Last Updated: December 29, 2023
So the time has come for you to travel and you’re ready for the most exciting part; book your flights. I’ll stop you right there and encourage you to read the guide below before you book your flight ticket. More often than not, finding a great deal for flight tickets can be tiresome and overwhelming.
Take advantage of my 12 easy tips that’ll help you find cheap flights to travel to your dream destinations without breaking the bank! Traveling can be expensive but there are ways to cut costs and save your hard-earned money so you can spend them on more fun things.
12 EASY TIPS ON HOW TO FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS
1. CLEAR YOUR BROWSER COOKIES BEFORE BOOKING A FLIGHT
Generally, before I book a flight ticket, I like to “shop around” first and check for the best available options. The downside of that practice is that the prices fluctuate according to demand and airfares get more expensive when you run the same search many times.
Why does that happen? The flight search site recognizes you as a returning user by using the browser cookies. Based on that, the airlines identify the demand of the particular flight and raise the price accordingly.
The best travel hack on how to find cheap flights and prevent the price from getting more expensive is by clearing your browsing cookies. By clearing your browsing history you trick the browser into thinking that you are a new user.
Follow these steps on how to clear your browser cookies and find cheap flights:
- Go to the menu on your browser and click on “History”
- Click on “Clear Browsing Data”
- Choose “Advanced”
- From the dropdown arrow next to “Time Range”, choose “All Time”
- Be sure that “Browsing History” and “Cookies and Other Data” selections are ticked
- Click on “Clear Data”
2. SIGN UP TO YOUR PREFERRED AIRLINES MAILING LIST
I know that most of us avoid signing up to mailing lists in fear of getting bombarded by promotional emails. I feel exactly the same and nowadays I’m very cautious about subscribing to a website. With that being said, an airline’s mailing list can be great, as they offer you a chance to be the first one to know of a last-minute airfare discount and other deals. This tip is particularly helpful if you’re after a short city getaway but you haven’t found yet a cheap flight.
3. DO NOT RISK BOOKING LAST MINUTE
Once upon a time, there was a myth that if you wait until the last minute, the airlines will discount the fare in order to fill up the empty seats. That is simply not true; quite the opposite actually. In most cases, the longer you wait, the more you risk your flight getting more expensive. The best time to book your flight and secure a cheaper fare is between 2 – 4 months in advance. This is a general rule but one that has always proved me right.
This is an easy way to find a cheap flight and if combined with the rest of the tips mentioned in this guide, you’re almost guaranteed to find a great deal!
4. DON’T STICK TO A SPECIFIC DATE
Being flexible with your dates is another great way to increase your chances of finding cheap flights. Here are 3 important facts that you need to take under consideration so you don’t spend a lot of money for flights.
- Avoid flying during the weekend – Most people prefer flying during the weekend as this secures them 2 extra days of the holiday without having to request additional days of leave from work. Weekends are also great for small city getaways without having to be absent from work for many days. Bottom line is that airlines know that, therefore they increase their prices accordingly.
- Avoid flying during major holidays or popular events – Coachella, Rio de Janeiro carnival, and Oktoberfest; these are just a few examples of events around the world that invite flocks of visitors each year. If you’re visiting a country during a major holiday or a big event, then it will be almost impossible to find a cheap flight. Be flexible with your dates and visit right after, when the airlines slash their fares due to less demand.
- Fly during weekdays – This is the best time to fly out if you’re looking for cheap flights. Most people avoid flying during the middle of the week, so you can take advantage of that and benefit from cheaper flights. Keep in mind also that Mondays and Fridays are when most of business travelers fly resulting in expensive flights.
How to search for cheap flights:
Use Skyscanner (my preferred flight comparison website), to get an idea of the cost for your flight.
- Type the name of the city you’re departing from and your destination
- Click on the round-trip button
- Choose the “Whole Month” option when selecting a date
5. DON’T STICK TO JUST ONE DESTINATION
You have your mind set on a specific destination but the flights are ridiculously expensive? Why not try and find the next best alternative? You could replace expensive destinations such as Mykonos with Milos or perhaps instead of popular Barcelona you could visit Seville. The point is that, by being flexible about your destination, you can find some pretty great deals on cheap flights and still enjoy an awesome holiday!
Just like the famous quote says “sometimes it’s not about the destination but about the journey itself”
6. USE TOP FLIGHT COMPARISON WEBSITES
Don’t limit your options by searching for flights only through your favorite airlines. Instead, visit some of the top flight comparison engines to help you find cheap flights and compare fares. These search engines scan all the available airlines (including budget airlines) that fly to your destination. You can then filter the results by journey length, price, or stops.
Here are the best flight comparison engines to will help you find cheap flights:
- Skyscanner – No introductions needed; this is one of the best websites to find cheap flights
- Momondo – The second best thing after Skyscanner.
- Kiwi.com – I love the “Deals” tab where you can browse cheap flight deals from your location to nearby countries.
- Google Flights – Google’s flight search engine that helps you compare flight dates
- Kayak – It scans through hundreds of other travel sites to find you the cheapest flight or hotel
REMINDER: Don’t forget to clear your cookies every time you run a new search so to ensure that the prices won’t increase.
7. OPT FOR FLIGHTS THAT REQUIRE A LAYOVER
More often than not, direct flights (especially overseas) are quite expensive. It makes sense seeing that you don’t waste your time in layovers. Try searching for non-direct flights with short layovers and you will most definitely manage to find a cheaper option. An example from my personal experience is when I was traveling to Zanzibar. The direct flight was substantially more expensive than landing first to Dar es Salaam and from there catch another flight to Zanzibar. I don’t recall the exact flight costs but I do remember that I managed to save roughly 200€ by being flexible with the route.
8. SIGN UP TO AIRLINE LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Most big airlines have a frequent flyer program that rewards their loyal customers. By signing up for the airlines’ membership program you earn points each time you fly. You can then redeem these points towards free flights, access to airport lounges, free upgrades, and much more. You don’t have to be a frequent traveler to be able to benefit from the perks. My first loyalty program (and to this day my favorite), is Miles & More. I used to fly at least twice a year to Greece with Aegean Airlines and I was able to benefit from free flights and extra luggage at no extra cost.
Loyalty programs are a great way to find cheap flights. Most airline membership programs also partner with various hotels, shops, travel agencies and car rentals. Using points and miles towards free flights is one of the best travel hacks to help you save money.
9. COMBINE DIFFERENT AIRLINES
Do not rely on just one airline for the full length of your trip. It’s easier to book one ticket with the same airline but that way, most likely, you’ll end up spending more. For example, in my case, flying from Malta anywhere overseas requires a layover. In most cases, my best available option is to fly out via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. When I was going to the USA, I found a great deal via London instead, by combining a low-budget airline from Malta to London and United from London to San Francisco.
This tip goes hand in hand with point 5 mentioned above. You see, my original plan was to land in Los Angeles and from there start my West Coast road trip. Had I not been flexible with my destination, I wouldn’t be able to find this cheap flight.
SIDE NOTE: Be sure to check the timings of your connecting flight and allow enough time in between so you don’t miss your flight!
10. FLY DURING LOW SEASON
This is one of the best ways to guarantee cheap flights! Visiting a destination during the off-season will not only save you money on flights but also on hotels. For instance, if you plan on visiting Santorini, swap the busy months of July and August, with April and October. Do you dream of visiting Mexico? You’re more likely to find cheap flights, during May and November. You get the gist.
This tip does not apply for all destinations. The weather conditions in some countries can be very dangerous. For example, it is best to avoid visiting The Caribbean during hurricane season, Dubai in the middle of summer or Asia during heavy rainfalls. However, places such as most European cities can be discovered any time of the year.
11. CHECK FLIGHTS IN DIFFERENT CURRENCIES
We often underestimate the value of currency exchange but if you use it to your advantage, you could save some money. Most airlines recognize your country and set the local currency by default. By changing the currency to one that is weaker, you could save money from your airfare.
While this won’t guarantee you big savings, it’s an easy tip to follow that is worth trying.
NOTE: If you do manage to find a good deal by choosing a different currency, be sure to use a credit card that does not charge a fee for foreign transactions.
12. FLY WITH LOW BUDGET AIRLINES
No one can argue that it feels great to travel with a good airline and enjoy all the comforts (extra leg-room, in-flight meals, etc.). But, that usually comes at a hefty price tag. Nowadays, traveling is more accessible than ever (except of course during COVID) and that is thanks to the budget airlines. I remember a time when flying even to neighboring European countries was quite expensive because there was no choice but to use the local airlines. This has now changed, with budget airlines offering short and medium-haul flights, depending on their location.
If you’re prepared to compromise on certain perks such as extra legroom, free in-flight meals (included in the ticket price to be more transparent), and extra luggage allowance, then you will be able to find a much cheaper flight by using a budget airline.
Here are the top low budget airlines around the world to help you started:
United States
Asia
For a more extended list of low-budget airlines around the world, you can either check Wikipedia or simply go to the website of your departure airport and search for the carriers that fly there.
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Traveling may be expensive but if there is a will, there is a (cheap) way to do it. You don’t have to suppress your dream of traveling the world, you just have to find cheap ways to fulfill that dream. I hope that my guide on how to find cheap flights will bring you one step closer to traveling the world!
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