FLIGHT
TIPS
Here's your one stop shop for finding the best flight deals! Following these steps can save you over 75% off the average price for popular routes!
How can I find cheap flights?
Here's how to find cheap flights like
Tel Aviv
-Budapest
$110 Return
Toronto
-Shanghai
$399 Return
Paris
-Rome
$49 Return
Toronto
-Paris
$349 Return
Many of the people I meet assume that I am wealthy when they learn I have travelled to 13 countries in the last 8 months. They are usually really shocked when they learn that I don't make lots of money, while figuring out a way to travel so much! I learned that there’s a huge misconception about how much travel costs, and most people don’t realize how cheap travelling can cost! I’ll share with you the tips and tricks that I use to find cheap flights. When I met a friend in Japan, he mentioned how he paid nearly $1200USD for his flight from San Francisco to Tokyo Return, and I almost spit my drink out! He told me he simply went on the American Airlines website, picked his dates, and clicked ‘book’. When I did the search using my methods, and found him the same return route for $458USD from China Eastern, he nearly spits his drink out! I’ve taken flights from as low as 20euros from Paris to Rome, and I even found a super cheap flight from Toronto to Paris return for $330CAD.
Google Flights
The start of all my searches, great calendar view of prices
C trip
Best flight search engine for Asia
Secret Flying
Blog with ridiculously cheap flights around the world
Hopper
Tips on when the best time to buy flight tickets are
Momondo
Great search engine that searches airlines and third-party booking sites
Hitlist
A list of cheap flights departing from your city
Flight Scanner
Scan through hundreds of airlines with one search
Busbud
Another great website to search for busses/trains
Rome2Rio
Great website to search for busses/trains
Next Departure
Blog of cheap flights departing from most major Canadian cities
How/Where to search for Flights
Every single search I do starts with Google Flights. I am addicted to it, as you can search flights among hundreds of airlines, and see a month-view to identify the best dates to fly. Google also provides tips, such as ‘Save $73 if you fly one day earlier’. Once I find the best price, I search on Momondo or SkyScanner to see if any third party sellers might have an even better price. When I was in China, I found that Google Flights would miss some airlines and deals, and Ctrip was showing the best prices by far.
I also follow websites and Facebook Groups such as YYZ Travel Deals (YYZ is the code for Toronto Pearson, the closest airport from my home), Secret Flying, NextDeparture.ca. If you follow even one of these pages, different members will point out great flights which are priced much lower then average. Flight are cheap now, especially with the falling oil prices, so take advantage of it and find some great deals! Try to search for a blog or facebook group focused on your airport.
If you have a decent credit score, I would recommend applying to travel-related credit cards, since you can get a big sign-up bonus. I got an Aeroplan Credit Card which provided 25,000 Aeroplan Miles, enough to fly from Toronto-Calgary-Vancouver-Toronto, or Toronto-SanFran-NewYork-Toronto. I could also fly for only 15,000 points from Montreal-St.Johns-Halifax-Toronto. As you can see, the 25,000 miles provide great value right away, and using multi-city can maximize your value by adding a second city for no charge (this might be specific to Aeroplan, make sure to check with your rewards provider). There are lots of resources online outlining how to maximize the benefits for your rewards company, so be sure to do a bit of research. If you don’t have a good credit score, or are hesitant on signing up for a credit card, you can get a free points card such as a basic Aeroplan or Air Miles points card to use at retailers to collect miles.