Q. My son and his wife are expecting my first grandchild at the end of October. I live in Central PA and they live in Burbank. They want me to go to California as soon as I can after the baby is born, but since how can I book a good deal in advance without knowing the exact date I'll need to travel?

A. We get this question a lot from soon-to-be grandmothers. Sure, sometimes you might find an inexpensive fare with only a 1 or 3 day advance purchase on certain routes, but those are pretty rare. Your best bet? When you get the call, check out sites that specialize in last minute travel deals like Hotwire and Lastminute. We've always had great luck with Priceline's Name Your Own Price feature, even booking coast-to-coast flights for under $200 the night before we needed to travel.