BUDGET TRAVEL - LOOKING FOR A FLIGHT

HOW I SAVE MONEY ON FLIGHTS

I want to share with you guys my traveling tips and will post separate quick blog posts in the sequence of planning a trip so it is easy to understand and follow. This post will be on the process I take when I am looking for a flight. I usually browse up to a year in advance so that is my first step so I know how much I need to save and for how long. I know traveling can be overwhelming so I want to share my tried and true methods for booking a flight so you can get the best deals! My next post will be on how I budget for a trip.

1. BROWSE

When I am planning a trip I start looking up flights months in advance, sometimes even a year. Oftentimes I have dates in mind and the prices aren't even up yet. Booking at least seven weeks in advance is the best way to get the best bang for your buck because there is less demand for flights. I usually look at Google Flights first and compare my results with Hopper. Hopper is only available as an app so you will have to download it. These are the two places I look but I know there are a few other websites that are good too. I like these because you can select your dates or be able to search around the time you want to go to see the best deals, if you have room for flexibility in your dates. Each one shows you the best deals on a calendar so you can see when it is cheapest to fly. On Google, you can select multiple airports if you have several airports near you. Supposedly you can get the best deals on flights if you book Tuesdays at 3 pm and the cheapest days to fly out are Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday but Google and Hopper give you more accurate suggested days to fly out.

Price comparison by day using Google Flights.

Price comparison by day using Hopper.

2. compare

Selecting a perfect flight takes time but it worth it. With that being said, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, compare flights from an alternate airport. If you save a decent amount of money and it is a convenient departure time then you can book one that leaves at a farther airport. Do not book a flight that is 2 hours away at 5 am to save only $30. Your time and sleep is also valuable. If it is really early or around rush hour you risk missing your flight especially if you are a last minute packer (like me). It is not worth it. Likewise, do not book a flight that arrives really late because you might be saving money on the flight but spending an extra night on a hotel you can't enjoy for the whole day. If your flight is too early you won't be able to check in and might not be able to drop off your stuff to go walk around. Weigh your options.

If you are booking a flight to Europe, for example, see which city is is cheapest to fly into and out of. You can cross off another city on your bucket list and save money at the same time. Let's say you were only planning on going to Rome and London. It might be cheaper to fly into Paris and then take the underground train to London which is an experience in and of itself. Maybe you can take a train overnight and save money that way since you will sleep on the train and not have to book a stay in a hotel or Airbnb overnight. There are a lot of options if you are flexible!

If you don't have a specific city you need to fly into Google easily shows you the prices for the dates selected. You can also adjust it by price.

Another thing to note is do not fly back and forth to different cities unless you are saving time. Since I mostly have traveled throughout Europe and have gone to several cities there back to back I usually have a map opened up online to see what sequence makes the most sense. Do not fly to London then Rome then Paris. You would be wasting time. Logically you should fly to London or Paris (comparing routes of course), then Rome or start in Rome and go to Paris and then London and then home. I made my way from Rome to Florence to Venice and then to Verona but flew back to Naples, which is a few hours south of Rome, because I found a flight for 12 euros. A train would have taken longer and would have been more expensive than the flight.

When selecting your arrival airport, make sure it is nearby the city center or if it isn't that the price difference is worth the extra travel time. Sometimes airports that are farther away have limited and expensive options to get into the city. You don't want to spend $50 or more to get into the city for an uber and spend more than an hour to get there.

Google tells you which airport is closest to the city center.

2. "WATCH"

On both Google Flights and Hopper you can sign up for alerts to see if the price of your flight drops or increases. One thing I haven't seen on Google Flights but I have seen on Hopper is that it tells you when you should book your flight with specific dates.

Hopper predicts when your flight will increase in price.

3. BOOK

Once you have found the flight that works for you it is finally time to book it! I usually only travel with a carry on but if you check in a bag make sure that the flight includes a carry on if you want to have one. The price does not include a checked bag and some airlines charge extra for a carry on so adjust the filters on Google to get accurate pricing on what works best for you.

Google gives you the best option in regards to time and price. The best returning flight is more expensive but it is nonstop. It is worth spending about $20 to save 4 hours and you do not risk missing the connecting flight.

Your trip that you have been dreaming of is finally a reality! You can start planning your trip including what to pack and what places you want to see. I will create blog posts similar to this one that describes my trip planning process from start to finish.

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