How to Find Cheap Flights

The number one question I probably get is how do I travel cheap?

Weeelllll the answer to this question isn't really simple, its a process that involves finding every part of a trip in a cheap way or saving on every aspect. There are lots of things that I do to get great prices, but this quick blog post will be all about some basic tips to find cheap flights! So here are some quick answers to questions I get, hopefully this will help ya! If you have questions feel free to comment here or on any of my social media or send me a message! • What is the BEST way to find cheap flights? The best way to find cheap flights is to be FLEXIBLE! I tell people that in regards to flights, you have to be flexible on one of the following things: The dates The location or The price If there is a specific place you want to go and your dates are set in stone, then unfortunately whatever the price is you’ll have to pay! So throw away your bucket list and ignore the trends, think about seeing new places. • What website do you use to find flights? Unfortunately, there is no one website that has all the lowest prices all the time. You have to search over different days, times, and websites to find the best deal. In my opinion, the best websites to start with are those that allow you to search multiple destinations, from multiple locations, over multiple dates. For that reason I usually start with google flights. This is a great tool because its easy to use and simple to change the info, so you can quickly find some great flights. If there is a location that’s at the top of your bucket list, you can put the location in and easily change the dates to find the best time to go and save. • But my trip isn't flexible, I have to go to XYZ location on June 5th, how can I save? Be creative! The farther you’re traveling the more options you have for getting there. With major carriers, direct flights are usually more expensive because they’re convenient, nobody wants to stop. But if adding a quick stop can save you hundreds why not go for it? When I say be creative, what I mean is search for other options to get to your destination. When people look for flights, usually what they do is put from their home (for me it’s MCI) to where they want to go (for this example I’ll use London). In the photo you can see the price is $1453 roundtrip.

What you should do is: Take a cheap international flight then use a low cost regional carrier to get to the destination you want. Look at what city is cheap to get to from home to near the location where you’re going. In this example you can see it’s $814 for me to fly into Paris, then I can fly cheaply to London or take a super cheap train. This saves me about $600 and allows me to possibly see 2 cities.

Another option is to see what the price is from other cities near your home (that are cheap for you to get to!) to London. So in this example, you can see the price from Denver to London is $477! Since Denver is close to Kansas City and cheap to get to on a discount carrier, I can save around $900 by taking this route.

This process takes time, you will have to weigh the cost of flying through different cities (what if I went through Chicago, or nyc, or Miami??) sadly, if will take more than the first try but if you’re willing to spend some time you can find an amazing deal. • What if I’m not traveling far? What about to the next state over? The shorter the distance you’re flying, the less options you have. Sometimes adding a stop can help in this situation if the price is really high, but you’re essentially spending more time so you have to weigh the options. For me, I often need to go to St. Louis for some reason. KC to STL is about a 4 hour drive or a 45 min flight, but there are often flights lacking between the two cities. For that reason prices are often high. In this situation I could possibly fly to Denver then to stl, but is it worth saving $80 to spend 1 hour 30 mins flying to Denver then another 2 hours flying to stl after a short layover? I guess it just depends on how you feel! Whenever you are flying to a set location on a set date, the best advice I can give you is to purchase your flight as early as you can. If you know that your bff is getting married next June, buy the tickets now (Also, invite me to weddings because I love love and cake)! • Any other tips? Yeah sure, to find glitch fares follow blogs like travel pirates and save so you can always be ready. Great deals pop up randomly, when you see the ridiculously good deals buy it right away and worry about the trip details later. Always remember that you have 24 hours to cancel a flight with no penalty, so if you’re not 100% sure sleep on it. Don’t forget about hidden city fares and using the skiplagged website. If you can do a carryon bag, these types of flights are booked to a different location than where you really want to go but the layover is in your real location. Instead of continuing on the flight you exit the plane early. I have done this before and I have never had any problems but you might have to purchase your return trip separately. And a last simple tip: In my opinion, I find the best deals on Tuesday and Saturday, and prices always go up on Friday so wait for the right day of the week to book.