7 Beginners' Tips for Finding Cheap Flights

Traveling is an overwhelming task to plan. From flights, to hotels, to car rentals, to daily activities, you might feel like you need to take a vacation from planning your vacation. If you're a beginner, first take a deep breath, then follow these beginner's tips to finding cheap flights.

 

Choose Your Travel Days Wisely

Image via Flickr Grant Wickes

Typically flights are more expensive on Fridays and Sundays because those are the most common travel days for weekend travelers. Try to find a Saturday morning flight, or Thursday to Tuesday flights. The Guardian suggests Wednesday are the best days to find almost-free deals. When you're shopping for flights, sales generally start late Monday or early Tuesday.

Compare Flights Prices

Always use comparison search sites and find any coupons you can, like the ones from groupon getaways. Beginner travelers must realize that flight prices change sporadically, so be sure to consistently check prices everyday if you haven't bought your ticket yet. You might think prices are going up and you need to buy your ticket right away, but waiting until weekday sales could offer you unthinkable deals. 

 

Travel During Off-Peak Season

When you travel during unpopular, off-peak seasons, your savings will surprise you; if possible always opt for this vacation time. Other unpopular travel times are overnight flights and red-eye flights. Sacrificing a little sleep could save you a lot of money. It is an option that you can weigh yourself, and see if it's worth loosing some sleep.

 

Don't Make Assumptions about No-Frills

Many airlines that market themselves as no-frills often carry heavy fees with the price of their tickets. So, not only are you getting gypped on food during a five-hour flight, you're also not getting the cheap price of the ticket you originally bargained for.

 

Search for Different Airports

If there are several airports within a few hours of each other, look into flights departing or arriving from them. Often these airports may have cheaper flights than your originally chosen airport. New York City for example, has several airports surrounding it like Newark International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Depending on what time of the week you shop and the travel season, some of these airports are cheaper than others at different times of the week.

 

Look into Package Deals

Many travel sites offer package deals for hotel and flight prices. Be sure to compare prices with other sites that offer similar packages. Some packages are customizable and can even include other travel plans like car rentals as well.

 

Be Wary of Hidden Fees

Besides bag fees, which are becoming increasingly expensive depending on the airline, many flights have hidden fees for snacks, or even carry-on bags. Some fees may not provide a description, so if you find flights that seem cheap, but have "fees" attached to them, do some more research to find out exactly what those fees are for.
Even some seasoned travelers aren't aware of the optimal flight purchase days. Noting airline trends will help you find the best deals. What tip did you not know about?