Alright, so you wanna know how I usually go about snagging cheaper flights using these search engine things? It’s been a bit of a journey, not gonna lie, mostly trial and error, but I’ve picked up a few tricks that seem to work for me.
My Starting Point – Just Basic Searching
Back in the day, if I needed a flight, I’d just go to my usual airline’s website, punch in my dates, and pretty much take whatever price they threw at me. Didn’t really think much beyond that. Then, I started just typing, you know, “flights from my city to wherever” into a regular big search engine. That opened up a whole new can of worms, showing me all sorts of airlines, some I’d never even heard of!
Discovering the Power of Comparison
What really changed things was when I stumbled upon those special flight search websites. You know the ones, they don’t sell tickets themselves, but they scan like, hundreds of airlines and travel sites all at once. Suddenly, I could see a whole bunch of options side-by-side. It was a bit overwhelming at first, all those numbers and times, but I quickly saw the potential.
My first move was usually to put in my exact dates and destination. The results would pop up, and I’d start scrolling. Sometimes, you’d see one airline way cheaper than another for the exact same route. That was my first little win.
Getting Flexible with Dates and Times
Then, I started to get a bit smarter. I noticed some of these search tools had options like “flexible dates” or a calendar view that showed prices for the whole month. This was a game-changer! I realized that shifting my trip by just a day or two, or even flying mid-week instead of on a weekend, could slash the price significantly. So, I began playing around with that. I’d check prices for a Tuesday departure versus a Friday, or look at the entire month to see the cheapest patches.
- I’d look at flying out very early in the morning or late at night. Sometimes those less popular times are a bit cheaper.
- I also learned that booking too far in advance isn’t always best, nor is booking last minute. There’s a sort of sweet spot, but it changes.
Checking Nearby Airports
Another thing I started doing was checking airports near my departure city and destination. Sometimes, driving an extra hour to a smaller, less busy airport could save me a decent chunk of cash. Some search engines even have a “check nearby airports” box you can tick. I’d always try that. It doesn’t always work out cheaper once you factor in gas or a bus ticket to get there, but it’s always worth a look.
The Infamous “Incognito Mode” and Clearing Cookies
I’ve read all sorts of stuff online about using incognito mode or clearing your browser cookies because they say prices go up if you search the same flight multiple times. Honestly? I’ve tried it. Sometimes I think it makes a tiny difference, other times, nothing. I don’t religiously do it anymore, but if I’m really hunting for a deal and checking a lot, I might open an incognito window just in case. Can’t hurt, right?
Setting Up Price Alerts – My Best Friend
This is probably one of the most useful things I do now. Once I have a rough idea of when and where I want to go, but I’m not ready to book, I set up price alerts. Most of those big flight search sites let you do this. You just put in your route and dates, and they email you if the price goes up or down. It’s like having a little robot watching the prices for you. I’ve definitely snagged some good deals this way, when a price suddenly dropped and I got an alert.
A Word on Those Super Budget Airlines
You’ll often see super, super cheap fares from budget airlines. And yeah, the ticket price can be amazing. But I’ve learned to be careful. They often charge extra for everything – carry-on bags, checked bags, picking your seat, even printing your boarding pass at the airport! So, I always try to calculate the total cost. If I’m just going for a weekend with a small backpack, they can be great. If I need to check a bag, sometimes the regular airlines end up being cheaper or about the same, but with a bit more comfort.
My Final Takeaway
So, that’s pretty much my process. It’s not rocket science. It’s mostly about being flexible, using those comparison tools, and being patient. I start broad, then narrow it down. I check different date combinations, look at nearby airports, and definitely set up those price alerts. Sometimes I find an amazing deal, sometimes the prices are just what they are. But doing all this definitely makes me feel like I’ve done my best to find a budget-friendly option without just taking the first price I see. It takes a bit of time, sure, but saving a hundred or two hundred bucks on a flight? Worth it to me.
