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FINDING THE BEST FLIGHT DEALS

I start off immediately with Kayak.com. While companies like Orbitz, Priceline or Expedia pull flight fares from the airlines, Kayak.com pulls data from the previously mentioned travel sites themselves as well as the airlines. That means that whatever great deals and promotions that the other smaller travel sites have, Kayak.com will display those same promotional (if any) discounted flights. But the real advantage of Kayak is its size. Kayak will pull up similar flights options from other companies because it has a much larger, extensive network of travel sites and airlines. Here you can really start to compare prices.

Kayak.com is the benchmark I start with. Then, I will usually check against a Priceline and more importantly, the airlines themselves. Also, Kayak or any other travel site will list the airlines that has the best fares. Going directly to the airline's website might actually prove to be more beneficial as they often have internet specials on flights for between specific time periods.

Internet deals directly from airlines usually - if not always - impose restrictions such as non-refundable and non-transferrable tickets. You also can not modify dates at all. Cheap Tickets, by the way, doesn't allow you to modify flights after purchase.

If you want to fly domestically from one city to another in the same country, check the local airlines. You will get better deals with the local airlines than the major carriers.
Also, check on different days to see whether flight costs have changed. You can also check the difference in cost as far as arrival and departure days. Thursdays through Saturdays are more expensive than Sunday through Wednesday.

Example: A trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, which is the old capital of Thailand, had a cost of $241 minus taxes and fuel surcharges on Kayak.com. The airlines was Thai Airways. I researched this on a Saturday. On Sunday, the price went down to $210. I checked the local airlines in Bangkok, Nok Air, which runs from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. The total roundtrip cost on Nok Air was $107. But, the payment gateway was not functioning correctly on Nok Air's end. I went directly to the Thai Airways site and discovered that they were running a promotion called "Hot Deals" from April to September.

The total cost from Thai Airways via their internet "Hot Deals"? $131.

So, you just have to do your homework.

HOTELS
Location. Location. Location. You've heard this before. Location of a hotel is the first consideration for me. I will spend a little extra money per night for a hotel that's central then one that is not. Think about it this way: if you find a cheaper hotel that's further away, you will have to spend money on transportation. The more central a hotel is, the easier it is to get around the city, and, the cheaper I believe, in the long run for wheelchair travelers. Then, I look at cost and accessibility.

ACCESSIBLE HOTELS
How do I define an accessible bathroom?

Doors and Toilets
A bathroom door should be wide enough for a wheelchair to fit through. A bathroom doesn't have to be the size of a bedroom but the bathroom door should not be in the way of the toilet. The toilet may or may not have handrails for assistance. I say may or may not because a lot of people like myself do not need handrails around the toilet but something to help brace yourself or keep your balance is helpful (ie, a counter, etc.).

Bathtubs with Handrails vs Roll-in Showers
People in wheelchairs have varying levels of mobility. I'm a paraplegic and I prefer a bathtub with or without handrails over a shower, especially a roll-in shower.

I recently met a gentleman in a wheelchair named Sean Stephenson at the KLCC airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I did not know he was a speaker, etc. I just saw a guy in a wheelchair and chatted him up about traveling. Anyway, Sean prefers a bathtub over a shower.

A shower is fine too, as I am able to get out and sit on the shower floor or transfer to a plastic chair in a shower. A roll-in shower, where you can roll your wheelchair in, is necessary for some people who can not get out of their chairs at all. Roll-in showers may or may not have shower chairs onto which a person transfers. I personally find roll-in showers messy as water gets on the bathroom floor.

I consider a wheelchair accessible hotel is one that has a bathroom with either a bathtub with handrails for aid or a roll-in shower.

Lastly, a hotel's entrance should be ground level or have a ramp (and not a 60 degree ramp). An inch or two does not matter much because most wheelchairs, especially motorized wheelchairs, can climb over a couple/few inches no problem.