One of the biggest travel expenses is airfare. Obviously, the cheapest solution is to drive, but who wants to spend four out of nine vacation days driving, assuming you’re taking a week off for vacation?
There’s an app I love called Skyscanner. Skyscanner checks all the airlines, including regional airlines. It will find every quirky combination of flights to get you to where you’r
e going. This could be United to Chicago, then Spirit to Kansas. My uncle swears by KAYAK, which when I checked listed identical flights. Another I’ve heard about is Hopper.
Pluses & Minuses
The upside is that it’s cheap. The downside is that if you don’t make a connection for your flight with multiple airlines, there’s no recourse from an airline. I’d make sure there’s at least a 90-minute layover, and I’d never do a connecting flight in the winter.
Icelandair
Special notation should be made for Icelandair. It isn’t in many of the flight apps, but it is usually the most consistent budget flight to Europe. The don’t have first class. They don’t have an app. Flights usually connect in Iceland.
How much savings? Back in the day, I got a round-trip to London for $400 (which is great, noting that the US and UK have high airport taxes). All you have to do is sit back and let them advertise an Icelandic vacation to you, which I didn’t even think about, but it totally looks cool!
I just checked, and they’re still the cheapest, but it’s only $50 or so.
Perks
Flying is also more affordable with points. Points are usually branded, like Delta SkyMiles on American Express or Southwest on Chase. These are great, but they spend fast. Often there’s a way to use points with cash, which allows for an inexpensive flight and leaves points for later.
Simply use your reward-earning card for everything. Some offer general points, redeemable for goods or even cash, like Wells Fargo Rewards. My advice to you is to save them to purchase an experience, like travel.
Since a flight is usually the biggest single cost of a vacation, it’s important to get a deal on it. I hope I’ve given useful tips and tricks that might allow you to spend less on traveling and more on vacationing.