Finding Cheaper Flights: I’ll let you in on a few secrets …

Finding a cheap flight isn’t an art form, and it doesn’t require any special skills; what it does require however is patience, tenacity, and a little bit of luck.

Having become quite practised at grabbing those bargain flights, as well as cutting costs in other areas of travel, let me fill you in on a few secrets.

Be as flexible as possible

If you’re not willing to bend a little on day or time of travel then you’re going to pay more, it’s that simple. Flights leave when they’re scheduled to, not when you want them to! Look at mid-week flights rather than the weekend, look at night flights instead of day flights, and you will find costs are generally lower. Of course, there is the odd anomaly where you find a weekend day flight for a low cost, and in that case, book it immediately!

Look at your extras

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Getting to the airport is an area you need to look at when you are finding a flight, because if you need to book a coach or train then it has to coincide. I found this too restrictive, and meant I couldn’t take advantage of the cheapest flights, so I decided to drive myself instead. I found Airparks to be fantastic on price and service, so I now use them regularly, having just booked Stansted Airport parking for my upcoming jaunt. I’d certainly recommend this idea to anyone able to drive.

Be patient

I wouldn’t advise looking for a flight and simply booking it, not if you have a little time to play with. If you’ve not travelling immediately, then head to Skyscanner and find a few options that suit you, and then simply wait and watch. Don’t keep checking the price as you’ll end up driving the cost up, but simply take a fleeting interest in it instead. I say this because the cost of flights often fluctuate on a daily basis, and if you can figure out the pattern and predict when the cost is going to be at its lowest, then you can save big. It is a risk, but it’s often one that’s worth taking!

Consider indirect

If you’re able to fly indirect you might find you save money. This does add time onto your travel day, but if the connection time isn’t too great, no more than an hour or two, then you could easily grab yourself a coffee and stretch your legs, safe in the knowledge that you managed to save money for the trade-off of simply a couple of hours. If the saving is big enough, I’d certainly do it.

As you can see, there is no major skill involved in finding a cheap flight, it’s all about patience and flexibility, and if you can do that, you’re onto a winner!