You could assume Old Fourth Ward resident Brian Walters has friends coming from all over the world to celebrate his 40th birthday in Brazil next month.

Since the software analyst moved from Miami to Delta's hub city in 1997, the native of Kingston, Jamaica, has made steady use of his passport — traveling to Trinidad, Paris, London and Brazil in this year alone.

SONIA MURRAY / smurray@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Brian Walters used creative booking to save $770 on a plane ticket to Brazil.

His three big tips? Sign up for all of the major travel websites. (His favorites are Sherman's Travel and Travelocity). Once you find the deal, book directly from the airline's site. "That'll save you the booking fees built into discount packages," Walters says. "I've found that a lot of times that, though they don't advertise it, Delta will try to match an AirTran rate.") Third, and most importantly, be flexible.

"The best deal I've found so far is Tokyo for $400," he says. "It was a last-minute special, and I went the same week I found it."

His favorite getaway, destination, however, has been South Africa. Which brings another tip: "People don't seem to know you can go to three destinations on the same ticket. Most people just go to Johannesburg; but you can do Capetown and Durban too — same cost."

And how is he getting to Rio next month? He's flying from Atlanta to New York, and back to Atlanta the same day, leaving that night for Brazil. (Yet another tip: Sometimes it's cheaper if your flight overseas originates from somewhere other than Atlanta).

On the return, he'll land in Atlanta, do a layover on his way to New York — where he's taking in some of the U.S. Open — and then head back to Hartsfield-Jackson. And how much does he save by not taking a direct flight from Atlanta? $770.

Money he can spend on himself if he doesn't get the presents he wants.

31 ways to save

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• Exerciser not waiting for DVD to come out 
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• Find it for a fraction of the original price 
• Purge baby items at consignment shops 
• Brazil beckons for savings-smart traveler 
• Old sol  and 'common sense'  cut electric bill 
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• Personal trainer trims costs and fees 
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• Teacher Web sites offer ideas, freebies 
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• Cheese plates, movies fit budget 
• Take a walk to library; watch a movie for free 
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• Have your own way to save? Please share it with us
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