Peter Høeg said, “Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions”. Anyone who’s ever been on a vacation knows how true this is. While on a trip, we all tend to laugh a little harder, eat a little better and be more adventurous. It’s as if spending some uninterrupted quality time with our loved ones brings out the best in us. In the hectic lives we live today, it is very important that we take a break from time to time to rejuvenate our mind and soul.
Traveling is not just about seeing pretty new places. It is about meeting new people, exploring their culture, savoring their cuisine and witnessing natural phenomenon that is specific to their area; like, the Northern Lights. Traveling is about gaining some life-enriching experiences which sometimes change who we are, for the better. For the ones who are planning to travel during this holiday season, here are some great tips on how you can save money on flights.
Related: Jobs That Pay Well And Allow You To Travel A Lot
How To Get Cheap Flights and Save Money
1. When to Look
You might have heard that the prices are lower if you get your tickets done on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This is nothing more than an urban legend. This theory has been tested and proven wrong. The airlines change their prices every day and there’s no proper data to determine which days are the best to book your flights. Your best bet is to search for your flight every day, seven days a week, well-in-advance before your trip to find the one that suits your budget.
2. Connecting Flights
Usually while booking a flight, we don’t look for connecting flights if direct flights are available. But sometimes, if we reach from one city to another via a third city, then the cost gets deducted by almost $100 for a round-trip. You can save some additional cash by flying through cities which are having a sale on flight fares.
3. Be Flexible
Early morning and late night flights are usually cheaper than the day time ones. Flights taking off during Saturday afternoons or evenings are also cheaper compared to Sunday flights as most people on a weekend getaway return home on Sunday flights. If you are flexible about the timings of the flights, you end up making a lot of savings which can be used elsewhere during your vacation.
4. Duration of Your Trip
If possible, it is advisable for you to add a few more days to your trip so that you can avoid the peak days of the holiday season and get tickets for a few days after or before the busiest ones. This would lower the fares considerably and help you to save some money.
5. Pop-Ups
Keep a look-out for certain pop-up surprise flight deals offered by many airlines and travel companies. These deals are available online for a limited time period, usually for 24 to 72 hours.
6. Holiday Offers
Online, you’ll find many travel deals which are holiday or festival specific. These travel packages are custom-made to cater to the travel needs of the holiday travelers. One great thing about these packages is that along with marked down rates on your tickets, you also acquire some heavy discounts on your accommodation.
7. Be Loyal
Most airlines have a frequent flyer program. This is one major way for you to save some money on your flights. When you’re loyal to one particular airline and use that airline for most of your trips, you accumulate a lot of points/miles which can be redeemed against further flights. Many airlines let their clients redeem these points against accommodation and car rentals; widening the scope of you saving money during your travels.
8. Booking Singles
When you have already fixed return dates along with the departure ones, you will always be tempted to book your flights by searching for round trip ones. However, sometimes, it is cheaper if you look for the two flights separately. It would be sensible for you to check and compare the prices for one way and round trip flights.
9. Departure and Arrival Airports
If you live close to a major airport, you would automatically look for flights leaving from that airport. Every so often, this works against you. You can save a lot of money by booking a flight which takes off from a smaller airport. The rates of flights taking off or arriving at the major airports are usually higher than that of the smaller ones.
10. Business Class
While getting your tickets done for the holiday season, one of the things to be kept in mind is that business class tickets are considerably cheaper in the holiday season than other times; as travel for business is low during this time.
11. Monopoly
Some airlines have a monopoly over certain airports which enable them to charge higher for the flights taking off from their runways. It would be beneficial for you to check for flights taking off from airports situated near your destination. Even with car rentals and extra travel time; on the long run, it will be in your favor.
12. Booking conveyance and accommodation
Along with flights, booking hotel rooms and conveyance at the destination is an important part of your travels. Now you can save time and money by booking all three—flights, accommodation and shuttle— through the same travel package.
13. Newsletters
People often tend to ignore the option of signing up for newsletters of airlines and travel agencies. While doing so, one big opportunity you miss is the info about all the awesome flight and travels deals. So, the next time you see the option of clicking to join, make sure that you sign-up for that newsletter.
14. Budget Airlines
These days, you can find a number of budget airlines which provide incredibly marked down fares. You might have to shell-out some extra cash as meals on these flights are not for free. But over-all, these flights are still cheaper compared to the full-service ones as in the later, all the expenses are included in the price of the tickets. Some of these budget airlines come with less leg space but the seats are still cozy enough for you to sit comfortably.
15. Destination
Yes, different airlines offer different rates. This is common knowledge. What you need to remember is that airfares also differ from destination to destination. Ticket prices for certain cities are less compared to others. If you don’t mind being flexible about the destination you choose for your vacation, then you end up saving a lot of money.
16. Local Airlines
Many of us tend to forget this but local airlines are cheaper than the international ones. This is especially helpful when you choose an international destination for your travels. For example, if you want to travel across Australia, it would be quite cost-effective for you if you get tickets form one Australian city to another in a local airline rather than the popular international ones.
17. Social Media
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the likes. Social media is the key. A platform for gathering information, social media is one of the best sources to find out about the best and the latest travel deals. Following the pages of your favorite airlines or travel companies on the various social media sites will help you to stay up-to-date with all the flight deals and travel packages offered by them.
Author Bio
Isabella Jones is an inspired travel writer. She is an avid traveler from New York whose soul is infused with vivid imaginations and the passion of writing. She leaves no stone unturned for exploring new places and enjoying them to the fullest. She dreams to travel the whole world and pen down her experience for LookUpfare.com, so that all who reads her stories can go on a virtual journey with her.