Be flexible; it saves money and provides additional sightseeing opportunities

Ask yourself - do I need to fly? What about the bus, boat or train?  

When doing research to book your tickets to attend an international conference, look further than the obvious choices. A few years ago, one of the air ticket options was significantly cheaper. At first I thought it would be because of a long airport lay-over, but when I investigate, I saw that the airline substituted an air ticket between Belgium and France with a first class super-fast train ticket. We decided to take this option because 1) at that stage super-fast trains were something we really would like to see and experience, 2) this way we would be able to see much more of the two countries and 3) because of the price. We enjoyed every second on this trip.

Also note that alternative and nearby airports, such as Gatwick and Heathrow in London or our own OR Tambo and Lanseria, often offer cheaper and sometimes even more convenient options for you to choose from, so included these options when you enter information into the search engine or ask the travel agent to investigate such alternative options for you. Sometimes, however an air ticket can be cheaper but the visa cost, even for transit only, could be much higher. This is one of the reasons I start doing research months before I need to book a flight.

When you are investigating tourist attractions and things to do and see before or after the conference, also keep in mind that it is often cheaper to book and pay online and in advance. We normally do this for accommodation, the transfers from and to the airports and scheduled tours such as Viator or the Big Red Bus Tours. This way we not only save money, but most of the expenses is paid before we leave, so we do not need to calculate and keep track of all payments while travelling.