It’s safe to say I have booked my fair share of flights over the past few years. It can be confusing, frustrating and expensive when it comes to finding the right flight. Here are some tips I have found useful that will hopefully save you some money (and stress!) next time you are booking a flight.
1. Know the right days to travel.
Fly mid-week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are always the cheapest days to fly. Sundays are always the most expensive. (I have no idea why).
2. Book in advance.
Booking in advance isn’t always an option but if you are able to, I recommend booking 6-8 weeks outside of the day you are leaving. (With an exception of last minute sales and deals)
3. Know the right days to book.
As with traveling, the cheapest days to actually book your flights is mid-week, Tuesday or Wednesday.
4. Always compare flights.
My favourite site for comparing flights is Skyscanner. It’s easy to use and compares all sites right there in front of you. Sometimes Kayak has flights even cheaper than Skycanner so be sure to exhaust all your options before picking the right one.
5. Package deals are ok.
Sometimes package deals can be a ‘rip-off’ and sometimes you can save A LOT of money combing your hotel + flights in a package (for example a vacation to Mexico or Las Vegas). Sites I like for package deals are expedia.com and hotwire.com.
6. Sign up for email alerts.
When you sign up for email alerts from your favourite airlines you get to find out their sales first. Prices can change a lot (sometimes up to three times a day!) so make sure you are always in the loop.
7. Use an Incognito browser.
Ever gone on a site and seen a good price, then revisited that site a little later only to find the price has changed a lot? Airlines can track your IP address/ computer identifier from your computer saving the cookies from each website. Using an Incognito browser allows you to browse undetected. Don’t understand what I’m talking about? (let’s face it, I don’t really get it either). Let Google help you! https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95464?hl=en
8. Travel in the off season.
Some of my best travel moments have been spent traveling in the ‘off season’, and lets face it, it will ALWAYS be cheaper than peak season.
9. It’s fine to have stop overs.
Flying direct is obviously more convenient than having a stop over (sometimes multiple stop overs) but while convenient is always…well more convenient it definitely doesn’t mean its cheaper. If you want save some pennies you will just have to suck up those extra hours spent at random airports. Think of it as character building š
10. Last but not least- Collect air miles.
I only just started collecting air miles myself and I am kicking myself for not doing it earlier. It really is a no brainer. Fly with your favourite air line and they will reward you with points. Once you have sufficient points you can easily upgrade and even get flights for free!
I hope these tips will help you out when you are booking your next trip.
Happy travels!
The Life Of A Wanderer 