Finding the Cheapest Flights and Travel Deals for YOUR Situation
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The ability to travel IS NOT CREATED EQUALLY. You may see your favorite travel photographers and bloggers jetting off to awesome locations seemingly every month, and you ask yourself – HOW DO THEY AFFORD TO DO THAT?!? How is everyone ELSE finding the cheapest flights, but not you??
Well, I’m going to share a bit of wisdom with you that will immediately make your travel aspirations less stressful. DO NOT COMPARE YOUR ABILITY TO TRAVEL TO SOMEONE ELSE’S. Maybe they have a remote job. Maybe they have more time off. Or maybe…they just have a lot of money. Those are all very real possibilities, but it doesn’t mean that your travels or less cool or enriching.
BUT, let’s get back to one of those points. Money. How do not-rich people afford to travel “so much,” whatever that number means to you? Two words: CHEAP FLIGHTS. But like, what does that mean? And how do you get them?? Fret not my friend, I’m here to give you my top tips for finding the cheapest flights FOR YOU.
A Guide to Finding the Cheapest Flights for YOUR Situation!
I specify finding the cheapest flights FOR YOU, because, again, the ability to travel is not created equally. Some people will naturally have cheaper flights than others. Life is unfair. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of what you’re given! Finding the cheapest flights for your situation. It boils down to the following seven tips.
1. Know your airport
* Size Matters
Honestly, this is the biggest factor. Flight costs is all about location, location, location. Bigger airports (usually found in bigger cities and metropolitan areas) have more demand and availability for flights. That generally just makes things cheaper overall. Smaller airports have fewer flights going in and out, less airlines competing for your dollar, and often require layovers in bigger cities to get to a destination so you’re also paying for more plane-time.
So for my situation, I live in Portland, Oregon, USA, which is on the west coast of the country. Portland, while the biggest city in Oregon, is still relatively small, and the Portland airport is tiny. There’s not even a separate building for other terminals. It’s all in one place. So while the benefit of that is smaller crowds and faster TSA lines…the downside is that prices for flights will be more expensive than -for example- flights leaving the Atlanta airport. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
* Where da big boys at
On that note, it may be helpful to keep an eye on flights at nearby airports. If your closest airport isn’t big, how far away is the nearest major airport? Sometimes, it may be worth it to travel to a major airline hub a few hours away! For me, the nearest major airport from Portland is Sea-Tac Airport, in Seattle. The Seattle airport is about a $20 bus ticket for me.
So for example, if I wanted to go to South Africa, flights leaving Portland are about $1900 USD. Flights leaving Seattle, however, are $1500 USD. I could save $400 just by taking the bus to fly out of Seattle instead!
So in that sense, if you’re headed out for a big trip, it’s worth it to look into flights from nearby big airports! You could save hundreds of dollars. But you’ll have to keep in mind how long it will take to get to the other airports (Seattle is a 3 hour bus ride for me), and determine if that time is worth the extra step.
* Home Turf Spirit
And on that note, the last bit I have to say about airports in regards to finding the cheapest flights for YOU – know your airport’s airline hubs! You should look into which airlines have the best deals for your airport, and sign up for their rewards programs!
I mean, you probably fly with them all the time anyway, so earn some miles out of it! I’ll talk about rewards and miles a bit later, but a lot of airlines even have a free membership that you don’t have to pay for.
If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, for example, sign up for the Alaska Air rewards program! They are a major airline on the west coast, and often one of the cheapest flights aside from the budget ones. Southwest Air and Delta are big for those in the south. See which airlines will give YOU the most rewards based on your location.
2. Research your Options
Okay, so we’ve covered our homebase pretty well. You’ve distinguished whether or not your airport is big or small, you know to look for flights out of neighboring airports, and you’ve signed up for your regional airline’s rewards programs. Sweet. Now the next biggest thing you can do to find the cheapest flights for you are to research your options!
Remember how I said that airports aren’t created equally? Well, neither are destinations. Depending on your locations, certain cities, countries, and regions will be more affordable to visit than others. You may see people on social media jetting off to Greece, Bali, and Turkey almost every other day, but when you go to look up flights, you’d have to sell a kidney to be able to afford one of those trips. HOW DO THEY DO IT??
Aside from bloggers and influencers who take sponsored trips, they are probably able to visit those places because it’s affordable for their location. So don’t compare your travels to anyone else’s, it’s all very reliant on where they are living.
‘Okay Kay, blah blah blah but how do I find destinations that are cheap based on my location??’
* Two words: Google Flights.
Google Flights is an amazing tool, and it can definitely be helpful if you like to plan your trips! Google Flights has an explore feature that can help in finding the cheapest flights for you based on YOUR location. Put in your airport and click on the “explore destinations” option.
This will give you a rough idea of the average costs for different destinations from your location. So if you want to travel frequently, I would suggest traveling to the destinations that are less expensive.
For me, that means traveling along the West Coast of the US and Canada, Mexico, and Hawaii. All insanely beautiful, and less than $300 USD round trip! China and Hong Kong are also relatively cheaper destinations for my location, about $350-400 USD round trip!
And of course, that will be different than someone who lives on the East Coast. Their more affordable international destinations will be Europe, the Caribbean, and the East of Canada. Just because you are traveling in the same region doesn’t make it any less amazing! In fact, you’ll be able to ACTUALLY distinguish the subtle differences between the unique countries and places.
And, by finding the cheapest flights for you and choosing destinations based on your location, you will be able to travel more frequently than if you just splurged on a random destination.
3. Diversity your flight search engines
Okay, so now you’ve got your destination in mind. How should you actually buy the ticket while making sure you get the cheapest price possible?
* Incognitoooo
Some folks say to use an incognito window on your browser when booking flights. The idea behind this is that the flight price will increase for a particular route when it is searched repeatedly. So if you use incognito mode, your searches won’t be able to be tracked. PERSONALLY THOUGH, I’ve never really seen this help me. Prices have generally been the same for me, whether I search incognito or not. Naturally, prices will fluctuate based on how much time has based and the seat availability for the flight. But if you want to be EXTRA SURE, or maybe just a little superstitious, for sure, use incognito mode on your browser.
But what websites do I use?
When it comes to booking websites, my biggest tip is to compare, compare, compare. Don’t use just one, and just because a specific site has the cheapest flight for one destination, doesn’t mean it will ALWAYS have the cheapest. I use two tiers of search engines – the first for getting a general idea, and the second to REALLY narrow down which has the cheapest flights.
* First Tier Sites for finding the cheapest flights
I use these as a general idea, but also if I plan on buying a vacation package (flights+hotel/car). Sometimes they have the cheapest flights, but not usually. BUT they offer packages, which might end up cheaper than if I bought flights and hotel/car separately. So it’s worth checking.
- Google Flights: mentioned above, however, I generally only use it as a guide for destinations and the average price range. It typically does not have the cheapest flights though.
- Skyscanner: Also a great site to use for destinations! Instead of choosing something specific, you can put in “anywhere” and it will show you the cheapest destinations for a specific date! More likely to find cheaper flights than with Google Flights, but does not always include budget airline options.
- Kayak/Expedia: The classic sites! I like using these because the check multiple booking websites at once, and they have great bundle deals! I also like using Expedia specifically because they have a great rewards program. Expedia’s free rewards program automatically puts you into the “blue category,” which earns you points per dollar you spend on Expedia that you can trade-in for travel and hotel credit! The more money you spend on Expedia, you can be moved into the silver and gold categories, which offer even more rewards. And hey, if you can find the cheapest flight on Expedia anyway, might as well get some extra rewards!
* Second Tier Sites for finding the cheapest flights
THESE will be your bread and butter for finding the cheapest flights for YOU. Well, at least if you are American. I’ll put in some other sites to check for non-Americans that I’ve heard work well, but I personally haven’t used them.
- Momondo: Hands down, probably my favorite! After comparing with all the other sites, this is usually the one that lists the cheapest flight. Even their package deals are sometimes slightly cheaper than Expedia, though there is no rewards program.
- Kiwi: Another good one, and I like it because it searches for flights AND other methods of transportation, like buses and trains. Because SURPRISE, flights are not always the cheapest route! Well, in The United States, flights generally are, BUT if you happen to be traveling in Europe, this could come in handy! I also love this site because it can plan out a whole itinerary for you and help you plan out the costs for all of your transportation. It’s rad.
- Orbitz/Hotwire/Jetradar/Vayama: There’s nothing super exciting about these sites, but I like to use them to compare to other flight sites. In general, Vayama is the better one for international flights BUUUUT they have a steep booking fee (like ~$25 USD!) so keep that in mind!
REMEBER. COMPARING FLIGHT BOOKING WEBSITES WILL HELP IN FINDING THE CHEAPEST FLIGHTS FOR YOU! It’s a lot of work, but it pays off.
* What about loyalty??
Okay, remember back when I made you sign up for all those regional airlines? This is also a good time to check those. Airlines often have flash deals and sales, so I’d recommend signing up for their newsletters as well.
It’s also good practice if you’re booking a flight to check the price listed on the airline’s website as well. The airline might price match if it’s the exact same route! My good friend Alaska Air does! Also, if it’s the same price, might as well book with the airline directly to rack up even more points and miles!
4. Show me the deals
I think you have a good grasp on finding the cheapest flights for you now. The main things are knowing your airport, knowing your affordable destinations, and comparing flight prices across different search websites. But, what if I told you it gets even better? That’s right. I’m talking the REAL DEALS. Error fares that cut prices in half. Flash sales that move so quickly you might as well call them Barry Allen. Prices lower than a Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz song. Seriously, the deals put Amazon Prime to shame. In short, it’ll make you wet.
By that, I mean you’ll be drooling.
Get your mind out of the gutter.
* JUST TAKE ME SOMEWHERE
If you don’t care where you’re going, as long as it’s cheap, then you are already ahead on the affordable travel game. And to take you to the next level, allow me to introduce my favorite flight deal websites. SecretFlying, Travel Pirates, and Airfare Watchdog.
- Airfare Watchdog: I absolutely freaking love this site. It’s super straightforward. Right on the front page, BAM, it’ll show you all the current flight deals from your airport. It also lists any airline sales to check out
- SecretFlying / Travel Pirates: Now THESE TWO SITES RIGHT HERE are gold. They include flight deals, flash sales, error fares (they happen more commonly than you’d expect!), and even deals on fancy hotels! I also love these two sites because you can find deals and error fares for your specific airport and region! AND, they are international, so even if you aren’t based in the United States, they will still help in finding the cheapest flights for you! Find them both on social media (because they list different sales!), and then like, follow, subscribe, retweet, and whatever else to stay on top of their insane deals!
* Just Take me….to this specific place, but for cheap
Okay, so maybe you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum and you DO have a specific place in mind. Does that mean you will never find a good flight deal for that destination?
Don’t worry, there’s something for you too!
Hopper.
It’s an app, and it is about to be your best friend. Hopper is essentially a REALLY nice flight tracker, with a scarily accurate success rate. You just put in your anticipated flight and then the app will tell you whether you should buy it now, or wait. Put your entire trust in this app, it has never steered me wrong before. Hopper also has super secret hotel deals, and you can add specific hotels to your watchlist and the app will recommend when to book that hotel (it even lists the hotel’s tripadvisor rating!)
Download Hopper right now.
* Just take me somewhere…but also somewhere else!
Want to know one of my favorite flight search/booking websites? Well of course you do, that’s why you’re reading this! Okay, I’m going to tell you and then once you fall in love and start telling everyone else, make sure to mention my name. Yeah, it’s that cool.
It’s a site that finds stopover cities.
What’s a stopover? Well, you know what a layover is, right? Those pesky in-between stops where you just derp around in a transfer airport for 4 hours before your next flight? Well a stopover is just like that, but longer than 24 hours. It’s basically a long layover. Some airlines have stopover options on their website (like Emirates for Dubai and Singapore Air for…well, Singapore), but for all other flights, airlines, and destinations, use Airwander.
You put in your start airport and your destination, then Airwander will tell you which cities would make good stopover options for that route. It’s an easy way to build an extra destination into your itinerary! And sometimes, it makes the entire trip cheaper! For example, on my last trip to Singapore, I could have flown back to Portland for ~$600USD. BUT, since I used Airwander, I learned that having a stopover in Hong Kong would actually make my price cheaper! I paid $150 USD to get to Hong Kong, spent 4 days there, then $250 USD to get to Portland! I save $200 AND saw another country! Win-win!
On that note, Airwander usually doesn’t have the cheapest flights, so just use it as a search engine and do your actual booking on another site!
5. The Magic M word: Miles.
If you want to get a cheap flight, don’t pay in cash. Hellooooo frequent flyer miles! I could (and probably should…) write a whole blog post on airline miles, but for now I’ll keep it short. Miles are amazing. And you should use them. In fact, if you have enough miles, check that airline’s website to see what you can book and choose your destination that way.
This ties back into that airline rewards program I talked about earlier. I signed up for Alaska Air’s free mileage program (but I also have their credit card, which I love), and in one year I earned enough miles for a ticket to Dubai for just $20 USD on Emirates. This year, I’m headed to China and Israel. I can get a roundtrip flight to South Africa just from the signup miles with the Delta credit card.
Miles are magic. Bipoody boppety boop.
6. Put that Payment on a Plan
Most sensible financial advice suggest you should *~*always pay off your credit card in full each month*~*
But like…if you don’t have enough cash to cover your flight, and you probably won’t pay off the entire amount after one billing cycle…how are you supposed to travel?
Le sigh.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could buy flights…but like, with a payment plan? WELL YOU CAN! There are a few flight booking websites that offer payment plans. One of them is our good ol’ friend Expedia. If your flight is over $200 USD, you have the option to spread out the payments over 3, 6, or 12 months, depending on the total. The catch, you need to book a hotel. So either the hotel alone, or in a flight+hotel package. Then there will be a “monthly payments” tab you can click during checkout!
The other is Airfordable! It is a new startup company and I just found out about it this year from a friend (after I had already booked my vacation *cry emoji). Basically, you use any of the above tips for finding the cheapest flights for you and your destination, take a screenshot of that flight itinerary, and then you send it over to Airfordable! You just need a deposit (a portion of the total cost) upfront, and then the rest will be spread out on a payment plan! I haven’t used this site yet, but I will for my next trip and then I’ll update this section!
Another site that I heard about is called Fomo Travel, which is a South African startup travel company. They curate vacation packages (like a Bali wellness retreat, African safari adventure, island hopping in the Phillipines, etc) and all you have to do is pick one and you can pay on a plan, woop woop! I haven’t used it, but if you’re into tours (although some options are solo and you make your own itinerary), then it’s worth looking into!
There are also a few airlines that offer payment plans directly from their website. Like Virgin Holidays! And…actually, I think that’s it…but yanno, if y’all hear of any others, let me know! Another option is using a credit card that can set up a payment plan, like the Paypal or AMEX card. Just be sure to read the terms and conditions so you aren’t surprised with any fees!
7. Friends in High Places
I’m not saying to use your friends for your own travel gains buttttt….I meannnn…if they’re already there….
If you have any friends in the travel or tourism industry, ASK THEM ABOUT THEIR BENEFITS. Like, seriously. Hit up all your friends that are flight attendants or work for airlines, rental car services, hotels, tourism boards, and all those cool jobs. If you have any FA buddies, plan a standby trip with them! For your hotel amigos, go on a weekend trip staying in one of their hotels, and you pay for the gas! Just make sure you’re also showing them some love and appreciation too! Take them out to lunch or a pedicure to show your undying gratitude for their job benefits. It’s a win-win.
8. Have flexible dates
And last but not least for finding the cheapest flights – have flexible dates. I know, it’s often the first suggestion given by most people, which is why I left it for last. If you have a little wiggle room in your schedule, make sure to check the surrounding dates for arrival and departure, as prices can vary a lot just based on which date you choose!
Which brings me to the high vs low season. If you buy tickets during the low season, aka the less crowded and touristy time of year, then your flight prices will be cheaper. THAT SAID, it’s low season for a reason. Usually because the weather is less than ideal. Liiike it’s 115 F in Arizona. Or it’s -25F in Norway. ORRR THERE’S A HURRICANE IN THE CARIBBEAN. Yanno, things that might upset your vacation. If you can handle some unfavorable conditions, then go for it!
Finding the Cheapest Flights : CONCLUSION
Wow, I talk A LOT. So too long, didn’t read, here’s the summary for you.
- Know your airport, nearby airports, and regional airlines.
- Research which destinations are cheapest for your location
- Compare prices across multiple search engines
- Keep an eye out for flight deals and error fares
- Use miles when available
- Consider a payment plan option
- Ask your friends for their travel benefits
- Be flexible and adaptable
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What do you use for finding the cheapest flights?
Did I miss anything? What are some of your tried and true tips for finding the cheapest flights? Do you have the luxury of living near a major airport, or do you have to do a little more strategizing for finding the cheapest flights? Let me know in the comments below!
Lolol I used to use Airfarewatchdog while living in Portland and kept it for a year after moving to Thailand because I would end up perusing flights I couldn’t buy but wanted to see the deal. ANYWAYS ended up canceling the subscription because they don’t don’t do watches from Asia and my credit card needed a break.
But what I’m trying to say, is, loved this blog! Haha
Great tips on how to find cheap airfare! Being the most expensive part of a trip, it is always nice to find an awesome deal!
So many great tips here! I also love Secret Flying and the Explore Destinations feature in Google Flights is fantastic. I grew up near Seattle, but now my closest big airport is a 2 1/2 hour drive away. Ugh. So many more options from those major hubs.
Ok I had no idea about that explore function! Omg you just blew my mind 😀
Absolutely love this! You have given tips I have never thought of before. I’ll be using this when I book my next flight.
Thanks for these tips! Honestly, I never feel very savvy when it comes to booking flights. Although recently we saw flights from Auckland to Wellington for $36! Super-cheap! But of course, we didn’t book (idiotas!) and then it skyrockets to $100 crazy! But I will definitely put these tips into practice next time I book flights!
Good tips! I find that while tickets may not be the most expensive component of the travel, finding a good deal definitely is an incentive to plan a certain trip you may not have considered otherwise!
I also love Momondo – it’s got a great tool for tracking when flights tend to be cheapest so that you can wait and pounce!
Amazing tips! I just signed up for airfare watchdog. I can’t wait to see what deals I get!
These are all really great tips thank you for sharing! Always set up flight deal reminders is a great way to keep up to date on the best prices.
Love all the tips and basically spoon feeding me to funding my next vacation !! I like to use hopper to get cheap airfares when my dates are flexible 🙂
So many great tips! I am working on a similar article and all these are so helpful! Thanks for taking time to do this!
Having flexible dates has been most helpful for me- loving all of these tips!
Google is a game-changer! I can’t believe some people don’t know that trick.
RIGHT?? Google never disappoints!