Everyone wants to get a good deal on a flight, but getting a good deal is about more than just doing a quick search and purchasing your tickets. While there are plenty of different booking strategies, some of them are more outdated than others. As travel changes, so do the rules, and some of the ones you are following might be outdated. Luckily, you have more options than ever, and avoiding a few common mistakes can help you become a savvier traveler.
Not Saving in Advance for Your Trip
While it can be challenging to save for an emergency trip, if you are traveling for leisure, you will likely have at least a few months to save up. Take some time to evaluate your spending and see if there are areas you can save in. That can free up more funds to spend on your airfare. One way of reducing these expenses is by refinancing your existing student loans. This can give you more favorable terms so you can spend those funds elsewhere. In addition, you can avoid going out to eat or getting carryout, cancelling any unused streaming services, or even cut cable altogether.
Not Booking at the Right Time
You might think you can save money and travel like a pro if you book as far ahead of time as possible, but that is not true anymore. While you might be able to book many months ahead of time, it won’t necessarily get you the best price on tickets. In fact, airlines make a conservative estimate when setting their prices initially, and they may start out more expensive and go down later. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should book your tickets at the last minute. Prices often reach their peak a couple of weeks before the plane leaves, and it would be difficult to find a good deal during this time.
Not Buying Tickets at the Right Time
Many people purchase tickets during the weekend when they aren’t working and have some time, but doing this could be costly. Purchasing your tickets at the same time as everyone else means you are less likely to find a deal. There are not as many deals available on the weekends, and the ones that are available are more likely to get snapped up by other travelers. Luckily, there are price saving tools that will automatically search for deals and send you alerts when ones that meet your parameters pop up.
Ruling Out Morning Flights
Many think red eye flights tend to be the least expensive, but early morning flights tend to be even cheaper. Flying between 4 am and 8 am will help you save on both the destination and return flights. Plus, early morning flights are not delayed as often as later ones since the planes are taking their first trips of the day. You won’t need to wait for a plane to arrive from a previous flight before you can leave. Plus, the airport itself is usually less crowded. While you will still need to arrive early to make your flight, you won’t have to deal with as many other travelers.
