When you ask people what they are passionate about, one thing you are likely to hear is “travel”. There is a special kind of excitement for people when they travel around the world. Whether it’s getting a chance to bask in luxurious weather or explore a culture unlike where you come from, there’s something for everyone when they are travelling.
There’s a caveat to a love of travel though. It can be really expensive! One of the most expensive aspects of a vacation is the flight. Flying is very convenient and has shrunk the world. However the airlines will charge a lot for the benefit of getting around.
Or do they? Airlines are out to make a profit, but there are ways to travel without having to spend a huge sum of money. It’s not advantageous to airlines to have unsold seats. Therefore their goal is always going to be to fill the plane before it goes on sale.
Know the Price Trends
Despite claims otherwise, flight prices follow a fairly typical trend. At a great distance, the flights can appear fairly expensive. This is because at a time of greater than four months, there’s really little need for them to lower prices. Most tickets will be purchased at a later time, so why not get those willing to plan so early with a bigger price. Prices start to drop around 3 months from a flights time. This is the time when people can get good prices because they are filling up the plan to ensure that it will have a good base of passengers. Are these the best prices? No. But they are some of the best prices for long range planning. After that, prices will continue to increase as it gets closer to the flight. This is because people may find themselves with an absolute need to get somewhere quickly. Business meetings that can’t be moved are a prime example of a need for a fairly quick and costly flight.
Finally though, there are the best bargain flights. Those that are absolutely last minute. When airlines have extra seats, they would rather fill them and get “something” rather than fly empty. This is where a bargain hunter can get their best deals. It can be tricky, and there’s no guarantee of success, but a cheap flight can be worth the wait.
Make Use of Resources
For many people, if you want to find a cheap flight, one of the best ways is through online resources. There are many websites and apps dedicated to helping people find good deals. Sometimes these are sponsored, but many are run specifically because the owner likes travel.
These websites will often do a lot of the searching for you. Now, these aren’t always the obvious big websites you have heard of. Many of these are specific to different airports. They will only look for deals or vacations that are based from that single local airport. That can be absolutely perfect, as many of these deals may not register on bigger locations.
Be Flexible
Arguably the biggest thing when it comes to discount airfare is to be flexible. People want two things when they are booking, to go to a specific place, or to go at a specific time.
When you need to go to a specific place like Maui or Amsterdam, you need to be flexible on when you leave. A last minute deal could pop up at any time, so you need to be ready to fly!
Alternatively, when you want to go during a specific time frame, be flexible on where you are going. The world is a big place with thousands of beautiful places to explore. If you’re willing to leave quickly, then you can explore them on a proper budget!
