Flight Hacks

When most people ask me how I travel as much as I do, there is always the implication that it's so expensive. They're usually really wanting to ask me "How can you afford to travel so much?" And I totally understand the question. I try to do three to four international trips a year and to the majority of the world, that is an expensive task. However, if you play the game just right and take your time when searching for flights, it is much more manageable than you may think. Of all the times I've flown in business or first class, I never paid for that. I used miles/points to secure the great seats. For most flights, I am in economy or premium economy, but even then I find the best possible deals or ways to book those flights to save money. I would rather spend more money on a nice hotel, food, and experiences at my destination than on the flight there. Below are some of my favorite flight hacks to make travel less expensive.

Be Flexible

I think the most important thing when searching for flights is being flexible. If you go into planning with a "must fly on this day, at this time, at this airport" mentality, you are costing yourself money. Whenever I start searching for flights for a trip, the first thing I do is research the airports within a 100 mile distance of both my starting point (usually NY) and where I want to go. Many times there can be an airport that is outside of the destination you're looking at which is much cheaper than the main airport. Some locations (think Paris or London) also have multiple airports to choose from and the price can be much different depending on which one you fly to.

Being flexible also means leaving a day or two before or after your original plans. If you can save a few hundred dollars by leaving one day later, it may mean you lose a day at your destination, but it means more money to spend when you're there. You also have to be flexible when it comes to times of flights. I personally prefer flights that are overnight so that I can sleep on the plane and then adjust to a new time zone easier when I land. However, sometimes there may be a flight with a very random time (mid-day) that will save me a lot of money and I book that and then find ways to occupy myself on the flight if I can't fall asleep.

Break Up Flight Legs

I have found one hack that has helped on multiple trips: break up the flights. By that I mean, there are times when a round trip ticket with one airline might be more expensive than doing two one-way flights on different airlines. Perhaps you're traveling somewhere that has a budget airline offering great rates to get to the destination, but the return leg makes the price go up. Or perhaps you have enough airline miles in your account for one way, but not the full trip. In those instances I will book a one-way ticket with miles on one airline and then search other airlines for the cheapest one-way flight back.

Another way this hack can help is if you're going somewhere far from home. For example, if you live on the East Coast of the US and you want to go to Asia, the cost of a round trip flight from NY may be more expensive than a round trip flight from the West Coast. You may find that booking a round trip flight to Asia from San Francisco or Los Angeles and then booking a separate round trip flight to San Fran or LA from your home location is a cheaper option than the round trip flight from your home to Asia. There can often be great deals specific to certain routes and if your home location isn't part of that, search other options to take advantage of the deal!

Add A Destination

Say that you want to go to Paris, but flights to Paris are out of your budget. However, when you start looking at other locations in Europe you find a a great deal. I highly recommend booking the round trip to the place with the best deal and then find transportation to the actual place you want to visit. Not only can this save you money, it also gives you the opportunity to see a new city/country. Getting around Europe is so easy and relatively inexpensive between budget airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair and also with the great train system of Europe. You could book a roundtrip flight to London or Frankfurt and then take the train to Paris. There are endless options within Europe to get around and it can mean you get to see even more than you originally planned!

Asian travel is similar to European travel in that once you're across the Pacific and land in a country, there are a lot of relatively cheap airline options to get you where you want to eventually go. I have done this on two different trips where I had a stopover in Japan en route to China and also a stopover in Singapore en route to Thailand. Just take the time (I know I sound like a broken record here!) and play around with options to see what is best.

And don't forget to take advantage of hotel certificates or rewards you might have when looking at alternate route options. If you have any of the major hotel chain branded credit cards (IHG, Hilton, Marriott, etc.), you will always get Anniversary Night Certificates that can be used at hotels all around the world. Or if you have a rewards account with any of the main hotel chains, look to see your account balance. If your flight plans are cheapest by breaking up legs and spending a night in a different city, use that free night or your points so that you're not spending any money to see that additional city!

Use The Internet To Your Advantage

Often times when people are planning a flight, they're going directly to the airline's website and searching for flights and booking there. If you're using miles, this is obviously the way to go. However, if you're paying for your flights and want to find great deals, take advantage of all of the amazing sites the internet has to offer!

I always start with Google Flights and see what prices I can find there. Then I will go to some of my other favorite sites like Secret Flying, Scott's Cheap Flights, and Skyscanner. Again, this is where time and patience can really pay off because often times you may find a deal on one site that you won't see anywhere else. However, if you don't take the time to see all of your options, you'll never know! When it comes to travel, saving money on the front end really helps to not only get the opportunity to travel, but also gives you more money to spend once you're at your destination. So while it may be time consuming and often times frustrating searching for flights, it can be so worth it when you book that awesome deal!

Bon voyage!