I have read about a lot of books (e.g., Tony Morrison's airfare secrets) and "monthly reports" (e.g., Mr. Upgrade) that promise to tell travelers how to save $$$$ on flights, but I've noticed that the supposed 'reviews' of these books are all taken from the same piece of writing (being a professor, it looks like a lot of copying went on here . These sites always promise to tell you the secrets, but make sure not to reveal anything until after you submit some credit card info,, which makes me a bit nervous. Someone on this site said that the tips I could get from you all were better or just as good.

So, here's the deal. My wife is Chilean and has only been back once since leaving 14 years ago. She's dying to go back over Christmas break, but we can't seem to find a good deal on tickets. We have 2 kids and an infant that we'll be taking with us. Does anyone know of any way to get some cheaper tickets? Something in the $800 range would be beautiful. Currently, the best we can find is around $1100 and involves a complicated route to get there. What are these "magic words" I keep reading about, and what are the deals I'm supposed to be seeing on international travel (esp. to Latin America)? Please share your wisdom with me on this one. Thanks in advance for any advice you can proffer.