Looking for the cheapest flights to anywhere in the world? Check out this guide on how to find the cheapest flight tickets.
We’ve all tried it, being determined to find the cheapest airline tickets, but ended up sitting in front of the screen for hours. After searching repeatedly, it can seriously be a painful and tiring process. It suddenly becomes a frustrating task with the endless search engines and constantly fluctuating prices.
But it doesn’t have to be expensive to travel, even though airline tickets are often expensive and make up most of the travel budget. Fortunately, there are many tips and tricks on how to save time, energy and most importantly money.
If you choose to follow my tips in this guide to finding the cheapest flights, I promise you that you’ll never have to pay a whole fortune for flight tickets again. But um okay, if you’re planning on traveling in first class or traveling the world for that matter, then it’s a little hard to promise that it won’t be expensive. But still, you know what I mean, there’s a lot of money to be saved by using this guide to find the cheapest flights.
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Search in total secrecy like a real spy
Most websites store your search history using cookies. It may be convenient for the site to remember your previous search, but it can also be a disadvantage. This can result in the cheapest flights rising significantly in price, creating such a panic that you might end up buying the expensive flight tickets instead. It’s actually a very well thought system and a smart way to promote sales.
If you do not want to be monitored, always remember to delete your cookies, or find the cheapest flights using the incognito browser. This way, you can search in completely secrecy as the airlines cannot see your previous searches.
However, you should be aware that there’s no concrete evidence that it will be cheaper to search for airline tickets in total secrecy. But why take the chance?
Use the best search engines
When searching for the best and cheapest flights, the search engines are the fastest and easiest way. They search for tickets across countless different airlines and simply compare the prices.
The various search engines each offer many useful tools such as price prediction and a price map based on destinations. Unfortunately, there’s no perfect search engine and even the best ones can make mistakes. But still, there are some search engines that are better than others and you will get them right here:
Compare prices on several pages
Everyone knows that there’s no single search engine that always has the absolute cheapest flights. Therefore, it’s a really good idea to check several different pages before booking your ticket. Today there are many search engines and airlines, but I would recommend using the search engines listed in the point above.
Start your search by using Momondo, which is considered by many (myself included) to be the very best search engine. Here you’ll find a large selection of airlines in all price ranges, but often at a lower price than with the competing search engines.
But do not forget to check out some of the other search engines, just to be sure! If you find a suitable and cheap flight, it may also be a good idea to check if the price is cheaper on the airline’s own website. You might be lucky!
Search for tickets individually
If you’re traveling with your family or a small group, it may be a good idea to split the booking into several bookings. It may sound difficult, but it’s airlines always show the highest fare in a group of tickets, so it can quickly end up being more expensive than needed.
For example, if you must book four airline tickets, the airline finds four seats and bases the price on the most expensive fare. So even though there may be a ticket that only costs half of the other tickets, you still end up paying the most expensive price for all four tickets.
So always remember to check if it’s cheaper to book the tickets individually. If you can choose seats yourself, just make sure your family gets to sit together afterwards.
Sign up for loyalty programs
Most major airlines offer loyalty programs where you can earn points for discounts and free upgrades. It’s usually free to join and it pays off, even though you may not fly as often.
Every time you use the airline in the future, you earn points to get discounts on airline tickets, free upgrades and more. It takes a long time to earn enough points to get big discounts on airline tickets, but with a little patience you’ll not regret it on the day you save money. Better to save something than nothing.
Avoid traveling during peak season
It is no secret that prices skyrocket as soon as there is a high demand. Most people travel on vacations, weekends, and holidays. Therefore, you can save a lot of money by avoiding the peak season. It’s better to travel when others cannot or will not travel. If you aren’t traveling during peak season, be sure to check if all the tourist sites are open.
You should also be aware that the peak season may be different in other countries. In Thailand, for example, it’s expensive to stay in the winter months and cheap in the summer months, as it’s extremely hot in the summer months. Flights to China, on the other hand, are very cheap in the winter, but expensive in the summer, as the winter in China is extremely cold.
However, there are certain strategies to save money by flying on holidays. Not many people bother to travel on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, or other holidays. So, you can save a lot of money if you’re willing to travel when everyone else doesn’t bother.
Be flexible with travel dates and times
The absolute best tip for finding the cheapest flights is to be flexible with the travel date. Do yourself the favor of searching a week or even just a few days before or after your preferred departure date. The price can change significantly with a few days difference. And it can end up saving you a lot of money!
Most people travel on the weekends and therefore airline tickets are often more expensive on the weekends or even on the days right up to them. You may have heard the rumor that it’s cheapest to fly on Tuesdays, but that’s just a myth. All routes are completely different, and prices can change constantly. However, it’s generally cheap to travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but there’s no guarantee that these are actually the cheapest days.
You may also be lucky enough to save some money by flying at the odd times of the day. Not many people bother to fly extremely early in the morning or in the middle of the night. Therefore, you have a good chance of saving some money at the odd times.
Check nearby airports
If you want to save some money on your airline tickets, you need to be flexible. I mean not only with the travel dates, but also with the airports.
If you’ve planned to use a specific airport at your travel destination, you should check if there are other similar airports nearby with the same route. But remember to check if it’s worth flying from another airport at all. How much will it cost to get there compared to the other airport? How long will it take? Is it more time consuming?
Always remember to check the airport in advance, especially if it isn’t particularly well known among other travelers.
Make your own flight itinerary
When booking the cheapest flights, you’ve probably already noticed that it’s a great advantage to be flexible. But you can actually also save a lot of money by being flexible with your flight itinerary and stopovers along the way.
Most search engines can easily put together different airlines in one booking, but it isn’t always the cheapest option. If you’re going on a longer flight with a stopover, it may be a good idea to buy two separate airline tickets.
For example, if you’re traveling to Los Angeles and having a stopover in London, you might be able to save some money. But how, you ask? You may be able to save money by buying a single ticket to London and then a new single ticket from London to Los Angeles. However, if you choose this method, it is important that you have plenty of time between the flights.
When booking the tickets individually, you cannot just be put on the next flight if something goes wrong, or the first flight is delayed. Another disadvantage is that your suitcase will most likely not just be sent automatically to the next flight. So please, remember your suitcase!
Because of all these disadvantages, I recommend having a full day stopover, just in case. But hey? Then you also have an excuse to get out of the airport and explore a bit of the city – yay! Just remember to check if a visa is required, otherwise you could get in big trouble.
Buy a return ticket
It may sound crazy to buy a return ticket if you only have to fly one way. But in some cases, it may be cheaper to buy a return ticket as well. Just get on the plane one way and simply avoid showing up for the return ticket. It may sound crazy, but it actually happens more often than you might think.
If you do not like to use dirty tricks, you can choose to contact the airline and let them know about the situation. There can be a lot of money to be saved on airline tickets this way, so remember to research if this is an option for you.
Travel after the offers
If you do not have a specific destination in mind, you may be able to travel by offer. Maybe you were planning a city break to Barcelona or Rome, but the prices are way too expensive. Consider whether you could compromise and go to Prague, Budapest, or something completely different instead? You can save a lot of money, not just on flights, but also on the actual expenses of the travel destination.
Most search engines have a feature that allows you to see which cities in the world are the cheapest to travel to at the moment. You can often choose the travel dates and the price level yourself. It isn’t certain that you can completely count on the prices, but it gives a good sense of where you can afford to travel.
Buy a youth ticket
If you’re under 26 or a student, remember to take advantage of your age. The reason for this is that several airlines and travel agencies offer a discount for young people and students. Where and when it’s possible to get a discount varies a lot. But remember to research your options thoroughly before booking airline tickets.
Leave the suitcase at home
It can be an expensive pleasure to bring your suitcase on the flight. In fact, you can often save a lot of money by leaving it at home.
It isn’t uncommon to pay extra to carry your suitcase on short-haul flights. So, consider leaving it at home and bring carry-on luggage instead. While it may seem logical to carry your suitcase on long-haul flights, you may also risk paying large sums of money to carry it there.
When searching for a plane, it isn’t always easy to see the price of luggage at first glance. Sometimes it requires you to pretend you’re booking the airline tickets before you’re even allowed to see the price.
Avoid extra fees
Most airlines are now demanding money for everything, but that’s probably also why airline tickets have become this cheap. If you want to save money on airline tickets, simply avoid being tempted by all their appealing purchases.
When booking a plane ticket, you often must pay extra to choose a seat. But if you just make sure to check-in well in advance, you can usually choose your seat for free anyway. Most airlines allow you to check-in online for up to 24 hours before departure.
You may also be charged an additional fee for using your credit card upon payment or for service in the event of problems. It seems a little silly when you’ve already just paid large sums of money for the plane tickets, but still must pay a little extra to actually get them. And why isn’t it included in the price that there should be help once you’ve paid for the flight?
In addition, it’s also not uncommon for you to pay extra for luggage and for food on short-haul flights. You can also buy a cancellation insurance, but you’ll probably not need it. But of course, you need to make sure that you already have a good travel insurance.
Book well in advance
If you know where to go and when to go, do not wait to book your plane tickets. It’s completely rare to find the cheapest flights at the last minute – especially if you’re traveling on a specific date. Airplanes are usually divided into different price ranges and the cheapest airline tickets are typically sold first.
Although you should book your plane tickets well in advance, you shouldn’t book too well in advance either. If you book the tickets a whole year in advance, the airlines know that you really want to go at that time – and then they’ll often require a higher amount.
On the other hand, be aware that the absolute worst time to buy airline tickets is less than 2 weeks before departure. Prices are typically sky high over the last 2 weeks. And there are typically only bad flights left with long stopovers or tiring travel times. Believe me, it happens every single time for me – so annoying haha!
So that was all my tips for finding the cheapest flights. Want to share some of your best tips for finding the cheapest flights? Feel free to leave a comment further down the page.
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