Never in the history of humankind has it been so easy to travel from one side of the world to the other. With the click of a button, you can book a flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, and arrive at your Australian destination a mere 24 hours after leaving your front door. But despite the convenience and ease of travel, it can be extremely expensive.

Booking a plane ticket costs a lot of money, and for many travelers on a budget, it can be off-putting. As well as the cost of the actual ticket, you also have to fork out for transport to the airport, in-flight meals, baggage fees, and insurance. It can sometimes seem easier just to stay at home.

But for the money-conscious traveler, there are several ways to reduce the cost and save money on your flights. As long as you are smart about your booking and flexible about your journey, you can save a significant sum of money to enjoy on your holiday. Here are a few helpful tips to get you started.

Save money on flights by booking early

Many airlines ramp up their ticket prices closer to the departure date, as people become more desperate to buy their flights. Avoid losing money unnecessarily by being proactive. You should book at least six weeks in advance to benefit from the cost savings.

Booking a plane ticket costs a lot of money & for many budget travelers it can be off putting. So to help, here are several ways to reduce the cost of your flight. #budgettravel #flightdeals #cheapflights
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Travel out of peak season

Flights are understandably more expensive at certain times of the year. In the school holidays and the summer months, everyone is traveling abroad, so airlines can afford to increase their ticket prices without losing any customers. If you don’t mind when you travel, it could be a good idea to book your holiday away from the peak season. The exact date will of course depend on where you are traveling to. For example, if you’re visiting an area that’s popular with skiers and snowboarders, you’ll find winter flights to be just as expensive.

Use flight comparison sites

It’s rarely a good idea to always book straight from the airline’s website as you’ll be missing out on much better deals. Your best bet is to use a flight comparison site such as Skyscanner or Google Flights. These allow you to browse and compare multiple flights from different airlines, as well as identifying the cheapest dates and times to fly. 

Consider different routes

Sometimes the most direct route is not the cheapest, and you may be able to save a great deal of money on flights by taking a slightly different journey. If you have multiple airports within traveling distance of your home, it would be worth checking to see which one offers the cheapest journey. There may be options for a cheaper trip that makes a layover in a different country en route. Although this may take a lot longer, your ticket will cost a lot less.

Find empty legs

Some travelers with a lot of disposable income might opt to charter a private plane for an international trip. Such a journey obviously comes at an enormous expense, but it can result in the pilot flying in between stops without any passengers. These empty legs cost the charter companies a lot of money, and they would always prefer to fill seats if they can. For this reason, some firms offer empty leg options at a severely discounted rate. Not only will you save yourself some money, but you might even have a plane to yourself.

Be flexible

Do you have a fixed destination in mind or can you afford to be a bit flexible? When the time comes to book your flights, a quick search of a flight comparison site will show you the cheapest holiday destinations around your chosen departure date. A holiday is a holiday after all, and you’ll have just as wonderful a time whether you go to Madrid or Pamplona. And you’ll have more disposable travel money to spend on meals out, adventurous activities, and cocktails by the pool.

Pack light

It’s not just the plane ticket that costs money. Many airlines charge their passengers additional fees depending on how much luggage they have. Depending on the airline, you might have to pay up to $50 for a piece of checked baggage. If this applies to your journey, you can avoid this charge by packing light. Try to get everything you need into a carry-on bag you can take with you on the plane. It might require a few sacrifices and some clever packing skills, but it will make a huge difference to your holiday budget.

Now get flying

So as you can see, with a little research and preparation, booking a plane ticket doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money. But what tools do you use to help you save money on flights? Do you have other must-use search tools or websites that you swear by? Please, share them in the comments below so we can help others save money on their bucket list travels too!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Travel Board!

The post 7 Ways to Save Money on Flights appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

One of the best “side effects” of The Bucket List Project is hearing all the different bucket list dreams people often share with me. To see their faces light up as they describe the adventures, travels, or projects they want to complete makes my heart happy. Occasionally people will share with me a bucket list item that makes even me think, “Really? You must be crazy! I would never want to do that.” Now don’t get me wrong, I would probably do anything if I am inspired or incentivized and I would NEVER tell anyone that the things they dream of doing are wrong, but there are things that just don’t excite me or even perhaps scare me a little bit. I consider this My Anti-Bucket List: Things I don’t want to do before I die.

So what is on My Anti-Bucket List and why don’t I want to do them?

Below is My Anti-Bucket List: Things I don’t want to do before I die from A to Z. Not all of the items on My Anti-Bucket List are a definite NO. Therefore, I rated them from 1 Thumb’s Down for “would probably do it if it was free” to 3 Thumbs’ Down for “would only do it for a million dollars!”

A is for Acupuncture

Does anyone else have images of Pinhead from the movie Hellraiser when thinking about acupuncture? Now I am not scared of needles but the idea of being stabbed by multiple hair like needles in certain pressure points just doesn’t sound like fun to me.

The Anti-Bucket List is a hilarious list from Things from A to Z of things that Eric Gamble doesn't want to do before he dies! What is on your Anti-bucket list? #bucketlist #antibucketlist
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B is for Bungee Jumping

Just because I entered the world attached to a cord doesn’t mean I have to leave the world attached to another cord! It’s weird because I really have no major fear of heights at all. However, I am not a big fan of falling. So the idea of strapping a giant rubber band to my ankles and trusting some carnival ride operator to keep me safe as I dive to the earth will never be on my bucket list.

C is for Century Eggs

“I will not eat green eggs and ham, I will not eat them Eric, I am!”

Who doesn’t love eggs? Whether eating them boiled, scrambled, or as an omelet, eggs are one of my favorite breakfast foods. However, I don’t think I can stomach the idea of a Century Egg. Century Eggs, also known as preserved egg, hundred year egg, or thousand year egg are made by preserving duck, chicken or quail eggs in an alkaline mixture of clay and other ingredients for several weeks to several months.

So what makes them so bad? Well, everything I have read describes them as having a dark green jelly like consistency for the outside while the yolk is green and oozes everywhere. Then, if that doesn’t convince you to forgo the delicacy, perhaps the strong smell of horse urine emanating from the eggs will stop you.

D is for Dye My Hair

I never really wanted to dye my hair any fun color as a kid – probably because I have a big old Charlie Brown head and never wanted to waste that much dye. Even now as I am older it doesn’t phase me that my dark brown hair is finally changing and fading away. Perhaps, this is because it is changing into the pre-destined Sam Elliot white that apparently my genetics has been gracious enough to give me.

E is for Eat Vegetarian/Vegan

“Being a Vegetarian/Vegan is just a big Missed Steak!”

I love puns almost as much as I love bacon! Don’t get me wrong, I love veggies of all types but I have no desire to live solely on them forever. Perhaps this is because I just love eating a Cuban steak and New Orleans crawfish too much. So if you are vegetarian/vegan that is okay. Just lay off my double double animal style from In&Out!

F is for Fugu Sushi

Food allergies are no fun – especially the two I have! Now I am not 100% sure, but I may be allergic to a poison called tetrodotoxin, which is 1,200 times deadlier than cyanide. Total bummer I know but I guess that means no Fugu for me. Fugu is a blowfish served in Japanese restaurants that has enough tetrodotoxin poison to kill 30 people if not served properly. Therefore, you have to trust that the chef serving you underwent the mandatory two to three years of training to obtain a fugu-preparing license and is not having an off day. Unfortunately for me, the type of training they go through has a weird side effect that stimulates my second food allergy. Their expertise raises the price of a full course fugu meal to $200 (USD) which makes me break out in hives!

G is for Golf

“Golf is a good walk spoiled” ~H.S. Scrivener

Though originally attributed to Mark Twain, Scrivener originally wrote the quote in a 1903 book about lawn tennis. Either way, the quote holds true for me. I really don’t want to play golf. Now I love the idea of a golf outing. I mean what’s not to love about male bonding in a beautiful location, playing a competitive sport, while drinking and smoking cigars. But when it comes to the actual skill, I STINK!

H is for Hike Everest

Hiking and climbing to the peak of a mountain can offer unbelievable views. But avalanches, rock slides, and losing my toes to frostbite seem a bit much even for an insane adventurer like myself. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to explore the base camp and see the beauty. But I hate the cold and very much like living!

I is for Ice Fishing

Did I mention I hate the cold?! Well I do. So to traverse across a frozen lake to sit in a wooden outhouse to catch fish out of a hole sounds like the worst vacation ever. If this sounds like heaven to you, then more power to you but leave me on a Caribbean island any day while you guys freeze to death.

J is for Jump Off a Cliff in a Wing Suit

I think flying squirrels are some of the coolest looking creatures ever. But that doesn’t mean I want to emulate them. Perhaps this is because I hate the thought of plummeting to my death. Or maybe it is because I just don’t really want to jump off a cliff in a wing suit ever. Even with a really good travel insurance from World Nomads, it doesn’t sound like my idea of fun!

While it is common for most people to create a bucket list, are there things you DON'T want to do before you die? Eric Gamble came up with just a list – an Anti-bucket list and it is hilarious! #Antibucketlist #bucketlist
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K is for Kopi Luwak Coffee

I know this may sound strange but I don’t like coffee at all. My dad used to grind Cuban coffee beans every morning and then brew up a wonderfully smelling beverage. But it just isn’t my thing.

With Kopi Luwak Coffee, there is no budge in my view. If you don’t know, Kopi Luwak is coffee made from part-digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet. That is right, coffee made from animal poop!

L is for Learn how to Fly a Plane

My cousin Alex is a United States Naval Aviator, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. However, this has never created a desire in me to learn how to fly a plane. I mean I drive like a reckless NASCAR car driver already. Can you imagine me flying in the air above your head like an insane maniac?

M is for Mohawk

Did I mention I have a big old Charlie Brown head? Growing up in the 80s with characters like Mr. T made having a Mohawk a tough guy thing. But I would end up looking more crazy like Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver than cool.

N is for the Ngwala Cup

I love The Adventurists and all the crazy races they put together! For those of you who don’t know, The Adventurists are the lunatics who developed the insane Rickshaw Run that Darcee and I participated in January of 2017.

However, they have one race that doesn’t interest me at all, the Kraken Cup (formerly known as the Ngwala Cup). Essentially, you take a dugout canoe made from a mango tree, add a bamboo mast, a sail and a couple of outriggers and you sail it towards the Indian Ocean racecourse of spice islands, deserted beaches and sand banks off the coast of Tanzania. Sorry I have no desire to be Tom Hanks in Castaway.

O is for Own a Motorcycle or Dirt Bike

My good friend Jason Hippler is an avid motorcycle rider and I love hearing his stories of riding around the country, but that is really the extent of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of taking a motorcycle on the open road or riding a dirt bike out on the trail. Not to mention, riders always look cool wearing their awesome helmets or the top dirt bike jackets. But, I took a motorcycle riding class and hated it. Perhaps it is because I drive a car like a maniac or maybe because my mom would kill me, but in this instance, being Evel Knievel is not on my bucket list.

P is for Piercing my Body

I have no desire to get my ears or any other body part pierced. This is probably because my earlobes are Dumbo floppy and they would look stupid on me. But in reality it’s more because I am a bit clumsy and I would be one of those horror stories where I get my piercing viciously ripped out in an accident of some sort.

Q is Quit Cigar Smoking

I love smoking a good cigar. It’s been a vice of mine since college. It relaxes me and slows me down even just for one hour. Perhaps a good cigar is my version of Adderall that allows me to focus and pay attention to my friends. Plus, I AIN’T NO QUITTER!!

R is for Run a Race

If you ever see me running, I would advise you to start running too because something bad like a bear, a tidal wave, or a woman scorned is chasing me! Don’t get me wrong, I admire anyone, like my friend Joe Elfer, who signs up for a marathon or a 5k but it doesn’t interest me at all!

S is for Skydive

Back to that falling thing again. Not going to happen if I can help it. My good friend Steve always wanted to go skydiving so I surprised him with the opportunity to fulfill that Bucket List dream. However, like most people he got a bit nervous right before going up in the plane. Like an idiot, I offered to join him in solidarity to boost his courage. Thank God he didn’t need me and had the time of his life cause my pants don’t look good with pee all over them!

T is for Tattoo my Body

I really admire the artwork of tattoo artists. Some of the designs they come up with are truly beautiful. With that said, I don’t think I ever want to get a tattoo. I don’t think people with tattoos are any less, in fact I admire their desire to wear such amazing art. However, I am just too non-committal to a design. I would get a tat and then 2 days later want to erase it and get something different.

U is for U.F.O. Hunting

Is there other life in our universe? I have no idea and I really have no desire to spend time exploring Roswell, crop circles, or other alien sighting locations. Don’t get me wrong, I love astronomy and star gazing. But I have seen what aliens do to unsuspecting alien hunters and just don’t want a prostate exam today.

V is for Visit Austin, Texas

Ok so this is going to ruffle some feathers but the idea of Austin, Texas rubs me wrong. Perhaps it is because I am a New Orleans snob but Austin just seems like a hipster rip off. I just have no desire to see Austin City Limits or South by Southwest music festivals or to eat over priced food out of food trucks.

W is for Write a Book

One of the weirdest compliments I get from time to time is “you should write a book about your bucket list adventures!” Now don’t get me wrong, this is very flattering but I am no author. The idea of writing more than a blog article makes me sweat and my fingers cramp. So I will leave writing to the great authors of our time like E.L. James, L Ron Hubbard, or Nicholas Sparks.

X is for X-Mas Markets in Europe

Ok so I cheated a little with X but Christmas (X-Mas) Markets just don’t excite me. Now, Darcee would sell my organs to explore the beautiful markets in Germany, Austria, Poland, or Czech Republic. The idea of strolling the illuminated stalls and sipping hot chocolate or mulled wine would definitely get her in the Christmas spirit. However it isn’t the reason I want to jump on a plane to travel to those destinations. X-MAS MARKETS, BAH HUMBUG!

Y is for Yoga

So I love to go the gym and train. It is a great way to stay in shape and relieve stress. But there is something about tying myself into a pretzel that just doesn’t sound fun. Again this is probably because I am kind of a spaz and I would be that guy in yoga class who ends up needing medical attention cause I went left when I should have gone right. Plus I don’t want to be ogled at by those heathen yoga women. I am not a piece of meat ladies!

Z is for Zeppelin (the blimp not the band)

So Z was another tough letter. But some people that tell me they would love to ride the Goodyear Blimp (aka a Zeppelin). Now I love seeing a Zeppelin in the sky! However, to be stuck up there for several hours overlooking the Super Bowl from several miles away just doesn’t sound like a good time to me.

We all love dreaming of the many things on our bucket list. But are there things you would never do? Eric Gamble of the Bucket List Project has a few ideas and added it to his hilarious Anti-Bucket List! #bucketlist #antibucketlist
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So that is My Anti-Bucket List: Things I don’t want to do before I die from A to Z. Was there anything in the list above that you would definitely do or you have done? Tell me why I should change my mind! Also, what is on your Anti-Bucket List? Are there things you would never want do before you die? Let me know in the comments below!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: This post, “The Anti-Bucket List: Things I dont want to do before I die” may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post My Anti-Bucket List: Things I don’t want to do before I die appeared first on The Bucket List Project.

One of the questions we get quite often is “how do you afford to travel so much?” With the high cost of airfare these days, the question is not surprising. However, with a lot of research, I have developed a personal strategy to help me save money on flights to various bucket list locations. I have compiled it all into one place to make it easier for you to travel to your own bucket list destinations. So, here is The Bucket List Guide to Cheap Flights.

Use Multiple Search Tools

If you are flying to a specific destination, I recommend searching multiple flight comparison sites. It is true that most flight search tools often have with similar results. However, some will have additional results that will fit your budget, so it is worth taking the time to search multiple sites. Here are the websites we use to help us snag great prices on flights that always guide us to cheap flights:

• Kiwi – Kiwi is definitely on the list of sites we always check first when looking for flights. They help me find and book cheap flights anywhere in the world. For example, Darcee & I were able to get one-way tickets from London to Boston for around $165 USD each! Another one of the features I like is the flight map they provide from any departure city you enter. So, if you are looking to just get away, just fill in your city of departure and find great prices to anywhere on the map. Just CLICK HERE & See for yourself!
• Momondo – Momondo is definitely one of my stops when looking for flights to any destination. It is a global travel search site comparing billions of cheap flights, hotels and car hire deals. They can help you find and compare fares from 700+ travel sites, giving you access to the best rates for airline tickets online.
• SkyScanner – Skyscanner is another one of my favorite flight price comparison sites. It allows flexible search options where you can browse prices across a whole month, or even a year. One of the best features is that if you don’t have a specific destination in mind, you can type in “Everywhere” in the destination field. This will allow you to find flight deals on bucket list destinations you may not have even considered. 
• eDreams – We like eDreams because they offer cheap flights year-round that save us lots of money. Perhaps that is because they are the 5th largest online travel agency in the world that offers over 60,000 flight-routes from more than 440 airlines! But what we really like is how they can combine different airline companies for flights in order to find the best price for the flight. Click here to search the Flight Deals from eDreams!
• Google Flights – A unique way to choose your flight from a simple list of results, explore destinations on a map and find travel dates with the lowest fare.

With a lot of research @theBLPblog has developed a great guide to help anyone find cheap flights to almost any bucket list destination. Check out the Bucket List Guide to Cheap Flights today! #travel #cheapplanetickets
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Subscribe to Flight Deal Emails

One of the ways we land great flight deals is by email! Every day, we receive several emails from different companies that scour airlines for unbelievable prices to random destinations. They only catch is that they send you a list of flights from miscellaneous starting points. However, this is how we scored an unbelievable round trip flight deal from Miami to Germany for Oktoberfest for around $325 (USD)! Along with specific airlines (mentioned in another section), we subscribe to the following email newsletters to that help guide us to cheap flights around the world:

• Dollar Flight Club – The Dollar Flight Club is definitely a Recommended Tool for finding cheap flights to bucket list destinations! Currently they have helped over 500,000 Bucket List Travelers save tons of money on flights both domestically and internationally! Personally, we have used them to save on average about $350+ on round trip internationally. For example, when I was looking for flights to India for the Rickshaw Run, Dollar Flight Club notified me of a Round Trip from Washington, DC, USA to Fort Kochi, India for less than $500 USD! That is insane! But don’t take my word for it, Sign Up HERE for a FREE TRIAL and see what kind of deals they will email you!
• Scott’s Cheap Flights – Now I’m sure you’ve heard of Scott’s Cheap Flights since they send suggestions on flights to 2+ million members daily! But what we like is that they search for & try to find flights that should be no more than 6 cents per mile. So, if you are doing the math, you could save an average of $550 per ticket by Signing up for free HERE!
• Jack’s Flight Club – Jack’s is kind of like the twin of Dollar Flight Club, but out of the United Kingdom. Plus, they often send different emails for ridiculously low-priced flight deals to destinations all over the world. We signed up for their Free Trial Here. Then, we set it to our U.S. home airport & started receiving discounts, hidden offers, & other
  error fares almost immediately.

Use Social Media as a Guide to Cheap Flights

The biggest problem with “flight deals” is that you sometimes miss them. However, using Facebook and Twitter can actually help you land some flight deals before they expire. Obviously, consider following your favorite airlines and even your local airport for updates. I recommend also following the sites listed above to get updates. A few other sites that post daily with great flight deals are below:

• Travel Pirates on Facebook – Travel Pirates pride themselves on their ability to find cheap flights, hotels and vacation packages for their followers. I also like how they often post travel tips, tricks, and ideas that anyone can use.
• Secret Flying on Facebook – Secret Flying is a team of passionate travelers who provide details to the most incredible flight deals. When they find a great deal, they immediately post information about the fare on social media and their website.

Join Frequent Flyer Programs

This may sound like a no brainer, but I am always surprised how many people don’t get the miles for their flights. I sign up for every frequent flyer program available and make sure to enter in my numbers for each flight no matter how small. This inevitably has resulted in upgrades to better seats and many free flights around the country. Also, this is a great way to get information on sales, promotional codes, and travel information. So, be sure you have signed up for the airlines’ email list as well.

Whether you're flying to see family at the holidays or taking an epic bucketlist trip, plane tickets can be expensive. So we've developed a simple strategy to help anyone get Cheap Flights! #CheapFlights #SaveOnPlaneTickets #AirfareDeals
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Create Specific Flight Alerts for Cheap Flights

If you know where you want to go and you have some time before your big trip, I strongly recommend you set up a travel price alert. Instead of constantly searching for a future trip, I will set up several travel alerts through 2 or 3 different websites that will send notifications when there is a price change. These are the sites I personally have found offer the best alerts:

• Airfare Watchdog – Airfare Watchdog is an airfare monitoring and alert site that provides free fare alerts to subscribers and visitors. They make it easy to sign up for their free email airfare alerts with your personal airline preferences. What I like is that they also include bargain airlines. Click Here to set up Price Alerts with Airfare Watchdog!
• Skyscanner – So here is Skyscanner again. But for good reason, they are good! Skyscanner Price Alerts are free, and simple to get. You’ll be sent an email informing you of any price changes as soon as they happen, so you won’t miss out on a cheap deal. All you have to do is perform a search for your trip, if the price isn’t right yet, you can click on the “Get Price Alerts” on the top left, and you’re done!

Figure out When to Buy

So, if you search, “When should I Buy Airplane Tickets” you will get countless websites giving you hundreds of different answers. However, in research both online and from my personal experiences, I have found that buying plane tickets on Tuesday in the afternoon tends to be the best for prices.

In terms of how long prior to your trip, there have been several studies that show about 7 weeks or 54 days prior to your trip tends to be the lowest price. However, in that same study, it showed that too early you pay too much. So, I recommend first setting up a Price Alert about 3 months prior to your trip if possible. Also, if you see a great deal from a fare deal email or social media, jump on it no matter how far out it is.

For Cheap Flights Play Around with Your Flight Options

I have found one of the biggest ways to get cheap flights is to be flexible and think a little out of the box. With the airline industry and internet constantly changing, there really aren’t any set rules anymore. Therefore, you need a little flexibility if you want to save money. When possible, consider these alternatives when booking your plane tickets:

• Play Around with Your Travel Dates – This is perhaps one of the few flight options that has always led to higher costs for most people. Traditionally, flying on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturdays have always been cheaper. So, I recommend starting your search to fly on those days first. However, this may not always be true, so use the calendar in your flight search to explore. (For example: I was able to fly out of London to Boston for $100 less on a Monday instead of Tuesday all because I checked)
  • Check Travel Dates before asking for time off from work – I used to be guilty of this and I am sure many others are too. People often ask off of work (usually for a Monday with a weeklong vacation or for Friday for a weekend trip) and then they have trapped themselves with limited travel days. Therefore, if you are considering a trip, start researching first before asking the boss for the time off!
• Play Around with Your Airports – This next biggest challenge to saving money on flights is not only your destination airport, but sometimes your airport of departure. So I always play around with both my departure airport & destination airport.
  • Departure Airport – Living in New Orleans is great for flights around the southern United States or to Latin America, but it sometimes cost me a pretty penny to fly to major cities around the world. Not to mention, I often have to connect somewhere like Atlanta or Houston for national flights or Miami, Boston, New York City, or Los Angeles for international. So, if I am not happy with my cost to fly out of New Orleans, I start researching.
    • First, I look at where the search engine has me connecting. I then start a new search to see if the cost from the connection to my final destination is considerably cheaper. Then I do another search to see if I can get to that middle connection cheaper, use airline miles for a free ticket there, or find a cheaper alternative to get there.
    • If the middle connection cities aren’t cheaper, then I use options like the Google Flights map to see if they list a city that is considerably cheaper to fly out of to my destination. If there is one listed that fits the bill, then I do another search to see if I can get a connection there cheaper, use airline miles for a free ticket there, or find a cheaper alternative to get there. For example: New Orleans to Cologne, Germany can cost on average $1,200 round trip. But I snagged a ticket from Miami to Cologne for $325. Flights from New Orleans to Miami round trip tend to average $225. So, if I just take the easy way and pay for my New Orleans to Miami flights and then on to Cologne, I will spend $550 versus the $1200 from New Orleans to Cologne, Germany. That is a savings of $650 for Beer and Brats and other travel adventures!
  • Destination Airport – Your destination airport can also be costly. Now with the flight search sites listed above, it is really easy to click on “search nearby airports” and you will get additional results that will save you some considerable money. This works great for large metro cities around the world that usually have several airports within the city limits. However, when flying to other places perhaps consider other cities or even nearby countries. For example, last year I wanted to walk the Camino de Santiago, but every airport in Spain and France consistently quoted me a price around $700. So, I used my Google Flights map to discover that if I flew to Lisbon, Portugal, it would only cost $400 and then I found a great train ticket via OmioTravel (Formerly GoEuro) to St. Jean Pied de Port for around $100. That saved me $200 for lots of great Spanish Red Wine and Tapas!
• Play around with One Way Tickets – We are so trained to buy round trip tickets! However, the airlines will sometimes ding you on that. So, I often look at “One Way” tickets to see if it will save me money. Sometimes it is cheaper to book two separate one-way tickets with different airlines than a round trip with the same airline. Also, I often find that I have enough airline miles for a free one-way ticket, which helps. So, then I will buy the cheaper “One Way” ticket. Then I will use my miles to save versus a higher priced round trip ticket.
• Consider Flying Alone – Now this doesn’t mean you have to leave your loved ones at home while you fly to some exotic resort. Unless you want it to mean that! Ha! But seriously, research single tickets versus group tickets. Sometimes special deals might be available for single tickets but not for group ones. Then when booking your tickets, you can manage seats or arrive early at the airport and ask the airline attendant for help.

Learn how to save money on flights! With the Bucket List Guide to Cheap Flights, anyone can save on Plane tickets anywhere! #CheapFlights #CheapPlanetickets #travel
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Go Incognito!

Now this doesn’t mean showing up at the airport in sunglasses and a trench coat unless you want to become really friendly with TSA. No, what I am referring to is to hide your computer and your cookies from search sites. I can’t tell you how many times I searched one of the great sites listed above and then came back a while later to see the ticket price somewhat inflated. So how do you hide yourself? There are 3 main ways:

• Clean out your cookies – Before going to a search site, go to your tools tab and click on internet options. Then under the general tab you will see a section that says, “Browsing History” and click the delete button.
• Use Incognito Mode – This is my favorite way to search. With Explorer, go to Tools at the top and then click on “InPrivate Browsing.” In Chrome, near the address bar at the top click on the 3 dots on the right and click “New Incognito Window.” Either way will open up a new window that you can use your favorite search site without having your past browsing or cookies used against you.
• Use a VPN – I haven’t used this method yet. But from what I have researched, using a VPN can hide your location and you can even change your location.  This can allow you to use search websites from different countries to possibly land you cheaper flights.

What tools do you use to help guide you to cheap flights? Do you have other must-use search tools or websites that you would recommend for this guide? Share them in the comments! Also, don’t forget to check out other Recommended Tools we use to pursue the many different items in The Bucket List Project!

Don’t forget to Pin this to your Bucket List Board!

Disclosure: “The Bucket List Guide to Cheap Flights” may contain affiliate links. Using the links doesn’t cost you any extra, and it helps keep the site free, fun, and community supported! Eric & Darcee will never recommend a product that we don’t genuinely believe in, actually use ourselves, have researched, and trust. Please see the disclosure policy for more information.

The post The Bucket List Guide to Cheap Flights appeared first on The Bucket List Project.