1-Choosing the Right Country...
You may have a specific destination in mind but be aware that this may not be the best time to go. The causes: currency too high, destination in vogue, high season, country where the cost of living is high etc ... If your current financial means are limited, prefer instead a country where life is not expensive on the spot, where it is not the full tourist season during your dates, where the currency is less strong than the euro.
Tell yourself that you will have other moments to go to this country that makes you dream so much but that you can not offer yourself now. There are so many beautiful places to discover ... You will surely be pleasantly surprised by other destinations where you did not think to go.
You have now the possibility to filter our good plans by airport of departure / destination / period / budget max
2-Buy these air tickets
Finally comes the time to break his piggy bank and go to the cashier!
Two techniques: Either you make fun of the destination and jump on the first good cheap plan that we publish on Voyagespirates.
Either you have chosen your destination and are afraid to pay the high price. To minimize the risk of bankruptcy, give priority to departures and returns during the week as from Tuesday to Wednesday, which would be among the cheapest. Avoid school holidays and rush hours on weekends. For a weekend in a European capital, it is best to start from Friday to Monday or from Saturday to Tuesday.
The lowest period of the year when airfares are the cheapest is February / March.
The best time to buy your plane ticket is the off-peak time, for example at night or Tuesday at 3pm, times when airlines lower prices. Do your research in private navigation to avoid sites recognize your IP address and increase prices on the second visit!
Define alerts for opening airline ticket sales or watch prices well in advance. For Asia or the Caribbean, it is best to take your plane ticket 4 months in advance. For Europe, 2 or 3 months with low-cost.
For long-haul flights, a direct flight will often be more expensive than a flight with a stopover, except special promotion.
Many factors come into play for buying a cheap airline ticket but keep in mind that flexibility in schedules and flight time is required. And if you do not want to spend hours comparing and searching, watch our offers because we do it on a daily basis!
3-Choosing the right credit card
Choose the right credit card as all flight comparators add bank charges at the very last step of the reservation. The price changes when you indicate the type of bank card then check well before entering your card numbers. Debit cards have no bank charges like Visa Debit or Maestro. All other Visa, Mastercard, American Express cards etc are added up to 50 €!
Tip? Compare booking sites ... Some charge less than others. Expedia for example always displays the final price with card fee included.
Change your credit card if you travel a lot. For example, a Visa Premier or a Gold Mastercard will bring you many advantages during your travels, such as the rental car insurance included, the luggage reimbursement in case of loss, compensation in the event of cancellation and delay of more than 4 hours on an airplane or train trip, pick-up in case of delay (driver, hotel etc.) repatriation, medical assistance, lower foreign withdrawal fees. In short, many advantages to consult with your bank.
Also, there are loyalty programs like FyingBlue in partnership with American Express. Each purchase with your card will allow you to accumulate miles to exchange at AirFrance or all their partner companies, and even on hotels, shops, car rentals etc .
4-Special sales
All airlines make flash sales and promotional offers, just be aware that they do not last long and impose a booking deadline and a travel period. If you follow us assiduously, you will not miss them because we monitor every day this type of offers! The newsletters of the companies also make it possible to be aware of the offers to come.
5-Last minute
One of the main secrets is to book your trip in advance but conversely, leaving at the last minute allows you to find some treasures. The key word: flexibility!
It can be super cool to leave on a whim, pack up and spin a few days later! Beware, however, of sites that offer false discounts and inflate the basic price by believing a -70%. If you do not know much about it, our wise eye can detect real promotions.