In this solo episode of The Budget Minded Traveler podcast, I get into my 8 secrets to finding the best deals on flights. These are tips that anyone with an interest in saving money can put to action immediately to help them save on plane tickets. Stop letting the airlines win, and start taking advantage of the system. Your wallet will thank you!
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Episode 11 Show Notes
My 8 Secrets to Finding the Best Deals on Flights:
1. Book in advance
- Start looking as soon as you know what your travel dates are or when they may be
- For last-minute deals – check out the blackout prices on Hotwire.com
2. Book midweek
- DON’T BOOK on a weekend
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays are best
3. Fly midweek
- Tuesdays through Thursdays are generally cheaper, but remember to check all combinations on this one
4. Avoid popular dates
- Holidays and school breaks at home AND in your destination country
5. Be flexible
- Try different dates, different airports (best hubs in Europe- Dublin, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt), one-way, multi-city, Round-the-World tickets, make sure your itinerary is comfortable (no long layovers, etc.), look at combo international and regional connector flights, check every possibility!
- My post about packing light for Ryanair or EasyJet in Europe: Ninja Packing Tips
6. Research in advance across several different websites:
Update: Use Google flights – and here’s a trick – enter your departure airport and then put “Europe” or “South America” or wherever you want to go, think bigger, and use the map function. It will show you prices all over the place.
7. Buy directly from the airline whenever possible
- Makes itinerary changes much easier and cheaper should anything come up
8. Be patient
- For more of this info about flights, check out this guide to finding cheap flights right here on the blog, or pick up my book, it’s all in Chapter 2!
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14 replies on “BMT 011: 8 Secrets to Finding the Best Deals on Flights”
One of the best search engines I’ve found is kiwi.com. It searches budget airlines and may include multiple airlines for even cheaper flights. Using it, I’ve been able to do a weekend in Copenhagen for $420 roundtrip, Johannesburg for $770 and into Krakow and out of Gdansk for $607 (this would have been $200 less, but I didn’t ask time off from work quick enough). It’s excellent because, you can plug in “anytime” and pick a range of days to stay, you can also pick multiple destinations or draw a circle around where you’re flying from and where you’re flying to. I’ll say, having Norwegian Airshuttle helps with cheap direct flights from Fort Lauderdale to London, Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Oslo & Stockholm, but not all of the flights I’ve found have been through them.
I’ve heard other good things about this one too! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. The last time I flew was over 10 years ago when I went to Cancun and that was through a travel group, so I didn’t have to search for tickets. I want to go to Vegas in May and I want to know the best way to search for tickets and you gave me some wonderful, detailed tips! I plan to do more interntional travel in the future and will check out your site for more tips. Thanks.
That’s great! Glad you found the info helpful, have a wonderful trip!!
Thank you Jackie!!! I just booked a ticket to Iceland from Toronto for $119!!! Your tips helped big time!!!
WOW! That’s great! So glad you’re finding it helpful, safe travels!!
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You are amazing Jackie and you have no idea how much I inspire by listening to you I live in Los Angeles
So if you need the few days staying in LA ,
Count on me to come over
and stay with us
Best Wishes for you
Ailin
Thank you for this Ailin! I appreciate your kind words.
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