I just finished planning and booking a cruise on Royal Caribbean from Santos Brazil- Barcelona Spain for April 2014(:. Upon reading about consolidators in the International Air Travel module it spoke about Airvalues.com. I was literally searching one way tickets from SFO-GRU and was coming back with $1100 fares. Too bad I do not have an IATA# as of today. When I went on AirValues.com I picked up a one-way for $474 from SFO-GRU. On the return I was able to score a 30,000 one way Award on United from BCN-SFO via Air Canada/United.
One tip is to always try and fly on the National Carrier such as TAM or Lufthansa. People get so excited only to learn that the Lufthansa flight they wanted to book is operated by United over the ocean. Another tip is to request a SPML such as the Kosher Meal or Vegetarian Meal. The Kosher meal is not as mass produced as other meals and is quite good. I've had ones from a local caterer from Germany. The airline pays double for the KSML and it goes for the same cost of the ticket. On some KSMLs the airline makes it for both Coach and Business Class(C/Y) so you are getting more food and pretty good quality and you are served first.
Another tip is to use SeatGuru and look up the various versions of the Aircraft. A Boeing 777 can have 4 versions. One may think all are the same bit on one version there are no Personal Inflight Entertainment Systems or Audio Video On Demand. The front cabin of the 767-777 is quieter. On an American Airlines domestic flight request row 17 as this is the crew rest on international flights. What you are getting are essentially lay flat seats like you get in First/Business Class. I've requested this at the airport and it really makes the difference.
If you want Airline Lounge Access then join Priority Pass you can access a lot of lounges that are not affiliated with an alliance. Go to www.prioritypass.com. You can take a shower during a stopover. It really makes the difference.
Want to save money on Hotels use Hotwire or Priceline and then charge your client a booking fee. They would most likely not mind paying a booking fee to save a lot of money on hotel rooms. I've found some nice 4 star hotels for 90 a night. You have to think outside of the box.
I used Vyama to price a ticket for my Father so he can see family abroad after the cruise. What I found out was it costs the same amount to fly home the same day that I do vs staying a week and flying back. Some airfares were 3,000 or more. I avoid British Airways and London as this is where the taxes are.
One other way to fly on a flagship carrier to London is to book on the Singapore Airline Flight from Newark-London that is on its way to Singapore. You could find a free stopover in Europe going to Asia this way.
Air New Zeland has a flight from LAX-LHR coming from New Zeland. Want to fly on Cathay Pacific then book their Vancouver-New York Flight. As long as its between an international city and domestic city these flights are a gem.
Want to take a cruise for a longer amount of time (14 nights) with sea days to relax and some new ports. Then look at the repo cruises. You are essentially paying for a one week cruise in the Bahamas but are getting a longer cruise with days at sea and some interesting ports.
I hope you find some of these tips useful. I have learned a lot of tips from FlyerTalk and Cruise Critic.
I 'm now working on my Exploring The World Module and am enjoying it.
Good luck with your studies(:
You can really save money using Consolidators. A saying that I love is "The person next to you could have paid 50 percent more. Why should you be the one that pays the higher price for the same seat, same amenities