Think traveling is an expensive hassle? There are simple strategies you can use to make sure you're not throwing away your money each time you fly! Travel + Leisure's International Editor Mark Orwoll is sharing his five secrets to finding the perfect flight:

Cheapest time to book flights: "The biggest problem people face when they’re trying to book their air travel is booking too far in advance," Mark says. Airlines set their schedules about 11 months in advance, he explains, and list airfares at a top price. As the departure dates approach, if the seats are not filling up, he says the airlines begin to lower the fares and that's when you want to shop. "I can even be more specific, look 3 1/2 months before you want to travel, so if you’re looking at spring travel, booking in January would probably be a good idea. If you’re looking at summer travel, think about booking your airfare in March or April - that’s when you’re likely to get the very best deal!"

When and where to find the best fares online:

• Bing.com: This site can help you decide if it's the best time to purchase your flight, or if prices are about to drop. "They have a database that they compare the airfare that you got," he says. "[If] they advise you to wait, check back in a few days - you can actually save money. In fact, Bing.com says the average savings on a round trip airfare is $50 for people who follow their price predictor."

• Hotwire: If you have flexible travel dates, try the fare-compare chart on this site and then determine the cheapest days to travel. "By traveling on certain days you’re going to be able to save literally hundreds of dollars - just by traveling on a Monday instead of a Saturday. And if you have that flexibility, use it to your advantage. You’re going to save lots of money!"

• Airfarewatchdog.com: For those with no specific destination in mind, Mark suggests that you start dreaming by browsing on this website. "You can find out every airfare sale that is leaving from your home airport!"

Boarding Pass Tip: If you have a smart phone, like an iPhone or a Blackberry, consider using a digital boarding pass instead of the paper version. "You go onto the airline website the night before [you travel], you put in all of your information, then they let you download this boarding pass and it’s a scan-able pass and it has all of your information right in your phone - the seat number, the gate number, where you’re leaving from, where you’re going to - everything you would have on a printable boarding pass, but no paper! And it’s not anything that you’re going to lose," he says, noting it might get you an extra bonus for your next trip. "Because it is so new, a lot of airlines are trying to encourage people to use it, because it saves everybody time and money, and some airlines are even giving you some extra frequent flyer points if you used a digital boarding pass, so its great deal!"

Related Links

Airfare Watch Dog

Bing Travel

Hotwire