Sounds easy, but it ain’t. It takes a lot of research to find the cheapest fares. That’s why I want to share some resources that have helped me, so that you, too, can save those extra dollars for whatever tickles your fancy…
1) Subscribe to Scotts Cheap Flights if you live in the United States and/or need some travel inspiration. Scott scours the web for cheap or mistake airfares, and sends daily emails with his findings. The latest deal I’ve received was $367 roundtrip from Boston to Budapest. If I didn’t have to save up for my travels later, I would definitely get on this.
2) When I have a specific destination in mind, I use Scott’s method (follow steps below) to find my own airfare:
a) Search on google flights for the cheapest date — the drop down calendar shows day-to-day price comparison so if you’re flexible, choose the cheapest day to fly!
b) Go to momondo.com and enter in those dates for even cheaper rates
c) Repeat the previous step on kayak.com to compare prices (I’ve been a big fan of kayak for years — I found $492 roundtrip tickets between Beijing and Turkey on Azerbaijan Airlines, which I didn’t see anywhere else)
d) Buy tickets using rewards credit cards if you have them, and/or definitely stock up on travel miles. Et voila!
3) thepointsguy.com will teach you everything you need to know about racking up on credit card points to rake in those rewards that “maximize your travel”. Milk the system, why not?!
4) So this is a more comprehensive resource on traveling cheap, but it contains tips on cheap airfare as well. In Nomadic Matt’s book, “How to Travel the World on $50 a Day,” he shares specific methods to saving money pre-departure and while you’re on the road. He even separates different regions of the world into different chapters to give region-specific tips! The BBC calls this book “the bible of budget travel…” so you get the picture.
I’ve been tracking one-way airfares from Boston to Beijing for the last couple months. Specifically, I keep an eye on United Airlines (because I’m a member and collect mileage) and Hainan Airlines (because it’s a direct flight). At the beginning of the month, United tickets were $546. At 1 am on Saturday (yes, sometimes I check fares just for fun before bed), I discovered that tickets had shot down to $385 via a momondo.com search. BOY WAS I HAPPY.
Buying that ticket also makes my travels official. I’m leaving America (again) on November 17, 2016. Bon voyage!!!
