we do feel this way and Tech Cocktail agrees with us. We’re flattered at the mention, and we’d like to take a moment to elaborate on what sets us apart from those other travel sites…

1. Our mix-and-match fares use a propriety algorithm to display more fare combinations for you than any other site. This means that we’re constantly crunching fares and working hard to display unique combinations (say, one airline one way and another airline on the return trip) so that you can save money, not to mention the hours it would take you to find these fares on your own.

2. We help you to find the best flight for you, period. After you review our mix-and-match fare combinations, you may be a bit stumped as to which flight to book, especially if there are several great options within a few bucks of each other. We’ve sought to solve this decision dilemma by telling you, in the booking process, which flights have WiFi, live TV and other cool amenities. After all, if you’re going to spend money on a plane ticket, you might as well make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

3. Got the booking jitters—not sure which time is best to buy? We hear you. Air fares can fluctuate like the stock market. With our new Price Drop Payback you can book now, and then continue checking your itinerary at your convenience. If the fare drops, this free program will pay you back the difference.

4. We care. We’re a small team of U.S.-based travel experts. We’ve been around to see the industry change and we’re here to help you make the best decisions possible. We also have phenomenal taste in music, but that’s a whole new blog post….

CheapAir Travelers, have you found flights with WiFi or live TV yet? Where are you going next? We’d love to hear from you.

CheapAir.com helps you choose flights that have WiFi, live TV and more.

We’re very excited to share with you what others are saying about CheapAir.com!

From Mashable to the Boston Globe, people are saying CheapAir.com is the place to go when searching for your next flight, especially because CheapAir.com is the only travel website that shows you which flights have WiFi, live TV and other cool amenities. Here is a glimpse of what people are saying.

Tell us…why do you like CheapAir.com?

Portfolio.com: CheapAir.com “sets itself apart by offering “airfare intelligence”options such as selecting flights with WiFi, live television, and other amenities not often part of bigger companies search algorithms.”

Mashable: “Travel is so much easier when you’re prepared and know what to expect. Airfare shopping website CheapAir.com now lets you find out which flights offer Wi-Fi, live TV and movies before you book.”

Tech Cocktail: “Though you may be more familiar with Kayak, Priceline, Travelocity, and Expedia, Calabasas-based CheapAir.com has been around longer – since 1989 – and I think they’re better than the competition.”

Boston Globe: “The website has also added a new ranking feature that recommends top flight picks based on an overall assessment of price, total travel time, on-time percentage, airline ratings, comfort, and onboard amenities; just look for the star next to each flight.”

The Los Angeles Travel Show. Photo courtesy of SightseeingSam.

This is a guest post from Jeremy B, a travel agent who has been with us for nearly 12 years.

The LA Travel show took place this past weekend and, since I’d never been to a travel convention before, I figured I’d see what all the hoopla is about. Walking towards the entrance of the Los Angeles Convention Center I heard the beating of drums. Upon entering, I was greeted by cultural sounds from the sponsor destinations of Mexico and Taiwan. What a way to get people pumped up!

Once inside the convention, I was amazed at the sheer number of tables set up featuring different destinations, travel suppliers and speakers talking about various niche markets in travel, from adventure to culinary. Moving around the room, I grabbed pamphlets and brochures for destinations that piqued my interest. I set my sites on Hawaii and Mexico, but I was happy to learn about other destinations I had not yet considered, like Taiwan and Ecuador. Tour providers and activity companies were scattered around the room, ranging from safaris to scuba diving, wine tours, wind surfing, cruises, and destinations. Needless to say, it was hard to stay focused.

Celebrity speakers like Lisa Ling, Rick Steves and Arthur Frommer, gave talks on Global Perspective, European Travel and Thinking Outside the Suitcase. Other stages hosted panels of guest speakers answering questions from visitors.

Seeking an adrenaline rush on your vacation? Areas like the X-treme Adventure Zone, Thrill Seekers and Outdoor Adventurers offered exciting activities and attractions like zip lining and rock climbing that were a big hit with the crowd. Another popular area was Kid’s World where family friendly destinations, entertainment and hands-on activities took place. Another huge draw was bubble rollers. If you haven’t heard of these before, they are huge blown up balls that kids can literally crawl into and roll around while floating in a small pool of water. (I wanted to try this, but was told I was too old). In the back, the Culinary Stage had chefs cooking up dishes with a global taste. Visitors were able to sample local, regional and world cuisines.

Overall, I had a great time at my first travel convention, and learned a lot about all the various things that lead people to travel and explore the world. For just $10 a ticket to enter, it’s a no brainer and I would highly recommend it.

Now that I’ve had a weekend filled with travel inspiration, I just have to decide where to book my next ticket to…

What is “It’s On The Meter” about?

It’s on the Meter is an expedition to break the World Record for the longest ever taxi journey, in a 20 year old London Black cab with over 300,000 miles on the clock.  It was originally a drive from London to Sydney, however we are now circumnavigating the World thanks to a new sponsor called Get Taxi.  At present, the cab is on a ship on the way to the USA having reached Sydney after 32,000 miles. Read More ›

It’s a great feeling to find an awesome deal on a flight, but what’s even better is finding that awesome deal on a plane that has cool technology like personal video monitors or internet access so your flight can be more enjoyable or productive.  That’s why we’re proud to be the first on line travel agency to let you quickly and easily compare — not just the various prices of each flight — but also the in-flight amenities. Read More ›

Earlier this week, we made a subtle but important change to our web site that we want to share with you.  As you may know, there are a slew of different fees and taxes that are collected for the government any time an airline ticket is purchased.  For flights in the U.S., these include a 7.5% tax, a 9/11 security fee, and airport facility charges which vary depending on the airports you are flying from, to, or through.  For international flights, it’s even more complicated. Read More ›

This morning American Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but this isn’t as big a deal as it sounds — at least not from the travelers’ perspective. Read More ›

The aviation world is abuzz this month, as the long-awaited Boeing 787 finally commences service. The new aircraft made its inaugural flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong on October 26th, amid plenty of hype and media attention. Read More ›