How to get cheap flights

For most of us, our main concern when planning a trip is to reduce the most expensive part of our budget: airfare. Finding cheap flights is not an easy thing, but it is possible. To put all the chances on your side, I will explain how to get cheap flights.

Use flight comparison sites like Google flights

These sites offer you the best fare they have by querying the websites of travel agencies and online companies. There are many on the market, and you will find almost the same prices everywhere. However, some are better than others, with more or fewer options. For example, a flight with or without stopover, flexible dates, some propose a graph with the price evolution according to the period.

The comparator that I use is Google flights, Kayak flights, Skyscanner, and Expedia flights. Especially for one of its features that I like a lot: you can choose “All destinations.” So that the comparator finds you the destinations with the best price on your dates, this is perfect if you don’t know where to go and want to be surprised.

These comparators then refer you to online travel agencies, and I recommend testing several of them. As some agencies charge extra fees on the smallest option, it is sometimes more cost-effective to choose one that will appear slightly more expensive in the flight comparator you used. Once you have the dates and the name of the company that operates the flight you are interested in, you can also go directly to their website and see if the flights are cheaper by going directly through them.

How to get cheap flights last minute

Take a last-minute vacation to book something with the help of vacation deals. Here are some tips, tricks, and advice to help you get cheap flights last minute.

Over the past few years, I have traveled to about 30 different countries. Almost all of these trips I booked at the last minute, and each one cost much less than the “average” vacation.

Sign up for newsletters from airlines you are interested in and follow them on social media. If you use Twitter, add the airlines to a Twitter list so that their updates don’t clog up your main feed.

Now all you have to do is keep an eye on your email and social feeds (as if you haven’t already). You’ll see alerts of all the upcoming deals and flash sales from these airlines. If you act fast, you can get some fantastic deals. Within minutes of checking my email, I had booked roundtrip flights from Paris to Cancun for $170.

Search dedicated travel websites

While some comparison websites (like Trivago) will search for deals on other travel websites, it’s a good idea to check out some dedicated booking sites to see what last-minute deals you can find yourself. There are a ton of these booking sites to choose from. In the e-book How to Travel Cheaper, Smarter, and Safer, you will find a list of such websites and apps where you can search for cheap flights and discounts with promo codes. The websites also have fantastic deals on hotels, restaurant and theater tickets, spa days, and more. From the e-book, you will learn how to save money on your next vacation package. 

Plan ahead

As a rule, prices increase up to the departure date as long as the plane is incomplete. If an additional aircraft is chartered to meet demand, this will cause prices to drop again. The best flight deals are usually offered between six months and six weeks before departure. Going outside of school vacations is an excellent strategy to find attractive fares if you have a choice.

However, if you cannot book early enough and are flexible on flight dates, I advise you to book at the last minute by surfing on the dates. Airlines can lower their fares when they can’t sell their tickets a few days before the flight.

Take advantage of loopholes

To help you find airline deals that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, sites like Kiwi look for “loopholes” in the booking process. Sometimes this is done by building stopovers into your flights. Other times, Kiwi will suggest alternative departure airports to save you money. And if you’re lucky, you might get a 10-hour layover in a fantastic city like Tokyo or Dubai. 

Sometimes paying more is cheaper

Many people get hung up on the flight price without considering other expenses, such as hotel and usual daily costs. There is no point in booking a cheaper flight later than planned. Or at a specific time that forces you to assume other expenses that will increase your final budget.

If you are looking at a date range of a few days, consider the alternatives presented to you. And the overall budget of flying one day or another, considering that, in addition to the flight price, All the other costs that you will incur (hotel, daily expenses, etc.).

Getting cheap flights is closely related to finding affordable accommodation. 

If you have other ways to buy cheap airline tickets, please share them in the comments. By the way, what was the cheapest plane ticket you bought?

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