When I asked my Instagram following what they wanted to know about from me on my travel blog, the answer was almost unanimous: “How do I find cheap flights?”

While there is no magic bullet, there are some important Do’s & Don’ts that increase your chances of finding the cheapest flight.

After you’ve read this, head to my How To Find Cheap Flights: Step By Step walkthrough, where I outline the best search engines and strategies for finding great prices.

TIMING YOUR SEARCH TO FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS:

✓DO purchase your tickets around six weeks to two months from your travel date. This is a good rule of thumb for domestic flights, but you can also look a little earlier for intentional travel, as they tend to drop their fares a little sooner. I find the best ticket deals 6-8 weeks from travel in almost all cases.

✗DON’T assume that the early bird gets the worm and book every ticket six months out – chances are good you’ll pay more than you would if you’d waited. That said, if you see a great deal and it’s far away, don’t hesitate to nab it… in August, cheap deals for flights from the USA to Europe with travel dates for January to March of the following year are common. 

✓DO check for fares on Sunday and Tuesday. The jury is out on whether the day of week you buy tickets matters anymore. At one point, Sunday and Tuesday were when you could expect the best deals, but since algorithms have gotten smarter and pricing has been automated more effciently, who knows. I will say that I personally find the best deals on these days, and I’ve often found that people get so anxious about waiting tht they need to be told WHEN to just buy the damn ticket. So there you go: pick one of those two days as your deadline. 

✗DON’T be afraid to buy immediately when you see a good deal. Prices change minute to minute, and the fare that’s available right now is not guaranteed to be available later. If you live in the USA, the DOT requires all major US airlines to offer free cancellations of air ticket bookings with 24 hours of your purchase. Be aware that online Travel Agencies (like Expedia and Orbitz) are not held to the same standard, and also keep in mind that refunds can be slow to hit your bank account.  

✓DO set up a system that lets cheap flights come to you. It’s hard to figure out the perfect time to buy, so make it easier on yourself. If you know you’re going to a particular destination for set dates, set up a Flight Alert with your favorite travel search engine that will alert you if the price drops. If you don’t have a destination in mind, sign up for flight deal newsletters from various sites, and follow the cheapest fares each week.

TIPS FOR SEARCHING:

✓DO be willing to spend a little time checking out fares on different search engines. It can take a little effort to find the best deal. That said, you don’t want to spend more than an hour or two booking an airfare. Find the best fare you can, and get on with your life.

✗DON’T underestimate how much checked baggage you’ll need when pricing tickets – especially if you’re booking on a budget airline, where great prices can quickly become high fares due to their steep baggage fees. Recently, even major airlines have adopted the trend of offering a bare bones Basic Economy fare which may include NO checked baggage except what you can fit under your seat, so make sure you understand the baggage that comes with your fare when you book it.

On budget airlines, baggage prices are also lowest if you buy them with your ticket purchase. You’ll pay a premium if you return later and add on baggage… and the prices go up even further if you add baggage the day of your flight at the airport.

✓DO consider flying out of airports you don’t normally use. Changing airports can result in big savings… just make sure the cost of getting to the airport doesn’t increase your costs too much , or you won’t come out ahead financially.

✗DON’T discount long layover flights – they often have the lowest prices, and there’s something to be said for chilling out and people-watching in a foreign country instead of frantically hustling through customs.

I have gotten great fares with insanely long layers (12+ hours) and used them to explore a new city. Just make sure you will be permitted to leave the airport when you arrive, or you’ll spend a long day in the terminal.

✓DO always search for tickets for only one traveler. Most airlines only return results for the cheapest ticket price available for the entire party’s tickets.

In other words, if there are three $300 tickets left, and the next fare up costs $350, when you search for a party of four, the airline will sell you four $350 tickets, instead of the three $300 cheaper ones and one $350 one. Book separately and save money. It won’t affect your ability to get seats together.

BOOKING TIPS:

✗DON’T let good deals pass you by: when you find a cheap flight, but you don’t have the money together yet, check to see if there is a ‘hold’ you can put on the ticket to lock down the price while you move money around.

✓DO book directly through the airline whenever possible. Third party booking sites and online travel agencies sometimes have poor customer service, and it can be incredibly difficult to adjust your booking or get a refund if your plans change, so when you find a cheap flight you can purchase directly from the airline, do it.

✗DON’T obsess over finding the perfect flight. The most important thing is getting to your destination for a reasonable amount of money on a doable itinerary. Perfectionism isn’t helpful, and it can ruin your enjoyment of your trip.

✓DO pick a favorite few travel search engines and stick to them … it doesn’t make sense to compare fares on 43 different sites, especially when airline fares change hour to hour, and sometimes literally minute to minute!

✗DON’T keep searching once the tickets are bought. There is no point in going back later to make sure prices haven’t gone down. According to Nomadic Matt, the folks at Google Flights say the difference between a deal and the normal fare is often $50 or less. Sure, it would be nice to have that change in your pocket, but it’s not enough money to ruin your vacation over. Instead, accept the price you got, and start anticipating your trip!

Are you ready to find a good deal? Check out my walk-through of how I book my flights!