Although flights can take up a lot of your traveling budget, there are undoubtedly some ways in which the expensive feat of purchasing a flight ticket can be minimized. Here are some of them that I have found so far-
- Be flexible with your travel dates. If you go to Kiwi or Skyscanner, you will find months when the flights are the cheapest to that particular place you would want to visit. Yes, those months or weeks may not be the perfect time to visit as they might be off-season but if you are trying to save some bucks, traveling off-season has its perks as well, like fewer tourists, cheaper hostel or hotel rates, less crowded places and so locals will behave more locally, etc.
- Book your flights in advance – This is just extended information for Point 1; if you are flexible with your dates, make sure you book your flights well in advance. Flights cost the most when the dates are near, so if you have enough time in your hand, the prices will be much less. Please do keep in mind that from time to time, then flight timing might change, and you will get constant emails and messages about the same. No need to worry; in the end, your flight is available with a slightly changed timing, maybe.
- Set Fare Alerts- Flight pricing does change over time, so it is best practice to set alerts on the website you were looking for. Any change in flight pricing, and you will be notified about the same. There is a big chance you will get a far better deal over time.
- Go incognito – While planning for your trip, especially your flight plans, you should go incognito to get the best deals. See, all websites track you and your activity. If you are constantly searching for a particular place, the website will get information and consider this traffic. It will then increase the pricing altogether, which will make you mad. Going incognito means the websites cannot track you anymore. I have written a lot about this topic and some other tips on saving money while traveling. You can get the book here.
- Use airline websites to book your flights – It sounds like a lot of work when you have websites like Makemytrip, Goibibo, etc. but trust me on this, if you want to get cheaper flights, try to book your flights from the official airlines’ websites. See, it is logical that the websites like MakeMyTrip have to make money themselves, and no matter how many offers they show you will be getting, they still will be adding their service charge to it. By doing that, you might end up paying more than you would have initially. Taking a little bit more trouble will save you tons along the way.