Finding Cheap Flights - Introduction
Travel
- Finding Cheap Flights - Introduction
- Finding Cheap Flights - When Time Matters
- Finding Cheap Flights - When Place Matters
- Finding Cheap Flights - Search Tools
When people think of reasons not to travel, cost of travels is usually high up on the list. A big chunk of that cost is getting from A to B. This guide will help you to reduce that cost, so that there is no more excuse not to see the world. This is a culmination of things I have been writing for a while, but never been able to get out. There is hopefully much more to come.
The single best way to save on airfare is to be flexible. Can you only travel on specific dates or can you fly a day before or after? Can it be a day or two longer? Oftentimes, changing the travel dates by a day or two can save you hundreds of dollars. Check out my post on how your timing can influence the price you pay for your ticket.
However, flexibility with travel and booking dates isn't the only way to save money. You can also save a significant amount by being flexible with your destination as well as how and when you get there. Just one example, this summer I wanted to fly to Vietnam, but flights from Berlin to Vietnam started at 800 Euros. However, at the same time, flying from Amsterdam to Bangkok was only 400 Euros. My train to Amsterdam is 30 Euros and my flight to Vietnam 150 Euros. So not only have I saved more than 200 Euros, but I also get to see two other amazing cities. Read more about stopover flexibility in my post about when place matters.
For both, there are tools that can help you maximize your savings by incorporating the knowledge in the above tips. I present some in this post.
All these posts cover fairly basic concepts. If you are interested in going even further, there are two additional things out there:
Credit Cards: If you are based in the US, you should get on top of your credit. Credit card companies routinely offer very enticing sign up bonuses. Some people take it to the maximum with Manufactured Spend, the practice of artificial purchases for the sole reason getting points. Read more here.
Fuel Dumping: It’s kind of a dying art, but if you combine flights in a particular way, sometimes you can achieve a significant reduction in part of the airfare cost which is called the fuel surcharge. Experts in Fuel Dumping can travel the world consistently for below $200 dollars anywhere in the world. It used to be much easier to do, but public disclosures led to Airlines cracking down as well as more secrecy among experts. You can find a good introduction here.