Travel: How to Book the Cheapest Flight Tickets

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. As I am in a Long Distance Relationship, and have family and friends in different parts of the world, I don't even have a choice but to travel. Being that I am always in the air to somewhere, or shopping for air tickets for myself or someone else, I have kind of figured out the best way to get the best deals. As much as I love shopping for airline tickets, sometimes it can get really stressful, especially when you are working with a budget. One of my biggest "customers", is my mum.  No matter where in the world she is traveling to, she gets me to shop for her tickets. She also has a habit of waiting till the last minute, and then telling me to find a ticket, for less than or equal to a certain amount of money, and she does it because she knows that somehow I will deliver. When she calls me to book her a ticket, I always reply with the same "smart" comment, "Mummy, I am a Doctor, not a travel agent!", then I end up searching for the tickets anyway! LOL! :D

As it is the summer, this is the time when everyone is taking a vacation or flying to somewhere. So I have decided to share some of the tips that have worked for me constantly. With these simple rules, I have been able to score amazing deals on tickets, regardless of the class of travel. Before anybody calls me again (you know yourselves), to look for tickets, READ THIS POST!! LOL! :D  OK! Fine! Y'all can call me. :) So here goes...

• Shop for Tickets in the Middle of the Night/ Early in the Morning...  

I find that this works, especially between the hours of 2am-4am in the morning . My personal observation is that there seems to be a price drop at this time of the day.

Click below to continue...

• Aim to fly on a Weekday

 Flying out on a weekday like a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, greatly reduces the price of the fare, because more people tend to fly on weekends and the airline will be trying to fill up their weekday flights.

• Check multiple sites

Each search engine may offer a different fare for the same flight, because they each have different commission rates. So sometimes it is worth it to just check multiple sites. The ones I tend to use are Travelocity, Kayak, Expedia, Priceline, Cheaptickets, Orbitz. For International flights, I use www.bt-store.com, www.vayama.com. For students statravel.com, studentuniverse.com

• Always Check the Actual Airline's Site

So for example, if you check Orbitz, and you see an American Airline (AA) flight for $560, go back to www.aa.com, and check for the same flight; sometimes, you may find that it is cheaper, probably due to the search engine's commission. Sometimes, it is cheaper on the search engine's site, but at least you know, right?

• Book Weeks in Advance

I cannot over emphasize this point enough. You will be surprised at how much you save from booking in advance. I understand that sometimes plans come up last minute, but a few days always makes a difference.

• Be flexible

 Yep, this definitely helps too. Be open to fly 2 or 3, before or after, the date you would want to actually fly. 

• Stick to one or two airlines, and Rack up your air miles

This especially works for me. As I go to Nigeria, at least twice a year, and the UK at least four or five times a year, I only fly Virgin Atlantic to both destinations. My air miles do not only get me class upgrades, they get me free tickets to different destinations. Saving money on tickets means having more money in hand to spend at my destination. A pretty sweet deal, if you ask me! :)

• Take a red - eye flight

I know! I know! Trust me, I am that grumpy looking person waiting to board the early morning flight. I HAAAAATTTTTTEEEEEE waking up early to go anywhere, and catching a flight is no exception! Sometimes, I have to pull an all nighter, so that I don't miss my flight. But yeah, the price cut, is sometimes a good enough motivation. :D 

• Be open to flight connections

This isn't the most convenient option either, but I tend to look at it this way; When I stop in a city, even for a few hours, I get to explore the city, or the airport as the case may be. :D

• Put the Ticket on Hold

This is definitely one of my favorites. So, while you are still shopping for the ticket, early on in the planning process, if you don't have all of the money for the ticket, call the airline, and ask to put the ticket on hold. This works because, if the fare increases the following day, you get to have locked in the cheaper fare!

• Name your price on Priceline! 

I don't know about you, but I don't like to throw my money away! I am pretty sure that those of you who work hard for your money, and or have bills to pay, feel the same way! If you are in the United States, this works wonders! I have paid $200 for a return ticket that cost $867, by naming my price. I put in $170, and trust me, though it seemed ridiculous to me too, the airline accepted it, with $30 in taxes! The best part was, it wasn't an early morning flight either, it was a 7pm flight. Worked perfectly with my schedule. Name your price, might work in the UK, not soo sure about any other part of the world.                          

 

With that being said, you all can probably guess what I am up to at the moment! :D If you have any tips to share, please feel free to drop it in the comment section. Otherwise, I hope this helps!


XO

Gucci.



“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.”
― Robert Louis Stevenson


Image sources: yeahthatskosher.com, flycma.com, xma.com