How To Find Cheap Flights

We get asked how we travel so much even though we don't make the kind of money jetsetters make and the answer is pretty simple...we look for deals, we are flexible with destinations as well as accommodations. Even if you don't have the luxury of being flexible, there are also ways to try and snag deals! The trick is to be patient and be willing to do a little bit of work.

In the past 2-3 years, airfare has been declining for flights from the U.S. to European and Asian countries. Every once in awhile airlines or travel booking websites will publish extremely cheap deals either intentionally or by mistake. That's when you want to be alerted or on the hunt for an amazing deal to your desired destination(s). Just note that you have to be somewhat flexible with your dates so that you don't get too stressed over something that may not be obtainable. So with that said, we will go over some of the tips and websites we highly recommend for finding awesome travel deals!

Subscribe To Newsletters/Follow Social Media

Sign up for newsletters for travel booking websites that you typically use, such as Kayak, Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline...etc. On the same note, find travel blogs that publishes special flight deals daily, such as Scott's Cheap Flights, Thrifty Traveler, Travel Pirates...etc. You also want to follow their Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and any other social media platforms they may use to publish deals on a daily basis. Even if they publish a deal that doesn't pertain to your specific destination, you may still be able to find a great deal for a trip that you did not expect to book!

Sign Up For Airline Rewards/Memberships

Not only do you want to join an Airline's rewards program to rack up the points, you want to receive any special sale announcements in your email box as well. Sometimes Airlines will also offer special credit card bonuses, mileage points bonuses and vacation packages that you don't want to miss out on.

Be Flexible

As mentioned before, you want to be as flexible as possible when searching for great deals. Being flexible means choosing a travel season instead of specific dates or choosing a region as your destination instead of a specific country. Some deals are good for specific dates but some are for an entire month or months! But having the flexibility to work around various dates will allow you more options to choose from when a great deal pops up. Perhaps you want to go to Europe, instead of committing to, for example Paris only, you open your destination to a more general region such as Rome, Barcelona, Amsterdam...etc where some of the flights may be cheaper at the moment, you will also be able to get in on more amazing deals.

Fare Alerts/Track Prices

Websites such as Kayak and Google Flights allows you to do a search for a specific destination and dates and set up an alert when the price drops or increases. This works well if you have to travel on specific dates and destination. You can also use Airfarewatchdog and set alerts for special flights from a specific airport or destination. This method would work great if you have no immediate plans for travel but want to keep an eye out for deals to/from a specific airport.

Here are the top 10 websites we recommend for some amazing deals!

1. Scott's Cheap Flights - International flights from the U.S. Free and premium membership. 
2. Momondo - Best for International travels. Aggregates deals from various booking sites.
3. Google Flights - Best for domestic and international travels. Use price/flight tracking for alerts when the price changes.
4. Travel Pirates/Holiday Pirates - Best for domestic/international travels. Includes travel package deals.
5. Thrifty Traveler - Best for general travel deals. Free and premium subscription available. Also includes travel related articles.
6. Airfare Spot - Best for general travel deals. Includes flights and hotel deals.
7. Airfarewatchdog - Best for price tracking. Subscribe for alerts for deals from your desired airport and/or destination.
8. Kayak - Best for all general travel searches. Sign up to receive price alerts for your travel searches. Let's you know whether to Buy or Wait based on price history and fluctuations.
9. Expedia/Travelocity/Orbitz - Best for package deals. A variety of good package deals if you like want to add accommodations and/or car rentals.
10. Secret Flying - Good for general travel deals. Also includes travel related articles.

Comment below if you have any tricks or tips you use when searching for great travel deals!