Getting There By Plane : Travel In The Region

Off-season travelers will enjoy lower fares and a greater availability of inexpensive seats. Peak season rates begin about May and run until about September. Actual dates differ depending on your airline and destination-peak seasons in Israel, for instance, correspond to religious holidays as well as to summer high season. If you arrange your travel dates carefully, you can travel in summer and still save with shoulder- or low-season fares. Remember that an indirect flight via Brussels or Athens could cost considerably less than a direct flight to Tel Aviv or Cairo.

Find a good travel agent, ideally one who specializes in Middle East travel. Commissions are smaller on budget flights, so some agents may not have incentive to search for the cheapest fare. The Sunday New York Times lists bargain fares, and CIEE or other student travel organizations might offer special student deals.

Charter flights offer consistently economical airfares. Charters may be booked until die last minute, though most summer flights fill up several months in advance. Later in the season companies often have many empty seats and either offer special prices or cancel flights. Charters are more of a bargain in high season, because APEX.