You don’t have to spend a fortune on your trip overseas! One of the easiest ways to get closer to your vacation goal without breaking the bank is by buying an inexpensive airline ticket. If you take the time to prepare and you use some of these smart tips, you will save a lot of money on your ticket and instead use that money for lodging, food, and other amazing activities when traveling.
Finding bargains on international airfare is time-consuming, but worth your task; you must have both patience and flexibility to do this correctly! The first part of the process involves understanding where to find good deals as well as preparing in advance for your ideal getaway!
Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates
One of the easiest ways to save a lot of money on international airlines and airlines’ prices is to be flexible with your travel dates. Throughout the year, there are many price changes in airfare; therefore, the best way to save hundreds of dollars on airfare is to travel during off-peak seasons. Another reason for lower costs is due to the high weekend demand; you can save money from Tuesday to Thursday, as those flights are usually less expensive than weekend flights. There are also many ways to save money on airfare during peak holidays and vacation times. You can get the lowest possible fare at the best quality by planning your trip during the shoulder seasons between the peak and non-peak traveling times.
Use Flight Comparison Websites
By using flight comparison websites that enable users to search for all available flights from multiple airlines on one webpage, rather than visiting each airline’s own site, travelers can easily gather pricing information. On sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner, Expedia, and Budget Flight, travelers can quickly find a myriad of flight options with varying price points from many different airlines. Many of these sites allow users to enter a specific route they would like to travel and receive an email when prices change for that route. Additionally, each site has the ability to filter your search results based on many factors, such as how long you want to wait between flights, what airline you prefer to fly, and what time you would like to depart on your flight. Overall, comparison sites provide users with significant time and money savings because users do not need to visit multiple websites to find out what flights are available; the sites allow the user to see everything they have available on one page.
Book in Advance but Not Too Early
By timing your booking strategically, you can save a significant amount of money on international flights. Typically, international flights are generally cheaper to purchase anywhere from three to six months prior to departing rather than booking last minute
However, booking too far in advance may also be unwise because not all airlines have yet posted their fares. However, booking too far in advance may also be unwise because not all airlines have yet posted their fares. For most international routes, about three months before departure is when the airlines have competitive pricing yet still have pretty good seat availability. Creating price alerts for weeks and even months in advance will help you jump on those great deals when they do show up.
Consider Flying from Different Airports
Based on your location, using nearby alternative airports may save you a lot of money when flying. Instead of typically costlier smaller regional airports, major airports usually provide more competition among airlines; therefore, prices are lower. Find alternative airports within a few hours and compare ticket prices for each airport. In some cases, travelling via automobile or bus to reach a larger airport may enable you to save hundreds of airfare. In nearly all cases, international flights departing from major metropolitan cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago will provide more choices and better pricing than flights departing from smaller regional airports.
Use Frequent Flyer Miles and Travel Rewards
Frequent flyer miles or rewards points are a great way to maximize your travel experience by flying internationally. By using frequent flyer miles to redeem international flights, you will receive the maximum number of miles based on the higher value of international flights.
We recommend starting with an airline loyalty program and having a credit card that offers travel rewards so you can build up a point base for future itineraries. Even if you are unable to redeem enough frequent flyer miles for full flight coverage, frequent flyer miles can be used to pay the taxes and fees on international flights. If these reward programs are carefully utilized, one can offset the cost of international airfare or significantly reduce it.
Set Price Alerts and Monitor Prices
With modern travel websites, you can set up price notifications for specific routes and dates so that you never miss a deal. Many comparison sites will e-mail you if the fare drops by a certain amount for your selected route. By tracking prices over several weeks, you understand what normal price ranges are and spot the genuine deals. Some travelers find it worth tracking prices in spreadsheets so that they can detect trends and patterns when airlines discount particular routes. Being proactive in monitoring prices requires only a few minutes daily but could mean the difference between finding incredible bargains for your international flights.
Conclusion
The best way to find budget flights for international trips is by being flexible with your dates and doing your research. Look for a combination of several ways you can save money on your flight, such as tracking airline prices and collecting miles or using your travel loyalty points to fly free.
Not every flight with a reasonable fare is the best value, considering some of the additional fees and extended layover times one might incur. Using some of the suggestions and strategies provided in this article will enable you to get an affordable yet comfortable flight and leave you with more money to enjoy your destination and make memories.
