My stupid expensive flight search drama
Alright, so listen up. My buddy Jim randomly texts me last month: “Dude, wanna hit Mombasa this fall?” I’m like hell yeah! Kenya! Safari! Beach! Then reality smacked me. Prices? Absolute crap. $1200 round trip from my city?! Nah. My wallet ain’t thick like that. Started hunting like crazy.
Step 1 was my usual dumb mistake: I jumped straight to them big, flashy booking sites everyone knows. Plugged in my dates. Instant regret. Prices were sky-high, made my head spin. Like, why even show me $1500 if I wanna actually eat on this trip? I felt so dumb for even starting there. Wasted a good hour clicking around like a lost puppy.
Then I tried something slightly smarter: I actually set up price alerts this time. Every site I know asked for my email. Figured I’d wait for deals. Got bombarded. Fifty freaking emails a day, all shouting “SALE!” but never showing Kenya under $1100. Pure garbage. Felt like spam central. Almost gave up.
The lightbulb moment (took long enough)
Got fed up one Tuesday: Threw my hands up. Decided to smash the calendar instead of sticking to dates. Opened Google Flights, typed in “Mombasa”, but ignored my target dates completely. Scrolled through that monthly view like my life depended on it. Boom. Whole different world. Spotted dates in late September where prices literally dropped by half compared to August. Felt kinda genius.
Tried another sneaky thing: I know direct flights cost more. Always do. Searched flights specifically with 1 or 2 stops. Plugged in nearby airports too, not just my main one. Found this weird route through Istanbul with a short layover. Total travel time was only like 4 hours longer than direct… but saved over $400! Couldn’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner.
Final piece of my struggle: Timing the buy. I read everywhere “Tuesdays are best!” but honestly, saw prices jump around like crazy all week. Obsessively checked mornings and nights. Booked at 10 PM on a random Thursday night when my alert yelled it dropped $50 lower than earlier that day. Snagged it so fast.
The actual tricks that saved my wallet
So, after all that sweat and clicking, here’s what actually worked for getting me to Mombasa cheap:
- Destroy the calendar: Be SUPER loose with dates if you can. Move days before or after. Found $380 difference just shifting by a week!
- Embrace the stopover: One short stop knocked $400 off. A few extra hours for way less cash? Easy win.
- Check EVERY airport nearby: Flying from one two hours away saved me $180 round trip. Worth the drive.
- Set alerts but stay paranoid: Even after alerts, I kept checking manually obsessively. Prices did wild jumps.
- Stop listening to the “perfect day” myth: Bought cheap on a Thursday night. Screw the Tuesday rule!
Bottom line? Got it for $645 round trip total. Felt like winning the lottery after seeing $1200+. Moral? Be stubborn, be flexible, and keep checking like a crazy person.
