To ease and avoid airline travel challenges, such as higher airfares, overbooked flights and being separated from your luggage, experts offer various tips, at right. Some extreme cases include one in which thousands of pieces of luggage ended up sitting at the Philadelphia International Airport in December 2004. (Laurence Kesterson / Associated Press 2004 photo)

Khari Johnson hopes to spend his nights this week alone in a bathtub.

“There are six of us in one hotel room,” said the 23-year-old South Florida Sun-Sentinel intern who is staying with friends to cut down the cost of attending the UNITY convention. “I started looking for a place late in the game and right now a bathtub with a blanket is a dream.”

 As more newsrooms face declines in revenue, journalists are paying their own way to Chicago or not coming at all.

Patricia Foote, assistant managing editor of the Seattle Times, said her paper is sending fewer people than usual in an official capacity — only three this year, including herself. But those attending on their own time will still receive some sort of compensation.

“We give them three paid days off,” she said. “There are some people supporting the student projects … and we’ll be covering all or some of their expenses.”

Jan-Mikael Patterson, a reporter with the Navajo Times, said he knew he wasn’t going to be among the seven his paper sent to UNITY since he went to the Native American Journalists Association convention in Denver last year. Still, his plans to save up on his own for the convention were no match for the economy.

“I was looking at airfares, and did have a pretty good amount set aside for it, but with gas prices hitting $4 a gallon, I had to reconsider,” said Patterson, 31. “I’m just kind of bummed I’ll be missing out on my friends going there.”

As of Monday afternoon, 23-year-old Priscilla Luong was still scouring through emails and Facebook.com for notifications of any female attendees seeking a roommate.

“I have enough frequent flier miles for a ticket, but hotels are all very pricey,” said the California resident. “I’m looking to spend $100-$120 per night, but even if it’s more I’m going to jet off to Chicago as soon as I can.”

Johnson said even with his bathtub bedding arrangements, he considers the convention a good investment.

“You’ve got to spend money to make money,” he said. “I’ve got to get a job at some point, and it’s a Mecca of employment calling, if you can get the money to do it.”

Travel Booking Tips

• Book airfare at least 21 days in advance — prices usually go up every seven days from that point.
• Start looking for flights a month before your trip, so you can compare prices and know when you’ve found a good deal.
• Sign up for fare watchers, programs offered by some discount travel Web sites that alert subscribers to special fares to a specific destination.
• Be flexible with your travel dates and consider flying into or from alternative airports.
• Ask about all additional taxes and fees before you sign a car rental agreement and be wary of free upgrades that will cost you more in gas.Courtesy of Jennifer Gaines, contributing editor for Travelocity.com

topic: Your Money
tags: UNITY convention

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