Use your laptop to plan your next vacation.
Saving money by obtaining cheap flights is so simple that it's hard to imagine not doing it. You can save hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars on domestic and international flights by using online resources and other strategies. Getting the cheap flights, however, often requires being flexible with your traveling schedule.
Instructions
1. Find the time of the year when the flights you're looking for are cheapest. For example, flights to Costa Rica are half the price in June compared to what they are at almost any other time in the year. Simply by choosing to visit the country in June, you can save hundreds of dollars. To gauge the seasonal changes in prices, you can go to any flight search at online travel sites and simply type in a different flight date 10 or 12 times. You can also go to Expedia.com and use its cheap flight trend tracker (see Resources).
2. Use your computer to go to StudentUniverse.com if you are a student or teacher. Some flights have specific discounts for students. All you need to use this site is a .edu email address. Be aware, however, that the website's airline tickets are limited.
3. Use Priceline.com if your travel schedule is flexible. Priceline allows you to make a bid on cheap airline tickets. You name the price you want to pay, and Priceline sees if any airline will accept it. You have to be willing to fly on any airline at any time on your chosen day. These tickets are nonrefundable and nonexchangeable, so you need to be committed to flying on that day. In some cases, you can save half the price of ticket costs using Priceline.
4. Use TripAdvisor.com to search multiple sites at once. Simply check the boxes on the website and put in the desired flight dates. Each one opens in a new window, allowing you to quickly compare prices and get a general sense of airline ticket cost.
5. Use flexible travel time options. Most search engine sites have a flexible travel date option. Sometimes by changing your flight date, you can save hundreds of dollars. Staying over on a Saturday night, flying in the middle of the week and flexibility in airport choice allow you to cut costs.
6. Compare travel agents for complicated international travel itineraries. Many travel agents charge exorbitant fees. When a flight costs $2,000, a 5 percent commission is a lot of money to spend. Find agents who have flat fees for their services for costlier flights, and percentage fees for shorter flights. For an expensive international ticket, paying a $25 or $50 flat fee can save a lot of money. For a cheap domestic flight, a percentage-based fee might make more sense.
Tags: save hundreds, airline tickets, cheap flights, flexible travel, flight date