Most college students are broke amirite? But somehow we always have enough money to buy pizza, beer and other seemingly inexpensive things, right?
What if that money could be put toward that travel bug you've caught (and have yet to see globe-trotting treatment)?
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What if there were ways to travel at fractions of the original costs?
Well, there are! But you have to know where to start.
In this article, I am going to debunk some travel myths and help you reroute your thinking on how to buy plane tickets.
Myths:
1.) Tuesday @ 3pm is the cheapest time and day to buy plane tickets.
While historically there is some truth to that statement, it's not a hard and fast rule. I have often found Saturdays to be just as cheap as Tuesdays.
2.) Last minute bookings are stupid expensive.
Again,"some" truth here. Waiting until the last minute isn't ideal but, there are often crazy cheap deals last minute as well. For example, let's say a 150 passenger plane only is 60% full. The airline very well may lower the prices of tickets for the sake of attempting to fill the plane completely. It's all about playing the game and keeping tabs on prices.
3.) Booking a hotel with your flight is always cheaper.
Sometimes this can be the case. However, hotels often have local deals that can actually make the hotel portion cheaper. If you can find airline tickets of comparable price, buy them separate. If the hotel has no local deals, maybe look for another hotel.
Buy smarter.
With all of the above in mind, let's investigate the best ways to find the cheapest plane tickets.
1.) Skyscanner.com
In a previous article, I wrote about whySkyscanner is my go-to for travel. Allow me to explain further. Skyscanner pulls multiple international airlines in addition to the plethora of domestic ones; travel abroad is often cheaper when booking with an airline based out of that region (as opposed to booking Delta). Those airlines also have partner airlines in the states so your flight to Paris on Air France will probably consist of Delta operated flights in the US. Skyscanner also has a lot of other handy search tools. Check it out!
2.) Skiplagged.com
Skiplagged is really cool. It not only searches available flights but it also filters through flights that might have a layover in your final destination. The idea works like this. If I live in Chicago and want to go to Atlanta, I could find a flight directly to Atlanta for $400. But perhaps a flight to Orlando with a layover in Atlanta is only $300. Book that flight and just "skip" out on the flight from Atlanta to Orlando. This, however, only works if you do not check a bag. If you're checking a bag, it WILL go to the final destination of the trip.
3.) Google Flights
Google Flights is similar to Skyscanner in that it will search all your airline options. I also like Google Flights because it has a really easy to use calendar feature (Skyscanner's is less helpful) that shows you the cheapest days to fly for the trip you're making. If you're flying from Chicago to Atlanta, it will show you the entire month and which days are cheaper; sometimes the difference between Monday and Tuesday is hundreds of dollars.
All of this to say, start saving for a trip! You have a huge amount of options and resources to help you make your trips easy and inexpensive. Save some money, grab a friend and go adventure!
Cheers,
ZER
**Side note for my Springfield, MO readers. SGF Airport (Springfield's airport code) flies American, United AND Delta airlines every day and flies Allegiant nonstop to places like Orlando and Los Angeles twice a week (Allegiant is SUPER cheap sometimes).
