Find Cheap Flights

Airplane tickets are often one of the biggest expenses of any trip.  While it may be difficult to find a cheap airplane ticket, it is not impossible.  There are many ways that you can bring down the cost of your flight, which will help you enjoy your trip, rather than worry about your finances.

Discount Travel Sites
Discount travel sites are the most popular means that travelers find cheap deals.  Websites such as Kayak.com or Bing.com make it easy for travelers by filtering out numerous travel sites in order to find the best prices.  Other sites such as Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz work like online travel agencies.  Priceline lets you choose your own price.

Round the World Tickets
If you plan to travel to various locations, one of your cheapest option will be to use round the world tickets.  A round the world ticket allows you to travel to various cities for a much lower price.  When planning some trips we found that it was in fact cheaper to travel to more cities than just one city.  Using airtreks.com were able to find a route where we visited 10 cities in Europe and Northern Africa for $1,200 US.  Round the world tickets are for people who plan to travel a lot, not just two cities.  It is perfect for people who are planning the trip of a lifetime, or those susceptible to wanderlust.

Student Discounts
There are many companies that cater and market to student travelers.  They are able to lower their prices because they use discounted vendors as well as student discounts.  If you have a viable student ID feel free to book with them.  Even if your card is expired, we have noticed that sometimes these companies are lax with the expiration date of your student ID cards.  After all, it doesn’t hurt to ask.  Student Universe is a website that allows students to book flights and hotels, reserve bus or train tickets, as well as rent cars all for a discounted price.  STA is another discounted student travel site where you can book flights and hotels, reserve bus or train tickets as well as book travel tours.

Discount Airlines
If you are looking to cut costs, choose a discount airline.  There are many low-cost airlines to choose from.  Here is a list of Discount Airlines in North America.

Flexible Dates
If you are flexible with your dates, traveling can be much less expensive.  The more options available to you, the more of a chance you have to obtain the cheapest flight.  From one day to the next ticket prices can fluctuate greatly.  Usually flights during the week will be cheaper that a flight leaving on Friday.  Also if you leave at odd hours, the prices tend to go down.  Holidays will always be more expensive for travel, however the weekend following a big holiday may prove to be your best deal.

Know When To Buy
You can’t ever be certain when prices will go up and down, however there are some trends in regards to pricing.  If you buy a ticket too early, you may be overpaying, also if you wait too long you take the chance that prices may rise.  When you travel frequently, you begin to get a sixth sense as to the ebb and flow of pricing, however for those of us who do not there are travel predictors that can do the thinking for us.  These predictors tell you if you should buy or wait for prices to lower.  Bing.com and Kayak.com are good choices for travel predictors.  There are some limitations to the technology, and not all cities are included, but it can come in handy.

Foreign Travel Websites
Although discount travel sites can be extremely useful for finding discounts abroad, sometimes it pays to check out travel sites from the country you are visiting.  For example, Expedia and Travelocity have different websites according to country.  Sites such as the British Octopus Travel and the Spanish eDreams, may not be popular in the US, but we have often found better discounts on our trips to Europe, using their sites.  Some airlines also have different websites for different countries.  If you explore these sites, you may find a cheaper flight.

Secondary Airports
Secondary airports can be less expensive to fly into, rather than their bigger counterparts, such as LAX or JFK.  Smaller and less expensive air carriers often fly out of these smaller airports.  You may be able to find a good discount in airfare, but keep in mind that these secondary airports are often further away from bigger cities.  The money it would take in cabs or renting a car may not be worth the money saved with the flight.  If you have to rent a car nonetheless, or find a bus or train within your means, this option may be for you.

Airline and Travel Newsletters
A lot of us here at Travel on a Budget receive newsletters from various airlines.  These newsletters alert you to discounts and specials airlines are offering.  Some travel sites allow you to save some of your favorite travel destinations in their system, and they provide the option to email you when the price drops to your price point.