Tips for Flying on a Budget

Here are a few things that I did while looking for flights that helped me get the best price

1. Look often and in advance. It’s never to early to start planning a trip, even if it’s just getting a ballpark figure on ticket prices during the month you are planning on traveling.

2. Book your tickets during the week. This is not always a for sure thing, but in my experience the prices of flights seem to increase over the weekend. Airlines know that many times people have more time to find a flight during the weekend and increase the price. Like I said, it’s not always true, I got a flight from Chicago to Serbia in 2016 for about 300 dollars on a Friday night.

3. Use multiple apps and websites to find the lowest price, always get a second opinion. I probably used five or so apps when looking for tickets to assure I was getting the best price. A post about the apps I used is coming soon, message me if you’re impatient.

4. Book through the Airline if possible. Using sites like Kayak or Orbitz can be great for searching multiple, but can sometimes increase the price or make it difficult to make changes to flights in the future. Booking with the airline can streamline the process of making changes.

5. Subscribe to Airline promotions through email. Many airlines have promotions throughout the year that give discounts or mark down ticket prices. I set up an email specifically for these things, so I can check and see the latest deals. I get emails from airlines such as WOW Airlines and EasyJet Airlines.

6. Try and travel during off seasons. This can be difficult to do for some, but it can help decrease the price of flying if you visit during the off-season. It’s usually more expensive to fly during holidays, the summer, or when large events are going on. Here is a photo showing some of the best times to travel. Travel Season Info

7. Set a dollar amount you’re comfortable with and buy the tickets when they are at that price. You will never “know” you’re getting the lowest ticket price with all the fluctuations, but setting an amount like $500 and buying when it is close or at the price will help you to feel more comfortable with your purchase.

8. Look at Airports near your preferred destination. Many times the airport you are flying into is a highly trafficked airport. For instance, when looking to fly to Paris odds are you would fly to Charles De Gaulle (CDG), but maybe it’s cheaper to fly to Orly, an airport that is just as close to Paris. Once you get to Europe, from the U.S., it is usually fairly cheap to fly or get around. This is a nice resource for finding nearby airports. Nearby Airport

9. Bonus…    Some people also recommend using an anonymous proxy website to aid in lowering prices, saying that airline websites collect data on how many times you/your IP Address search for certain flights and raising the price after you look multiple times, leading you to believe the price is going up. Using an IP proxy blocker will hide your IP address and in theory give you the “opening” lower price.

If you have any questions or want more information/help from me feel free to contact me! Thanks for reading.