24/04/2021
Three Basic Tips for Flying on a Budget ✈️
Jumping in, we want to talk about flights! People tend to think the most expensive part of travel is getting there, but it doesn’t have to be. Scoring cheap flights is a topic we could talk about at great lengths without even scratching the surface, so we’ll keep this one easy to follow and dive a little deeper with specific techniques later on. Our top three trips:
✈️ Tip #1: If possible, be flexible on your travel dates and/or destination. If you start looking with wide parameters (such as, I want to take a vacation somewhere in September for a few days), you have a huge advantage over someone looking for specifics (I need to get to Miami early morning on September 23rd and leave the 27th). If you’re flexible on dates and times, you can use the Price Graph on sites like Google Flights to check which dates are cheapest. If you’re just looking for a fun location, try Kayak Explorer, where you can enter your start location and see great deals to all over.
✈️ Tip #2: Always use multiple search engines. Some of our favorites are Google Flights, Kayak, Skyscanner and Kiwi, but there are so many engines to search. Don’t limit yourself to just one! Once you narrow your search, always check directly with the airline’s website. Usually the fares are comparable and sometimes even cheaper. If it varies by just a few bucks, we recommend booking directly with the airline. You’ll earn frequent flyer miles, and if you have any issues with your flight, you’ll be communicating directly with the airline instead of a third party. Here’s a quick example: A couple months ago, we booked a great deal to Amsterdam through a third-party site. Round trip flights from Houston, business class, for around $400 per person! It was a mistake fare, and the airline ended up not honoring the price. The third-party didn’t express this until after they charged us almost $1600 for the same tickets. Since we had a 24 hour window to cancel, we called the site, and they basically said we “didn’t notice the price increased” before we booked and it was our fault. After emails and several days, we were told we’d be refunded, but it never happened and we had to file a claim with our credit card to get it voided. Instead, if we had booked directly through the airline, there would have been no issue in cancelling within the 24 hour period, since they want to keep their loyal customers happy!
✈️ Tip #3: Budget airlines, but check your extra fees! Budget airlines are a great option for lots of trips. Southwest is one of our favorites for flying domestically, because they offer two free checked bags and a carry-on (and now they fly out of both Houston airports!). United and American Airlines are also beginning to introduce low fares on their basic seats. Lots of budget airlines advertise flight deals that don’t include all those extra fees for standard things you expect. For example, Frontier airlines charges $39 for a carry-on bag if you book in advance and $60 at the gate. They only include a personal item with your fare price. These must be small enough to squeeze under the seat in front of you and are also usually subject to weight limitations. We’re not saying it isn’t possible to fly with just a personal item; we traveled to Ireland with only backpacks for two weeks to save on these fees! But most travelers appreciate being able to pack what they need for their trip. Always check those added fees before you book, so you can avoid having your budget airfare costing more than a premium carrier!
✈️ There is so much more we want to share about flight deals later on: Credit card points for free flights, mistake fares, skiplagging, one-way fares vs roundtrip, etc. It’s all too much for one post! We also know so many great road-trip vacations don’t start with flying at all! We’re looking forward to sharing our tips on where to stay, how to plan and lots of other travel info with you!
