Festival of Books: Let the pros show you how to find travel deals

Learn how to save money on your next trip with tips from travel guru Johnny Jet and Travelzoo senior travel editor Gabe Saglie on April 18 at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC.

Jen Leo, who writes the weekly WebBuzz column for the Los Angeles Times Travel section, will moderate a “More for Your Money” panel featuring Johnny Jet (a.k.a. John DiScala) and Saglie at 12:15 p.m. at the Travel Smart Stage.

The event is free as part of the Festival of Books, which runs April 18 and 19.

Want some deal-finding tips right now?

--Leo writes about the pros and cons of Tripda, a ride-sharing app for long-distance travel; Tixchart.com, a lowest-airfare finder in the beta phase for carriers in the U.S. Europe and the Pacific; and Gas Guru, which steers you to the cheapest gas stations closest to wherever you are.

-- Travelzoo is a good go-to place to find bargains, but it’s also a good website to use to get ideas of places to go. For example, search on Northern California deals and you’ll find a night plus wine tastings at the Dry Creek Inn in Healdsburg for $79 and a three-day houseboat rental on Lake Shasta (sleeps 10) for $850.

-- DiScala writes a Travel Tip of the Day on JohnnyJet. Sometimes he’ll show you how to save money on airfares by looking at airline partner sites, sometimes he’ll tell you how to get free parking at Oakland International Airport this month.

-- You’re already reading the L.A. Times Travel News & Deals blog. Keep us on your radar for posts about flash sales and deals, including free tickets for children this summer at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., and how to save 35% on a sportfishing package at an Alaskan resort.

Check out what’s happening at the Travel Smart Stage on both days at the Festival of Books.