Hey loves!
Fresh off a recent trip to Bali, Indonesia, I wanted to share some of the online hiding places I use to find flight deals when traveling. Despite the obvious growth and popularity of travel, there is still the perception that booking flights has to be be expensive. It really doesn't. Travel can and should be accessible to everyone!
What many won't tell you? Is that there are entire online communities and "travel hackers" scouring travel sites looking for deals on airfare .. Or even better? Looking for those magical moments when airline companies experience a website error on the booking portion of their site (called "glitches") and tickets that would usually cost thousands of dollars end up costing just a few hundred ... Like the time, I bagged a Middle East flight glitch. I ended up purchasing a round trip, non-stop flight from NYC directly to Abu Dhabi, UAE for only $177. Yes, you read that right. The cost of the flight after the airline (Etihad) finally caught and fixed it's mistake? ... $2k easily.
That said? Here is a list of my fave deal spotting sites from across the web and social media. Happy traveling everyone!
Google Flights
My first go-to in finding flight deals? Google flights. Simply enter your starting location and destination. Then? Use the calendar portion of this site to view flight prices as far as 6 months to a year in advance. Who knows, there may be a surprise glitch waiting for you the further out on the calendar you go! .. Or at the very least a really great deal.
Airfare Watchdog
Another great tip? Follow deal sites on social media. When these online communities find great deals, they often post them like Easter eggs for loyal followers to find. Airfare Watchdog is a definate fave.
The Flight Deal
Another favorite travel deal page on social media? The Flight Deal. Their site TheFlightDeal.com is equally great, as they post travel deals which can be filtered by your home city.
Momondo
Similar to more commonly known Priceline.com or Expedia.com (both are also great for booking the deals you find), Momondo is another lesser known site that allows users to input their departure and arrival locations to dig up cheap flights buried around the web.
Nomadness Travel Tribe
Looking to connect with hardcore travelers? Join an active travel community who has deal hunting in their blood. When you have a moment? Hop on Facebook and join the Nomadness Travel Tribe. Members of this diverse group have not only traveled to nearly every country / location you can imagine (including Antarctica), but if a glitch fare hits the web? ... They're the 1st ones to know and booking deets spreads like wildfire! Don't be left on the outside looking in! ... Just remember, book now and ask questions later.
And while I'm here, NEVER call an airline company to confirm a price or ask if your "glitch ticket" will be honored. If the airline decides to cancel the flight, they will contact and refund you automatically. The only thing your call / email / social medial DM will do is alert them to a glitch .. No one like a flight snitch, LOL!
Join Travel Trees
Remember how I said there's a large community hunting flight deals online? Well there's an equally extensive "travel tree" community secretly posting flight deals 'round the clock on communication apps like Whatsapp. How does it work? ... First off? Membership is strictly invite only. Like they say, it's all in who you know. Then as each member finds an amazing flight deal online? They post and share it with a larger group. As you can imagine, the amount of flight, hotel, and transportation deals that are shared in just one a day is insane. Looking to join? ... One tip I can give? Join and become active in these online Facebook groups. I might have already mentioned one ; )
Go Incognito
Last and final tip? A few savvy travel hunters may have already heard that certain days of the week are better than others when looking for flights online. But did you know the tracking cookies on your computer could influence the price results you generate? According to a few business / travel related sites including The Business Insider, repeated actions, like searching numerous flight booking sites over time can result in higher prices. Solve the problem by clearing your computer's tracking cookies and searching online with "in incognito mode." Not sure how to do that? Tap here to get more info on going incognito
There you have it. Just a small few to the ways people are trekking around the globe for way less that you think! Have a secret nook on the internet where you find amazing deals on flights? Comment below and let me know!
As always, until next time ... The Journey Continues!
