Flight expenses form a major portion of the expenses when traveling anywhere, especially when traveling out of the country. Finding the cheapest flight online is another headache. With prices fluctuating every minute and so many platforms available to book flights, booking the right flight can get pretty confusing.

But with these simple tips, booking your next flight will save you both a lot of time and money.

1. Book Your Flight Early

Well, this is no secret !!! Almost everyone knows that to get a cheap deal you need to book early but what most people don’t know is booking too early can make you regret later. Sometimes, even booking too early can make you spend more.

Generally, the optimum time would be to book 6-8 weeks before your planned date and almost three months before if you are going in the peak season.

Just look at this example, If I book a ticket to Barcelona in July the price is quite low but in August the prices rise suddenly.

To check just enter your source and destination in google flights and any date then click on price graph to see the price variation by month and day.

2. Avoid Direct Flights

This is especially useful if you are traveling to any international destination. Direct flights can be expensive whereas flights with 1 or 2 layovers can be very cheap comparatively. Although you will have to travel longer but you can save a lot of money and if your layover is long enough you could even explore a new country.

Take this example if I take a direct flight from New Delhi To Amsterdam the cheapest option I have is Jet Airways which will cost me somewhere around 31k whereas if I include layovers I can get a deal worth approximately 22k. I just saved 9k there !!!

And I am lucky enough because the layover is just 3 h 45 min and overall it just took me 4-5 hours more to reach Amsterdam.

You can also use Air wander which is an amazing website and lets you explore stopovers and book cheap multicity flights.

Look at this deal by Air wander, for approximately 19K you can travel from Delhi to Amsterdam but this deal includes 3 stopovers at Kazakstan, Moscow, and Paris. If you are not in a hurry and you have the Visa you can explore the different stopovers for a few hours.

Also Read: How to cover Dubai in 4 days?

3. Don’t Be Scared Of Layovers

Don’t think of layovers as a waste of time but as another destination. If you have a long layover you can explore another city or country ( make sure you have the visa). However, if your layover is only 7-8 hours check out www.sleepinginairports.net to know all about airport lounges, recliners, airport hotels, etc. throughout the world.

4. Keep Your Dates Flexible

Don’t stick to a particular date. Explore the ticket prices on various days of the month or even the next 1-2 months. There are a number of websites and apps available which give you the dateline such as Skyscanner, Kayak, Hipmunk, etc. Look at this screenshot you can fly from New Delhi to Amsterdam for 33.6k on 19th April and just for 21.9k on 23rd April.

So you see just a difference of even 4 to 5 days could save you a lot of money. So, first book the flights and then make other arrangements like hotels so that you are not bound to any particular day.

5. Look For Budget Airlines

Instead of paying more for a mainstream reputed airline look for budget airlines. Here is a list of budget airlines around the world:

Canada

Flair Air

Swoop

Jetlines

Air Canada Rouge

Porter

Air Transat

United States

Southwest

Allegiant Air

Frontier

Spirit Airlines

Sun Country Airlines

Asia

Air Asia

Tiger Air

Jeju Air

Jetstar

Hong Kong Express

Scoot

Peach Air

Spice Jet

Spring Airlines

Nok Air

T’Way Airlines

Vanilla Air

Europe

Vueling

Ryanair

Easyjet

Aigle Azur

Eurowings

Flybe

Norwegian Air

Wizz Air

Australia

Jetstar

TigerAir

New Zealand

Jetstar

You could just look up your destination’s airport website and check all the airlines there to find out budget airlines. So, suppose you have to travel from Paris to Barcelona, Air France will charge you INR 24K but a budget carrier like Ryanair will take only 9K.

However, do keep in mind that budget airlines charge you for everything other than the ticket. They may take charges for printing boarding pass, for food, for checking in baggage, etc. So, calculate these prices and then compare accordingly.

6. Fly Off Season

You can save a lot of money by flying when there is less probability of others flying to that destination. Airlines raise the ticket prices before or after a festival, during holiday or peak season or some other major event which attracts tourists.

Also, plan your trips on weekdays as prices are higher on weekends.

Now, look at this price graph for Valencia in Spain the prices are quite low in July but in August you see a sudden surge that’s because in August the famous Tomato Festival held in Valencia starts.

Also Read: The best place to enjoy nature luxuriously without Internet and cell phone.

7. Be Flexible With Your Destination

Google flight gives you a pretty handy tool where you can just enter your home airport and explore all the airports of the world with the flight prices from your home airport. So, you can choose the destination depending on the airfare.

Being flexible with either the date or the place can give you some great deals. If you are flexible with both nothing could be better!!

If you have not decided on any destination use the explore map option of Google Flight to look for airfares to different destinations from your home airport.

Just click on the three lines in the corner and select explore the map. Enter your home airport and search the various options available.

8. Book Different Airlines

When we book a one way trip with stoppage any website offers the two flights which are generally of the same airlines or partner firms. Always try Mix and Match airlines sometimes you do get better deals by changing the airlines.

9. Use Different Platforms To Compare Prices

There are a number of platforms to look out for getting the best deals. Some of the best are:

Google Flights

Skyscanner

Hipmunk

Kayak

Air Wander

Explore these options before settling down on a price. These websites give you a detailed listing of all the available flights along with fare comparison, stoppage, date grid, etc.

10. Be Flexible With The Arrival If Traveling To Multiple Destinations

If you are planning to visit multiple destinations, compare the airfares from your home airport to all other destination and then go for the cheapest place first. Look for any public transport like trains and buses or budget air carriers to other destinations.

Suppose you plan to visit two places Santorini and Athens. Although both are close by the airfare from New Delhi to Santorini is too high compared to Athens. You can choose Athens as your arrival destination from India.

11. Break Your Journey

Sometimes, big cities have multiple airports. Instead of booking a flight to the main airport which is generally near the city centre book tickets for the alternate airport which is generally on the outskirts of the city. The tickets to these alternate airports are mostly cheaper.

Look at the price difference between Rome and Pisa airports. Whereas you can easily reach Rome, explore an additional destination and then take a train to Pisa which will cost around 2K only.

12. Use Airlines Website To Book Tickets

There are a number of flight booking websites and it seems easier to just book from a MakeMyTrip or a Goibibo but these websites are very smart, they will show you lower prices and a lot of discounts to trick you in but the moment you are on the final step for payment they will charge convenience fee and raise the total amount. So, the next time you book a flight make sure you book from the official airline website.

13. Get A Travel Rewards Credit Card

A travel rewards credit card can convert your spending to bonus points which you can use to purchase air tickets. Sometimes, you can even fly for free if you have collected enough points. A travel credit card is a good option if you travel regularly.

14. Sign Up For Fare Alerts And Loyalty Programs

Sign up for the airlines reward programs and fare alerts. This might clutter up your inbox but it is worth it. Sometimes they come up with some amazing discounts and offers which are valid for a short period of time to avoid missing out on them, let them do the work and you just need to look at the notifications.

15. Search As One Person

Doesn’t matter if you are traveling in a group of 2 or 3, always search for flight tickets as one person. If you purchase a number of tickets in one single go the airlines will always price the tickets based on the highest priced seat. If you book two tickets A and B and A is priced higher than B then both tickets will be booked at the price of A. So, search as a single person. You can book the tickets in multiple purchases or increase the tickets at checkout.

By following even a few of these tips you will definitely save some good amount of money and reduce your overall travel expenses.  I have mentioned a number of platforms to look for comparing airfares but if you are looking for a single option try Google flight. It is easy to use and offers some of the best features.

16. Don’t Believe In Myths

There are a number of flight booking myths circulating on the internet such as:

• Book your tickets in Incognito mode so that airlines can’t track your search data. It is believed that by searching for a particular route, again and again, the airlines raise the ticket prices so that we book tickets to avoid any further rise in prices. However, airlines now use much-advanced computers and algorithms so these tricks don’t work anymore.

• Tickets are cheaper on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I don’t even have any logical reason from where this myth could have started. There is no particular day when you get cheaper tickets.

• There is no way to predict airline ticket prices. There are apps and websites doing this but that’s just a vague guess.

Finally, don’t spend days on just looking for the right flight. This should not become a whole project. It’s just a part of travel. So, spend an hour or so and settle down with something you are fine with paying!!

You can browse through my other travel tips and experiences.

Have any suggestions or questions? Please do leave a comment.