An overseas trip often tends to dig a hole in your pocket. While this may seem like an unavoidable dilemma, mentioned in this post are a few useful tips to save money on your next uncompromised international flight. Keep reading.
International flights can be expensive, and if not checked, can often smudge your travel experience.
Whether you are an occasional traveller or someone who flies regularly, an expensive air ticket can upset your entire travel budget. Thus, it is important to exercise caution while booking international tickets and pick one that helps you save money. Check the points mentioned below to book affordable international flight tickets without compromising on your comfort.
- Bag the Early Bird Price
The chances are that your international trip is not very impromptu, and you already know your travel window weeks or even months in advance. You can use that to your advantage and book your flight tickets as early as possible. Depending on your destination, the ticket fare can vary greatly just in a matter of weeks. The premium window to book your tickets is 3 months to at least 7 weeks in advance. Especially if you are travelling to busy hubs such as New York, London, Paris or Italy. This presents you with the cheapest options for your flight, and you may even be able to select your choice of seats.
- Go Incognito & Search Your Options
Always remember to clear your cookies while browsing for flights. An efficient way to do this is to go incognito. You may have noticed a surge in the flight fares every time you revisit a website. This is because the website saves your cookies and is aware of the fact that you need to purchase an international flight ticket. It is also smart to browse through multiple aggregator sites since different airlines provide discounts and offer at different times. You can always turn to your travel loyalty program website and check their available flight offers.
- Choose Early Morning or Late Night Flights
Choosing extreme flight hours can save you a lot of money. You will always notice that the earliest and the extremely late-night flights are often cheaper. And the time of your departure and landing will act as a charter for the rest of your trip. While people may not prefer waking up at 3 AM for catching a flight, it could potentially affect the hotel or accommodation budget for the rest of your trip.
- Choose the Cheapest Days
Flying on Monday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday can be expensive when compared to the rest of the days. Flexibility plays a crucial role when it comes to saving money on international flights. You have to keep in mind a flexible window of days and also factor-in the duration of different flights. Based on the above factors, you can book a comfortable flight for long travel.
- Airmiles Programs Exist to Save Your Money
Airmiles or travel loyalty programs play a critical role when it comes to affordable but comfortable international travel. If you are a part of a travel loyalty program, you can use your earned miles to upgrade the ambience of your trip by opting for a better cabin or other in-flight experiences. You can use your miles to get offers, discounts or added benefits. All you have to do is look for the international flight schedule on the preferred dates of travel to your preferred destination, and these websites will list a wide range of airline options along with the cost and the miles you can earn from your bookings.
Apart from flight bookings, you can earn miles on other travel-related transaction such as;
- On hotel stays
- On cab rentals
- On tour packages
- And more.
These miles can reduce the overall cost of your travel. What’s more, you may also be eligible for many benefits based on the tier you have reached in the program, such as;
- Free lounge access at airports
- Complimentary in-flight meals and drinks
- Complimentary ticket cancellation
- And more
Booking an affordable international ticket does not have to be at the cost of comfort. If you’re smart, you can get the best of both the worlds and have an amazing travelling experience. Use these tips next time for your international travel and find the best deal.