The Flight

The flight is often the most expensive part of a trip, and knowing how to score a deal on airfare can help you save big. One of the easiest ways to save on your flight is to book early, as it only gets more expensive the closer it gets to takeoff. Try booking about 3 to 6 months ahead, but if you’re worried prices may drop lower, you can set up price alerts on apps like Google Flights, Kayak, and Hopper.

If you have more flexible travel dates, Skyscanner may be your best friend. The website’s whole month price comparison feature allows travelers to see prices for each day of the month, and you can even search by the cheapest month! If you’re really itching to jet off somewhere but don’t quite know when or where, Skyscanner’s Everywhere feature is one of the best ways to get a cheap flight. Just enter your departure airport and your destination as everywhere, and Skyscanner will show you the cheapest places you can fly, and when.

Unfortunately, the myth of booking your flight on a Tuesday for the lowest fares has been debunked, but certain days of the week are cheaper to fly. Mondays and Fridays tend to be more in demand and more expensive, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays usually being the cheapest. If booking your flight for midweek still doesn’t help your rate, changing your airport might. Bigger cities like New York and Los Angeles have multiple airports, and flying into a smaller one could help you save. Even using a combination of flights, buses, trains, or rental cars will get you to your destination for less, especially if you’re visiting Europe. You’d be surprised how fast you can get from London to Paris by train!