&gt; For example, it&#x27;s often MORE expensive to go on vacation from a cheaper area because the airport is smaller and there aren&#x27;t direct flights to as many places (granted, not an issue in Atlanta).<p>I live in Cincinnati with one of the most top 10 most expensive airports in the country (CVG).  I also spend a lot of time traveling and searching for flights.<p>One strategy I&#x27;ve used to avoid this is booking Kayak-style &quot;hacker fare&quot; for a domestic ticket to a hub like LAX&#x2F;ATL&#x2F;etc. with an international flight out from the hub, then a return ticket from destination to home (with connections of course).<p>It doesn&#x27;t sound like it&#x27;d be that significant, but it made a recent trip to New Zealand &amp; Australia about 40% cheaper, though it does take some extra effort.