Let's face it, traveling is among the most beautiful things in the world, for me the most beautiful. But traveling is not just a passion, sometimes it is also an obligation for those who need to travel for work reasons.
Every traveler cannot fail to ask himself the same question: how to find cheap flights?
In recent years we have witnessed a real revolution in the world of travel and booking a flight online is always simpler. The cost of the plane ticket, however, remains the greatest expense, especially for distant destinations and to countries where the cost of living is not so high.
So the true traveler is always looking for techniques and tips to save on the price of the flight, better spend the money saved once you arrive at your destination.
Low cost airlines certainly give us a big hand, but they certainly haven't solved the problem. To buy cheap air tickets you have to learn tricks, techniques and tools; in short, you have to become real "gurus" in the sector.
It is necessary to evaluate many variables that allow you to reduce travel expenses. Finding the cheapest flight is a real challenge, it can be long and it can take time, but in the end it will give you great satisfaction!
In this guide you will not find the magic formula to travel at no cost, but everything I have learned on the subject: tricks and strategies that I have personally tested during my travels. I hope my advice will be useful for your next trips!
Cheap airline tickets: how to save
So let's see 17 tips and tricks that will allow you to save on the cost of the flight.
Finding cheap air tickets is not an exact science, you must definitely respect some basic rules, understand how the world of air transport works, stay up to date and test! Obviously then you also need a little luck, that is never to be missed!
1. Book in Advance
A first rule of thumb to find the lowest price is to start searching a few months in advance. Buying the plane ticket a few days before departure is not the best choice, the price will certainly be higher.
I therefore recommend starting to monitor prices at least 5/6 months in advance. If you find a fare that you consider advantageous, don't wait long and buy the ticket.
2. Stay informed
I just told you that if you find a good rate, you should book! But how do you know if it is an affordable rate?
To understand if the flight we are about to buy has a good price or not, we need to know what the average cost is and evaluate the price based on the time of year. For this I recommend that you consult the various travel forums and compare yourself with those who are more experienced for the chosen destination. This way you will be more cost conscious and if the price is really lower than the average rate then don't hesitate, buy it!
3. Traveling at night
For our trip to Tanzania we found a very affordable deal with Ethiopian Airlines. The price was particularly advantageous when leaving in the evening and traveling at night. The strange thing is that talking to friends and family I found that most of them did not even know that you could fly at night.
Actually traveling overnight is a great tactic that will help you find the cheap airfare, in addition to saving also on accommodation.
4. Flexible Dates
Being flexible on dates is the best way to find the cheapest flight. Moving the departure or arrival date even just a few days can greatly change the final price.
The various flight search engines help us in this regard. For example, Skyscanner allows us to view the most convenient time to fly, thanks to the "cheapest month" option. Even better it is possible to view the cheapest days through the “whole month” option which will show us a calendar with a rate for each day. In this way you will realize how much the cost can change by traveling in one day instead of another.
I also recommend the application Hopper (we talked about it inarticle the best flight booking apps) which carries out statistics and through the algorithm ci suggests the best time to book the cheapest flight.
5. Avoid High Season
Nothing more true! Traveling in the off-season is cheaper, not only for flights but also for accommodation. The weather conditions must certainly also be taken into consideration, but if you have the possibility to leave out of season you will save a lot.
6. Search on multiple sites
There are more and more sites that compare the costs of airlines and allow us to find the lowest price. The best thing is to use more than one and compare the various offers, in fact it is possible that some sites have agreements with certain airlines that you may not find on other comparators.
For the same reason it is also advisable to search directly on the airline websites.
7. Error Fare
As I told you the secret is to devote time to research, if you put in the effort you could be lucky and find the Error Fare, the wrong fares published by the airlines by mistake. Thanks to the mistake you can really save a lot. For more information I recommend you read the article: how to find cheap flights and mistakes.
8. Compagnie low cost
Traveling with low cost airlines is certainly cheaper than regular airlines. Obviously, for the price you pay you must necessarily give up comfort and services.
It is very important to know the various low cost airlines, also because not all of them are present on the main search engines. Find it on Wikipedia a list of low-cost airlines from around the world.
9. Paying in other currencies
Usually one is inclined to pay for the air ticket in the currency of one's own country. In some cases it is cheaper to pay in the currency of the country you are traveling to. Try other currencies as well and see if you get a lower rate.
The important thing, however, is that your bank does not charge you foreign transaction fees.
10. Credit card
During the purchase phase, check whether the price does not change with your credit card. In fact, some airlines apply different costs depending on the credit card circuit. If you have multiple payment options you will certainly be at an advantage.
11. Alternative Paths
Another way to save on the cost of airfare is to buy flights with at least one stopover, which are cheaper than direct flights. But you probably already know this. But the thing you can do is buy connections individually and create alternative itineraries. Obviously in this case there are rules to follow in order not to risk missing connecting flights.
You decide the route. In case of particularly long flights you can break the journey and stop for a few days in another place, with the advantage of visiting more destinations and not spending several hours at the airport.
By now there are many travelers who create the itinerary in this way (sometimes even with more stopovers), not only to save money but above all to visit more and more places.
ALSO READ: Voli Open Jaw, Multitratta e Stop Over
12. Combine multiple airlines
Going back to alternative itineraries, in some cases it may be more convenient to travel with multiple airlines, thus purchasing multiple separate tickets.
For example, you may find that traveling from Spain to South America is cheaper than traveling from Spain. So why not travel to Madrid or Barcelona with one airline and fly to your destination with another.
13. Use loyalty points
By joining airline loyalty programs, you can earn points by flying, and then redeem them for travel, discounts or other services. In reality, it is not mandatory to fly to earn miles, there are now many ways to get points and travel practically for free. For example: using the credit card of certain banking institutions you can accumulate points.
14. Book tickets one at a time
I don't know if this has ever happened to you: do your research and find a good price, at a certain point you realize that you have selected only one passenger, perhaps unconsciously you wanted to leave your partner at home, the fact is that you resume your searches by inserting 2 passengers and here the cost of the ticket has increased.
All this is linked to the fare classes, so even when flying in a group it is usually cheaper to buy one ticket at a time.
Obviously we are not talking about big figures, but something can be saved
15. Flight packages plus hotels the most convenient
If in addition to the flight you are also looking for accommodation, try looking for some Flight + Hotel packages, sometimes there are great deals. Of course, always evaluate the hotel, especially check its location. In some cases the proposed structures are located in decentralized areas and not always convenient for visiting the chosen destination.
16. Facebook groups
Tell me the truth, how many facebook travel groups are you subscribed to? I to many! And I must say that they are really useful for exchanging opinions and discovering new destinations. But they can also help us with flying. Often users post offers and even some mistakes, but above all one thing that in recent times I am noticing more and more is that there are people who, having to give up the trip, try to sell their ticket.
Lately specific facebook groups have been created, where those who cannot leave publish the announcement with the offer of the plane ticket, but also of travel packages, hotels or cruises. The cost of the name change is also generally specified in the post. A very good facebook group where these offers are called "If you can't, I'll go there!".
17. Leave nothing to chance
Searching for the lowest price airline ticket can take a long time and a lot of effort, so try not to frustrate your efforts! You must also be very careful when buying, especially with low cost airlines that try in every way to sell extra accessories. So read all the clauses and possible limitations carefully before booking, check that you have not accidentally flagged any extra services and check everything that is included in your flight.
Conclusions
I really hope you are about to book your next vacation! If so, now you will also have the opportunity to save, you just have to go wild in the searches and take advantage of our advice!
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