For a lot of travel plans, the biggest cost can be the plane tickets. If you are really interested in saving money and getting cheap tickets, look to your flights for a few cost-cutting ideas to reign in the holiday budget. There are many ways to save a little money on those tickets, and Hotels Combined offers some of the best tips.
Comparison Shopping
Here is the number one tip for saving money on flights: comparison shop. Novice travels tend to assume that all flights are generally equal and that there isn’t going to be much difference from one airline to the next given that the destination is the same in all cases. Do not fall into that trap. There are deals to be found all over the travel industry, and doing your research is the best way to find them.
It’s not hard to find a good flight comparison website, and it usually doesn’t take too much time to browse around. By entering your intended travel dates along with the departure and destination points, you can see what dozens of airlines are charging.
Be Flexible
This tip follows right behind the last one. As you do your comparisons, take a look at how the prices change if you are flexible in your flight requirements. Does it really make a difference to your plans if you choose a flight with a stop-over? You can save many hundreds of dollars if you can sacrifice a little time in your trip.
What about leaving on a Wednesday evening instead of Saturday morning? Again, check out lots of variations and try not to let yourself be stuck in one mindset about your plans. You may even want to vary your destination. While landing right downtown in a major city is handy, you might get a much better deal if you choose a smaller airport nearby. The cost to rent a car or even hire a taxi might be worth a larger savings on the flight itself.
Travel Light
Save on extra fees by getting rid of the extra bulky luggage that you have to pay for. If you can stick to just one reasonable carry-on bag, you’ll save money. You will also save time upon landing because you can just grab and go, without having to wait for luggage. It may only be a few dollars to check your bag, but a longer trip with multiple flights and several bags will soon add up.
Collect Points
If you do a lot of traveling, collecting points or miles with a loyalty program can help cut costs later on. Also known as frequent flier programs, most major airlines offer them. This can impact your flexibility and ability to comparison shop a little, but even if you don’t always stick with one airline, you can still accumulate points to save money on future tickets.
So whether you are hopping on a plane to the next state, or planning an international cross-continental trek, these will help you spend less on your airfare. That means you can do more when you arrive and do more exploring at your destination.
