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  • I have this friend who never seems to stop traveling.

  • Tired of herjust arrived ininsert-beautiful-exotic-location-here–” feeds, I asked her if she either owns a gold

  • mine or knows some secrets on how to find cheap airfare.

  • To my delight, it turns out to be the second option!

  • Here’s what she does:

  • 1.

  • Play with countries and currencies.

  • Before you book your tickets, check if they cost less on some other country’s version

  • of the airline website.

  • You can often get the same class ticket on the same flight for cheaper if you choose

  • to view the price in a weaker national currency, than, say, Dollars or Euros.

  • A VPN can help you hide your actual location orrelocateyou to some other country.

  • 2.

  • Choose the cheapest payment method.

  • When it comes to the payment stage, many people just click on the first available option without

  • looking at how much the processing fee will be.

  • Often, using online money transfer is cheaper than paying with your credit card.

  • However, if youre traveling internationally and want to earn some flyer points and miles,

  • you'd better stick to your credit card.

  • 3.

  • Book your tickets at the right time.

  • There’s no such thing as the perfect day of the week to book your tripit’s a

  • myth.

  • Instead, there is a perfect time interval, and it's 6-8 weeks before your departure date.

  • Buying far in advance, like 5 months before the flight, will be pricier.

  • Buying last minute can sometimes mean a great deal, but in most cases, airlines will raise

  • the price by then.

  • They know if you really have to go so soon, you'll pay whatever it takes!

  • 4.

  • Be flexible with your flight dates.

  • You can't shift a trip back home for some holidays or a major sporting event, but it

  • will cost you way more than flying off-season.

  • If you can be flexible with dates, just open the calendar in your favorite travel aggregator

  • and see how you can shift the dates a bit to save some cash.

  • In general, flying in the middle of the week is cheaper than on the weekends.

  • 5.

  • The time of day matters too.

  • Itll normally cost you less to take off early in the morning or late at night.

  • No one likes 3AM wake-ups and red eyes, right?

  • 6.

  • Experiment with your destination.

  • Let's say you want to go to Amsterdam, but the tickets are through the roof.

  • Open the flight routes map and see if you can get a better deal for other airports within

  • a 3-hour ride.

  • You can just catch a bus or train, arrive in Amsterdam a couple hours later, and see

  • an extra country on the way!

  • 7.

  • Pick the right airport.

  • Large cities typically have more than one airport.

  • Don’t fall for a famous name where everybody flies.

  • Instead, look around and see if there’s a better deal for tickets to, say, London

  • Luton instead of Heathrow.

  • 8.

  • Mix and match airlines.

  • If your travel aggregator or common sense is telling you a flight with a stopover somewhere

  • on the way will be cheaper than a direct onebook it.

  • It's always safer to do the booking directly from the airline website, so you might have

  • to type in all your information twice, but it's worth it.

  • Low cost airlines, for example, don't normally do long-haul flights, but you can book a ticket

  • halfway with a regular airline and then buy the next one from that budget line.

  • 9.

  • Try the hidden city trick.

  • For some reason, a direct flight from point A to point B can be pricier than a trip from

  • point A to point C with point B as a stopover spot.

  • If that’s the case, book it, and just get off at point B – a.k.a. “the hidden city.”

  • 10.

  • Check the flight route before you book.

  • How long the flight is going to take and how much youll have to pay for it doesn’t

  • depend on the distance, but on the route your plane will fly.

  • It can be more expensive to fly over certain countries or airspace, and in some cases,

  • even forbidden for airlines of this or that origin.

  • If a flight has to take a detour, then itll be more expensive.

  • You might even have to pay extra for checked bags!

  • 11.

  • Delete your cookies/history when looking for the best deal.

  • Have you ever noticed how ticket prices go up when you come back to check them after

  • a while?

  • This is because websites can store your search data and offer you a more expensive price

  • for the destination youre interested in.

  • They do this to pressure you into buying the ticket faster before the price gets even higher.

  • 12.

  • Use multiple search engines.

  • Some travel aggregators don't list certain low-cost carriers or websites that aren't

  • in English.

  • Check a few options before you do the final booking to get the best deal.

  • 13.

  • Don't ignore points and miles programs.

  • Spend an extra minute and sign up for a travel rewards card.

  • I know, you hear about them all the time, but they really do work!

  • Airlines love loyal customers and reward them with free hotel stays, events, other travel

  • perks, and, of course, huge discounts or even free flights!

  • Just curious: do you collect bonus miles?

  • Let me know in the comments below!

  • 14.

  • Set up a price alert.

  • Most travel aggregators have an alarm bell iconturn it on, give them your email,

  • and youll be personally notified when the price for your itinerary goes down.

  • This works well if you have plenty of time before the trip or make regular flights to

  • the same places.

  • 15.

  • Follow airlines on social media.

  • This way, you can get some insider deals or secret offers.

  • You can also sign up for their mailing list if you don’t mind some extra notifications

  • in your inbox.

  • 16.

  • Find out if you can get a flight pass.

  • For their beloved loyal customers, many airlines offer flight passes that are much cheaper

  • than individual tickets.

  • You can check with major lines in your region or some international carriers if they have

  • this kind of a deal.

  • 17.

  • Use any discounts you qualify for.

  • It differs country-to-country and airline-to-airline, but most offer good discounts to students

  • and people under 26, seniors, and other categories.

  • Just check out if you belong to any of them!

  • 18.

  • Check all the terms and conditions when flying low-cost.

  • Low-cost airlines do offer great deals, but it’s better to double check if luggage or

  • even carry-on is included.

  • Check-in can also cost you if you decided to do it at the airport instead of online.

  • There might be some extra hidden fees you couldn’t even imagine.

  • Plus, low-cost carriers mostly fly to secondary airports, so add the price of ground transportation

  • to your ticket fare and see if it’s still cheaper than regular airlines.

  • 19.

  • Try booking two one-way tickets instead of a round trip.

  • It’s normally cheaper to book a round trip, but there are those rare occasions when two

  • one-way tickets will cost you less.

  • So price out both options or even check out two different airlines before you book your

  • flight.

  • 20.

  • Watch out for mistake fares.

  • No system works perfectly 100% of the time, so a zero can accidentally drop on a $1,500

  • ride, or all the tickets to some destination can suddenly become a fixed low price.

  • If you see something like that online, book it, but wait for an official booking reference

  • from the airline before you pay for a hotel room or concert tickets on the other end of

  • the ride.

  • The airline might cancel your deal.

  • Finally, here’s an idea for the most adventurous travelers

  • 21.

  • Go plane hitchhiking!

  • It's been a thing since the ‘60s.

  • Of course, you can't hitchhike on a passenger Boeing 737, but small private plane pilots

  • do take passengers on board for a minimal fuel fee.

  • There are even special flight-sharing online platforms where you can find pilots or passengers

  • to travel with.

  • And if you're spontaneous as can be, try wandering around a small town airportyou can get

  • a free ride to some place you mightve never even heard of!

  • Sounds like fun!

  • Hey, if you learned something new today, then give the video a like and share it with a

  • friend!

  • And here are some other videos I think you'll enjoy.

  • Just click to the left or right, and stay on the Bright Side of life!

I have this friend who never seems to stop traveling.

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