One of the biggest expenses when you’re traveling is the cost of flights. It can be pretty tricky sorting out flights to save as much money as possible, but there are a number of little tips and tricks that can make a big difference to your flight cost. For many people, the initial flight cost is the biggest hurdle to getting overseas, so use these tips we’ve discovered over the past few years to save money and extend your trip.
Photo Credit: Shai Barzilay on Flickr
1) Book Deals
There are a number of airlines and companies that offer flight and hotel deals that will wind up saving you money. If you’ve never thought of combining things like this, then start by checking out Flybe and seeing whether they fly to your destination. It works because the airlines can go to the hotels and ask for a bulk discount and then they forward on some of those savings to you. Often these deals tend to work out to be significantly cheaper than if you’d tried to book yourself, so can be a great option if you want to cut costs.
2) Be Flexible
Being flexible with your travel dates is one of the easiest way to cut costs of your trip. More often than not, flights that depart on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sundaytend to be more expensive. This is because holiday makers tend to go on these days and they’re also popular days for business travellers too – meaning there’s a lot of competition for the tickets. On the other hand, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday tend to be the cheapest days to fly. When searching for cheap flights, check the flight prices a few days either side of your ideal flight day, you might be surprised to find substantial savings.
Photo Credit: Skabarcat on Flickr
3) Empty Your Cache
Did you know that some flight websites remember what you’ve searched for and when you search again intentionally hike up the prices? It’s true. Just in case the site you’re using does this, why not just empty your browsing history cache to avoid the hiked prices.
4) Book Really Early or Last Minute
If you’re super super flexible, you can take advantage of last minute flight prices. The problem with these, is that there’s no guarantee. You might find a good price ticket or you might wind up paying three times as much as usual. This is only really a good option if you are super flexible, such as being self employed or your own boss. Otherwise, it is generally safer to book really early. 2-3 months is a good time frame, although sometimes you’ll find that airlines have great specials well in advance.
5) Take a Stop Over
Many people look to get to their final destination as soon as possible. I’m a little different; I see stop overs as an opportunity to visit a new city or place and to get some more travel experience. If you start thinking of stop overs as mini holidays, it can make them a lot less stressful. It can also be a great way to save money as often direct flights are much, much more expensive.
These are our tips for finding cheap flights. Do you have any suggestions?
