Tips on Finding Great Travel Deals

Zermat, Switzerland | Gornergrat

For me, when it comes to traveling you simply can't do it enough. There is no better use of your hard earned money in my opinion then exploring the world around you. 

I've been traveling for a number of years now, and make it a priority. That being said, travel can be expensive! This is especially true if you don't do your homework when booking it. 

People ask me often where, how I find deals, what to look for etc.. I figured I would create post here mostly to link folks to when that happens, and I'll update it as I find new tools and resources.  

I use a number of tools when searching for deals. I also have some general rules that help me get the best deals. There are a million ways to do it but research and patience are key, as is some email spam. There is no secret sauce here, its just work but there are tons of tools to make it easier. Its a lot of fun if you let it be. F

• Be flexible, if you have hard dates then searching for deals is certainly tougher. I/we tend to travel when/where the deals are so if that means we leave on a Tuesday instead of a Saturday we do it.
• If you have a destination, be open to "nearby" airports for both arrivals and departure, doesn't always work but it's good to compare.
• Flights, tend to be cheaper further out or last minute. 
• Sign up for email lists, and follow social media places for airlines you like
• Be willing to fly any airline (except Spirit, only emergencies lol)
• By far the best place to start a search is https://www.google.com/flights  You can enter multiple airports for arrivals and departures.  Surprised how many folks haven't used this tool or don't know about it.
• You can search a region or a state, so if for example you want to go to "Europe" or the "Caribbean" but don't care where, start with a big net
• Remember Allegiant, Spirt, Southwest, Frontier and some other budget airlines may not show up on here (they may also charge for baggage of any type)
• Look at the flexible fare calendar to compare
• Be willing to book multiple segments
• For example, BTV to JFK is often very cheap. Book that alone, then book you primary flight out of JFK on whatever carrier. This is referred to as a "Hacker fare" sometimes. Has benefits, also some downsides so do your research and allow connection time.
• Be willing to book one-way on one carrier, and return on another

Dig into this tool, its so very powerful

• I also use http://www.kayak.com for comps on flights
• Newer tool, that I really like is https://www.momondo.com/
• Another good email based tool is https://scottscheapflights.com/
• My favorite and most used total package travel deal site is called www.travelzoo.com this is great if you are looking for everything in one package (flights, hotels, cars) | sign up for their weekly top20 email, get their app! 
• Follow pages like:
• https://www.facebook.com/TheFlightDeal/
• https://twitter.com/SecretFlying
• https://twitter.com/EscapeFlights

If you don't have flex dates, and your location is locked in as sometimes happens set up email tracking alerts on Kayak and Google, determine a rate you are willing to pay and the moment you see it, book it. Sure it might drop more but it's possible it might jump as well.

Be aware that not all airlines are created equal so do the research on who charges for baggage, who doesn't, what the weights are on carry-ons. Are your seats assigned? Do you care? 

We also never check bags, for however long we go. I recommend this bag as it fits on every plane, holds a ton, and is really durable. Check it out here!

Goes without saying, use travel benefit Credit Cards as well if you can. Good advice by https://twitter.com/thepointsguy

What tools do you use?

Good luck and have fun! 

-db-