Travelling for as little as possible can be quite difficult if you don’t know how to get the best last minute flight deals. Luckily for you, we have searched all over the internet to devise a useful and informative guide on how to travel for less. From picking the right destination to knowing when flights are cheapest to book, there are many things you need to consider when booking a holiday last minute, so keep reading to find out all about them.
The ultimate guide on how to get the best last minute flight deals
Holidays can be a very expensive endeavour, so saving money when possible is always helpful. There is much debate regarding when the cheapest time to book flights are, with some people believing it is months in advance, while others swear last minute gives you the best deals. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to this debate as flight prices change, on average, every 4.5 days. However, after Kayak compiled one year of flight data, they discovered ticket prices were 20% higher six months before departure. It wasn’t until three months before that the prices started dropping, before finally hitting a low seven weeks before departure. Initially, seven weeks may not seem like enough time to prepare for a holiday, but with the extra money you have saved from booking the cheaper flights, we are sure you can spare some time to go shopping for all your must-have holiday essentials. Don’t forget, along with all your other holiday preparations, you need to arrange transport to and from the airport. It is best to do this in advance, so you are not left waiting around on the day. With our airport taxis in Milton Keynes and airport transfers in Buckingham you can feel confident that you will reach your destination on time as our courteous drivers always go above and beyond to provide a satisfactory service. So, without further delay, here are our top tips on how to find the best last minute flight deals.
Be flexible
When booking a flight last minute, you need to have an open mind and be flexible with your destination and departure airport. Limiting yourself to a particular airport for convenience could mean you are missing out on a cheaper alternative from another airport. Moreover, you need to be fuelled by wanderlust and be prepared to travel almost anywhere. If you have your heart set on a particular destination, such as Santorini, you will soon realise it isn’t the most budget-friendly place to travel to. You should, therefore, broaden your horizons and consider other locations such as Mykonos or Rhodes. The flights to these islands will be significantly cheaper, and you will also still be able to enjoy the Greek culture and picturesque scenery. If you are feeling extra adventurous, use Skyscanner’s flight search tool. This time-saving tool allows you to add a geographical area to the departures field rather than a specific airport. For example, if you normally fly from your local London airport, you can widen your search further by selecting ‘London (Any).’ The added travel time it may take you to get to a different airport may save you hundreds of pounds on a flight, so it is definitely worth considering. The ‘search everywhere’ option is also an excellent way to find the cheapest flights to countries all over the world.
Sign up for deals
There are a whole host of money-saving travel websites that offer cheap flight and holiday packages. Signing up to these travel websites and downloading apps such as Kiwi and Momondo will definitely help you find the cheapest flights available. In an article posted by The Independent which talks about the 10 best last-minute travel websites, it mentions one of the most popular flight aggregators, Kayak. This much-loved travel search engine produces fast results, is user-friendly and shows prices directly from a huge number of carrier and third party sites. What we love most about Kayak is the innovative price alert tool. By constantly monitoring flight prices, you can get a notification directly to your phone informing you of the cheapest flights. With Kayak price alerts, you can do the following with ease:
- Monitor flight prices for an exact date
- Monitor flight prices for a particular destination with an undefined timeframe
- Monitor flight prices to the most popular cities
- Monitor hotel prices
As well as Kayak, we highly recommend these travel sites for extremely cost-effective flights:
Be open to stopovers
Although the thought of having to wait in another country for your designated flight seems inconvenient, think of is an opportunity for another ‘bonus holiday’. Technically, by opting for a stopover in your flight, you are making it easier to cross off destinations on your travel to-do-list, right?
To clarify, stopovers and layovers are not the same thing, so you should know the difference before booking your flights. Layover generally refer to connections between flights that are under 24 hours. While this may be ideal for some people who don’t want to spend their time anywhere else other than their desired holiday location, it isn’t as cost-effective as a stopover. A stopover is typically longer than 24 hours, leaving you plenty of time to explore and get to know the local culture. Depending on the airline you choose, a stopover should not cost you any more money, which gives you more reason to treat yourself on your bonus holiday! You will be pleasantly surprised at where in the world you can end up by opting for a stopover. To inspire you and showcase how exciting stopover can be, take a look at these 9 airlines that offer free stopovers in amazing cities.
Do your research and know where to fly
It is common knowledge that some locations are always going to be more expensive to travel to than others. This is largely dependent on distance and popularity. For example, if you are flying from an English airport, it will be significantly cheaper to fly to Inverness than if you were to travel across the world to Australia. To help you decide where you should go on your next adventure, here are the cheapest travel destinations for 2019:
- Lodz, Poland
- Vilnius, Lithuania
- Dubai, UAE
- Argentina
- Turkey
- Albania
- Tunisia
- Cambodia
If none of the above appeals to you, why not use Skyscanner’s useful ‘Best Time To Book’ tool. With ‘Best To Book’, you will be able to see which destinations typically have the cheapest last-minute flights from your nearest airport.
Consider charter flights
If you haven’t heard of the term charter flight before, then don’t worry as we will explain everything. Charter flights are essentially made to order flights by package holiday operators such as Thomas Cook and TUI. As the operators book the whole plane, it is common for there to be spare capacity on the flight. These extra seats can then be offered cheaply to flight-only customers. As with standard flights, doing your research is key to finding the best deal. To save time, we recommend using Skyscanner as you can easily search and compare flythomascook.
Travel sites for cheap flights
We hope all of our useful tips help you find the best flights available for your dream getaway. Our biggest piece of advice is to use the huge selection of travel websites and apps available to your advantage and search them regularly for cheap flights. Once your flights are booked, you can now get in the holiday spirit and follow your all-important holiday checklist to make sure you are fully prepared for the trip.