Hi!

Either you are dreaming about white sandy beaches, blue sky, fancy short dress and a nice cocktail with small umbrella or a long hike over the beautiful mountains at the end of the world, it means that is the time to book yourself a nice time away.

But where to start? Should I go to booking.com and take a look at the beautiful hotels, pick up one and book it and then have a look at the flights?
I wouldn't recommend it.

It's just easier to be flexible enough to find suitable flight for a great price; if you will book your hotel before, you might end up being tied up in particular expensive flights or worse - there might be no flights at those dates! So, the safest option before you book anything is to do your research.


There is plenty of searching robots on the Internet
You might heard somewhere such websites like kayak, expedia, skyscanner and they are all great places to compare flights fares before you decide on one. They usually have a handy calendar to compare fares so id you are flexible with your dates you have a great chance to grab a bargain. I can recommend momondo platform as well which is great for long-distance flights such USA, Canada or Asia. I even prefer that website over skyscanner for long flights.

Expedia offers package with hotel sometimes, which might end up being either a bargain or overpay. If you think you found a great price for the package - check first how much would you pay by booking them separately and then you will have a real picture of the value.



Look out for a flight sales
Ryanair, WowAir, Norwegian Airlines and many more offer flash sales every now and then with ridiculously cheap fares all over Europe and World. The best bargains I have seen were 99euro from Dublin to New York, 500PLN from Katowice to Dubai etc. I have booked a flight from Dublin to Santorini, Greece for 73euro one way. Keep in mind there is a difference between those crappy ,,20% off seats" and flash sales and you want to look up at the second option.
Expedia also offers a bargain sales where you can find a flight with accommodation for just a flight price which is jaw-dropping.

This is the best and the cheapest option to get great fares and good value for money.



Try last minute holiday package
Trying travel agencies this days isn't so bad as it used to be few years back. Early bird and last minute deals can be really worth considering if you have that comfort of booking your holiday at work a week or two before departure. Sometimes last minute deal can be found even for a month before departure so it's not too bad. You also have usually some benefits included in that package like airport transfers or free hold luggage so it is comfortable option for someone who doesn't want to spend too much and still enjoy the comfort of organized holidays.



Don't book straight away without considering other options
That's the main thing that has two sides. You have to be patient enough to get a good deal sometimes. It's quite a risky game and you might get a great deal but if the price of the fare seem to be too good to be true is better to book as you might end up loosing your chosen flight. Most of airline's websites are based on cookies and they contain tracker of entries so the system knows which flight have been looked up the most and might increase the price of that particular flight.

It's a bit of a pain but if you are serious about finding yourself a great fare without overpaying, check out all the available search robots, package deals, holiday agencies and then decide on one the best option for you.



(US only) Overbooked flight
So, US airlines have that new thing, that frequent travelers enjoy a lot - overbooked flight. Basically, airlines are selling more tickets for the particular flights than they have seats - It suppose to be the reason to minimize the risk of having half-full or not fully booked flight and it's all good when there is enough passengers for all the seats but if the flight gets overbooked - here the adventure begins.

Airlines such as United or Delta offers any volunteers who decide to get bumped of the flight even 800 dollars worth vouchers for further flights and - if necessary - paid accommodation up until your next flight to main destination. Isn't it crazy? I don't know how they still end up being beneficial on this but if you have some time in your pocket and noting to loose or you are very frequent US flyer - try to voluntarily get bumped off the plane for some extra free bucks for next flights. Of course the flight you have been booked for will be free of charge as you agreed to stay over.




That's everything in that post, I hope I could help you a bit to clear out how to get as much value as possible and if you have any questions, drop the comment below and we'll be in touch!



pssst...

- Mags


instagram: gosiekth