Almost without fail, the most expensive piece of any international trip is airfare. I’m going to share with you how I find cheap international flights so you can do the same for your next trip, and save your budget for the fun stuff!
When Colton, my husband, and I traveled for 6 months to 18 countries, we bought a lot of plane tickets. We used all these tips to help us save money on flights so we could spend our travel budget on food, hotels, activities, etc.
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*The word ‘cheap’ can mean a vastly different thing from one person to another. I’m referring to finding affordable flight deals that are less expensive than if you didn’t use these tips. If it’s ‘cheap’ to you, it’s a good deal!
1. Use The Right Online Tools
The very first places I look to find cheap international flights are Google Flights and Skyscanner.
Both have explore functions that allow you to put in flexible dates and parameters so you can find the best price for your trip.
Both Google Flights and Skyscanner are aggregators, meaning they gather information from all over the internet from airlines and put it in one place so you can easily compare itineraries and prices.
They also both have a price tracker tool, which allows you to sign up for email alerts about price changes on a particular itinerary.
I recommend that you start with looking at very flexible dates to understand what the prices are around the time you’d like to go.
Let me show you how to use both Google Flights and Skyscanner.
How To Use The Google Flights Explore Function
When you land on the Google Flights Home Page, look on the lefthand side of the screen. You’ll see a globe with a magnifying glass that says ‘Explore’. Click there.
Choose your trip parameters: one way vs. round trip, origin airport, etc.
Then, leave your destination blank, or choose ‘Where to?’. Choose flexible dates that fit your travel plan.
From here, you’ll see a map on the screen, which you can navigate with your mouse. You can drag the map around and explore possible flights.
Once you’ve clicked on a destination or flight, you can look at the prices on a date grid or price graph to see flight prices on days around the dates you’ve selected. You can also track flight prices from here.
Another great tool to use is the Google Chrome extension Flight Fare Compare. This tool allows you to perform a Google Flights search and an equivalent search on Momondo, Kayak, and Skyscanner to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
If you’re tall, and legroom is an important factor for you when choosing a flight, use Legrooms for Google Flights to see the legroom in inches, right in the Google Flights search page.
How To Use Skyscanner To Find Cheap Flights
On the Skyscanner Home Page, you’ll see the basic flight search tool where you can enter in your origin airport, destination, and dates along with other parameters.
Choose your origin airport, then choose ‘Everywhere’ as your destination. Choose either specific dates or a range. There is even the ‘Cheapest Month’ option that will automatically show you the best time to fly.
Skyscanner also has price graphs, price tracking, and so much more.
2. Be Flexible To Find Cheap International Flights
If you have the ability, be flexible about the dates you want to fly. Not only are there differences in price for the days of the week, there are big differences in the time of year and even the time of day.
Flexibility is truly key to finding cheap flights.
The generally accepted rule is that it’s cheaper to fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays. Flying on either end of the weekend, Friday or Sunday, tends to be more expensive.
As for the cheapest time to buy your flight? There are a lot of opinions on this, but usually it would be around 3 months before your departure. This is certainly not a hard and fast rule, as flight deals can pop up at any time.
Set a price tracker on Google Flights or Skyscanner once you’ve found your preferred itinerary and days.
This way, you’ll get an email every time the price changes for that particular flight. You’ll be able to hop on the cheapest price at any moment.
Being flexible is the best way to find cheap international flights. If you can, avoid picking your vacation dates first and flights second. When you do that, it limits your deal options to just the dates you’ve chosen.
If you’re able, you should go on Google Flights, search for a one or two week trip in the next 6 months, and see what deals pop up. If you can plan your vacation around those deals, you’re more likely to get an amazing price for your flights.
READ ALSO:
Travel Credit Cards: Our Secret To Affordable Flights All Over The World
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3. It Takes Time To Find Cheap Flights
If you’re determined to find an amazing flight deal, just know it may take some time. Have patience and do you research to make sure you’re not missing the deal of a lifetime!
The best way to do this is to set a price tracker on Google Flights or Skyscanner to do the work for you. Pick a few itineraries and dates that you’re interested in, and sign up to get email notifications when the prices change.
At the end of the day, the best flight is the one that works best for you, so even if it isn’t the cheapest flight (the one with the 30+hr itinerary probably) it’s okay. If it’s a deal to you, it’s a deal!
4. Pack Light
One of the easiest ways to cut down on flight costs is to travel carry-on only.
Don’t pay for bag fees when you can probably whittle down your packing list to fit in a smaller bag.
Get the most out of your 2 bag allowance on most airlines by bringing a hardside carry-on suitcase and a duffle type personal item.
Instead of bringing a purse as your personal item, which probably isn’t holding clothes, bring a backpack or duffle that can carry clothes, travel necessities, headphones, etc.
Also, pay attention to your baggage allowance when you book your flight. On a lot of international flights from the US, you get a checked bag included even in economy. If you don’t, cough up the checked bag fee or bring the carry-on.
I have been using the same carry-on suitcase and backpack combo for years now, and I am able to pack so much stuff. It’s all that I brought with us on our 6 month trip to 18 countries!
5. Consider Using Points And Miles
When Colton and I flew from NC to Turkey at the beginning of our 6 month trip to 18 countries, we found one way flights that we liked the look of. The itinerary was good, but the price was horrid. $2k per person, one way. Absurd!
So, we ended up buying those flights with credit card points and miles. They cost us each 60k Chase points, booked through United, and we ended up spending only $11 on each flight.
This is our secret to flying cheap all around the world: points and miles.
To learn more about how we do it, read about how we use points and miles to save money on flights all around the world.
We’ve used points to fly from Milan to Bangkok for 65k miles and $82 per person on Emirates.
To get back to the US at the end of our trip, we flew from Bangkok to JFK for 40k miles and $66 per person on Singapore Airlines.
If we hadn’t used points and miles to cover those huge international flights, they would have cost us thousands of dollars.
You need a little foresight to know you’ll need a bank of miles for an upcoming flight, but if you can plan ahead for it, you can save a ton of money!
READ ALSO:
Travel Credit Cards: Our Secret To Affordable Flights All Over The World
10 Essential Items To Pack For A Trip to Europe
10 Budget Friendly European Cities You’ll Love to Visit
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