How To Find The Best Airfare Prices in Minutes

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Something I often hear people say as a reason for why they aren’t able to travel is the cost of airfare. Since my family and I are passionate about travel, we have had to get creative over the years when it comes to searching for and locating the best airfare prices.

One of my best travel skills is that I am constantly looking out for those last minute, too good to pass up deals on flights, which really comes in handy for as much as we travel. Trying to find the cheapest prices to fly somewhere, even for just a long weekend getaway can be time consuming and even frustrating. But it doesn’t have to be if you know some secret tips for how to find the best airfare prices in minutes. 

 

How Do You Find The Cheapest Airfare? 

Now you may not want to hear this, but finding the cheapest airfare oftentimes comes down to simply being flexible.

Flexible meaning:

• traveling somewhere during their off-peak season
• flying into and out of other airports instead of your local one 
• visiting a place that may not have originally been on your vision board or bucket list. 

In the past year I was able to travel to Paris, Amsterdam, Puerto Rico and Rome, each for under $300 a ticket, just from utilizing some of these tips I am sharing. So don’t get discouraged when you see expensive flight prices, because there are definitely ways to fly for cheap. 

5 Ways To Find The Best Airfare Prices

Out of all of the travel questions I am asked, the one I hear most is, where can people find the best airfare prices, without wasting a lot of time. 

I have some secret tips to save you time, money and your sanity when trying to book travel. 

1. Travel Apps

Utilize travel apps, especially when looking for flights. Download a few to keep handy and even set notifications so you can be alerted of certain deals, and also when the price has increased or decreased.

Remember that list of 15 free best travel apps I put together for you? Well, a few of my favorites from that list (Skiplagged, Google Flights and Hopper), are perfect for helping you locate the cheapest places to fly, when and what airline. 

They are all very user friendly (Skiplagged is my favorite), and they search a wide variety of airlines websites to find the lowest prices. These apps are timesavers because they help you find the best flights for your budget.

2. Surrounding Airports

Don’t be afraid to check other airports, instead of only sticking to your local airport. This tip has not only saved me a good amount of money over the years, but actually also time too.

Even though Philadelphia’s airport is only about a 45 minute drive from our home, there are sometimes not many direct flights to certain islands, (we love visiting Puerto Rico and St. Maarten), or even places throughout Europe (Paris, Amsterdam).

By flying out of a surrounding airport we may have to drive about 2 hours to the airport, but we get a direct flight (usually on our favorite airline Jet Blue) and it’s always for a much cheaper price, then I would have paid if I flew out of Philadelphia. 

3. Frequent Flyer or Reward Programs 

Now I know it might be annoying to sign up for each and every reward program, but trust me when I tell you that airline rewards and frequent flyer programs are so valuable.

Each and every time you book a flight be sure to sign up to become a part of that airline’s reward program, or log in to rack up those miles.

The trick to getting a reward faster is to try to fly with the same airline over and over again. Over the last year I earned enough miles for free flights with both American Airlines and Jet Blue.

4. Book Your Travel or Vacation as a Package

I remember the first time I went to Riviera Maya, Mexico many years ago. My husband and I found an incredible deal for a brand new Secrets resort that had just opened. We saved hundreds of dollars thanks to purchasing the trip as a package instead of booking it all separately. 

Costco offers great vacation package deals and so does Disney, Marriott, American Airlines, Jet Blue and Expedia. Price it all out separately if you really want to compare how much you could save by booking a package.

Just make sure you know how to search smarter to avoid fraud when booking travel. 

5. Flexibility

Earlier I mentioned this, but being flexible is a key component to finding the best airfare prices. This may mean sometimes having to take those super early morning flights, red eyes, multiple connections and more, but it’s better than paying some ridiculous price to fly somewhere. 

I understand this is not always easy for people to do, especially with work, school schedules and more to contend with, but if you are able to be flexible it could mean saving hundreds of dollars when booking travel. 

I hope that by sharing these secrets for how to find the best airfare prices you will be able to say yes to more travel, instead of feeling like your travel plans are ruined, especially due to the cost.

Now it’s time for you to start utilizing these cheap airfare tips so you can get out there and explore the world.

For more quick travel information, including how to only carry on, the best travel essentials, Disney travel information and more, check out my travel tips talks, which you can find on IGTV.

Here is a little travel inspiration for places to visit:

• Sanctuary on Camelback Resort
• 6 Weekend Getaways for Family Fun
• Where To Stay in Amsterdam For the Best Experience

Where are you hoping to find the best airfare prices to this year? 

Don’t forget to join the journey by signing up for my mailing list so you can receive a must-have free packing checklist, plus access to my travel resource library.