Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
nus and some normal spending, you'll earn enough for a free flight (or more), and that's the best way to
fly—for free. (In this section, I'll talk about ways you can increase your frequent-flier points besides just
using credit cards.)
Lastly, I fly a lot of budget airlines. When these airlines have fares half the cost of major international
airlines, they are hard to pass up. If the flight isn't that long, I don't care that I am squashed like a pack of
sardines on the plane. I just want to get from point A to point B as cheaply as I can.
A lot of people don't like budget airlines because of the fees they charge. In order to keep their fares
extremely low (sometimes just $1 USD), the airlines make their money by adding fees that come with strin-
gent rules they hope you'll break so they can charge you. Some require you to bring copies of your boarding
pass or you'll have to pay a fee. You might need to check in online, or if your bag is over the weight limit,
you'll pay more—the list goes on. These fees suck. Charging a “convenience fee” for paying with a credit
card is not convenient.
But I still use these airlines, because if you follow their rules and get their low fares, the tickets cost less
than a ticket from a major carrier. Ryanair has flights around Europe as low as $30 USD, which is about a
third less than the major airlines. I flew Air Asia from Hong Kong to Bangkok for $170 USD, which was
more than $200 USD cheaper than the major carriers Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific.
I find point-to-point tickets to be more convenient for my schedule. Over the years I've accumulated a
number of methods for getting those flights cheap (besides flying my beloved budget airlines):
BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR TRAVEL
Ticket prices vary greatly depending on the day, time of day, time of year, and upcoming holidays. If the
kids are on school break, expect higher fares. If it's a holiday, the fare goes up. Anytime more people want
to fly, fares go up. Want to go to Europe in the summer or Hawaii during Christmas or Disney when the kids
are on break? So does everyone else. So airline tickets are priced at their highest during those times because
the demand is so great. Be a contrarian traveler and save.
Being flexible with your dates and times is one of the most important ways to save money. The difference
of a day can mean the difference of hundreds of dollars. You want to fly when no one else is flying. It's
cheaper to fly midweek than on a weekend because most people travel on the weekends and airlines raise
prices for those flights. If you fly right after a major holiday, prices tend to be a bit cheaper. Think about
Thanksgiving, which is on a Thursday. Everyone flies home that Tuesday and Wednesday so fares are higher
on those days. Since people return on Sunday or Monday, fares are high those days, too. But because most
people want to stay with their families and shop on that Friday, returns are low on that day.
Moreover, early morning and late night flights tend to be cheaper. Few people want to be up at 5 a.m. for
a flight or to fly overnight. Most business travelers leave on Monday and come back on Friday and families
tend to travel over the week, thus midweek fares tend to be less expensive.
If you aren't flexible in the dates and times you want to fly, you will never be able to find a cheap flight.
BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR DESTINATIONS
Instead of going to a place with an expensive flight, go where the flight is the cheapest. Kayak offers an
“Explore” tool that allows you to put in your airport and see route prices all around the world. Just look to
see what destination is the cheapest! Google Flights (google.com/flights) has a similar (and better) feature,
