There is no better time to travel when you’re in college. You have long breaks, less tests and more time on your hands. When you’re young and energetic, you should invest that time into visiting your dream destinations.
One common problem is that, despite all its advantages and disadvantages, air travel is expensive. Instead of giving up or taking excruciatingly long bus rides, you should invest time into finding the best cheap flight hacks.
You’d be surprised to know how many people don’t know how to find cheap airline tickets and end up paying thousands of dollars more than they should.
To make your college years more enjoyable, we’ve assembled this essential guide on how to find inexpensive airline tickets and make your dreams come true. By applying these hacks, you can find the cheapest flights and have experiences that you will remember for a whole lifetime.
Use A VPN
Did you ever notice that ticket prices are changing when you’re looking at the same route a few times? No, you’re not crazy. That really happens! Sites register the number of searches for a particular route and automatically increase the pricing to pressure you into booking ASAP before prices rise even more.
To shield yourself from this trick, download a VPN client. It will mask your IP address and prevent any company from using cookies to increase the prices of your flight. Plus, there are indications that some sites automatically charge less if you’re browsing from a particular country.
Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals Are A Myth
Every November, you’re probably incessantly bombarded with incessant ads about “crazy prices” or “insane discounts” for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Don’t fall for those claims. Airlines usually take the least popular flights with the largest number of available seats and lower the price just a bit to fool you.
A lot of people are gullible and start booking flights like anything. If you see a discount of cheap flights you want, go for it. Otherwise, you should stay put and wait for a better opportunity.
Don’t Depart On The Weekend
Weekends might be the easiest time to depart. You don’t have anything to do and you can take all the time you want, but there are some hidden downsides. Weekends mean crowded airports and higher prices because a majority of people flies on weekends because they don’t work.
Statistically, the best days to book are Tuesday and Wednesday. According to one research, booking a flight on these days can save you $73 on average. In most cases, it’s a lot more.
Sign Up For Airfare Newsletters
Airfare newsletters can bring you the latest information about the destinations you want and can even include some special discounts. By signing up for these newsletters, you can get all the information before it’s even posted on a website.
Read your emails frequently to discover the best solution and the cheapest flights. Some airlines reward their subscribers with lower prices. Be wary.
Try Skyscanner
Apps like Skyscanner can be a real lifesaver for you. Skyscanner scans that entire internet for the cheapest prices either for a selected date or throughout the year. You will surely find the most inexpensive flight tickets for any destination.
There is a desktop client, as well as app versions for iOS and Android. Scan the market daily and you will see if any changes in prices appear.
Use Layovers To Your Advantage
If you’re using the same company for connecting flights, you might be able to get a much lower price if you accept a layover. Waiting for a few hours isn’t that hard, especially if you’re not traveling to somewhere far away.
Think of it this way – you get a few hours to roam the airport and have fun with your friends and save money. With all the savings, you can treat yourself to some gifts or a nice lunch.
Beware Of Hidden Fees
If you’re ever unsure about whether there are other fees, send the airline you’re interested in an email. Call this essay writing service to order a custom email template that will surely help you uncover if there are any tricks involved.
Keep in mind that no airline has to disclose hidden fees in any particular place. Usually, if they do disclose them, you can find them in some rulebook section of the website or somewhere nobody would look.
Get An Airline Credit Card
If you’re using a credit card every day, why not utilize the benefit and gain some valuable money for airline tickets? To accomplish this, you need an airline credit card. They are special credit cards that award you free points that you can use to purchase airline tickets for a discount.
The more you spend, the more points you get. If you travel a lot, you will also get additional points and benefits like free dinners, movie tickets and other things every student needs. Almost every big bank has contracts with airline companies, so you will have a lot of choices.
Snag A Student Discount
Before you book over an app or a website, always contact the airline to see if there is a student discount. Usually, they will require a student card or some document as proof and will give you a discount. If they refuse to do that, there is another trick you can pull.
For example, if you’re studying literature, you can say that you’re a student that has to go to a literature-related conference. Most clerks at the airports will give you the discount without questions asked.
Book early, but not too early
The earlier, the better? Not at all. Booking flights early is always recommended, but don’t consider anything more than six months a viable option. If you book too early, you will waste money because a lot of airlines put prices initially as “test prices,” to see if they will gauge interest. In most cases, they drop after a little while.
Concluding thoughts
Before you do anything, arm yourself with a good VPN and avoid Google’s algorithms tricking you into paying more for a flight than you usually should. Also, look at the base price and don’t fall for discounts on Black Friday and similar holidays. It’s just the airline companies trying to swindle you out of money under the disguise of a cool discount. You’re smarter than that. Newsletters are an excellent way to get insider information about prices and promotions.
Always ask if there are any hidden fees and whether you can use your student card for an extra discount. Think about the time of booking too, and you should be all set. Travel safe and enjoy the destination you’ve chosen!
Author Bio
Robert Everett is an experienced marketer who has worked with some of the biggest airline companies around the world. Because he devised campaigns and strategies for airlines to attract customers, he knows all the ins and outs of the industry. In his free time, Robert writes blogs about airplane travel and runs his own charter company. You can learn a lot from his experience in the industry.