Alright, so I wanted to share how I actually go about trying to find the best flight prices. It’s not rocket science, but it does take a bit of effort, and I’ve kinda figured out a system that works for me after a few hits and misses.
Getting Started: The Plan
First off, I knew I couldn’t just check one website and call it a day. That’s like going to one store and assuming they have the best price on everything. So, my plan was to hit up a few different types of sites. I figured I needed to cover the big aggregators, you know, the sites that search a ton of other sites, and also check the airlines directly. Sometimes, you find different stuff, or at least that’s what I’d heard.
Opening Up All The Tabs
So, I sat down, got my coffee, and started opening browser tabs. It felt like I was preparing for some kind of internet research mission! I had a few key players in mind:
- Aggregators: Sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kayak. These are usually my first stop to get a broad idea.
- Airline Websites: I also made sure to open the websites of the airlines I knew flew the route I wanted. Sometimes they have deals you don’t see elsewhere, or maybe the terms are better.
- Big Online Travel Agencies (OTAs): You know the ones, like Expedia or *. Sometimes they have package deals or unique inventory.
I made sure I had a consistent set of travel dates and destinations ready. That’s super important, otherwise, you’re not comparing the same thing, right? Destination, departure city, dates, number of passengers – I wrote it all down so I wouldn’t mess it up.
The Nitty-Gritty: Inputting and Comparing
Then came the tedious part. I started plugging in my travel details into each site, one by one. This is where patience is key, folks. It’s a bit repetitive, typing the same info over and over. I tried to be super careful to select the exact same dates, number of stops if I had a preference, and all that.
As the results started popping up, I wasn’t just looking at the headline price. Oh no. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way. I started looking for a few things:
- The base fare, obviously.
- Baggage fees! This is a big one. Some “cheap” flights get expensive fast once you add bags.
- Seat selection fees. If I cared about sitting with my travel companion, this mattered.
- Layover times and locations. A super cheap flight with a 10-hour layover in a weird airport might not be worth it.
- The actual airline. Some airlines, well, let’s just say I prefer others.
I literally had a piece of paper next to me, and I was scribbling down the best options from each site, noting the total cost including the extras I cared about. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked to keep things straight.
What I Noticed and Learned
Doing this, I started to see some patterns. Sometimes, an aggregator would find a deal on an airline’s site that I hadn’t seen when I checked the airline directly a bit earlier – maybe the price updated. Other times, the airline’s own site was indeed the cheapest, especially if they had some kind of members-only discount or a flash sale.
Prices can change, man! I’d sometimes re-check a few hours later, or the next day, and see slight differences. I’ve heard people say to use incognito mode in your browser so sites don’t track you and hike up prices. I tried it. Can’t say for sure if it made a huge difference every time, but it didn’t hurt, so I usually do it now.
Being flexible with dates, even by a day or two, or considering nearby airports, often showed me much better prices. If my plans allowed for it, I’d play around with those options too.
Making the Call and Booking
After all that clicking and note-taking, I usually had a clear winner, or at least a couple of really good options. I’d double-check everything one last time – dates, times, names, baggage allowance – before hitting that book button. There’s nothing worse than booking the wrong thing after all that work.
So yeah, that’s pretty much my process. It takes a bit of time, not gonna lie, but I’ve definitely saved some decent money over the years by not just jumping on the first price I see. It feels good knowing I’ve done my homework before spending my cash!
