There are many ways to get a good deal on student travel airfare. The best way is to plan early. This gives you the advantage to pick up the discounted tickets first. You may even get a real low price if you happen to select an off season date. But that is not always possible because student vacations invariably are the peak travel periods. That is the time when families get a chance to travel together.

However, there are no reasons to loose heart. There are several sites that specialize in student travel. The foremost of these are Student Universe, STA and Travel Cuts. You can make use of these sites to find the best rates once you fulfill the basic registration facilities. In the case of Student Universe you are required to provide your college e-mail which the site uses for verification while in the case of STA and Travel Cuts you are required to buy an International Student Identity Card.

Travel websites like Orbitz also specialize in student travel, and offer special rates to students buying air tickets from their site. These sites also provide one more advantage. They offer general discounted fares that are open to students too. So, you have an advantage to select a fare that suits your budget more. The discounts are even better when it comes to international travel by students. Most airlines and travel sites offer bigger discounts to students than to the general traveler. They are also more accommodating when it comes to changing dates, charge a lower cancellation fee, and allow you to hold onto your open ticket longer.

It therefore makes sense to do good legwork before buying your ticket. You must visit both student and airline sites and also travel sites that provide student tickets. If you do this early then you stand to save several hundred dollars. Points to keep in mind while going for student airfare: Most students lack sufficient funds to travel. Recognizing this need, the travel industry has created a new form of airfare -- student airfare. This airfare is meant to meet the needs of students who want to travel for studies abroad or to universities that are located at distant places. The airfare is also useful for students who are doing research or want to visit their homes during vacation time.

The airlines are the first to extend this facility to the students, who could show their identity card and buy a cheaper ticket. However, this fare is not always less than the discounted fares that airlines offer to the general public. It therefore makes sense for students to visit the websites of airlines and compare the student tickets with discounted tickets.
 
The students can also go to specialized student sites like Student Universe or STA and buy specially discounted tickets through them. Sites like STA and Travel Cuts also have offline facilities, and students can call them to get the lowest airfare. However, all these sites insist on verification. There are some travel sites that use search engines that display the best student airfares. These are useful sites to visit because they also display the normal discounts being offered by airlines. Very often, domestic discounts are higher than student discounts. 

The students also have to be flexible about their travel plans if they want to get the best deal. They must book their tickets early, ideally on those days when the traffic is low. They can find these days by using the search feature on travel sites. Another strategy should be to fly the cheaper airlines. Students don’t need special comforts, and should not be fussy about facilities. They should also not mind using smaller airports if theses are not too far from their colleges. This will help them cut their traveling cost considerably.