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How and where to find cheap flights

There are so many apps and sites that it is enough to make your head spin. Airfares can cost a pretty penny if you are not travel-smart, right? So then, here are a few tips and tricks to get hold of the cheaper flight tickets.

  • Most importantly, use a reliable platform. It must be easy to navigate through all the options. Also,  must it give the best deals in town, time after time. 
  • If you’re about to travel to Europe regularly, register on the airline’s frequent travel program. This way you will earn credits with each flight. You can use your credits against an upgrade (once you have enough credits), or even pay for a flight ticket!
  • In general, you stand a good chance to find discounted flight tickets early Tuesday mornings. This is because most airlines launch their promotions on a Monday night. So, it’s a matter of the early bird on the Tuesday morning that will catch the worm. Only in this instance, you stand to catch the discounted ticket!
  • Monitor sites such as Jetradar and for exclusive deals.
  • Direct flights to your end destination can be expensive. Whereas, if you choose to fly on a route with connections/stopovers you will pay much less. It all depends on how much time you have on your hands, and how patient you are to get to your end destination.
  • If you can avoid flying on Saturdays and Sundays, you’ll have more money in your pocket for your holiday.
  • Flying on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually cheaper.
  • Another consideration is to fly during times most people want to be at home. Discounted flights are not unusual these days. For example, when you choose to fly on Christmas Eve or 31st.
  • Don’t buy your tickets too late. For example, your preferred seats may be unavailable when you make your booking 1 to 2 weeks in advance of departure. On the other hand, there may be bargain deals coming up over this period with the view to fill the empty seats. Weigh up your options, i.e. a bargain ticket versus a preferred seat with more legroom?
  • Similarly, don’t buy your tickets too early (like 6 to 11 months in advance) because there may be some promotions coming up 1 to 4 weeks before departure. On the plus side, you stand a great chance to book your preferred seat when you buy your flight tickets way in advance.
  • As a rule, the best time to get the cheaper flight tickets is between 3 weeks and 4 months prior to departure.

The Annual Airfare Study of 2019 was conducted in more than 8,000 markets and over 917 million airfares.

The findings were:

  • To experience a European winter, the best time to buy your flight ticket is 62 days in advance of your departure date.
  • The spring season in Europe seems to attract higher-priced tickets during March and April. Thus, book well in advance e.g. 90 days prior to departure.
  • Summer in Europe is the busiest time in the European tourism industry, with July/August being the most popular holiday period. Subsequently, airfares soar. Therefore, if you can travel in June or September, you will benefit from lower fares. An ideal time to buy your tickets is about 47 days in advance.
  • You can find great deals during the autumn season on the condition that you don’t fly around the Thanksgiving period. The best time to buy flight tickets is about 69 days in advance.

Cheapest European holiday destinations

The locals run away during July/August as tourists flood in because they know everything is more expensive. If you really want to be in Europe over this period, have a look at Bulgaria or Hungary as a choice destination. Especially, the smaller villages outside Sofia (the capital city of Bulgaria) or Budapest (the capital city of Hungary).

Bulgaria

Post Office UK’s 2019 Holiday Costs Barometer ranked Sunny Beach in Bulgaria as the cheapest resort destination in Europe six years in a row.

Bulgaria Coastline
Bulgaria Coastline

Turkey

Portugal

Other affordable destinations are:

In conclusion, by following the above tips and tricks to get cheaper flight tickets you now have a bit more cash in hand to enjoy a dream holiday!

Happy shopping, and most of all, happy holidays!!