Hi Reader,

One question that crops up time and again for budget travellers is “How do you actually find cheaper flights?”

The truth is, there is no secret trick for us; we research and shop around for the best deal that’s within our budget.

Because let’s be honest, finding the cheapest flights isn’t about getting lucky; it’s about comparing the whole journey, rather than selecting the lowest price because you want to save money.

This is how we bag a cheap flight:

1 - We compare a few different websites first

We start with a few of our favourites such as Skyscanner, Trip.com, and Lastminute.com.

This gives us an idea of what’s available and what sort of prices we’re looking at.

We’ll then check the airline’s own website directly.

Sometimes the price is the same, if not better, when booking direct. Other times, a third-party website may have the better deal.

So we’ll compare the final price and what’s included before deciding which option works best for us.

2 - We set price alerts

This is something we’ve started to do more often where possible.

Now instead of checking every day to see if the prices have changed and whether we can pick up a better deal, we let the price come to us.

It saves so much time and helps us spot when prices genuinely change.

3 - We stay flexible where we can

The key here is to be as flexible as possible.

Simply choosing a different date, or checking another airport, could mean a better deal.

For example, with our recent trip to Sri Lanka, we had a date in mind and checked prices. But the dates were way out of what we had in mind for a realistic budget.

So we changed the dates by just a day, and the prices dropped to our ideal budget.

The next thing we check is if there are multiple airports serving the same city or area; it’s always worth checking them.

For example, we’ve travelled from London Gatwick Airport to Newark Airport in New Jersey rather than JFK in New York, as it was cheaper.

Small changes like these can make a noticeable difference.

4 - We don’t just book the cheapest flight

It might sound contradictory that you shouldn’t just pick the cheapest flight when we’re talking about finding cheap flights.

But the cheapest flight isn’t always the best-value flight once you consider things such as baggage, seat selection, different airports and layovers.

Layovers are something we pay particular attention to.

Some flights might be cheaper because they have a really short connection, while another flight might cost a little more but have a much longer layover.

Neither is necessarily better.

For us, a really short layover can be stressful because we’re worrying about getting through the airport in time and potentially missing our connecting flight.

But we don’t particularly want to spend 10 or 15 hours sitting around an airport exhausted either.

When we booked our recent flights to Sri Lanka, we regularly checked the prices based on different dates, airports and layover times, as well as setting up price alerts where possible.

In the end, we chose a flight with a 2-hour 30-minute layover in Dubai on the way out.

It wasn’t the absolute cheapest option, but it gave us enough time to make our connection without having to rush around a large airport.

On the way back, we opted for a 3-hour 55-minute layover in Dubai for the very same reason.

We also chose to leave from London Gatwick rather than London Stansted because it’s more convenient for us, and the price wasn’t vastly different.

For someone else, the decision might be completely different.

You might actually love a longer layover because it allows you to leave the airport and explore another country or city before taking your next flight.

Or perhaps you have a stricter budget, which means you’re willing to compromise on the airport or layover to save more money.

There is no right or wrong answer; it’s about finding the flight that works best for you, your travel style and your budget.

And that’s probably the biggest thing we’ve learnt when looking for cheap flights.

It’s not about chasing secret hacks or finding the absolute lowest price.

It’s about comparing your options and making the choices that work best for you.

Because sometimes the cheapest flight isn’t the cheapest trip.

Over to you.

When you’re booking flights, what’s the first website you check?

Hit reply and let us know. We’re interested to hear which websites and apps you use.

Happy travelling

Bev & Shams

P.S. One more thing before you go…

Don’t forget to stay safe online while travelling. We use NordVPN whenever we’re connecting to Wi-Fi abroad, and it’s become one of our travel essentials.

Stay safe online with NordVPN.​

Email: bev@bevandshams.com

Website: www.bevandshams.com​

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