(and a few bonuses!)
6 ways to get cheaper flights
The main reason we started our YouTube channel and blog is because I always gave so much travel and packing advice in my every day life, that I wanted to put it out there for the whole world to see.
I think my hair clients got more benefit out of my travel tips than they did their highlights, or haircut that day.
Part of my constant advice was always about finding travel for cheaper. Because if you want to travel often (and pack well), it has to be affordable.
At the time of writing this, I have been to 87 countries, and all 7 continents. And no, I am not a quit-my-job-and-be-a-digital-nomad type of person. I work over 40 hours a week as a hairstylist and makeup artist, and before I met Brian, I had traveled to 67 of those countries as a single mom without a credit card!
People always assumed I was in debt, or that my trips were thousands of dollars. They were booking crowded all-inclusives in Mexico for thousands of dollars each, when my flight and private pool vila in Bali were half the price.
So I’m going to walk you through it, and give you my best tips, and a few examples. Examples like South Africa for $700, Greece for $500, or Fiji for $560.
You can also watch our YouTube video about this.
6 ways to find cheaper flights
Most people look at round trip flights, on the day they want to leave, from the airline they want to fly. This is smart to do initially. I’m always going to look from my home airport, to my destination, on my dates of travel that are preferred. This gives me a base of the price I am trying to beat. Think of it like a competition.
Use Skyscanner or Google Flights
I am starting with this tip because this is the website you are going to use to do all of the research I am going to mention below.
I am 100% a Skyscanner user, especially for flight research mode…It is basically a search engine that will scan every website for the best flight deals, and then tell you how much they are on various websites. You can also set up alerts for when the prices go down.
Now, disclaimer, this site includes various fares to choose from. This includes booking directly with the airline, or sometimes cheaper on a third party site. Booking third party is often cheaper, but comes with its cons, too. I only do this when it is an amazing deal. If it’s a little bit more to book direct, I usually will.
Look one way/ one way
Often times, one researches with round trip fares. Yes, thats easy, but it isn’t always best. Once I have researched the round trip fares, and now know the price to beat, I am going to look at one way fares.
There is no rule saying that you have to fly the same airline both ways. Go right to skyscanner and type in your airport and your destination, and click one way, for the date you want to leave. You may be surprised. Then do it again for the date you want to fly home. Is it cheaper than the round trip price? Are the layovers or departure times better? These all play a factor into choosing your flight.
Fly out of a different airport
After I look at one way/one way from my home airport, I am also going to look at various airports near me, as well as major hubs that I can easily fly to.
We are in Detroit, so I always look into Chicago, Toronto, New York, and DC. Depending on my destination, I will also look into LA. Yes, I do this in the research stage of every single trip. Its actually pretty rare that I fly internationally out of Detroit these days.
I once saved $500 each flying to Athens, Greece from Chicago… Or the time I flew for $700 each by flying to South Africa from Newark, or $700 each by flying to Ghana from DC. Sometimes I can fly to Europe for around $300 out of Toronto!
Once you have found your international fare for cheaper, you can look into your shorter domestic flight to said airport. Add them up and see if you have a deal. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t.
Here is an example.
Subscribe to low fare subscriptions
I don’t get to use this very often, because my trips are planned very far in advance, or I need something more specific, but there are a lot of amazing deals out there that you can take advantage of with low fare subscriptions, either paid or free.
Going is my favorite one. (Formally Scott’s Cheap Flights) There are 3 membership tiers to give you the best deals they can find, and they get emailed to you. I recently did a blog post on Going and you can check it out here.
Book far in advance
I typically research my trips about a year in advance and purchase the flights as soon as possible. This is when you will get the best deal. I know this isn’t possible for everyone, but if you always travel the same month every year, consider booking early. I promise, It can help.
Be a little flexible with your dates
Some airlines don’t fly to your destination every single day. If you are only looking to fly on that specific Saturday, you may be missing out on a few other routes that fly on Fridays, or better yet, during the week. I always find flights to be cheaper if you fly during the week, so it’s worth the extra research, or the extra vacation day from work.
It is also a good idea to try to avoid holidays. The busiest weeks to fly (for Americans) are Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and during Spring Break (March and early April), even 4th of July and Memorial/Labor day, too. so flights are always going to sky rocket around then. However, the weeks before or after are often insanely cheap.
Bonus tips
When using Skyscanner or Google Flights, there are a few more tips that can be useful.
Research in Incognito mode, delete your cookies, or use a VPN. Your browser won’t remember that you are looking for that specific destination, and prices can be cheaper. With a VPN, you can connect to a server in a different country, where you can access deals that aren’t found in the country you are researching from.
Once you found the deal you love, check it out on your computer’s browser, your phone’s browser, and the app. They can all have different prices.
If you aren’t ready to commit yet, continue to research. Deals can get better or worse. You can also set up price alerts. (And no, I don’t love to use the Hopper app, it isn’t always accurate!)
So when you’re dreaming of your next destination, sit down, clear your cookies, pour yourself a drink, and start researching. I often like to make notes while researching and keep tabs on it all, before finally pulling the trigger and booking.
Happy researching, everybody! Let me know if you find any good deals!
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