Good news for international travelers! What if I told you there are cheaper ways to travel the world? Yes, international travel is an exciting adventure and you can make it more adventurous by going the cheaper way. Fortunately, there are numerous strategies for booking international flights without feeling the financial burden. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned traveler or a first time traveler, these useful tips will help you find cheapest ways to travel.
1. Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates: One of the easiest ways to save money on international flights is to make your travel dates flexible. Flight prices are often different on certain days of the week, time of year, and even the time of day you choose to fly. Generally, prices tend to be lower on Tuesdays and Wednesdays than on weekends. Another idea is to travel during off-peak seasons, such as late spring or early Autumn. This can save you some money compared to peak travel times like summer and popular holidays.
2. Book Your Flight in Advance: When you book your flight in advance, it can save you money. Most travel experts suggest that the best time to book international flights is between 3 to 6 months before your date of departure. However, be careful not to book too early or too late as this can result in higher prices. Always keep an eye on flight prices by setting up price alerts on your favorite airline websites. This will notify you when prices drop and when a good deal is available.
3. Use Nearby Airports: If your house is close to more than one airport or you are traveling to a city with more than one airport, look at the differences in prices for all possible departure and arrival points. Sometimes, using a nearby airport can be cheaper. For example, if you’re traveling to London, look up the prices for flights into airports in Heathrow and Gatwick. You can even patronize smaller airports like Luton or Stansted. Since they are closer to your destination, they are cheaper as well.
4. Patronize Budget Airlines: Budget airlines are cheaper or low-cost airlines. While they may not provide you the level of comfort full-service carriers offer, they can help you save money on international flights. Budget airlines such as Norwegian, WOW Air and AirAsia offer affordable prices for flights to various places around the world. However, keep an eye on extra fees that can add up to something huge. Also, budget airlines may ask you to pay for checked baggage, seat selection, meals, and other flight services.
5. Follow Airline Sales and Promotions: Many airlines run frequent sales and promotions that offer discounts on some flights. Stay informed about these deals by signing up for newsletters from your popular airlines and travel websites. Following airlines and travel deal sites on social media will give you a heads up when flash sales and limited-time offers are available.
6. Book Multi-City or Open-jaw Tickets: A multi-city ticket is sometimes cheaper than a round-trip flight. A multi-city ticket allows you to fly into one city and out of another, while an open-jaw ticket has to do with flying into one city, then traveling on land to another, and then flying to your final destination from there.
For example, if you are visiting both Paris and Rome, you could fly into Paris, take a train or a cheap flight to Rome, and then from Rome you could fly to your final destination. Using this method not only saves you money but also allows you to see more destinations on just a single trip.
7. Use Incognito Mode to Search for Flights: Your search history can affect your search results. This will in turn influence the flight prices that come up when you use search engines such as Google and Bing. To avoid this, use the incognito mode on your browser to search for available flights and their prices. This will definitely prevent websites from tracking your search history and giving you less favorable prices. Another similar method is to use a new browser to search for deals. Another option is to clear the cookies in your old browser before doing the search.
8. Take Alternate Routes and Layovers: Booking a flight with the options of a layover may be cheaper than taking a direct flight to your destination. Using layovers may increase your travel time, but they save you more money. Also, it is a great way to visit another city and enjoy the environment for some hours or more. However, be careful how you make use of this method as not all airlines allow it. Some may even penalize you for deliberately missing a part of your scheduled flight.
9. Compare the Prices of Several Websites: If you are fond of using a particular website, you may not know what you are missing. One thing you need to know is that no single travel website always has the best deals, Learn to compare the prices of two or more platforms before making a decision. To make it easier, use search sites such as Momondo, Kayak, and Google Flights to find flights on different airlines and various travel sites.
Once you come across a promising fare, go directly to the website of the airline and find out if they offer the same price or even have a lower one. An advantage of this strategy is that some airlines may offer you discounts for booking directly through their site. That alone makes the method worth trying.
10. Join Travel Deal Forums and Communities: Online travel communities and forums can be resourceful finding juicy flight deals and tips. Reddit’s r/TravelHacks and Tripadvisor forums have experienced travelers and widely traveled people who can share valuable insights and the latest flight deals. When you join these communities, you will learn about promotions and various money-saving strategies that many people never knew existed.
11. Use Flexible Payment Options: Some websites and airlines offer options such as allowing customers to pay in installments or use travel financing services. While it is good to pay for flights upfront to avoid interest charges, paying by installments helps, especially when you find a great flight deal but don’t have the full amount to pay immediately. However, make sure you carefully read the terms and conditions of any deal to see if there are any fees or interest rates attached to these payment plans.