How to get cheap holiday flights: to anywhere, last minute
Are you planning to go on a trip this winter, but plane and train tickets are becoming more and more expensive? Well, some tricks might help you book your tickets cheaper. In this article, we will look at how you can find cheap flights.
Websites such as Skyscanner, Kayak, Momondo, and others allow you to compare prices, and destinations and keep up to date with the best offers to ensure you get the best deal. We will show you a few tricks and tips that will help you find the cheapest flights wherever you want to go!
How to buy the ticket at the right time
- Date and time of purchase
The first thing you should know is that air ticket prices fluctuate a lot, depending on the time and day of the week and the demand at the time.
We recommend you choose the right time to buy your ticket. It is better during the week since people have more free time at the weekend and there is more demand. In particular, the best offers usually appear at the beginning of the week, on Monday or Tuesday, and if you want to be more specific, it seems that around 3 PM, the prices are even lower.
- Plan in advance
You may want to buy your tickets in advance, depending on where you want to travel. If you are going to make a short trip, either nationally or within the same continent, we recommend that you buy your ticket about three months in advance. Before that, the prices will be higher.
In the case of a transatlantic flight, things are different: you would need to book at least four months before you travel and, ideally, up to seven months in advance.
- Pick the cheapest day to fly
Often, the cheapest days to fly are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are often more expensive because of the weekend travels, and Mondays and Fridays are often taken by business travelers.
Why is it better to be flexible with dates?
Although we are aware that free time is scarce, the best solution to travel cheaply is to be flexible with our travel dates. In most search engines, there is the option to choose open dates. This way, the search engine will show you the days when the return tickets are cheaper within the range that you have set.
On the other hand, we recommend that you avoid traveling during peak season dates, both at the destination and in the country you are buying your ticket. In other words, try to avoid traveling during the summer and Christmas, for example, as this is when there will be more demand and therefore tickets will be more expensive.
How to travel light and be open-minded
- Pack light
Thanks to a number of low-cost companies, today we can enjoy very cheap flights, but of course, prices increase when we want to carry suitcases full of clothes and other belongings. If you want to save money, avoid checking in and travel only with hand luggage. Especially if you are traveling to cheap destinations, it may be cheaper to buy certain products once you land.
- Stopovers
On the other hand, we wanted to talk to you about stopovers. If you are willing to add stopovers of either several hours or even days, you can break up your flight into multiple flights. With these extended stops, you could save considerable money by allowing stopovers and taking advantage of the change of plane to see cities you would not have considered visiting. To make this type of stopover, go to the flight time filter in the search engine and enter the maximum number of hours. However, ensure that the country where you are making a stopover allows you to enter without a visa or get one at the same airport.
- Flexible destination
Finally, how about being flexible with your destination and letting an algorithm choose for you? In the current search engines, you can indicate the dates you are interested in, and the algorithm will find you the destinations with the best prices. Think of this option as the modern version of closing your eyes and putting your finger on any place in the world.
How to be smart with online shopping
Like most websites, flight browsers work with cookies. That is, they save data about your visit, so they know if you have entered before and if you are interested in flying with them. They then use that information to charge you for the most expensive ticket. So, we recommend entering your browsing history and deleting your cookies or browsing in incognito mode. That way, it will be as if you were entering your browser for the first time, and the tickets will be cheaper.
- Be quick with your purchases
As we have explained before, the prices of plane tickets can change a lot in the space of a few minutes. So, if you see a ticket for a very good price or find a real bargain, do not hesitate and buy it: the opportunity may be fleeting.
We know that receiving business newsletters in your emails is a hassle. However, in the case of airlines, it might be more useful than you think. When an airline opens a new route, it usually puts the first tickets at very low prices. That would be your time to buy.
On the other hand, there are also price alerts from flight search engines. Sign up and you will receive an email when the ticket to your desired destination decreases in price.
- Use travel credit cards
Almost every modern bank has a travel rewards credit card program. These might come in really handy and save you several hundred dollars by getting points and miles on everyday purchases. Ask your bank what kind of travel reward program they have and what it offers (e.g., free checked luggage, WiFi access on the plane, access to the airport lounge, etc.).
We hope that our recommendations have been useful to you. And remember that you can find more tips on our website on how to travel cheaply using search engines such as Google Flights. We also recommend you prioritize train traveling since it is a more ecologically friendly transport.