Travel often takes up an average of about 50% of the budget of the entire travel. Enough! But we, as experienced tourists, know that even on this article it is possible and necessary to save expenses. It just takes a little knowledge and time. We decided to share our life hacks and tips with our travelers. In this article, we will tell: how the ticket price is formed, what factors affect changes in its cost and finally, how to save and look for cheap tickets.
Basically, price formation is influenced by four factors: competition, supply and demand, and oil prices. Together they form the so-called “load factor”. It is calculated in order to fully fill the aircraft during the flights and thus get the maximum income. If the “coefficient” and demand are very low, the airline can make tickets cheaper and more affordable. Accordingly, when the figures are high, prices rise.
We recommend that you think about buying tickets before demand increases and the airline raises the price. And even better – to become one of the lucky ones who made a purchase at the cheapest prices. And even if you’re unlucky or you just mentioned the flight late – don’t worry, we know many more ways to save you money.
Be flexible in choosing travel dates
Prices are highly dependent on the day of purchase, time of day, season, and the upcoming holidays. If your children have a school vacation and you have planned to travel, do not even expect cheap fares. Not only you are going to travel at this time, so the prices will simply go beyond the scale. This also applies to the pre-holiday periods.
Being flexible when choosing the date and time of your travel is one of the main ways to save money. Don’t focus on specific numbers, because a small difference of just one or two days can help save a few hundred dollars. You have to follow the principle: “I want to fly when no one wants to.” Also, do not forget that it is much cheaper to travel, departing not on weekends, but on weekdays. But after the holidays, prices, on the contrary, usually fall, and the same tickets are many times cheaper than a couple of days earlier.
Fly on low cost airlines
If you are ready to suffer inconveniences on the road for the sake of a fabulous trip, we advise you not to choose flights of world brands, but to stay on budget options. However, in such cases do not forget to check the distance from the airport to the city center. Sometimes this move can be more expensive than any other flight.
Look for alternative routes
Flexibility in choosing dates for travel is not the most important thing. You also need to learn how to choose alternative routes. You can get to your destination not only by direct flight but also by transfers. This, of course, is not so convenient and causes some discomfort, but this way you can save a lot.
Look for tickets on several sites
Ordering tickets on the first or second-best site is the biggest mistake of beginner travelers. Remember, if you want to save on the flight, you need to make every effort to find all possible options and price offers. You will be surprised, but after a few minutes of searching, you will see that the cost of the same flight on different sites is different and even very significant.
You should also know that on sites that offer different flights in different directions, you will rarely find offers from budget airlines. They do not pay a booking fee and are not profitable for ticket companies. Another disadvantage is that due to a large number of airlines it is very difficult to create a single universal system. Some companies appear, others disappear or go bankrupt, and it is impossible to follow all this immediately. Therefore, you have no guarantee that by viewing the prices on one site, you will learn completely about all the offers. We advise you not to regret an evening or two to look for offers on the maximum number of sites and not to overpay money out of thin air.
Don’t forget about student discounts
Student years are the most carefree period and at the same time the most interesting. Young people have the opportunity to travel to different parts of the world while enjoying certain benefits. There are a lot of nice discounts for students. If you have a student, when looking for and buying tickets, do not forget to ask about the availability of special offers for students.
Don’t miss the sale
A crowded mailbox will delight few people, but by subscribing to the newsletter, you will be able to receive up-to-date information about special offers or errors in tariffs. Very often there are cases when discounts are valid only for 24 hours and therefore only those who constantly follow the news of companies have a chance to save on flights. Are you an active Twitter user? Subscribe to the pages of airlines, and watching short news and special offers will quickly become a habit and will not take much time.
Avoid peak seasons
Forget about summer travel to Europe, Hawaii, or fabulous trips to Disneyland during the school holidays. The flight at this time will be very expensive, as demand is high and airlines do not lose the opportunity to earn well. Do not deny yourself the pleasure and travel, just try to plan your vacation so that it does not fall on the peak, popular periods of holidays or vacations.
Buy tickets in advance
The best time to buy tickets is 6-8 weeks for regular flights and 12-16 weeks during the peak season. During this period, airlines are actively monitoring sales and, depending on demand, begin to either raise or lower prices. If you have not waited for a miracle and very cheap prices, you will pull to the last, do not expect discounts. People who really need to fly will buy tickets at any fare. Airlines know this and are actively using it, so stay tuned and don’t procrastinate.
Determine your price
We all tend to wait for unrealistically cheap prices to the last, and then overpay on an equal footing. Buying tickets becomes a kind of gambling: you have to wait until a certain point to pay as little as possible. The problem is that this moment always comes at different times. Therefore, it is important to decide on the amount that you will not pay for sure, and the amount that you are really willing to spend. Answer the question: how much is cheap for me? What cost is adequate for me? Don’t expect ideal prices – wait for your own.
Be realistic. If the ticket costs 3,500 dollars and is sold for 3,000 dollars, one should not expect the price to fall to 2,000 dollars. Start tracking prices three months before departure. You will see what happens to the tariffs and then it will be much easier to determine the correct and adequate cost. If it starts to rise and go out of your comfort zone, look at the number of seats. If there are not many of them, you need to buy a ticket, because there is demand and airlines do not make sense to reduce prices.
It is quite possible and real to buy cheap tickets on your own. Take advantage of our tips, be patient and travel! And if you do not have time for this, then entrust this work to us. We will be happy to help you find and buy the cheapest tickets and fully plan your travel. You just have to have a good time anywhere in Australia.
Another article on this blog that might interests you:
Why accommodation is the most significant part of your trip