The Best Ways To Find Ridiculously Cheap Flights

Travelling the world is an exciting experience that brings us life in a more vibrant way. But we all know that it isn’t always that affordable; finding the right flights can be tough.

So how do you get the cheapest tickets available for your travels? We know there are many age-old tips and tricks to finding good flights, but for you, we’ve gathered some of the smartest ways to find the BEST flight. Once you’re booked, you can rest easy knowing you’ll be headed to your next destination in no time! 🌍

Let’s walk you through it:

1. Map out your ideal route

Locatethe countries closest to the ones you’re considering going to, for example, if you’re travelling to Europe or specifically Spain – it’d be best to look for flights in Portugal and France as well. Check out a few countries (especially those closest to your desired location) and try not to be dead set on landing in a specific location – just in case one nearby is cheaper to fly to! 

2. Flight search engines: A hidden gem in plain sight 

Your 1st tab should be open to any one of the search engines listed below in order to compare flight prices and see the cheapest ones at the top. The best trick would be to open all 3 major search engines together and compare all flights for the best ticket! 

Google Flights

Google Flights has improved a lot over the years and is highly trusted as a good search engine to find the best flights for a good price! You might want to pop this one up first and then compare with the other two. 

Keep track of the best deals:

Momondo

Momondo‘s site often adapts to the country or region that you are getting the ticket from, ensuring that it’ll be different and personalised for each location – and that’s pretty cool. 

Search anywhere you need to, and see where you can head to within your budget!

You’ll also be able to make custom flights by choosing your destination. That’s a great feature when you need to select two different flights for both the departure and return ticket (which we’ll discuss more on later).

They promise the best deals and 100% price transparency. Prices aren’t affected by your searches at all. In fact, they search through over 1000 booking sites, airlines, travel agencies and more in order to come up with the best results.

Skyscanner

Skyscanner is just as iconic and it works great! There’s also an app that’s built to make your flight purchasing process a lot easier on your mobile. And they have an ‘everywhere’ option that allows you to search from wherever has the cheapest flights for the dates you select.

Find the cheapest month:

3. Identify the cheapest flying dates

Keep checking air dates! Try to avoid dates that are too saturated with tourists and dates that are holidays if possible. And if not, be sure to check every day that you can. You will be able to get a quick overview with Google Flight search. Alternatively, check directly with the airlines you’re considering flying with.

cheap-flights-tips-google-search

4. Use Budget Airlines!

Budget airlines are often cheaper for a ticket because they strip down the airplane to bare necessities. That means they are saving you money on things like seating arrangements and baggage allowances. Do make sure you read the fine prints to check on any possible hidden charges before you bid on a ticket of a specific airline. Often though they’re just as good for your flight as a major carrier – but for a sliced price.  

Here are some budget airlines that are worth looking at: 

International Flights

AirAsia and AirAsia X (Malaysia based) 

EasyJet (UK based) 

Eurowings (German based) 

WestJet (Canada based)

Jetstar Airways (Australia based)

IndiGo (India based) 

Note that some smaller airlines might not show up in search engine results, so don’t forget to search through google or the airline’s website directly for further research. 

5. Mix and Match Airlines

When you get a return ticket, sometimes there’re also options to travel with one airline and return with another. And if your travel ticket costs more with a return ticket from the same airline – it might be better to get your departure and return tickets from two different airlines. Momondo, as we mentioned earlier, could help with this!

Just keep in mind that if your entire journey has one or more stopovers with different airlines, there’s a risk of missing the second leg if the first leg gets delayed, and you won’t be able to hold either airline accountable!

6. Keep track of miles when possible 

Even when you’re not pledging loyalty to one airline only, when you do use an airline frequently – be sure to save your miles. You never know when it might come in handy for a domestic flight, be it travelling domestically for freeor have exceptional deals like getting upgraded from economy to business!

7. Transit a bit!

Want to try a fun transit destination where you can hop off the plane and stretch your legs? You could go for a nice meal or even sight-see before getting back on the plane to your final destination.

The reality is that direct flights are often much more expensive than flights with stopovers. We really got to pay for the convenience of direct flights! So if time allows, why not take a little detour and go enjoy a mini adventure before your big adventure? And if you have to be stuck in an airport for a while, use that time to read, freshen up or meet new people! 

Got a particularly long trip ahead of you? Some of these long haul flight tips will help you make it through!

8. Go local!

At times we might overlook local airlines for more known and reputable airlines, but the local ones are often just as good!

Always keep your travel options open; take an overnight train, go ride that chicken bus, or any other forms of local transport that will definitely get you where you’re going.

Figuring out the more local ways of transporting doesn’t just massively reduce your carbon footprint, also very often it comes with a much lower price tag!

9. Be flexible, discount ready, and alert!

We’ve covered all the basics, but now this one is THE winning point. Be flexible! Be prepared to adapt your travel plans to dates around when a cheaper flight option comes along. Be discount ready. If you’re a student, look for student discounts. Got coupons or flight miles? Look for opportunities to grab some travel perks! 

Keep your eye on the websites below for good deals: 

Flight deal

Airfare watchdog

Holiday Pirates

Be spontaneous. Look out for any last minute and seasonal deals that may pop-up. Signing up for mailing lists from search engines or airlines might come in handy, cause you never know when / how long they’ll be up for! After all, travelling is a lot of fun when you just wing it, literally.. ✈️

10. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate!

Book first, and think later. 😉
Once you find the best price, don’t wait to book if you have the funds there and then. Otherwise it might not be there after a while, and in some cases just after a refresh of the page! 

Have a great trip and keep a lookout for the best ticket, nomads! 🛫

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About Lois

Lois is a life-long learner and free spirit who loves to write and make stories come to life on a page. She dreams of adventure! Having grown up in an international community in Singapore and Chengdu,... show more...

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