Do you want to travel without breaking the bank? You could save a lot of money by following a few simple rules... Petit Futé offers you its vademecum of the perfect backpacker with these 10 tips to save on your plane ticket.
We also invite you to discover our article dedicated to the profession of travel tester, another way to travel at lower cost!
10 - Take advantage of Valentine's Day or even Black Friday
These commercial events are sometimes an opportunity to get very interesting offers. Black Friday takes place every year on the4th Thursday of November, it marks the beginning of the end of year shopping season in the United States and recently around the world. The flash sales of many airlines are often unbeatable. For Valentine's Day, lovers (or not!) will appreciate the many duo offers that allow two to travel for the price of one.
No. 9 - Be flexible!
We can't say it often enough: time is money! If your schedule is flexible enough, you may save a lot of money! For example, leaving on Tuesday is always much cheaper than leaving on Friday or Saturday. The same is true for comfort: sacrificing a few hours of sleep by leaving the airport very early can often result in significant savings. Finally, for long distances, think about stopovers! Losing a few hours in an airport will cost you less than a direct flight, for sure!
No. 8 - Use flight comparators and e-mail alerts
If you don't have the time, nor the desire, to go through all the companies' websites, think about flight comparators and their very useful alerts! Kayak, Opodo and Skyscanner all offer e-mail alerts that will keep you informed of any price reductions on the route you are looking for. As soon as the offer becomes interesting, rush! Generally, the seats go very fast!
No. 7 - Look out for anniversary offers
Another good plan: birthday offers. Be a little organized and track down the birth dates of the airlines (or subscribe to their newsletters, it's easier!). It is very frequent that on the occasion of their anniversary they propose promotional offers. This year for example, Iberia will be 90 years old on June 28. How about a weekend in Spain?
No. 6 - Take advantage of line openings
When airlines launch a new route, the call prices are often very interesting. Keep up to date with the latest news in the airline world, it could be worth the cost! For example, in November, Air France will open a Roissy-Charles de Gaulle - Malé(Maldives) route and in July, Bordeaux will be linked to Copenhagen. Be on the lookout!
No. 5 - Traveling on Friday the 13th
The most superstitious will skip it, the others will take advantage of this date shunned by travelers to save money. Indeed, every Friday the 13th, reservations drop. The airlines offer attractive prices to avoid having their planes take off half-full. Take advantage of this, the next Friday the 13th is in October!
Beware, some countries likeItaly have other superstitions! If you are traveling to the peninsula, take advantage of Friday the 17th that Italians dread.
N° 4 - Travel off-season (especially in November...)
It's well known that traveling out of season allows you to escape the flow of vacationers and save money. The ideal month would be November, with tickets costing up to 9.5% less according to a study by Skyscanner. So give yourself a little break before winter!
N° 3 - Book 8 weeks in advance
The ideal would be to book as early as possible, up to 6 months before the trip... But it is often complicated to get organized so early! The best time to book your plane ticket would be 2 months in advance. And the "last minute" is very rarely profitable, you should know that! It is high time to think about summer vacations!
N° 2 - Buy your ticket during the week (and never on the weekend, even if it is tempting!)
After a hard week you think about vacations and look at the prices of flights... Know that you are not alone in dreaming of weekend travel, so the airlines take advantage of this to increase their prices! Be patient and wait until Tuesday or Wednesday, you'll save money for sure!
N° 1 - Book the night
It's Tuesday, you are planning to travel in November and in two months precisely, very well, you are going to do business! Now, all you have to do is stay up a little later tonight... Prices for flights during off-peak hours, from 00:00 to 6:00 am, are generally very interesting. It's well worth the cost of losing a few hours of sleep for this one!
