Your Personal Guide to Hunting Cheap Flights Anywhere!

Published: June 16, 2015 · Modified: March 27, 2025 by Matthew Karsten

Dreaming of exploring the world without emptying your bank account? Absolutely possible! While airplane tickets can sometimes scare us with their prices, I promise you that cheap travel is not an urban legend. After ten years globe-trotting as a professional, I’ve picked up a ton of tricks to fly without breaking the bank. I’ve seen airlines come and go, navigated a thousand search engines, and I know how overwhelming it can be to find that “bargain” ticket. That’s why I’ve poured all my knowledge into this guide for you. Pack your bags and passport, because I’m going to show you how to fly for much less than you imagine!

Quick Index for Your Adventure

1. Use the Best Flight Search Engines
2. Let Deals and Error Fares Find You
3. Discover the Cheapest Days to Fly
4. Subscribe to Your Favorite Airlines’ Newsletters
5. Book Your Tickets in January and February!
6. Explore Alternative Airports
7. Dare to Fly Low-Cost Airlines
8. Let the Price Choose Your Destination
9. Become a ‘VPN Master’
10. Book Flight Segments Separately
11. Fly for Free with Credit Card Miles
12. “Open-Jaw” (Round-the-World) Tickets
13. Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute!
14. More Useful Tips for Booking Your Flights
15. Enjoy Your Next Cheap Flight!

HOW TO FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS IN 2025: MY SECRETS

1. Use the Best Flight Search Engines

My first trick, and one of the simplest, is knowing where to look. There are a ton of airfare search engines out there, and believe me, not all of them are created equal. Some have magical tools like price predictions, maps that show you where you can fly cheapest, or alerts that notify you when prices drop.

I always compare several before deciding, because you never know who has the hidden gem. Some sites simply give you better offers. Here’s my personal “top 5” – my faithful search companions on every trip!

My Favorite Sites for Hunting Cheap Flights:

• Skyscanner: (My number 1 love for finding bargains!)
• Momondo: (Very similar to Skyscanner, though sometimes not as powerful)
• Kiwi: (Great for finding flights with smart connections and crazy prices)
• JetRadar: (Searches a ton of low-cost airlines that others ignore)
• Google Flights: (Google’s attempt to dominate the flight world)

Normally, my first stop is Skyscanner. When I find something that looks good, before booking, I always check the others to make sure I’m getting the best price on my cheap flights.

2. Let Deals and Error Fares Find You

Don’t just search, let the offers find you! In addition to browsing various search engines, I highly recommend setting up fare alerts. Give them your destination, flexible dates, and let the site send you an email when prices get interesting.

But there’s another level: secret sites that scour the internet for the best deals, doing all the work for you!

Subscribe to Flight Deal Newsletters:

Scott’s Cheap Flights is a service I use that’s awesome. They have an entire team dedicated to finding those hidden discounts on airfares. You can try it for free, and I guarantee you’ll get hooked on the paid subscription (spoiler alert: it’s totally worth it!).

Explore Error Fare Alert Websites:

What’s an error fare? Well, airlines sometimes mess up and post ridiculously low prices by accident. But if you find it and buy the ticket, they have to honor it! Imagine a flight from New York to Paris for $50 instead of $700!

These bargains don’t last long because the airline corrects it as soon as they realize. But there are websites that are like deal detectives and notify you instantly. If you check them often or subscribe to their newsletters, you could be the lucky one to get a dream trip for almost nothing!

• SecretFlying.com
• TravelPirates.com
• Fly4Free.com
• AirfareWatchdog.com

3. Discover the Cheapest Days to Fly

There’s an art to choosing the date. Forget the crystal ball; I’m going to give you the strategy. While it’s not an exact science, these are the golden rules I follow:

Book Several Months in Advance:

For international flights, my trick is to book between 2 and 8 months prior. That’s where the best cheap flights deals hide! For domestic flights, 1 to 3 months is usually enough to catch good prices.

The Best Days to Fly:

My favorite days to fly out are usually Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays. Why? Fewer people, less demand, lower prices! Early morning flights or red-eyes also tend to be kinder to your wallet.

Another little secret is to fly in low or shoulder season. Think Iceland in autumn/winter, or Mexico in summer. People don’t usually go then, so prices drop!

But the easiest way to not miss out is to have a visual guide to which days are the cheapest for YOUR destination. Want to know how?

• STEP 1: Open the Skyscanner website or app.
• STEP 2: Enter your origin and destination city.
• STEP 3: When you go to choose a date, pay attention! Select the “Cheapest Month” option. You can then explore the entire calendar. Then, click “Search flights” and it will show you the most economical days.

If you need to travel in a specific month, you can also search by month to see which day gives you the best price. It’s like legally cheating!

4. Subscribe to Your Favorite Airlines’ Newsletters

Go straight to the source! Airlines are the first to announce their juiciest deals to those on their list. Promotional codes, 50% discounts… those bargains arrive in your email! Sometimes they’ll ask you to join their frequent flyer program, and believe me, it’s worth it for maximizing your chances of finding cheap flights.

Here’s a list of some of my favorite airlines I’m always subscribed to:

• American Airlines
• Delta
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue
• Southwest
• Spirit
• United
• Virgin America

If you’re worried about your inbox getting flooded, a trick is to use email filters so all these offers go directly to a specific folder. That way you don’t miss anything without getting overwhelmed!

5. Book Your Tickets in January and February!

Listen closely to this trick – it’s pure gold! Some of the cheapest plane tickets I’ve ever seen go on sale during the months of January and February. Round-trip flights from the US to Europe or Africa for under $500? Yes, please!

You don’t need to travel during those months; it just means it’s the perfect time to book your tickets. Airlines seem to love offering cheap flights at the beginning of the year. It’s probably because people are short on cash after the holidays, and they’re desperate to boost demand. Keep this in mind when planning your trips for the coming year and save some cash to book your summer vacation flights during the first couple of months of the year.

6. Explore Alternative Airports

Don’t marry yourself to a single airport. If you’re lucky enough to live near several, compare them all! And the same goes for your destination. Sometimes, flying to an airport a little further away or to a large hub near your final destination can save you a fortune.

In the past, I’ve saved hundreds of dollars by opting for a $10 bus trip to New York instead of flying directly from Boston. It takes longer, of course, so you’ll have to weigh whether the price difference is worth the extra travel time. Sometimes it is!

7. Dare to Fly Low-Cost Airlines

In addition to searching on the big booking sites, research which low-cost airlines fly to your dream destination. You might be surprised how cheap flights can be with them!

Low-cost airlines can charge less because they don’t offer all the luxuries of the major carriers (or they charge extra for them). We’re talking about free checked baggage, snacks, drinks, extra legroom… forget about that unless you pay!

Examples of Low-Cost Airline Fares I’ve Found:

• NEW YORK (JFK) – ROME (FCO) for $429 round trip with Norwegian Air.
• LOS ANGELES (LAX) – BANGKOK (BKK) for $446 round trip with Air Asia.

An important detail: some low-cost airlines don’t allow major flight search engines to include their fares in results. This means you’ll sometimes have to go directly to their official website to find their deals.

Keep in mind that these cheap flights tickets are often non-refundable and cannot be changed. Also, they may fly to smaller airports further from the main city, which implies extra time and cost for ground transportation.

My Favorite Low-Cost Airlines by Region:

• United States: Southwest, JetBlue, Porter, Allegiant Air, Frontier, Spirit, Avelo Air.
• Canada: Air Canada Rouge, Air Transat, Swoop, West Jet.
• Europe: Norwegian, LEVEL, EasyJet, Eurowings, Ryan Air, Wizz Air.
• Asia: Air Asia, Asiana, Jetstar, Scoot.
• Africa: FastJet, Mango, Kulula.
• Latin America: Volaris, Viva Aerobus, Interjet, Spirit.

And of course, there are many more! Wikipedia has a huge list of low-cost airlines around the world.

8. Let the Price Choose Your Destination

The more flexible you are, the greater your chances of discovering cheap flights! So, why not try choosing your destination based on where the best deals are?

Some websites make it super easy for you, like Skyscanner’s Inspire map. It shows you a map with prices for different destinations based on your departure airport. It’s amazing!

Flying to a random place can be incredibly fun and a fantastic way to discover corners of the world you never thought of visiting. Flexibility and spontaneity not only save you money on flights but also give you unforgettable experiences!

9. Become a ‘VPN Master’

Airlines are cunning and try to get the most out of you by charging different fares to people in different countries. For example, booking domestic flights from outside the country is usually more expensive than doing it from within.

Prices can change depending on where the transaction is completed or the “point of sale.” But you can beat them at their own game by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to hide your location or pretend you’re somewhere else. It’s like having a virtual passport!

I use Private Internet Access VPN because it’s easy to use, affordable, has a mobile app, and doesn’t slow down my connection.

While using a VPN can save you money on flights, there’s a myth I want to debunk: airlines DO NOT use your browser cookies to manipulate prices. Going “incognito” in your browser will do absolutely nothing… believe me, I’ve tried!

10. Book Flight Segments Separately

For long-haul flights, it’s sometimes worth booking different segments separately instead of buying everything at once. I found it was about $200 cheaper to fly from Boston to Copenhagen, and then take another low-cost flight from Copenhagen to Dublin, rather than a direct multi-stop ticket from Boston to Dublin.

You can even save money on the exact same itinerary, simply by booking each section independently. Or by buying two one-way tickets instead of a round-trip ticket. Spend 30 minutes experimenting and see what results you get. You might be surprised!

However, remember that it’s super important to pay attention to the arrival and departure times of these flights to give yourself enough time for the transfer. Otherwise, you could miss your next flight, and the savings would go down the drain!

11. Fly for Free with Credit Card Miles

It took me a few years to get into “travel hacking” (using points and miles to redeem for free flights), but now I try to recommend it to everyone!

Last year, my wife and I traveled to Antarctica, flying to Argentina for only $294 round trip. We were able to do this because we had quickly accumulated a lot of airline miles that covered two (!) round-trip flights from New York, saving us over $2000 USD!

When you sign up for the right travel rewards credit cards and use them wisely, it’s easier than you think to accumulate enough miles for a free flight; you only pay the taxes. It’s an incredible way to see the world and find cheap flights!

12. “Open-Jaw” (Round-the-World) Tickets

An “open-jaw” ticket is like a round-trip ticket, but the arrival or departure point (or both) are not the same. Imagine you fly to one city, then travel overland to another city (or even another country, or many) and return home from there.

They are sometimes also called “RTW tickets” or “Round-the-World tickets.” With this option, you can visit a lot of different cities during your trip, and it costs much less than booking all those flights separately! OneWorld is a fantastic resource if you’re thinking about a round-the-world adventure.

13. Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute!

So, you’ve finally found those cheap flights to your destination, but somewhere you heard that if you wait and book at the last minute, prices might drop further! Please, don’t do it!

Sure, on very rare occasions prices might drop if you wait. But it’s MUCH more likely that they will go up! Research shows that booking your flight 3 months in advance seems to be the optimal time to get cheap flights.

This happens because airlines reduce the price to generate demand when the plane is almost empty. However, once it starts to fill up, they can ruthlessly raise prices as people get desperate for the last seats. Be proactive!

14. More Useful Tips for Booking Your Flights

And because there’s always an ‘extra’ for smart travelers, here are some more little details that will make your life easier:

• Flying with a one-way ticket? At the airport, you may be asked for proof of a return or onward ticket. This is the dreaded “Proof Of Onward Travel” rule. Have something handy!
• Want the most comfortable seat for your flight? Be sure to check SeatGuru.com to find the best spot on a particular aircraft model and airline you’ll be flying with. Avoid uncomfortable seats!
• Have a weird question about flights, airlines, or routes? Don’t be shy, ask the people on the FlyerTalk forum for advice (they are true aviation “nerds” and know everything!).
• Was your flight delayed or canceled? Don’t just sit there! You may be eligible for compensation of up to hundreds of dollars through services like Compensair. Get what’s yours!

15. Enjoy Your Next Cheap Flight!

There you have it! This is my personal toolkit for finding those incredible cheap flights all over the planet. In fact, I recently flew from Boston to Dublin, Ireland, for only $614 round trip using these very techniques.

Flying doesn’t have to be an unattainable luxury if you know how to find the best deals and are willing to put in a little effort. Flexibility combined with dedicating an extra 30 minutes to searching can save you hundreds of dollars. Now, go fly and explore the world without regret!

WHO AM I?

Hello, nice to meet you! I’m Matthew Karsten. I’m a travel blogger, digital nomad, and American expat now living in France. Join me and my family as we share useful tips from 10 years of traveling and living around the world.

PREPARING FOR YOUR NEXT BIG TRIP?

Here are a few more resources to help you plan stress-free and stretch your budget:

• The Ultimate Packing List (Don’t forget anything!)
• How to Find Cheap Flights (Just what you just read, but for a refresher!)
• Key Tips for Renting a Car Abroad
• How to Save a Ton of Money When Booking Hotels
• Why You Should NEVER Travel Without Insurance
• My Best Tricks for an Epic Trip

MORE TRAVEL IDEAS TO INSPIRE YOU

• The Best VR Travel Apps: Explore the World from Your Couch
• 5 Reasons to Think Twice Before Visiting the US This Year (and Great Alternatives)
• Renting a Car in Mexico: Everything You Need to Know (No Surprises!)
• Driving in Costa Rica: Your Complete Guide (Pura Vida on the Road!)

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