Turns out a lot of readers believe that I have a crystal ball that tells me when to book cheap flights. ๐
Every day I receive questions like โI found a flight to Slovenia in July for $450, should I wait or take it?โ
Many people ask me when to buy tickets for spring break, summer vacation, Christmas or any other time.
Dear friends,
Iโm sorry to disappoint youโฆI have no crystal ballโฆ ๐
And also, I can't tell you to buy or wait, it has to be your decision.
The question here is if youโre ready to take the risk of prices going up and paying more or even backing out entirely.
Itโs like a game of โwho blinks firstโ.
So what is my secret? How am I able to buy cheap tickets at any season and holiday?
Iโll let you with pleasure: I know only one thing – prices go up when everyone is buying tickets.
So to get cheap flights you simply have to go against the mainstream:
Everyone – makes a single price comparison when deciding to fly.
You – track prices once or twice a week using search engines like:
SkyScannerย /ย Kayak / momondo/ Jetradar
(For all of my recommended flight searching websites, look here)
Get familiar with the market and know what prices are really like.
Everyone – flies to advertised destinations or based on friendsโ recommendations.
You – keep an open mind. Look for the cheapest destination and fly there. It is fun to travel everywhere! ๐
Everyone – flies with luggage that makes the flight more expensive.
You – travel light with free carry-on baggage.
Hereโs how to fly without paying for luggage.
Everyone – buys tickets when everyone else does.
You – buy when thereโs a cheap flight, not when everyone else buys.
Wait! How do we know when the rest are buying tickets?
Simple – when you track prices youโll see for yourself, the prices will tell you. ๐
Just be decisive! Cheap tickets donโt stay around for long.
A tip from my experience:
Generally, there are three time frames with a better chance to catch a cheap flight:
1. Well in advance. It is 6-10 months before departure, when the airlines usually open sale of new dates.
2. 5-8 weeks before departure, then airlines are trying to speed up the marketing of unfulfilled flight tickets that didn't sell on presale.
3. At the last moment, it's a few days or hours before departure, so airlines are trying to "get rid" of the tickets that have not been sold.
Even if you buy airline tickets in advance and then the prices drop, you should keep on smiling, there was no way to predict it. Prices could have raised as well.
The main thing is that you are going to travel, Enjoy it! ๐
