If you search long and hard enough, you may find airfares that will amaze you

Since I love to travel, I do a few exercises every day. First, I take a quick look at some of my favorite destinations to see if prices are going up or down. Then, I check the mailbox to see if credit card companies are sending bonus offers when I get a new card.

If you look long enough and dig deep enough, you’ll probably find some really crazy deals. Mind you, some of the deals are really good. Others are really weird. Last week, I discovered a few great deals.

Airfares from Anchorage to Guatemala are already quite cheap. When Alaska Airlines expanded service from Los Angeles, more and more travelers became interested in the country south of Mexico. Alaska Airlines competes on this route with Delta, United and American Airlines, so it is a highly competitive market.

Avianca, one of the largest airlines in Central America, does not fly to Anchorage. However, it does offer a one-way flight from Anchorage to Guatemala City for $99.30. Avianca is part of the Star Alliance along with United and Lufthansa. In this case, however, Avianca uses Alaska Airlines to fly travelers to Los Angeles first before continuing on to Guatemala City.

No advance purchase is required for this fare. Last time I checked (Friday), seats were still available on August 25 and 26, and September 1, 6, 20, 24 and 27. Reservations are available on the Avianca website.

Although it is a really cheap flight, there is a long layover in LA. The flight on September 6th has a layover of almost 16 hours.

While the $99.30 one-way fare is a basic economy fare on Avianca, it is booked in the main cabin on Alaska’s nonstop flight between Anchorage and Los Angeles. This means travelers will receive the full mileage credit (2,340 miles) and can request an assigned seat. Since the reservation must be made on Avianca’s website, you may need to call Alaska to reserve your seat in advance.

This itinerary is a perfect example of a skiplagged moment. That is, an itinerary to a location beyond Los Angeles is significantly cheaper than a ticket just to LA. A last-minute nonstop ticket to Alaska can cost more than $500 each way.

The last-minute return trip from Guatemala to Anchorage is more expensive but still affordable: $250–300 each way on United or Alaska Airlines.

Plan ahead for next winter and lock in a great round-trip fare. The one-way fare of $99.30 is valid from January 10 to March 9, 2025. The round-trip fare, also with a longer stopover in LA, is $148 each way from January 9 to March 3, 2025.

If this seems like a good deal, make your reservation immediately. I was corresponding with a traveler about these prices and she asked, “How long do these deals usually last?”

I replied, “Not long.”

In fact, last night the same fare from Anchorage to El Salvador’s international airport in San Salvador, the country south of Guatemala, was available for $99. But today that bargain is no longer available.

(Best practices for a hassle-free trip to the Lower 48)

If you still want to visit Europe with one of the seasonal non-stop flights, Condor has a last-minute offer.

Fly nonstop from Anchorage on Thursday, September 5th and return on September 12th or 14th. The price of an economy ticket is $510 round-trip. Last week, round-trip was $550 and I thought that was a bargain! Since Condor is a miles partner of Alaska Airlines, you can earn 50% of the miles actually flown with Condor. For the return flight on September 12th or 14th, an upgrade to premium class costs $190 each way. There is more legroom, a larger baggage limit and nicer seats. Book this reservation on Condor’s website.

If you prefer to redeem Alaska Airlines miles for your Condor flight, that’s 27,500 miles for the September 5 outbound flight to Frankfurt plus $49 in fees. For the return flight, it’s also 27,500 Alaska Air miles for economy class or 35,000 for premium class, plus $197 in fees. Book your mileage tickets on the Alaska Air website.

As for credit cards, Alaska Airlines really wants you to have a Visa card or two! On my flight back from Portland recently, the flyer in the seat pocket boasted of a 65,000 mile bonus if you paid the $95 fee and made the minimum spend ($3,000 was charged within the first 90 days). The bonus amount changes from time to time – I’ve seen as many as 70,000 miles. That’ll get you to Frankfurt and back as long as you pay the $246 fee.

I have a few Chase credit cards because of their Ultimate Rewards program. Once you have your points, you can transfer them to various airlines or hotel companies, including Hyatt, Bonvoy (Sheraton and Marriott), or IHG (Holiday Inn and Intercontinental).

I received an offer in the mail for Chase’s Ink Business Preferred card. What caught my eye was the 120,000 point bonus. To get that huge amount of points, worth between $1,200 and $1,500, you have to pay the $95 fee and make a minimum $8,000 deposit in the first three months. That’s a lot of free nights at Hyatt hotels.

Honestly, I’m still debating whether I could afford $8,000 in fees – but I’m seriously considering this card just to get the bonus points!

Not only can you transfer the points to any number of airlines, but you can also redeem them with Chase’s travel service at a rate of one cent per point. That’s not a great exchange rate, but you could use your points to buy tickets on Alaska Airlines – and earn miles on your ticket.

Remember: All rates are subject to change without notice. And they are constantly changing.

(Travel: Who gets the air miles in a divorce?)