[Video] Finding Cheap Flights: 3 Tips to Get the Best Flight Deals

Before you swipe your credit card and set off on your next adventure, consider these cost-saving tips for finding cheap flights and scoring the best flight deals.

How Much Do Vacations Cost?

Planning your dream vacation can get pricey pretty quickly. In fact, the average vacation costs $1,145 per person (or $4,580 for a family of 4). These numbers include airfare, hotels, food, and activities but can vary depending on how you like to travel.

Controlling what you spend on food and activities can come down to a matter of preference and how budget-conscious (or savvy) you are on your trip, saving you a pretty penny.

Saving on your stay is also doable since accommodations usually offer the most flexibility in price range. In many cities, you can find a hostel for less than $50 a night or splurge on a five-star hotel for $500 a night.

Where many travelers find the least wiggle room (and often times the most anxiety) is in booking a flight and navigating the questions that come along with it.

When is the Best Time to Book a Flight?

You may have heard rumors that the best time to book a flight is on a Tuesday afternoon. Or that booking early, about 7 weeks out, is the optimal time to make the purchase.

While this can be the case sometimes, unfortunately, there really is no magic time when it comes to getting cheap flights. Seat prices are always in flux, based on complex algorithms that take into account remaining seat capacity, fare/ticket class, and statistical data collected by the airline that predicts buyer behavior.

Fortunately, there are apps, sites, and tools available that can help you save money if you are willing to do a little research and have a bit of flexibility in your trip planning.

Using Google Flights to Find Cheap Flights And Expand Your Options

When it comes to booking your flight, you might have the urge to head directly to discount travel sites like Booking and Kayak. Or, if you are loyal to a particular airline or have credit card miles or points to use, you likely look at options on those direct booking sites. Sometimes, this is totally worth it.

But, before you put together a hotel + car + flight bundle on Expedia or cash in your SkyMiles on Delta.com, take a look at Google Flights and you could find yourself saving more than you thought possible, in many cases without missing out on your reward points.

Be flexible When You Travel to Save the Most Money

If you have any flexibility in your travel dates, how many connections you are willing to make, or which airport to fly to or from if multiple options are close by, Google Flights will be a gamechanger for finding the cheapest ticket.

For example, if you’re in the New York area and are planning a trip to Barcelona, you can search Google Flights for routes and fares from New York via JFK and LGA as well as EWR (Newark, NJ) in one search. It will bring up all available flights while allowing you to filter by number of stops, length of flight, and preferred airline, among other options.

In addition to showing you the best flight option for your chosen dates, Google Flights will also tell you whether the ticket you are looking to buy is currently typical for this trip, or if it is trending low or high (hint: if it’s low, go for it!) You can also select “Track Prices” and Google will give you updates when the price of that ticket fluctuates, at times giving you a heads up that the price is likely to increase.

One of the easiest ways to save using Google Flights is with the calendar feature. If you have any flexibility, take a look at various dates. You’ll quickly discover instances when leaving one day early or waiting a week to take your trip can save you several hundred dollars.

Be Open to Booking Through Multiple Airlines or Sites

Once you’ve found the cheapest dates and route, select your flights and Google will give you several booking options, which usually include the airline’s direct booking site as well as discount sites like Expedia.

While you can still book from the site that will give you the reward points you want, by using Google Flights you were able to compare the best travel dates, get some insight into whether the flight you are booking is priced lower or higher than average, and possibly discover additional routes you hadn’t considered.

Note: Because some sites like Expedia and Booking have members-only points and discounts, once you find your optimal flight on Google Flights it may be worth logging into those accounts to see if there are additional discounts you can benefit from.

Find Cheap Flight Deals on Discount Sites Like Groupon

For years, I’ve used Groupon for discount dining, entertainment, and hotels, as well as an occasional product deal. Still, I was surprised to find a lot of really great travel deals that included flights.

For example, here’s a Groupon deal for a 4, 5, or 6-day trip to Barcelona that includes airfare as well as hotel accommodations.

Not bad! For what it would cost you for just your flight, you can get an entire travel package on Groupon that will usually include flight, hotel, some meals, and even admission to attractions. How in the world?

Groupon Getaways – Is There A Catch?

While these Groupon deals aren’t a “too good to be true” scenario, there are some restrictions and limitations.

For starters, many of the deals you see have rates that apply when you book with double occupancy. In the fine print, you’ll see a fee (usually a few hundred dollars) added on if you want to purchase a single occupancy deal and travel solo. That said, you might still save some money going with this package deal versus booking flight and hotel elsewhere.

Hint: If you want to travel solo but are nervous about being truly solo, a group trip like this is a great way to dip your toes.

You’ll also notice that the price you see includes airfare from only certain airports, usually larger hubs. Selecting an airport other than the default might bring the price up a bit as well, and you may not be able to find an airport close to home. Before you dismiss this as an option, head back to Google Flights and see if you can find a cheap ticket from your home airport to one of the hub airports your Groupon trip departs from. You might be surprised to find sometimes the numbers still work out in your favor.

The dates you want to travel can also impact the price of your Groupon Getaway. Typically there are several dates offered for each travel deal, but they are much more rigid than if you were planning the trip on your own. When you adjust the dates offered, you might see the price go up as well.

While this may not be for everyone, if you have the flexibility to travel on the dates offered to the destinations available and live close to or have easy access to a hub airport, you could find yourself saving quite a bit of cash through Groupon Getaways.

Are Groupon Trips Legit?

Even at a discount, $500 is still a lot of money if you are getting scammed. Naturally, the question of legitimacy, quality, and value often comes up when someone is getting ready to purchase a Groupon Getaway for the first time.

Yes, Groupon Getaway trips are legitimate. The majority of these deals come from tour companies that specialize in travel itineraries and packages. Look through the listing and you’ll find tour operator information. I recommend reading reviews both on Groupon and the tour company’s website as well as doing a Google search of the company name to make sure there aren’t negative articles or posts in forums. If everything checks out, buy with confidence knowing Groupon also does quality control on their end.

Give Budget Carriers a Try

Believe it or not, there are several budget carriers out there offering cheap flights for less than you’d spend on dinner out.

One of the biggest names in budget airlines is Ryanair, with flights to many international destinations from hubs all over Europe. However, with the price of your ticket you get your ticket and not much else. If you want to choose your seat, you pay extra. If you want snacks or beverage service, you pay extra. If you have more than one teeny carry-on, you pay extra.

However, if you are not someone who is persuaded by all the bells and whistles, picking up a ticket from one of these budget carriers might be a viable option for finding cheap flights – just remember to pack snacks into your only piece of luggage.

Finding cheap flights on budget carriers is easy. Aggregate sites like Skyscanner, Momondo, and Adioso can show you if there are any options along your ideal route.

Or, if you want to explore options at random or check out the cheapest flight deals at that moment, you can browse the airline’s site directly.

For example, here’s a listing for flights on Ryanair from Dublin to Copenhagen. Prices vary by date and are always fluctuating, but $21 for a one-way ticket is pretty sweet!

For a full list of budget airlines around the world, check out this comprehensive list.

Watch the Video: Using Google Flights to Save on Airfare

Recently, I was a guest on the podcast, The Boondock Perspective, where I talked travel tips and shared stories from my adventures. In addition to how to find the best prices on flights, I also gave some insight into getting through TSA and Customs in a jiffy. Wondering how you can maximize your carry on luggage space without compromising your packing list? I covered that, too.

Want to see (or hear) the full hour-long episode? Watch it on YouTube or download the audio on Spotify or iTunes.

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