Air travel prices have dropped significantly in recent years. However, with many airlines not making a profit, don’t expect these low fares to last forever. There is going to be a lot of consolidation in the next few years, and that means higher prices. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to ensure you get the cheapest airfare possible. Follow these 11 tips and you’ll have more to spend at the bar when you get to your destination!
Tip 1: Stay at home:. An obvious one, but one where you can use perspective to your advantage. Like in “Angela’s Ashes,” where the summer cabin was downstairs and the winter cabin was upstairs when it flooded and became uninhabitable. It all comes down to the attitude of the man.
Tip 2: Travel only with hand luggage if you can: Low-cost airlines save money by speeding up check-in times. If you only carry hand luggage, you will save money, so try to travel light! You’ll also be thanking your lucky stars when your luggage doesn’t get mixed up and you don’t end up at your destination in all kinds of B&D outfits.
Tip 3: Shop online for the cheapest fares: The Internet has a variety of sites that offer cheap airfare, often considerably cheaper than through a travel agent. Note: Saturday is the cheapest day to book airfare.
Tip 4: Be flexible on the time you travel: Prices can change significantly depending on the day you fly. If you are flexible (eg a few days on either side of your proposed flight date), you could save yourself a significant amount of money.
Tip 5: Travel at night: Night flights are usually cheaper because people don’t want to travel at night. Do an internet search and see if you can find any good deals.
Tip 6: Travel out of season: If you go out of season, you can save substantial amounts of money on travel and accommodation. For example, September in Europe is a good time to travel as all the locals have returned to work and school, but the weather is still good.
Tip 7: Visit various websites: Don’t limit your Internet search to just one site. Check out at least three sites and see which offers the best deal.
Tip 8: Travel early in the morning: Very early flights, especially on weekends, are usually cheaper as people don’t want to travel at that time.
Tip 9: Travel in a group: If you’re traveling in a large group (for example, booking more than four rooms), you may receive a discount of around 10 percent.
Tip 10: Bring less: For times when you have to carry checked baggage, try to travel with much less than the set amount. In this way, you will not have to pay overweight costs on the way back. You often don’t use half of the things you pack, and if you run out and really need something, you can always buy it, which almost never happens.
Tip 11: Limit travel toys: Most airplanes these days are equipped with a host of games, TV shows, and movies that will keep you entertained for hours. Take advantage of them, or more importantly, let your children take advantage of them, instead of buying extra toys or gadgets for the trip.