Traveling overseas, either for business reasons or simply for leisure, requires a good deal of preparation and planning. You see, there are tons of tourist destinations across the globe – each of them worth our time and money. For most countries, especially in the tropics, there are plenty of vacation places to choose from. The only challenge is how to get there.
Sometimes a great travel plan is spoiled by outrageously expensive plane tickets. Even with enough money saved for the trip, a costly airfare ticket just doesn’t feel right – it sometimes throws us off and even makes us cancel our plans altogether.
However, there are travel enthusiasts who have learned to exploit the system and find ways to make their travels possible and still spend less compared to others. For them, buying tickets online, being wise in purchasing airline tickets online is the key. There are a number of flight booking tools, websites, and apps available, as well as several great credit cards that have rewards programs based around traveling. If you want to discover more on how they do it, read below.
1. ADJUST TRAVEL DATES
Assuming you’re on a tight budget, the best way to make the trip to your dream destination is to be flexible regarding your target travel date and time.
Naturally, airline tickets are way costly during peak seasons, so that traveling to certain places during Christmas, holiday, and summer seasons can cost you a fortune. This is mainly business – airlines just capitalize on the fact that more people travel during these times, hence the opportunity. Your best bet is to schedule your tour off-season, where fewer people are traveling to the place. You can also book your flight during weekdays as tickets are considerably lower than on weekends, where airlines hike the price for the same business logic as mentioned above.
2. BOOK EARLY
Indeed, early birds catch early worms. Most travel experts would suggest that you need to plan and book your flight ahead of time if you want to get the cheapest deal. The optimal way to do this is to buy an airline ticket three months before the departure date to secure the best offers.
Booking your flight early also allows you to get the seat you prefer. Since not so many people have booked that before, you can secure yourself a spot where you can be most comfortable.
3. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AIRLINE SEARCH ENGINES
Skyscanner, Momondo, and Google Flights are among those airline search engines that take away the hassle of brainstorming your options for your well-deserved trip. These search engines allow you to quickly look for possible flight schedules and costs and compare which ones are best suited for you.
In Skyscanner, for example, you can type in your home airport, then your target destination, and boom – you get a variety of options and deals to choose from. The website also offers excellent features that some often miss. For instance, when you haven’t made up your mind yet about what country or state to visit, you can just set your target destination to EVERYWHERE. Skyscanner automatically scans the world for possible places with their corresponding prices set from the cheapest.la
4. SET PRICE ALERTS
If you have already settled on a particular destination but find the trip to be extremely costly, it will help set up price alerts on your mobile to keep track of the price changes in airfare. Airline search engines like Skyscanner and Traveloka are excellent choices that offer this feature. You can keep track of price changes; when it drops below your allotted budget, it’s yours to take.
5. READ THE DETAILS
Bear in mind that the cheapest deals are not always the best. Sometimes, some deals do not cover all other additional expenses and features like seat selection, baggage allowance, and meals. You might want to read the offer’s details carefully before grabbing it to avoid disappointment, discomfort, and even surprise expenses during your travel. We have to remember that the point of traveling is to have fun and enjoy the moment, and these pesky little things should be out the window.
6. KEEP AN OPEN MIND
If you can’t find the right deal on a particular website, look for them on another. There are plenty of search engines at your disposal to find the best airline deal for your escapade. Keep an open mind when deciding about stuff for your travel. It also applies to when you consider other airport options aside from what you already have in mind.
For example, when you find traveling via major airports from one country to another quite pricey, you can consider nearby airports. Sometimes these airports can be a lot cheaper than your current option. On a side note, if it can still take you to your primary destination, why not take a slight detour? Who knows? Maybe you can find more amazing things during the side trip.
7. WATCH OUT FOR AIRLINE REPUTATION AND CUSTOMER FEEDBACKS
When airfare deals are too good to be true, it is worth your time investigating and learning about the airline’s background. How credible are these airlines?
Some discussion platforms over the internet might give you a heads up about this kind of stuff to save ourselves from getting hoodwinked. There may not be much of them out there, but it always pays to take caution. Before buying that cheap airfare deal, have a quick overview of the company’s delay policies, as well as the cancellation, rebooking, no-show fees, refunds, and other stuff. Also, mind the customer satisfaction feedback you may come across at websites to know what to expect if you pursue your plans.