Whether you are taking your first international trip or on your hundredth trip to visit family, every traveler knows how difficult it can be to find affordable international flights, no matter what your departure point or destination. This is especially true if you make multiple trips a year, or if you are traveling to more than one destination. The costs can easily add up, but if you know a few easy tricks, you can find the cheapest tickets to make your travel as affordable as possible.
Follow these simple tips to get the best deal for your next international flight:
1. Keep your travel dates flexible
If you’re on a tight schedule, this is not necessarily an option, but allowing a few days on either side of your desired dates can make a big difference in the price you pay for your ticket. There is a widely held myth in the travel community that the cheapest day to fly is on a Tuesday. This is not always the case, but it is usually much cheaper to fly on a weekday, rather than on the weekend. Fridays and Sundays tend to be the most expensive days to fly, so keep that in mind when searching for flights.
2. Avoid peak travel seasons
It’s worth noting that some months are cheaper than others to book a ticket. The most expensive time to purchase a ticket is in the dead of summer, and around the holidays in December. This is when most people are traveling, and airlines know it. Ticket prices skyrocket in July and August and in the days before and after Christmas and New Year’s.
Purchase your tickets to avoid the busiest times of the year and you could save some serious cash on your flight. Keep in mind other international holidays or celebrations that might be happening at your destination that could impact the price of your flight. For example, if you happen to be flying to Thailand in April, you may not even realize that one of the biggest festivals of the year, the Songkran Festival, is taking place and could make your ticket that much more expensive.
3. Use the best booking websites
There are thousands of websites to book flights through, but not all travel sites may be able to find you the best deals available. Some of the best and cheapest booking options available are Skyscanner, Momondo, Kiwi.com, Cheapoair, and Google Flights.
No matter which site you choose to book from, we highly recommend checking multiple site and search engines to find the best and cheapest options. Some sites offer travel options that may be better for your trip. For example, if you’re trying to extend a layover for one of your destinations, using AirWander is the best site for you to use; if you’re looking for sales or error fares, AirFare Watchdog is your best option. Also, don’t forget to check Southwest through their website! Southwest doesn’t show up on standard search engines, and they can have some great prices, especially for domestic travel.
4. Keep your search browser incognito
When searching to try to find the cheapest flights, your browser records data in cookies stored in your computer, and, unfortunately, when a flight is searched multiple times, the prices increase. This is a tactic from airlines to encourage you to book your ticket as soon as possible.
The best way to avoid seeing a price increase for your desired flight is to keep your browser on “incognito” or private browsing mode. This will ensure that your searches do not impact the prices with each search and you’ll be able to find the cheapest options available. The browser resets itself each time you open an incognito tab, so make sure to close all of your private browser tabs every time you start a new search.
5. Check for airline error fares
Error fares are exactly what they sound like. Occasionally, an airline will post a flight fare that seems too good to be true, with tickets popping up at a seriously discounted rate. These deals usually occur due to human error, faulty conversion rates, or glitches with the website, but no matter how they happen, if you can purchase your ticket before that fare is corrected by the airline, you could book a flight for a screaming deal.
These don’t happen too often and these error fares don’t usually last more than a few days at most, so you have to be able to take advantage of these deals when they pop up. Check out AirFare Watchdog and Secret Flying to find the cheapest sales and error fares available. Another way to spot the error fares for yourself is to search for flights over an entire month at a time. This way, when you see the overview of fares, you can easily spot the dates that have the cheapest flights and you can take advantage.
6. Check multiple airports and local airlines
Often flights will route you into the biggest airport at your destination, but that may not always be the cheapest option. Search the surrounding areas for different airports, and even check neighboring cities. You may be able to save a serious chunk of change if you can fly to an alternative airport and use local transportation methods to get into the city. This is also worth taking into account when considering which airport to depart from. If you live near multiple airports, check all of them to see which departure point has the cheapest fares. If you keep your destination flexible, you may be able to get the best prices for seriously low prices.
Local airlines are also a great resource for cheap flights. Check into the airlines near your destination and you may be able to get a great deal on a short local flight, which allows you to explore the nearby areas around your destination at a super low cost.
7. Don’t purchase your ticket at the last minute
Ticket fares tend to spike at the last minute, so make sure to book your ticket as far in advance as you can. When flying domestically, give yourself around three months in advance, and if you’re flying internationally, booking at least six months in advance will give you the best and cheapest ticket fares. This is especially true if you plan on flying during a peak season, as fares will already be higher than usual, so any additional padding for time will help you find the best price.
If you’re planning to travel during the off-season, you have a little more leeway in your ticket options. You may be able to find a great sale price just a month or two before a domestic trip, but you can’t always count on that to be an option.
8. Use budget airlines
Budget airlines are definitely the cheapest way to fly. This includes airlines like Frontier and RyanAir, and there are multiple budget airline options in every part of the world, so search budget airlines according to your destination.
When flying on a budget airline, keep in mind that these flights are often very cheap for a reason. These aren’t flights with any frills, so don’t be expecting fancy snacks (or any snacks, for that matter), and if you’re planning to take a flight that lasts more than a few hours or if you have medical issues, you may want to spring for an airline that has slightly more comfortable seats.
Budget airlines may charge you an extra fee to check your luggage or if your luggage is over the weight limits and dimensions for the airline. Make sure to do your research before your flight, so you don’t end up at the airport to a bunch of surprise fees at the last minute. Speaking of airports, check the airport for your destination when booking on a budget. Budget airlines are more likely to fly to an alternative airport which could end up altering your travel plans.
If you are prepared and know what to expect, you could be flying to your destination for pennies compared to other airlines.
Here is a comprehensive list of budget airlines in major destinations around the world.
9. Get creative with your travel schedule
This is a tricky one, but it can definitely save you some cash if you know what you’re doing. Many booking sites will automatically book each leg of your itinerary all at once with the same airline (or allied airlines), but this is not always the cheapest option. Sometimes you may be able to book each leg of your trip separately with different airlines for a much lower cost. Another alternative is to book the flights to and from your destination separately as one-way tickets for a discounted rate.
Of course, the risk here is that if you miss a connection during your trip, you may end up eating the cost of the ticket. When you have a complete itinerary with one airline, they have an obligation to help you find a connecting flight. Without that security, if you miss a connection, the airlines are under no obligation to help you re-book, and you may end up stuck in the airport with no choice but to shell out serious bucks for a new flight.
One way to avoid this is to make sure that you leave ample time in your layovers. It goes without saying that flights are often delayed for any number of reasons, but if you schedule enough time between flights, you can essentially plan for the unexpected.
10. Travel through “hidden cities”
This is another trick that involves a certain amount of risk, but it could end up being the cheapest option. When booking a flight, you may discover that it is actually cheaper to use the city as a connection along the way to a final destination. You book the flight but once you reach the connection, you stay there, as opposed to continuing on to the final destination of the booked trip. By skipping the last leg of your itinerary, you are able to visit your desired destination for a cheaper price. This is a practice known as “hidden city ticketing” and while, it’s a great trick to keep in mind, airlines don’t encourage it. One of the risks that come with traveling through “hidden cities” is that any checked luggage could end up at your final destination, so keep your luggage to a minimum.
No matter what your destination, when you get creative with the where, when, and how you book your flights, you can end up saving some serious change for your flight. And the best part about saving all that money? You have that much more in your travel budget once you reach your destination. Where are you traveling to next?
Find the original post from Remitly here:
https://blog.remitly.com/finance/tips-for-finding-cheap-international-flight-tickets/