Travelling is everyone’s dream, it seems. But there is one thing that stops most people from following that dream. Money. With constantly fluctuating prices and high rates, it is difficult to see how you can get a cheap flight of your dreams. And with too much information and misinformation crawling the internet, it is a wonder anyone can find what they are looking for.

Worry not! Here are some tricks to try and things to keep in mind while searching for the best flight deals.

1. Be Flexible with Dates and Time

Do not be rigid about the days and time you want to fly out as that could cost you a significant amount of money. Take advantage of the times most people won’t be flying out. This includes before major holidays, vacations or festivals or in off-season when there are no prominent events, festivals or holidays taking place. You can save money by booking tickets after or on these special days as no one would be flying during this time period. This way you can get cheap flights anywhere.

Also be mindful of the days of the week you will be flying as most travelers travel during weekends. Moreover, early morning and late night flights are a relatively cheaper option as most people prefer flying during the day—no one wants to wake up early or stay up too late, right?

2. Flexibility with Destinations

You should also be flexible with destinations. Sometimes, when we get locked up on certain destinations that we want to travel to, that means we give in to whatever price airline tickets show up in. This is not ideal if you want to save money.

So if you are not sure about the place you want to travel to, you can use Skyscanner and Google Flights to compare multiple destinations depending on different time frames and take your pick accordingly.

3. Budget Airlines 

We all know that everybody tries to book tickets of major airlines but those tend to be on the more expensive side. If you are looking to save money, you might want to consider low-budget airlines that aren’t as prominent as the big giants but are lighter on the wallet. 

You can ask your local airport to provide a list of budget airlines that are available and then book your tickets according to that information. 

But budget airlines come with its list of cons. There isn’t much comfort on these flights and some of the usual facilities and amenities will not be accessible. There are also many hidden prices when it comes to budget airlines such as checked bags, carry ons, using a credit card etc. 

Such airplanes may also fly in and out of airports that are far from major cities and the transportation is costly. So be sure to include the transportation expense, ticket and other fees altogether to check if the total cost is less than the large carrier flight tickets. And if so, then you have hit a jackpot!

4. Use multiple flight price search engines/flight comparison sites 

In the digital age, another easy way to search for cheap flights is to use the internet. There are a wide variety of flight price search engines that give you flight prices and flight comparison sites that allow you to compare airline ticket prices across days, times and destinations. Some of these include Expedia, Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kayak, Hopper etc.

Be sure to search across multiple sites before deciding on a ticket so you can find the cheapest flight possible. If there are no cheap flight tickets within your budget on one website, then there could be one on another website. The key is to keep looking to find that jackpot!

5. Don’t fly direct

Most times, direct flights cost more than layovers and connection flights. But you will have to keep in mind that for connection flights the overall flight time will be longer. 

Plus, when you book connection flights in one package, that costs more than booking different parts of your flight separately. Although booking different legs of a journey separately is a hassle, there are websites that you can utilize. If you want to go down this route, you can check kiwi.com that puts together trips using whatever flights they can find to make sure you can get the cheapest one.

6. Special deals 

You can make use of special deals, sales and discount flights by signing up to airline newsletters and mailing lists. Some last minute cheap flight deal websites also offer this option. Make sure you are subscribed to their newsletter or a part of their mailing list. That way you will be one of the first to know when a deal comes up that could lead to the adventure of a lifetime!

7. Student Discounts

Special deals could also include student discounts so if you are a student and dream of getting out of your mundane life, this is your chance. You can find cheap plane tickets with 10-20% off the standard cost. 

Some websites to look out for to make use of discount flights are Student Universe and Flight Centre. You can also ask your local travel agency if they have access to student discounts that you can use. Sometimes they have group discounts as well. Some sites you can check out are:

• The Flight Deal – Great for global flight deals
• Secret Flying – A great site for flight deals from around the world

You can also get some discount prices for partner airlines that allows you access to more options and thus have the chance to explore all while saving tons of money.

8. Airline Rewards Programs

Finally, we have the airline rewards system that is one secret weapon in the art of ‘travel hacking’. It allows you to use miles travelled to get points and then you can get fee waivers off ticket cost, transportation, food and even hotel stays, access to events and airport lounges, and other travel perks. So to make the most of these amenities, sign up for a travel rewards card as soon as you start travelling so you can have the same amount of fun for less money. 

Conclusion

With these tips and tricks, you are sure to find the best cheap flight tickets anytime to any destination. And you can also get the best deals for transportation and other rewards and bonuses, if you know where to look. Now, you can save a substantial amount of money and have a spectacular holiday, wherever you wish. Killing two birds with stone, indeed.  Who said travelling has to put a dent on your wallet? Just remember, the sky's the limit and happy hunting for your next dream destination!

Main Image Photo by aboodi vesakaran on Unsplash