9 Ways To Find Cheap Flights For Your Next Trip

Are you starting to plan your 2023 vacations? Flipping through AirBnbs, putting together your itinerary, and deciding on tours is so exciting, but there’s a big factor that will largely determine your next destination: The cost of flights. 

The good news is you can get cheap flights all the time – if you know what to look for. 

I’ve put together a few of my favorite tried and tested travel hacks to help you get the most cost effective flight possible! 

1. Let the Flights Determine the Destination

If your goal is to go everywhere, then let ticket prices help determine where to go next. Being fixed on a specific destination during a specific month of the year might be the reason you never find good deals. Both Skyscanner and Google Flights give you an “Everywhere” option that allows you to compare the different flight prices according to destination. So, open your mind to cities and countries that you may not have thought of for your vacation. 

2. Travel in the Off Season

Ticket prices drop dramatically when tourists go home. My favorite way to leverage this is to book a warm destination during my winter months. Places like Hawaii in January is a great example of this, and you can save more than half what it costs to travel in the summer. Not only are flights cheaper during the less touristy season, hotels are cheaper, too, and you’re able to explore the destination without the crazy crowds. 

3. Book Early Morning Flights

If your goal is getting the best flight deal possible, it’s well worth it to sacrifice a little sleep and book an early morning flight for a better rate. Being willing to be on the first flight of the day allows you to save on cost and also get to your destination with more time to enjoy it, which is a win-win. You can catch up on your sleep during the flight so that you arrive well rested. If you struggle to sleep on a plane, try a head cooling cap. Research done by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine reported that keeping the brain cool may help people with insomnia sleep better. Also, try listening to pink noise, wear bed socks, and put on an eye mask to block out light. 

4. Keep your Travel Dates Flexible

When possible, use the flexible date calendar in Google Flights (or whatever site you’re using) to find the cheapest days to fly. Typically weekdays like Tuesdays are best. Flights on Mondays and Fridays are usually on the pricier side as this is when a lot of business people travel. Also, you may want to plan your flights close to a major holiday – flight tickets are usually cheaper just after or on a national holiday as there are less people traveling. Having a little wiggle room in your holiday schedule can save you hundreds of dollars! 

5. Book Two to Three Months Ahead

Usually your best flight deals will be found at least two months ahead of time. If you’re a spontaneous traveler like me though, then we need to set some Siri reminders to help us out!

6. Shop Budget Airlines

Even when traveling internationally, there are budget airline options. While you will sacrifice some perks such as meals and space, you can get to your destination at a fraction of the cost compared with major airlines. Watch out for hidden costs, though – checking in baggage, carry on luggage, printing your boarding pass – there are tons of ways they sneak in hidden fees. The US, Canada, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe all have a number of budget carriers to choose from. 

7. Book A Positioning Flight

Oftentimes bigger airport hubs offer better deals on flights. If you’re not already flying out of someplace like LAX or ATL, booking a smaller flight from your home airport to a hub like one of these can be a great hack. For example, let’s say you live in Nashville and you want to fly to Paris. It might be worth it to book a flight to JFK for less than $200, and only pay $449 for your flight from JFK to Paris instead of paying $1200 for a direct flight from Nashville. Positioning flights from neighboring airports can sometimes save you hundreds of dollars. 

8. Sign Up for Newsletters 

While we all already have full inboxes, signing up for flight notifications is a great way to snag a deal. Signing up for deal websites and airlines’ newsletters means great cheap flight options will get sent directly to you, so you don’t have to hunt for them. Plus who doesn’t love to know when cheap flights are available? To make sure you don’t get inundated with offers that don’t fit the bill for your ideal vacation, customize your travel preferences to only get emails that apply to you and your selected airports or destinations. I personally have a subscription to Thrifty Traveler and I receive The Points Guy’s daily newsletter. Thrifty Traveler sends me flight deals when airfare goes on sale (because yes, airfare does go on sale!) and The Points Guy sends lots of helpful tips on how to leverage credit card points and the latest travel news. I highly recommend subscribing to them both!

9. Take Advantage of Travel Rewards  

Get a travel rewards card so that you can rack up some points that can go towards your flight ticket. These points and miles programs can even be a way to get discounts on hotel stays and other travel perks. 

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive! Use these travel hacks to get the cheapest flights possible for your next trip!

Always cheering for you,

Ashley