Everyone’s always asking how I travel so much so I want to share step by step how to find cheap flights, and tips I use to make sure everything is the most cost effective. When I first quit my job and started my blog, I knew this was something I had to share, since everyone wants to know the secret!
1. Make a List
Flexibility is key when trying to find cheap flights, so having this list gives me a lot of options. After consulting with this list, the rest is simply deciding which country to fly to first, and when to go.
2. Go Incognito
Go incognito (Ctrl+Cmd+N) in Google Chrome. Flight prices shoot up after you search the same thing; they try to trick you into buying now! Going incognito ensures your searches aren’t saved.
3. Check Deal Websites
Check The Flight Deal for daily deals that meet the qualification of less than 6 cents per mile. Select your nearest origin city in the top left under “Flight Deals” to display all deals leaving from, say, NYC. This gives me an idea of which destinations are cheapest to fly to within the next 6 months.
4. Skyscanner
Use Skyscanner to create a list of domestic and international destinations sorted by price to get ideas. Enter in origin city and dates, and leave the “to” field empty. It will populate with a list of country destinations sorted by price. As you can see, I can fly to Cuba from $274! This is especially useful if you’re looking for cheap flights within Europe.
5. Google Flights
Google Flights offers a visual map view of destinations with prices. Populate the starting city or airport, leave the “to” field blank, submit, and click on the map.
You can also use Google Flights to view a grid of cheapest days to fly if you have a fixed destination. So for example, you can see flights to Beijing around Christmas can be close to $1k, but flying earlier will save you $400!
6. Budget Airlines
If you are flying within Europe, check Skyscanner, EasyJet and Ryanair for inter-country deals for less than $20! I’ve seen flights from Copenhagen to Stockholm for $6!!! A $6 flight?!
Cathay Pacific offers weekly Fanfares from Hong Kong for budget travel (price quoted in HKD). Always be on the lookout!
7. Befriend Layovers + Combine Destinations
When I flew to Hong Kong, it was cheaper to stop in Tokyo first. So we thought, why not spend a week in Japan beforehand? When I went to the Maldives, I thought “$500/night hotels in the Maldives vs. $50/night in Sri Lanka,” yeah let’s split up our trip. Instead of spending all our time in one country, we extended our layover and explored two!
As you can see, the main reason I’m able to save so much on flying is because of flexibility. Hope these tips help and please share any tips you use! If this post helped you, please pin or share!
