How to Find Cheap Flights (Don’t miss #8)How to Find Cheapflights

Finding cheap flights for domestic and international travel is so rewarding! It takes time and effort but can save you hundreds of dollars.

Learn how to find cheap flights and travel more. The following are strategies that I have used for booking flights for worldwide travel. I have saved LOTS of money, and you can too!

These are all of my top travel tips for saving money on flights from years of experience. Don’t miss tip #8.

What is the best way to find cheap flights to anywhere?

#1 Use flight search websites

Google Flights

Google flights is the best way to search for the lowest price flights, especially if you have some flexibility with your dates.

You can enter several airports (click on the + to add) for your departure and arrival, along with specific dates. You will then see the lowest fare possibilities for all of the routes.

Now, here is the really exciting part… You can put a country or continent in the Where To box. For example, SFO to “Europe,” with specific dates. The ingenious map option allows you to see the airfares to all the city options. You can do this to check and compare two one-way vs. round-trip fares.

Now let’s say you know exactly where you want to go, but you are flexible on the dates. This is another fantastic feature… put in the “to” and “from” cities, then click on the calendar. Now you can see the fares on any day of any month. Make sure to again check for round-trip and one-way fares.

After you find the lowest fare, you can go to the airline website and book it directly on their site.

#2 Be flexible with your dates, times, and airports!

Leaving a day earlier or later can save a lot of money, as well as the time of day, as you may have seen after doing the above. Note that a flight that leaves at 12:00 midnight could be the lowest price, but will only come up if you are looking at flexible dates, or searching for the day after. Flying to a different airport and taking a connecting flight can save BIG money.

Take Europe for example…When traveling to or starting your travels in any given country, you don’t need to fly directly to the nearby airport. Find a cheap flight getting you into Europe, then do a separate search for flights connecting you to where you want to go.

Check out the Ryan Air route map and the Easy Jet route map and connect the arrival city (which you may want to stay in for a day or two) with your destination.

*Note that these low-cost airlines sometimes fly out of the smaller airports which may not be the same airport in a city that you are flying into. So make sure you allow for enough connection time and figure out the transportation details and price before you book.

#3 Fly on low-cost airlines

There are some great low-cost airlines that offer cheap flights. I recommend getting on some of their email lists so you are in the know when a great deal comes out. Make sure to read all of the details before you book, especially the baggage restrictions, as you can end up spending a lot more than that great price you found. Here is a list of some of the larger low-cost international airlines:

Southwest Airlines, Norwegian Air, Air Asia, Euro Wings, Condor, and Level

Here is a great article on the Best and Worst Airlines in the US

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Click here to check out my favorite carry on suitcase for international travel

#4 Search for seats for one person

Don’t search for your whole family. When it comes time to book you can increase by one at a time to see if the price increases, then book on separate reservations. I have booked tickets on two different computers simultaneously just to get the lowest price when I was booking for a family of 5!

Best ways to find cheap flights

#5 Search for one-way tickets and fly into one city and out of another, also called an “open jaw”

Booking one-way tickets can save you lots of money and give you the flexibility to not have to go back to a city that you have already visited. You can use any of the tips above, as well as fly on points one way.

*You may find that it costs less to book a ticket with a layover all the way through to another city, and the layover city is the one you actually want to go to.

Sometimes there will be a drastic price difference for taking the same flight, when there is an additional leg to the final destination. For example, I booked tickets from Lihue, Kauai to San Francisco with a connecting flight to San Diego for $340 per person (See #8 for the resource) x 5 passengers. The same exact United flight from Lihue to San Francisco, (if booked with San Francisco as the final destination) was $1280.

I booked all the way to San Diego, but San Francisco was my final stopping point, and I did not take the connecting flight to San Diego. Carry-on luggage is essential for this, otherwise, your bags will continue to the final destination.

This was a $940 per passenger savings, for a total of $4700- Wow!

If you do this, know that the airlines don’t like it and it may come with risks. If you have another flight on the same reservation, it may be canceled if you miss a leg of your flight. So, it only works for missing the last leg of your reservation (or the end of a one-way reservation.)

Again, make sure to take carry on luggage only (read the airline’s size limits and restrictions carefully!)

*Update: I received an email from United Airlines, 2 months prior to the flight departure, stating that our routing had been changed to go from Lihue to LAX, then to San Diego. I immediately called and told them that I had to be on the first flight segment (Lihue to SFO) that I paid for.

I was changed back to that flight, but they added 2 more flights for the final destination to be San Diego (via Houston.) I offered to take the 1st segment only, but they said I would have to pay the fare difference ($940 each!)

I was then informed that I could call United after landing in San Francisco, and tell them that we will not be leaving SFO. I received $1465 in United Airlines credits, for 2 flights, that I wasn’t going to take anyway!

#6 Fly on Points

I love points! My favorite credit card for travel is the Chase Sapphire Card (either the Preferred or Reserve)

Click here for the Top Travel Resources post

For every dollar spent, you get 1, 2, or 3 points in an Ultimate Rewards account which can be transferred to several airlines (or hotels) for almost free travel (you pay the tax) You can also book travel on these flights, anytime, directly through Chase Ultimate Rewards. Sometimes it works out best to book a one-way ticket on points (your departure or return) and pay for a one-way ticket.

#7 Check the airfares every day

This is so you are familiar with the prices and know when a good deal comes up. The best prices can be found any day of the week and anywhere from 6 months out to only 6 weeks out from your departure. When you see a great price, buy your tickets!

Top Travel Tip

***Some airlines will allow you to do a FREE hold on a reservation for 24 hours or more. Just choose “Other” payment options and select pay cash at an airline ticket office or at the airport. This will allow you to hold a reservation for 2-3 days (read any disclaimer very carefully!) while you continue looking for a lower fare. To ticket, your reservation, use the confirmation number that is emailed to you and call the reservation phone number.

#8 Sign up for Going.com

Scott, the creator of Going.com (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) is brilliant! He and his team search for cheap flights, (including airline mistake fares), all day, every day. When they find great deals, you get an email informing you how to search and book these flights. You will see extremely low fares! I recommend the paid subscription so you get all the deals first.

Click here to sign up to get cheap flight notifications Going

Fun and Important Facts!

*U.S. federal regulation requires that airlines allow you to change or cancel your itinerary within 24 hours of booking without any penalty (for tickets booked from within the United States.) Read more here

*If your flight times change, there may be an opportunity for you to make FREE changes to your reservation. For tickets booked on miles, the airline CAN open up seats for you on another flight that doesn’t show any saver miles seats available.

Click here to see the Best Carry On Luggage

Book your trip!

Save time and money by using the best companies! For a list of all of my favorite travel related companies, check out the Top Travel Resources
Book your flight with Skyscanner
Book your accommodations with Booking.com or rent an apartment from locals on VRBO
Take carry on bags only! Check out my Ultimate Carry On Packing List, and learn how and what to pack for your trip!
Get inspired by 66 Quotes About Travel

Happy Travels!

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