Finding the cheapest airfare is a matter of timing. First, determine how flexible your plans are, and then keep your eyes peeled.

Rentmix was founded by a former Google software engineer who was frustrated with the state of the vacation rental market. Our full screen Google Maps and powerful search allow you to zero in on the perfect property in the perfect location. Our goal is to be the Google of vacation rentals: fast, simple, elegant. Let us know if we're not living up to that goal.

However, for me, travel hacking is more than that. It is about bringing costs as close to zero as possible. Since only the die-hards really want to spend hours and hours putting together mileage routes that might get them 100 extra miles or reading the fine print to find a loophole they can exploit, I've put together this guide for the casual traveler who still wants to travel cheap, but who might not have the time nor the desire to be a black-belt-level travel ninja:

A visitor can have a vacation filled wall to wall with music and entertainment without ever actually entering the festival grounds. Many people choose to spend their time watching street musicians all day and checking out the local nightlife until late. Remember: Bars and clubs in New Orleans never have to close, and on streets like Frenchmen and St. Bernard, the music is often still going strong at 4 a.m.

Your iPhone is always with you, so it makes for a great travel companion when you need all kinds of information about the places your visit on your vacations. Here are our favorite travel apps to help make your vacations a breeze.

Five Ways to Find Cheap Flights in 2011 #travel (via @TheHighwayGirl)

Packing Pro is a super-enhanced version of the popular, top-ranking Packing app, which was spotlight demoed in Apple Retail Stores across the U.S. If you prefer more control over your whole packing experience, a more extensive catalog & sample list selection, & additional, built-in expert assistance, then Packing Pro is for you!

What is Airbnb?

Called the "Ebay for space" by Time Magazine, Airbnb is an online marketplace allowing anyone from private residents to commercial properties to rent out their extra space. The reputation-based site allows for user reviews, verification, and secure online transactions. Listings include vacation rentals, private rooms, entire apartments, bed and breakfasts, boutique hotels, castles, treehouses, and many other traditional and non-traditional accommodations.

How it works

The open platform allows users to post listings of their space. Prospective travelers can search by city or country, utilizing filters such as price and room type to find exactly what suits their needs. Travelers contact hosts directly through the web site, which includes user profiles and friend recommendations. Dates are confirmed through on-site messaging, and the traveler books directly online using their credit card or PayPal account. Hosts receive a reservation request which they can accept or decline. Both parties then receive an itinerary on accepted reservations, and are set to go.

Today, however, booking a flight is a total mess. Travelocity and Expedia have been joined by Bing and Orbitz and Dohop and Vayama and CheapTickets and CheapOair and Kayak and SideStep and Mobissimo and and and … I could go on and list every single Web site out there, but I won’t. There are just too many. Instead, I’ll lead you through the steps I make when I’m booking a flight myself.

I’ve covered this territory a bit before — here and here — but today I’ll try to go into more detail. For this experiment, let’s imagine a simple domestic trip: a weekend of snowboarding in Jackson Hole in Wyoming at the beginning of March.

Kayak is a travel search engine. Which means we search hundreds of travel sites from all over the world, provide the information to you in an easy-to-use display and send you directly to the source to make your purchase. More than any other travel site, we help you find the perfect flight, hotel, cruise, or rental car. After all, what good are 1000 options when you can't find the flight you want? Once you make your choice, we link to the travel sites to make your purchase. Kayak allows you to choose which site to purchase from– through an online travel agency or consolidator such as Orbitz or Airfare.com. Kayak's search engine can find all kinds of travel products– from flights and hotels to rental cars and cruises. Our fare alerts and fare history help travelers stay on top of ever-changing travel prices.