If you need a vacation but don’t know where to go, this may be the time to test LTD’s method of finding the best price. Be open to suggestions of places to see and just make Meaningful and Healthy Travel Happen!
Most people pick a destination and then begin to search for deals, but sometimes we do the opposite! This allows you to explore new places! Let’s face it: For some destinations the airfare is what keeps us from going! Now with so many “airfare deal” websites, it can become confusing. Let the internet do the work for you!
Need a vacation? LTD’s advice to book a cheap flight starts here:
By applying the strategy of finding a great deal's price and then figuring out WHY you want to go there, LTD has traveled around the world without spending TONS of money in business class, premium economy and economy.
What is the best way to find flights if your plans are set? ARC and Expedia published a study on the best ways to book.
Where exactly can you find these airfare deals? We start our search with Kayak Explore.
Step 1: Kayak Explore
After entering the airport where you’re departing from, Kayak Explore provides the lowest round-trip prices for destinations across the country and around the world.
For example, this map shows the lowest round-trip fares from NYC as of May 8:
We choose Barcelona on the map for $296.
Step 2: Google Flights
Now that you’ve identified where you want to go (or perhaps you already knew), head to Google Flights to narrow in on the specific flights that are available when you want to travel.
Google’s search displays nearly all flight options, Southwest Airlines excluded, almost instantly.
Aside from search speed, LTD likes how Google Flights highlights ways to save money by making slight modifications to your itinerary — like changing your return date by a day or two. Enter the departure and destination locations. Click in the date field to either use the first date Google Flights displays or enter your own date. Next is the really cool part: Use the calendar function to see prices on certain departure dates.
If you click on the date field, it will automatically begin populating prices for the date entered. It will fill in prices as you advance the month! We start with a March 1 date and for Barcelona we see a trend for $296 options for Wednesday departures. Select March 6 for price.
For Iberia we select the return for best time at 1:30 PM (who wants to arrive after midnight? That’s exhausting and it's worth $3 to arrive earlier in the day)!
Google then shows me the price and gives me a link to purchase. It gives useful information about baggage restrictions also. If you are not ready to book (remember you have 24 hours to cancel if you find a GREAT deal), click "Track prices" and receive email notifications of a higher or lower price.
For traveling internationally we recommend a Universal Power Adapter for charging your electronics that has multiple ports and even a USB-C slot. Click the photo below to learn more.
Cons of this strategy:
1. Doesn’t work for multi-city destinations -- you may need to do multiple searches to put together legs of your trip - get a pen and paper ready to write down prices for the different legs of your trip to get an idea of the total.
2. Doesn’t work for business class fares, **BUT doing this search may give you an idea of destinations that may be affordable to put a trip together of multiple cities or for business class tickets.
For your international or domestic getaway, short-term rentals are catching the eye of many travelers!
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