Travel Resources

FINDING CHEAP FLIGHTS & GETTING from A – B online – see LINKS below… to a variety of the best search sites all conveniently on one page for you 🙂 There are APPS for most of these as well  but I think many people prefer PLANNING and BOOKING TRAVEL transport  on larger screens to get a fuller picture of their options 

Planning a Trip is a thrill and adventure on its own. It can be exciting and rewarding putting your own Flight & Accommodation together as you will literally have the world at your fingertips…. BUT it can also be very stressful as you are always wondering if you are getting the best deal, and if prices are going to drop if you wait a bit longer etc.

My advice is to do your search (see my TIPS & LINKS below) and then just book when you’ve found the best deal for your Dates and Times, as you can’t predict what is going to happen with prices, and who knows –  the next time you look those flights could be fully booked too, esp if you are planning on traveling during a busy season, or sometimes you are not aware of events such as concerts, conferences etc. that are suddenly announced to be held at your point of destination… which could also cause flights to suddenly get booked up. So it could be a case of snooze and you lose!. if you wait too long.

There are many well known sites for booking fights like Expedia, Cheap Tickets, Hotwire, Travelocity, Smart Fares, Red Tag etc

HOWEVER …I Strongly suggest you look at the sites mentioned below first, these have been proven to be much better in most instances.

Getting the best deal is often a matter of timing, so take advantage of the advanced weekly and other search option features offered in just about all of the sites listed below, where you can see availability and prices of various days, incl those around your preferred dates.

All the Search Engines have their strengths and weaknesses ie. some search for certain Budget Airlines that others dont, …. so I suggest you search using at least 2 or 3 of the below mentioned sites.

A FEW TIPS:

1) According to SKYSCANNER (based on over 900 million airfares) – the best time to book for DOMESTIC flights is 2 to 3 month in advance & for INTERNATIONAL Flights it’s 5 to 6 months in advance …. BUT having said that ITS NOT A RULE SET IN STONE ..and if youre going to a popular desitnation in peak season, then I’d start looking a bit earlier to be safe.

2) My advise is to also.. SEARCH and BOOK early in the morning or during the day on WEEKDAYS (try to avoid between 7 and 10 pm on weekdays OR weekends,  as that’s when prices tend to go up …. as ONLINE traffic increases).

3) In GENERAL it still seems that weekend flights tend to be more expensive than flights leaving during the week, also many Business travellers fly on Mondays and Fridays so in some cases those days will be more expensive as well, so if youre flexible in terms of what days you fly there are savings to be made, bear in mind also the route or month or season dictates the price …no matter what day you fly.

4) Remember to check the FLIGHT TIME and STOPS …sometimes you see a deal that seems great, and at first glance seems to be the best available…but in some instances it means a lot of wasted time with more stops and/ or long layovers, so that may not really be the best option.

5) In most cases when searching for Flights to a set destination…flights with stops will be cheaper than direct flights, this is also a great way of coming across and discovering new destinations, that could tempt you with a short diversion offering unexpected adventures.

6) Make use of STUDENT and UNDER 26  DISCOUNT PRICES… (savings from 10 – 20%) are available in many instances by quite a few Airlines and their partners – so here it may be worth booking through a Travel Agent like Student Universe  or Flight Centre  as airlines dont always “advertise” this benefit.

7) Dont Book too far in advance – like 11- 9 months ahead of time or when flights just start becoming available – in most cases fares will be less that, as the Airlines will have specials and adjustments due to competition ... but dont wait till the last minute either as generally fares keep going up the closer you get to the departure date.

8) Last Minute Deals do exist – but generally those are more likely to be Packaged Vacation Deals, where a number of seats have been pre-booked, and if some seats / packages have not been sold a week before departure, then some Travel Companies will heavily discount them to fill the seat … but you need to be flexible as to where you go,  and be ready to leave at short notice.

8) In most cases you have 24 hrs to cancel your ticket without paying a penalty – so I suggest if you want a bit of confirmation for peace of mind that you have the best deal, do a second search an hr or two before that time runs out, and if a better price does come up book it …. but only once you’re sure you got it, then go and cancel your initial booking.

9) If possible, BOOK with a CREDIT CARD instead of DIRECT BANKING – many Credit Cards offer additional Travel Insurance for Luggage as well as Flight Delays etc.

NOTE:  Since Covid everything is a bit more topsy turvy as Airlines scramble to get back into the swing of things …so these “general rules / guidelines” are not written in stone because of current global situiations, economic and other.

Rome2Rio –  This SITE & APP could well change the way you plan your travels …it really gives you all the options on how to get between 2 places ANYWHERE …by Plane, Train, Bus, Ferry ….. Enter any address, landmark, or city as your destination, pick dates  and they will display all your travel and booking options… you might then decide its best to fly and either book a flight through them. or use another flight search engine now that you know where its best to fly from to see if you can get better pricing  etc OR depending on your plans maybe you want a more scenoic route and decide to rather take a  train or bus or ferry or a combo… ADD IN  information about accommodation and things to do, and you have all the travel info at your fingertips to plan your trip all in one convenient spot. APP also available for mobile phone. 

Skyscanner – my #1  GO TO site to search for flights. They often have the best deals. If you’re open to new horizons, their  “from Your Destination to Everywhere” search is a great feature, and lets you look up the cheapest fights going to just about anywhere in the world, so if you haven’t decided on where you want to go…. a cheap flight to a specific destination might just tempt you – be sure to change the regional setting to your country when searching. Skyscanner is a search engine similar to Google Flights. By clicking on your preferred provider, you will be redirected to the site that you choose to make the final purchase, taking you away from Skyscanner.

Momondo – probably my 2nd best site for searching as they also look for deals from anywhere – and often seach Budget Airlines others dont.. if you’re fexible with dates their PIANO KEY STYLE BAR highlights an entire month making it easier to get the cheapest fights. You can view flight prices for other days of the month by hovering over the “piano key like calendar” at the top of the search window.

Google Flights – also great and a definite go to as well.  You can search for flights within a range of times visualized in a DATE GRID or PRICE GRAPH pop up window, which allows you easily see when is the cheapest day to fly to a particular destination.  When clicking on your preferred provider, you will be redirected to the site that you choose to make the final purchase, taking you away from Google Flights.

Hopper – MOBILE APP – Hopper is an online travel agency so when you book a ticket you book it through them “spend less – travel better” is their goal …customers either seem to rate them as great or bad depending on the experience – a lot seems to be because no customer service other than through app, and thats an issue with cancelled flights etc – so many now use it as a search tool and then book that flight or accomodation directly with the airline etc. Having said that they do get some great deals and have a nice price freeze feature by paying a deposit – but beware if you dont book that exact flight you dont get your deposit back.

Secret Flying – Airlines often make errors in pricing when posting fights – if you are quick and book a fight during an error you can get fights at insanely low prices -Secret Flying scans for and report these and other deals incl Hotel mispricing.

DOWNLOAD their Secret Flying App to receive INSTANT ALERTS the moment they publish a deal. You can also enter your location and see what deals are up for coming months  to an “Anywhere” option.

AirTreks – Top Dog for booking Multi City & Around the World Trips trips… creating itineraries using Multiple Airlines.

Kiwi – Another good one to watch, here you can search multiple cities and countries at once.

Airfarewatchdog – If youre flexible re dates and destinations… this is a good one to watch and you can sign up for their alerts – they have a team scanning the internet for fight deals including ones not advertised, and will notify you of deals for your route / destination leaving from your home base.

Jet Cost – Another one to consider.

The Flight Deal – keep an eye on GREAT upcoming deals departing from your city – CANADIAN …I found a American site but it was not easy to navigate .. so many ads and it didnt make it easy to search anything.

Vayama – Also good at deals. 

Scotts Cheap Flights – is a Membership Service – sending out  deals for all 3 of its Membership Plans… for now seems to be ONLY for flights leaving from the USA … leave the deal hunting to them – they will alert you of the best deals from an airport you want to follow, and email you info incl a booking link and how long the deal might last etc.

Flighthub –  For US & CANADA This name has come up often  – however I have never personally tried booking through them as there seems to be a ton of mixed reviews and disgruntled customers out there

ITA Matrix – is a powerful search tool when wanting to search for unique flights as it has a more complex filtering system where you can search by airline, flight number, include or exclude an aircraft type, fare class and much more BUT you cannot book flights on this platform, it just gives you the info to either contact the airlines dierctly to pass along to a Travel Agent. So for most travellers who just want the best deal this is probably not the best option.

TRAVEL AGENTS

Not everyone feels comfortable booking Flights and Accommodation online, especially when booking a trip with multiple destinations – so if you want to be sure of Connecting Flights, Insurances etc then a good Travel Agent can be worth their weight in gold. Ask family and friends if they know of any who have given exceptional service as its always good to contact someone who was referred to you.

For Students and the under 26 traveler DISCOUNT PRICES, I suggest going through an agent like STUDENT UNIVERSE or a large global agency like FLIGHT CENTRE,  or speak to someone at the Airline directly to see if and what they offer.

Many people assume that booking through an agent means paying top prices for Flights and Accommodation, but this is not the case if you are dealing with someone who really knows the business. Quite often they are aware of upcoming Airline Specials and Seat Sales and can ensure that all runs smoothly ie that if a fight is canceled or late for any reason, you are covered and the airlines will sort you out with next available fights and even accommodation if necessary. They know which Airlines are affiliated with others which can also  help in everything running smoothly.

CREDIT CARD POINTS & REWARD FLIGHTS

Many Credit Cards have Point or Air Mile Programs attached to them, and if you are interested in travelling a lot you can only benefit by signing up with one, and if you put all your monthly expenses on your credit card (making sure you can pay up your account each month), you will be amazed how fast your reward points will accumulate and can be used for fights, hotels, car rental and you get added benefits of entry into numerous Airport Lounges, giving you free drinks, meals, wifi, showers etc etc

Take note though – Not all Credit Card Point systems are geared towards travel – some are better for money back and shopping, so make sure to compare before signing up.

I’ve tried a few over the years with various Banks and Financial Institutions here in Canada, and have found that one of the Best for Travel is the Royal Banks AVION. You can book anytime and there are no blackout periods and they are not afiliated to any airline either which is a huge benefit.

AIRLINE FREQUENT FLYER points

To get even more bang for your buck make sure to sign up as a Frequent Flyer with all the Airlines you use, as you will accumulate extra points there as well on their system …and many airlines are afiliated or in partnership with each other, so your reward fights can be used with their partners as well.

In some cases you can also exchange points between Banks and the Airlines, ie every now and then Avion ofier an exchange to British Airways where you get 1.5 BA miles for every Avion point, which can result in you getting a free Flight or Travel Reward much sooner – however BA have “black out periods” and only a few free reward point seats are available on each fight, meaning that you really need to book months in advance to ensure a Travel Reward Seat using their BA miles.