Last Updated on August 26, 2026
Finding cheap flights used to be a matter of luck in the past, but these days, getting a solid deal on a flight is pretty straightforward if you know where and when to look.
I’ve overpaid on my fair share of flights, but now I have gotten round-trip flights to Europe for under $500, domestic flights across the U.S. for under $200, and flights to Asia for under $1,000.
And the thing is, I didn’t have to fly on a budget airline to get those deals (everyone let out that sigh of relief). I’ve been traveling for ten years and counting, and now I’m sharing all the ways I cut my flight prices by the Benjamins.
Some of these tips can be applied individually, while others are best used in tandem with other items on the list. Once you know where to look, it makes searching and booking flights a hell of a lot less stressful experience.
These are all the ways I find and book the best flight deals.
Please note that some links on my blog are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. When What Do You Sea is supported in this way, you are helping me remain an independent travel blog where I can continue to create free and detailed guides. Read my full disclosure for more information.
Start by knowing what a good deal is
The first part of getting a good deal is knowing what one is.
My first international flight from the U.S. to Okinawa, Japan cost me $1,800, which is unthinkable to me now. While travel is a privilege and can be expensive, none of us should be paying almost $2,000 for a flight unless it’s in business class.
So if you come across a deal like any of these below, do not hesitate to book:
Africa: $800 or below round-trip
Asia: $500 or below round-trip
Australia: $800 or below round-trip
Caribbean: $300 or below round-trip
Central America: $300 or below round-trip
Europe: $500 or below round-trip
Hawaii: $400 or below round-trip
South America: $600 or below round-trip
Book within these windows
Airfare prices constantly change based on demand, pricing algorithms, and seat availability, so gone are the days of booking on a Tuesday to get the best price.
Tuesdays are basically folklore at this rate.
Instead, follow these guidelines to book within the Goldilocks window, when flights are most likely to be priced reasonably before departure:
Domestic flights: 1-3 months before departure
International flights: 2-8 months in advance
Peak seasons or holidays: During the opposing season (ex., winter for summer travel)
If you find a good deal within these windows, I recommend booking it when you see it since prices will rarely drop outside these windows or closer to your departure date.
Last-minute deals aren’t always guaranteed, either. Airlines have dynamic pricing, which means they will usually raise the cost of seats, not lower, as the departure date comes nearer.
Flexibility is key
If you could only apply one of these tips to get a cheap flight, make it this one.
You’d be surprised what pigeonholing your travel dates can do to flight prices. Oftentimes people will decide their travel dates, then watch them like a hawk for a deal that may never come.
Instead, try altering your travel dates by a day or two and playing with the search features to find the best price. You’d be surprised how much cheaper a flight can be when you only changed the itinerary by one day.
I usually never end up traveling on the original dates I set because of this, but I’ve reduced the cost of my flights by hundreds of dollars by doing so.
Avoid peak season (summer and major holidays)
Every country in the world has a peak, shoulder, and a low tourism season.
In North America and Europe, peak season is from June to August and includes holidays like Christmas and New Year’s. In regions like South America, Asia, and Africa, it’s usually the dry season (as opposed to the wet season), which will vary by country and sometimes region.
When thinking about specific travel dates, local holidays are another thing to watch out for, like Bastille Day in France, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, or Chinese New Year. Although some are outside peak season, they bring in a lot of crowds, and flights will be priced accordingly.
Peak season prices are high due to demand, so if you’re traveling outside of these specific time frames, the flights will be cheaper. A quick search for “when is peak season in (x country)” can tell you about your specific travel destination.
Cheaper flights are one of many perks to shoulder or low season travel. You’re also guaranteed to experience fewer crowds and oftentimes a more fulfilling travel experience.
Just keep in mind that sometimes countries have a low season for a reason, meaning a lot of businesses close for the season or parts of the country are inaccessible, so do your research before locking in a flight.
Choose your destination and dates based on price
Travelers usually book their trips by choosing the destination, cementing the dates, and then looking for flights.
But if getting the cheapest flight available is your priority, reverse the steps and base your trip on where the cheapest flight is going.
My favorite way to do this is by using Google Flights’ explore feature. Pull up Google Flights in your browser, set your departure airport, and don’t fill in the ‘where to?’ box or the travel dates.
Instead, click the explore button. It will load up a map with all the cheapest flights leaving from your chosen airport with varying dates. You can do this with any airport around the world.
If you want to narrow your search, you can customize the trip length and month, but having an open mind will help you get a better deal.
Below is an example trip from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) for a 2-week trip in the next six months. All the flights are under $1,000.
Or make the deals come to you
The number one way I’ve saved money on flights in the last ten years is by getting flight deals sent directly to my inbox with Going.
I was skeptical when I signed up for this because it felt gimmicky, but then I saved thousands of dollars and it changed my mind.
Going’s whole motto is let the cheap flights find you.
You sign up, set your home U.S. airport, and a team of people at Going watch airfare prices on over 900 destinations and send you a notification when the price drops.
The emails they send include how long the deal will last, which travel dates they apply to, and all the booking links you can use to secure the deal.
My favorite thing about the emails they send is that the deals are from sales run by major airlines, so there isn’t any third-party booking involved. I’ve gotten the majority of my flight deals this way, without ever having to look.
There are three plan tiers: the base plan is free and gets you notifications for domestic flights across the U.S. I have the second tier premium membership, which costs $49 per year and includes both domestic and international flights. The third tier is the elite membership. It costs $199 per year and includes premium economy, business, and first class flights.
I’ve saved hundreds of dollars with this platform, and have been using it ever since they were previously known as Scott’s Cheap Flights. Highly recommend it. Check it out here.
Best websites to search and compare cheap flights
Close all those tabs. You only need a handful of solid flight searching tools to find the best deals. Here’s what I use:
Google Flights: This is the first place I always go when I first start looking for flights. Both major and budget airlines are included in their search results, and I like that there are a lot of different filters you can use to really narrow down your search and find exactly what you’re looking for.
Skyscanner: After Google Flights, I go to Skyscanner. Sometimes they have flights that aren’t on the former website, so it’s always good to compare them with each other. I like the option it has to add a stopover and the Explore Everywhere feature, that let’s you sort flights by your budget, trip style, and travel dates.
ITA Matrix: This is not a booking site, but a powerful flight search tool developed by MIT scientists in the 90s. It’s one of the most advanced flight search tools, but is very beginner-friendly. When searching, it gives you an overview of all the airlines in complete trips or with a time bar feature where you can easily compare flights.
Try your luck with mistake fares
Mistake fares, also known as error fares, are glitches in flight prices due to human errors, a technological flaw, or omitted fees.
This usually causes “too good to be true” flight prices, but they don’t last very long and must be booked as soon as possible.
You can find them using the website Secret Flying. They list error fares from all countries and regions around the world, so it’s not exclusive to any one region.
I’ve seen one-way flights from New York to Rome, Italy for $148, round-trip tickets from Chicago to Cartagena, Colombia for $349, and Austin, Texas to Lima, Peru for $464 round-trip.
All the listings come with example trip dates, but you cannot book directly with Secret Flying. Most of the time they direct you to purchase tickets directly with the airline or on Skyscanner, which is why I recommend including it with your flight searches
Set fare alerts to track specific flights
If you already know your destination and travel dates, the best way to get a deal is to get price alerts for the flight you want.
Both Google Flights and Skyscanner give you the option to get price alerts sent directly to your email, which is a great option if you’re far from your travel dates or want to wait for a better deal.
You can do this after you’ve inputted all your search details and have the list of flights in front of you. There will a button at the top of the page that will prompt you to get flight alerts.
Avoid flying direct and embrace a layover (or two)
Direct flights are always the most expensive routes since they’re the most favorable for travelers. So by broadening your search to include flights with one or more layovers can save you quite a bit of money.
When doing this, though, be on the lookout for flights that will require self-transfers to other airports or layovers that are over 12 hours.
While the base flight price can be attractive for flights like these, you may end up spending more money to change airports, buy extra meals, hotel rooms, and other expenses.
And sometimes they can turn your 24-hour travel day into something egregious like 48. When I was younger, I could tolerate flights like that, but nowadays I prefer to spend a little bit more money to have a comfortable journey.
Fly into a larger airport hub first
Living near a major international airport is not without its perks, but if you are not near one, there are still ways you can take advantage of the flight deals that go in and out of them.
It’s pretty straightforward. Instead of booking a flight from your home airport to your destination, first book a flight to the larger hub with cheaper flights, and then catch a second flight to your destination.
This is best done when you find a deal out of major airports like LAX, DEN, DFW, and ATL. Book the flight deal to your destination, then book a regional flight to get to the hub.
If there aren’t any deals, you may not save much money, but it’s worth comparing or keeping a lookout to see if you can.
Just make sure you give yourself ample time between both flights. Because you’re booking two separate flights, you won’t be covered if a flight or luggage is delayed. I give myself at least 3 hours to be on the safe side.
Travel light to avoid fees
Packing light is convenient and one of the main ways everyone can save money on flights. Most airlines charge between $40-60 USD each way for a checked bag, but if you travel with a carry-on only, you can save nearly $100 off your flight cost.
You can also take advantage of basic economy fares that don’t include checked luggage, but are often much cheaper than regular economy.
Then once you’re on the flight, you have more flexibility in case flights are delayed or cancelled, peace of mind knowing all your luggage is with you, and you don’t have to wait at baggage claim at your final destination.
Use points and miles for free or discounted flights
All major airlines have some type of frequent flyer program where every time you book a flight, you’re rewarded with points or miles that can be used for future flights.
This is best if you are loyal to one airline. I tend to follow the best deals, so it’s not often I am booking exclusively with one singular airline, but if you find you have a preference, signing up for the miles program is a must.
Take advantage of travel credit cards
After flexibility and getting flight deals sent to me, travel credit cards are the third way that I get the cheapest flights (and also save a ton of money to travel).
Traveling using credit card points is a loaded topic, and I really sit at the tip of that iceberg, but I’ve still reaped the same benefits as others.
How it works is that credit cards give you points for dollars you spend on groceries, subscriptions, rideshare, gas, and rent. Every card is different and will give you more or fewer points for different categories.
When you accumulate enough points, you can use them to book flights with the credit card’s airline partners. By doing this, I’ve gotten a bunch of different domestic flights across the U.S. paid for, a round-trip flight to Argentina for free, and more domestic flights around Europe.
It sounds too good to be true, but in the end its free money for the things you’re already spending money on.
Credit cards and money management are personal from person to person, so what cards work best will depend on your situation, but I travel with two: the Chase Sapphire Preferred card and the American Express Gold Card.
On top of all that, travel credit cards will come with sign-on bonuses for new members. When you spend x amount of money in a certain amount of time, you’ll get 50,000 to 100,000 bonus points in return, which is usually a round-trip flight to Europe.
FAQ | Things to know before booking cheap flights
A lot has changed when it comes to finding cheap flights. Here’s what you should know:
Do incognito mode or VPNs actually help you get cheaper flights?
Yes, to some extent. Airlines and travel sites can track your browsing activity, and repeated searches for the same route can trigger price increases. Searching in an incognito browser or using a VPN can help you avoid this kind of price tracking.
Is it actually cheaper to book flights on a Tuesday?
This is an old myth that may have been true ten years ago, but it’s not as reliable now. Airlines now use dynamic pricing that changes throughout the day regardless of the day of the week. That said, Tuesdays still tend to be one of the cheaper days to fly, just not because of some secret release-day pattern.
Should I book through a third-party site to save money?
Airlines have enough deals now that you don’t need to book through CheapOair and other third parties to get a good deal. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, these sites will not help you, and will end up costing you more money in the long run. Always book direct.
Are budget airlines always the cheapest option?
Not always. Budget airlines are known for charging extra fees for things like checked bags, seat selection, and carry-ons, which can end up costing more than a regular airline’s all-in fare. Always compare the total price, not just the base fare.
There are many other ways to get cheap flights around the world, but I found these to be the most straightforward and least loophole-feeling tips out of all of them.
Each of them has made finding and booking affordable flights a lot easier for me, and I know you’ll get a great deal using one or just a few of these. Happy flying!
More resources for your next adventure
Tips for Traveling on a Budget
Easy Ways to Save Money For Travel
Everything You Need To Know About Travel Insurance
21 Safety Tips For Solo Female Travelers
