Looking to explore the world without breaking the bank? Affordable flight booking is the dream for traveling.
Discover the art of finding cheap flights with our comprehensive guide. From insider tips to budget-friendly strategies, this blog post helps you unlock the secrets to affordable airfare and make your travel dreams a reality.
Here are my 8 Secrets to booking cheap flights
Blog Contents
1. Don’t be greedy
If you plan to travel on public holidays then don’t expect the prices to be cheap. That period is for sophisticated travelers, not for us.
Avoid specific travel dates for example during school summer vacation, festival days, weekends, Christmas vacation, and other public holidays. Instead, plan the trip one or two days before these dates and return a few days later to these dates.
The prices will at least be 30-40% less compared to the peak dates. This is common sense, isn’t it?
2. Lower your expectations
As they say, ‘You get what you pay for’. People often book a cheap deal or low-cost airline and complain that
- The legroom was very little
- The airline failed to serve nice food
- They charge for water
- Suddenly they charged for the check-in baggage
- The airport was too far to reach
- The cabin baggage allowance was very less
Remember that we aim to travel economically, so change your mindset and lower your expectations. A low-cost service provider is not going to offer anything for free. Instead, be grateful that we can at least fly for that price.
Once I misunderstood check-in baggage as cabin baggage and ended up paying 40€ as a penalty. So it’s better to avoid blaming the airline for your negligence.
Read all the terms and regulations carefully, for example, check-in baggage regulations, a list of prohibited things, and the maximum weight of cabin baggage.
Tip: Most of the time, cheap flights don’t provide you with check-in baggage. So try to share a suitcase/backpack with your travel partner.
3. Be Flexible
Everyone wants to fly from the nearest airport. Most of the time, flights from this place are expensive and we end up saying ‘No, not this time‘.
Your dream to travel has already ended 🙁 Instead, try searching for flights from the surrounding region/state. It is fine even if the next nearest airport is 500km away.
By now you will be thinking, ‘Why should I travel 500 km to just reach an airport? 🤷♂️’ Yes, it sounds ridiculous or stupid.
But who knows, you may strike golden deals with it. There will be many convenient means to reach the airport for less than 10€.
4. Be open to Destinations
Remember we aim to travel. When you decide to start traveling, most of the countries that you visit are going to be new.
So I recommend being open to destinations. Don’t be stubborn in one particular city and country.
Sometimes, you get the Flight deals by accident when you are open. I got one from Budapest to Amman for 30€, Stuttgart to Turin for 17€
Use tools like Skyscanner or Google Flights to make a cheap flight comparison. If you don’t know how to find a cheap flight, read my blog which I show you in screenshots on how to find one.
5. Avoid peak seasons
This is one common mistake everyone does. Visiting tourist places during peak seasons is going to be super expensive.
At the same time, it doesn’t make sense to visit during the off-season as well; like the Taj Mahal in January when it is cold and foggy and the Great Pyramids in July when it is hot and humid.
So try to bridge the time between these two seasons. The flight prices would be reasonable and also the weather will be on your side.
Tip: I try to travel during the start or the end of the peak season. For example Pyramids during April or early May and the Taj Mahal in October or early November.
6. Try different airlines each way
The rule of thumb is flights are cheap when you book both ways together, This is not necessarily true all the time.
It is true only when we use the same airline both ways. If the destination is short, try searching only one way. And make a return to another airport that is near to your place.
Best deals are found with all permutations and combinations.
7. Try making a multi-destination trip
Since you have already invested enough time, money, and energy in traveling, it doesn’t make sense to visit one destination and return home.
Clubbing two nearby cities or countries makes more sense while planning. As far as I know, this option works very well in Europe and Southeast Asia.
8. Search months in advance
There is no written rule that you book the tickets X months in advance.
But in general, the earlier we book, the cheaper it is. My suggestion is to book 2-4 months in advance. The airlines often give a discount when you book in advance.
Tip: If following this method, make sure to check when the airlines open their booking. For example, Indian low-cost airlines like Indigo open a few routes just some weeks in advance. On the other hand Irish low-cost airline, Ryanair opens routes as early as 6 months in advance.
There are many Budget-friendly flights around the world. By following these steps, we grabbed the best deals in Poland, Venice, Mykonos, Egypt, and many more. Read and enjoy our experiences.
How airlines increase fares
The whole world knows that when you search for a specific route, the airlines store your cookies and increase the price the next time you search.
So make sure to use the incognito window. Apart from this, there are many more ways to make you pay extra bucks. Few of them are
1. While booking tickets, if you end up having an error while making a payment, it is very likely that the price increases if you try to book again.
Don’t panic at all. Don’t think that someone has booked, so the prices would have increased. Patience is the key. Wait for 8 – 48 hours, then book again. Your ticket prices are safe.
2. The next scenario is when you share a best-flight deal with all your friends. Everyone starts checking that route.
The price will now obviously increase due to high traffic. Again wait for a few days and then book or let your friends know after you book 😛
The above-listed situations are due to man-made algorithms. It’s high time for us to be smart enough.
So far from my bookings, I have neither paid high ticket prices nor missed vacation days and ended up sitting at home. Finding cheap plane tickets isn’t as difficult as one thinks.
From the above-listed ways, I successfully managed to bag a cheap deal every time I decide to travel during my vacation.
If you need help in finding a cheap deal in your desired route, comment below your city or contact us. The service is of course free. We inspire you to travel.
”The World Is a Book and Those Who Do Not Travel Read Only One Page” – Saint Augustine