Ever wonder how some people just keep flying? Do you ask yourself how they afford it? Perhaps they've got a secret stash of cash that let's them travel to new and incredible destinations while you're feeling like you can't afford a great holiday any time soon.
The truth is careful planning, great hacks and experience in scoring discounts on one of the biggest expenses when it comes to a vacation - flight tickets! Be it domestic or international trips there are plenty of little tricks that can save you big bucks. Besides why spend more when you can have the same incredible experience without breaking the bank?
Here are some tips and tricks I've used personally that have helped me save up to 50% on flights!
First up: Research!
Kayak
If you're like me and literally every destination is on your travel list, you won't mind taking a flight to an unknown location if you're scoring a great deal, right? So let me introduce you to Kayak - a great mobile app which let's you see the cheapest destinations from your current location! Just click the map and voila! A list of domestic and international locations you can consider depending on your budget.
Skyscanner
Most people assume avid travellers just wake up one morning and decide to take a flight out. That's usually impractical because of how expensive it is! Unless you're chartering a private jet, you'd need to look out for great deals. This is where Skyscanner has been a personal favourite. If you've planned a few destinations, this app lets you wishlist places and set alerts for when the air tickets are low. It also shows you predicted prices for up to a couple of months so you can opt for a day when the tickets are lower - list mid-week instead of a crowded weekend.
Low season
This seems like a give in, but most people try to plan around heavily crowded times like the peak season. If you're keen to visit a destination, research the experience across seasons. You'll be surprised to find many hidden gems that can be discovered during off-season. The bonus? Flight tickets are much cheaper during this time, plus fewer tourists and a more local experience - yay!
Avoid major holidays
This is more for the weekend-getaway-traveller. Try to plan your long weekend trips on holidays that aren't popular from your destination. In a country like India especially, there are several holidays that are popular in a state but not across the country. For example Holi celebrations are grand in the Northern parts of India but the Southern states may provide an optional holiday. If you can't avoid major holidays when the airlines and hotels charge you more, try to book many months in advance so you can avoid paying extra.
Second step: Booking your tickets
Icognito Mode
A true charm when it comes to finding the best deals on flights. When you're ready to book your tickets, be sure to look it up on icognito mode. This prevents ticketing platforms from tracking your browser history. This ensures that the prices you see aren't increased purely because you kept looking up the tickets, eagerly.
Don't keep visiting your plan online
Might sound silly, but this is where research is important. Once you've figured out the tickets you want, just go ahead and book them after you've found the lowest prices. If you keep revisiting the platform - be it Skyscanner, or any airline website, you'll notice that the prices rise each time. This is even if you stay on icognito mode. Revisiting websites over about a week will simply reflect higher prices. In this case, a hack I use is requesting a friend who hasn't visited the pages to book on my behalf to score the best deals.
Last resort: In case you missed the bus, you can still catch that flight!
If you couldn't plan ahead and still want to take a spontaneous trip, you can try out these hacks to help you get some discounts:
Local carriers versus global platforms
While planning my trip to Vietnam some years ago, I discovered that there are plenty of local carriers who provide cheaper tickets. This helped me save about 20% on flight tickets and this was a somewhat last minute trip. This is especially useful if you're planning to fly within a country. Instead of booking from a popular carrier, try to find out local websites and local carriers you can book from. Double check though that these carriers are well known with locals before you do. Sometimes cheap carriers may leave you stranded!
Look for credit card discounts
I didn't realise that my credit cards offered lounge access and other benefits until I happened to check with the airport I was waiting at one time. Isn't it a great bonus to be able to have a comfortable nap while you're waiting for connecting flights? In most cases, the credit card companies don't make it obvious so it's worth going through the fine print for some extra comfort on an international trip or otherwise.
Tuesday Myths
There's a lot of research out there which suggests that Tuesday evenings are great to book tickets as the prices are lower then. I recall reading an article about how it's connected to oil prices which affect the fuel prices which in turn reflect in the ticket prices. But a lot of it still remains speculation. Avoid booking over weekends which I've personally noticed are too expensive. Try instead to book between Tuesday-Thursday. Of course you can use platforms like Skycanner and leave the calculations to them instead!
One way tickets
I've personally benefitted from this trick - a lot! Most online portals insist on you adding your return dates so you can book two-way tickets. Instead, try booking one way tickets and notice that in a lot of cases, the tickets are cheaper!
Book individual tickets
If you're traveling with friends or family, it might be worth cross-checking prices for single travelers over multiple travelers. Typically it reduces the price. And if you're worried about whether you can sit together on the flight - there's a trick for that as well! Just do a We Check-in at the same time and opt for seats next to each other. Failing which, you can still request the airline crew at the time of check-in to seat you together.
Bonus hack: Want some extra legroom at no extra price? Offer to sit at an emergency exit. These seats usually come with plenty of room and peace and quiet. All you need to do is be ready to help during the time of an evacuation. And which good human being won't?
Airline auction of tickets
There are plenty of international and local platforms which offer auctions on airline tickets. I've known a lot of friends who have booked amazing trips thanks to these hacks. Companies such as SkyAuction offer airline tickets for low prices. Other carriers announce auctions too from time to time. So watch out for these or better yet, set Google Alerts to track them!
Travel Reimbursements
The Indian government allows your employer to reimburse flight tickets under the Leave Travel Allowance option. Do check with your employer on how you can benefit from this and don't forget to keep your boarding pass - it's a crucial document to be able to avail of the Leave Travel Allowance scheme!
Things to watch out for:
It's easy to get caught up on the low prices of an airline ticket and miss out on additional costs which we often take for granted.
- So watch out for exclusions like no check-in luggage or cancellations. Often these services come at an additional cost which may sometimes amount to more than an ordinary ticket.
-Beware of websites which don't have a great reputation. If you come across an unfamiliar platform, do a quick search on reviews so you know you're not going to lose money to fraudulent websites with shady customer care experiences.
So there you have it, all the hacks I've used to score great discounts on flight tickets that allow for a comfortable trip and let you experience all the great things the destination has to offer! Don't forget to use your discretion while choosing flight tickets and enjoy the experience of a new place, whether you got the cheapest tickets or not!
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