When it comes to travelling, there are many different things that you need to think about finding cheap accommodation. What will you do? Most of all, how will you get there? I know that one of the most obvious answers would be to fly, but that isn’t always the cheapest option. But I have created the ultimate guide on how to find cheap flights to anywhere and help you with your travels.
By using the right flight search engine, you can find a great deal for your flights. By using sites like Skyscanner and Kayak, they search for many tickets from different airlines, times and even cities to help you find the best deal possible.
My favourite cheap flight comparison sites are
- Skyscanner (my #1 choice for cheap flights)
- Expedia
- Kiwi (includes connecting flights to find deals)
1. BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR DESTINATIONS
Probably one of the best travelling tips that I can give would be to be flexible when it comes to your destinations. I know you may be set on visiting a certain destination, but don’t forget that you can travel to some of these places via bus or train, so why not head to the destinations that are already known for their cheap flights—using flight search engines like Skyscanner and Kayak to help you find a list of cheap flights to anywhere in the world if you are willing to be flexible. One of the great things about Skyscanner is that it has an everywhere feature, perfect for an impromptu trip.
2. BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR TRAVEL DATES
One of the best tactics when it comes to finding a reasonable price for your flight is to be flexible with your dates. Yes, certain days do tend to be cheaper, such as flying out on a Tuesday, Wednesday or even Thursday as the weekends do tend to make the prices go up. However, it can also be depending on what time of the year you are travelling, so it is always best to be flexible with your dates. If there is a certain time that you are thinking of travelling, look for days and even weeks on either side of your preferred date so that you can get the best deal possible.
You can go on Skyscanner and instead of choosing the exact travelling dates you can choose a whole month to see the cheapest dates of the month or see the cheapest month of the year to travel in
Another trick that you can do is to play around with the time of day that you fly. If you pick the right time, the price can change dramatically. Some of the best options for times to fly are early in the morning instead of late morning or early afternoon. It might mean that you suffer from a bit of jet lag depending on where you are flying, but at least your pockets won’t be stretched.
3. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR SPECIAL DEALS/ERROR FARES
Now error fares can sometimes be hard to come by, but when you do, you must jump at the chance. Error fares are when an airline, company or even a third party advertise and sells a fare at the wrong price due to a misprint. Many travellers hope to stumble upon these pots of gold, but the best way to find them is with Secret Flying. Sign up for alerts via email and be ready to use your credit card. When you find a great deal, make sure to act fast as they don’t last long.
Aside from joining the airline newsletters, the best websites for finding travel deals are:
- Scott’s Cheap Flights – Amazing for US flight deals.
- Secret Flying – This is great for searching flights all around the world
- Airfarewatchdog – This is superb when searching for US flight deals.
4. FLY BUDGET CARRIERS
Emirates, Qatar Airways, British Airways, and Delta, are all well-known carriers, but because of this, they can sometimes be rather expensive. So don’t be afraid to fly with some budget airlines, just because you haven’t heard of them before doesn’t mean that they aren’t a great option. Budget airlines are always cheaper, but it does mean that you may have to make a few sacrifices. Free food, space, legroom, drinks and even movies are all available on the big commercial airlines, but some of these items are often not offered on budget airlines. So stock up on snacks, entertainment and drinks before you climb aboard the plane and enjoy the ride to one of your top destinations.
5. DON’T ALWAYS FLY DIRECT
Another important tip is don’t always fly direct. Although it may get you to your destination a little later than intended, it will get you there cheaper. If you have a stopover in a different country, or even a different city can help to reduce the price of your tickets. The best way to know that you are getting a good deal is to find out the price of the direct flight, and then find the price difference when you look at indirect flights. You will be astonished at the differences you will see.
6. CHECK ALTERNATIVE AIRPORTS / REGIONAL AIRPORTS
Every country has several airports, so if there is a certain destination that you have in mind, why not head to an airport nearby? Sometimes if you head to an airport a little ways away from your destination and hop on a bus, you can save a bundle.
7. USE A VPN TO FIND LOCATION-SPECIFIC DEALS
An important traveller tip is to use a VPN to change our computer or phone’s location to find great deals on flights. A lot of airlines charge different prices depending on different countries that people are looking from. If you are booking domestic flights from outside the country, often the price can be rather high. So instead use a good VPN service to make it look like you are looking for domestic flights from within the country to get a better deal.
8. JOIN FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMS
Fancy a flight where you have to pay practically nothing? Well then join a frequent flyer program which is free but gives you great perks. You can have cheaper fares, free upgrades, companion tickets and like I said before, free flights for yourself. Research the programs that you want to sign up for because some honour different companies’ miles. Also, if you are a credit card user, make sure to shop around for one that offers you a great deal on earning miles so that they can also be used in place of cash.
“Join Priority Pass and get access to over 1000 airport lounges”
9. BOOK EARLY
This is probably one of the most obvious suggestions, but it is a tried and true method. Although there are a lot of companies that say that have great deals for last-minute bookings, it isn’t always necessarily true. If you book last minute, there aren’t many options for you to compare, but if you book early, you will be able to shop around for the best deal for you.
10. BROWSE INCOGNITO
Make sure to search for flights using an incognito browser. Browsers keep your search history and use targeted ads and searches to make you buy through the browser advertising companies. If you use an incognito browser, you won’t get these targeted ads, and you can still find a great deal.
11. MIX AND MATCH AIRLINES
For long-distance flights, a great option is to book different legs with different airlines. Sometimes by booking multi-leg trips with one airline, it can still be expensive, so if you know where you are going to have to make a stop, see what the prices are to fly from point b to c and I promise that you will see a difference in prices.
12. AVOID HOLIDAY PERIODS WHEN FLYING
Every country has peak holiday periods, for example, school holidays, so make sure to book your flights not during this time as they will be expensive. Or if you plan on heading to the mountains, don’t go during peak ski season as the prices will once again be astronomical.
13. CONSIDER LONGER LAYOVERS
If you aren’t going directly to your destination and you have to have a layover, a great option for cheaper flying is to extend your layover. Extending your layover, usually lowers the price tag.
