Booking Flights
Let's start with the big one. Flights are usually your most expensive single booking, and there's a lot of noise out there about secret deals and insider tricks. Most of it is BS. Here's what actually works.
Where I Search for Flights
I use Google Flights for almost everything. It's not perfect, but it's the fastest, cleanest interface, and it shows you prices across multiple airlines without the fees that third-party booking sites sneak in.
Why Google Flights:
- Shows you the calendar view so you can see prices across different dates
- Lets you search flexible destinations (like "anywhere in Europe")
- No hidden fees. The price you see is usually the price you pay
- Shows you which airlines are cheapest without opening 15 tabs
- Alerts you if prices drop after you search
How I actually use it:
1. Open Google Flights and put in your departure city and destination. You can also toggle between round-trip flights or one-way tickets in the upper left corner.
2. If your dates are flexible, click the calendar and look at the whole month. Sometimes flying one day earlier or later saves you $200.
3. Hit search, and Google will show you 'Best Flights,' and below it will show 'Other Flights.'
The key things to look at here:
- Price. Obviously
- Stops. This shows you the layovers you will have on your trip. Multiple layovers can be a bit of a drag, and short layovers are risky for missing your connecting flight.
- Times. This one is up for debate. Taking a cheaper flight at a god-awful time can save a lot of money, but if you're sensitive to sleep debt, this could also set your trip up for a rough start.
- Airline. I'm not as snobby about what airline I fly with as others, but the main things to look out for is budget airlines often have strict or straight-up cheeky baggage policies, and flying with multiple airlines is okay, but risky. In the 'Other Flights' panel above, you can see a few options that list out multiple airlines on one trip. This is fine, but this means you will hop off Air Canada's flight at your layover and switch over to Lufthansa. This is not the end of the world, but I prefer to avoid it. Your chances of losing luggage, missing connections, or having conflicting baggage policies are a lot higher when you're mixing airlines.
4. If your timing is flexible, check out the Price Grid feature. You can find this just above 'Other Flights.'
This will open up a grid where you can click through similar dates and find some nice price dips. I usually do this as the first step of my trip planning. Once I find a well-priced flight, I make everything else work around it.
5. If your destination is flexible (like "I just want to go somewhere warm"), use the "Explore" map feature. You can find this at the very top of the page.
Click the Explore button next to Flights, and it will open up an interactive map that shows you everywhere you can fly from your starting point and the prices. I've lost hours just clicking and zooming and imagining my next trips.
This is also a great way to browse where to fly into. For example, if you're doing a broad Italy trip and you're not worried about what order you do things in, take a look around the country and see if it makes sense to start in Rome, Sicily, Florence, or up north in the mountains.
6. Once you find a good price, don't book directly through Google Flights. Note the airline and flight number, then go book directly with the airline (most of the time).
Booking direct is usually the best option. You will get a good rate, and usually, dealing with any issues is easiest when you can go directly to the airline's customer service (although this is still never fun).
I don't always book direct. Some smaller airlines in Latin America and Asia specifically don't have the best websites. They are often translated into English, and some of them are so riddled with software issues that you actually can't book a flight. If the airline's site looks sketchy, or if you think dealing with customer service in Tajikistan might be a challenge, head to Trip.com.
They are a 3rd party booking platform. So you can find the flight you want on Google Flights, then head to Trip.com and find that flight and book it through them. They make it really easy to book, easy to handle your baggage amounts (adding on extra or helping you not pay for baggage allowance you don't need.
They also have great customer service that makes a world of difference when things go wrong. Last year, I had to cancel a whole tour around Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, and luckily, I booked all of my flights with Trip.com, and the customer service was great and helped me get a great refund. It wasn't 100%, but I just had to pay a few cancellation fees and then got most of my money back.
Budget Airlines: Worth It or Hell on Earth?
Budget airlines get a bad rap, but they're fine if you know what you're signing up for.
Budget airlines I've used and would use again:
- Ryanair (Europe) - Cheap, reliable, just follow the rules or they'll charge you for everything
- EasyJet (Europe) - Slightly more expensive than Ryanair but less strict
- AirAsia (Southeast Asia) - Great prices, never had issues
- Jetstar (Australia/Asia) - Fine for short flights
- WizzAir (Europe) - Cheap, no frills, does the job
The rules for budget airlines:
- Print your boarding pass or download it to your phone before you get to the airport. If you show up without it, they'll charge you €50+ to print one.
- Measure and weigh your carry-on. They will make you measure it at the gate, and if it's 1cm too big, or 1 pound over, you're paying €50+.
- Don't buy food on board. These airlines don't give anything for free. So pack water and snacks. The only exception here is the vegan lasagna on Ryanair. It's genuinely delicious.
Budget airlines aren't a scam. They're just unbundled. You pay for exactly what you use. If you follow the rules, they're great. If you show up expecting legacy airline service, you'll be miserable.
This is where we see people go wrong. They show up with more bags than they're allowed because they didn't add them on when they booked. Then they get hit with so many fees that they would have been better off just booking with a more expensive airline.
Setting Up Price Alerts (So You Don't Have to Obsess Over Flight Prices)
Here's something most people don't use but absolutely should: Google Flights price tracking. Instead of checking flight prices every day like a maniac, let Google do it for you.
How to set it up:
- Search your route on Google Flights (departure city, destination, dates)
- Look for the toggle switch at the top that says "Track prices."
- Click it. That's it.
Now Google will email you when the price drops or spikes. Note this only works if you're logged in on Google Chrome.
Specifically, how you do this is toggling either the date slider (the date you searched for) or the 'Any Dates' slider.
You can find the sliders in the same area as the date grid and price graph.
The date slider will set up alerts for that date only.
And the other slider will alert you on every price drop.
Why this is actually useful: Flight prices fluctuate constantly. Like, multiple times per day. I've seen the same flight jump $150 overnight and then drop back down three days later. Without a tracker, you're either booking immediately (and potentially overpaying) or refreshing the page obsessively for weeks.
Price tracking takes the stress out of it. You set it, forget it, and Google emails you when something changes. I've saved $200+ on flights just by waiting a week for the price to drop.
Pro tip: Track multiple date combinations. If you're flexible, set up alerts for a few different departure and return dates. Sometimes shifting your trip by one day saves you hundreds of dollars, and the tracker will show you exactly when that happens.
When to pull the trigger: Here's the thing: you can't wait forever. Prices don't always go down. If you see a good price and the tracker shows it's lower than the recent average, book it. Don't gamble on it dropping another $50 if you might lose $300 waiting too long.
I use price tracking for every flight I book. It takes 30 seconds to set up and has saved me more money than any other "hack" I've tried.
When to Actually Book Your Flights (Timing Matters More Than You Think)
Everyone asks this: "How far in advance should I book flights?" And the answer is annoyingly vague: it depends. But there are patterns, and once you understand them, you can time your bookings way better.
The general sweet spot: 6-8 weeks out for domestic, 8-12 weeks out for international.
This isn't a hard rule, but it's the window where airlines have released most of their inventory and prices haven't spiked yet due to limited availability. Book earlier than this, and you're often paying a premium for "planning ahead." Book later and you're gambling on last-minute deals that might not come.
When to book earlier (3-6 months out):
- Peak season travel (summer in Europe, Christmas anywhere, spring break destinations) - These routes fill up fast and prices only go up as availability drops
- Major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's) - Airlines know demand is high, so they don't discount
- Long-haul international flights (intercontinental routes like US to Asia, Europe to Australia) - These are expensive regardless, but booking 3-4 months out usually beats last-minute prices
- Smaller airports or niche routes - If you're flying somewhere that only has one flight per day, book early or risk it selling out
When to book closer to your trip (2-4 weeks out):
- Off-season travel: Flying to Europe in November? Southeast Asia in July (monsoon season)? Airlines are desperate to fill seats. Wait, and you'll find deals.
- Budget airlines: Ryanair, EasyJet, AirAsia, etc., often release sales closer to departure to fill planes. I've booked EasyJet flights 10 days out for half the price they were 2 months earlier.
- Last-minute spontaneous trips: If you're flexible on destination and just want to go somewhere cheap, browse Google Flights' Explore map 1-2 weeks out and find the deals.
When NOT to wait:
- You have fixed dates and can't be flexible: If you need to be in Tokyo on a specific date for a wedding or work, just book it. The stress of watching prices isn't worth the gamble.
- Peak summer routes (like Iceland in July, Greece in August, Japan in cherry blossom season) These sell out consistently, so book 3-4 months ahead.
- Group travel - If you're booking for 4+ people, availability shrinks fast. Book early so you're all on the same flight.
The Tuesday myth:
You've probably heard that flights are cheaper on Tuesdays. This used to be true 10+ years ago when airlines manually adjusted prices once a week. Now everything is automated, and prices change constantly throughout the day. I've found good deals on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Now it just doesn't matter the day of the week.
What DOES matter: flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday is usually cheaper than flying on Friday or Sunday. Departure day affects the price more than the booking day.
My actual strategy:
I start tracking prices about 3 months before my trip. I watch for a week or two to see the range (is it fluctuating between $600-$800? or $400-$500?). Once I see a price on the lower end of that range, I book it. I don't try to time the absolute rock-bottom price because that's impossible and stressful.
For last-minute trips (booked within a month of departure), I check prices for 3-5 days, set up alerts, and book as soon as I see something reasonable. Waiting too long on short notice usually backfires.
Bottom line: There's no magic formula, but 6-12 weeks out is your best bet for most trips. Earlier for peak season, later for off-season. Use price alerts so you're not obsessing over it, and book when you see a good price instead of gambling on it getting better.
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide helped give some clarity on how you should be approaching your flight booking. The main points to remember are:
- Browse the price graph to find the cheapest day to fly.
- Be careful to follow the rules when flying on a budget
- Set up alerts so you don't miss great deals
- Book directly with major airlines and use Trip.com when you're not too sure.
- Short layovers and switching between airlines are increasing the risk of a missed connection or lost luggage
- But the most important thing of all is to book that flight. I've overpaid. I've flown into the wrong airport. I've been dinged at the gate with extra baggage fees. But do I regret a single flight? No. Life is short. Take the trip.
FAQ
What is the best website to search for flights?
How far in advance should I book flights?
Are budget airlines worth it?
Is it true that flights are cheaper on Tuesdays?
How do Google Flights price alerts work?
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