You are currently viewing 4 tips to prepare to seize deals: how to find flight deals

It’s a great time to invest a bit of time to learn important travel tips, so you can make up for the lost time (or rather lost trips) later this year. Flight deals at 50% off are the best way to travel more and we’ll help you be ready to seize them with these 4 simple tips… because the key is really to be ready.

It’s critical that you use this forced travel break to learn: traveling for less (or traveling more often—or both) is something you can achieve so much more easily with good preparation and planning.

And with our pro tips, we’ll help make sure you don’t end up going on just 1 or 2 trips per year. Maybe you won’t be able to go on 12 international trips as I have in 2019, but we want your level of ambition to be to at least do more than you did before: that’s very doable.

 

What are flight deals?

First, let’s define this for those who might not know Flytrippers too well yet.

Plane tickets are literally the travel expense whose price can vary the most: the very same plane ticket can sell for $500 or $1,500—my seatmates on my $499 roundtrip flight to Singapore were very disappointed and frustrated when I gleefully told him they paid 3 times more than I did (#sorrynotsorry, learning hard truths is the best way to grow).

So basically, airlines often discount plane tickets but they never advertise these prices: if you don’t know it’s there and book it quickly, you’ll never know it existed (like most travelers). That’s why we spot them and share them for free so you can be the one to take advantage of them.

Some examples that I’ve booked myself include flights from Montreal to:

  • Dubai for $190 roundtrip
  • The Netherlands for $250 roundtrip
  • Sweden for $300 roundtrip
  • France for $350 roundtrip
  • Japan for $350 roundtrip
  • Singapore for $499 roundtrip
  • China for $499 roundtrip
  • South Africa for $550 roundtrip
  • Lebanon for $390 roundtrip
  • Sri Lanka for $490 roundtrip
  • Peru for $390 roundtrip
  • Florida for $40 roundtrip (from Plattsburgh)

(And of course, we’ve spotted even better ones that I just didn’t happen to book.)

Those are all far less than half the regular price.

In short, many people who believe in the myth that travel is expensive always make one big critical mistake: they don’t make a plan to travel more. There’s a saying that “failing to plan is planning to fail” and it’s very accurate.

So it’s very important to prepare so you can seize flight deals like those that we spot all year long.

On my flight back from the Middle East deal, Flytrippers readers who had bought the one to Egypt instead of Lebanon were seated in my row and couldn’t thank me enough for cutting their flight costs in half and making their dream trip to Egypt so much cheaper.

I want you to be able to say the same thing to me later this year if we’re on the same flight and I want you to save half the price, so here are the 4 key tips to get ready.

 

4 best tips to prepare to seize flight deals

The biggest hurdle is really that deals expire quickly. We’re talking hours, not days. It’s just how it works.

But it’s actually very simple to seize the deals in time… if you just put in a bit of time beforehand (like now).

Here are the 4 tips:

  1. Pre-approve as many destinations as possible
  2. Pre-approve as many dates as possible
  3. See deals first with 2 free and easy insider tricks
  4. Be ready and BOOK QUICKLY

I’ll give you one sentence about each tip here if you want the short version, and then I’ll go into more details.

1. Make a list of as many countries that you are interested in visiting as you can, so you don’t waste time deciding that when the deal comes out.

2. Get your calendar in order and pre-approve as many dates for potential trips as you can to narrow it down before the deal comes out (and update this regularly to jump on other deals year-round).

3. Subscribe to our free newsletter and tell Facebook to show you our posts (just “liking” is not enough) to be among the first to see the deals.

4. Do not hesitate too long and book quickly or you’ll simply miss the deal.

That last one is the most important, so you see why preparation is the key (the 3 first tips are to make sure you can do #4).

If you put those tips into practice, everything will come together and you’ll be ready… and on your way on a crazy cheap flight!

 

1. Pre-approve as many destinations as possible

The key to finding a great deal is pretty simple actually: being open to as many destinations as possible. There are nearly 200 countries in the world, and every single one of them has something amazing to offer.

While you might not want to go absolutely everywhere like both of us Flytrippers co-founders want to do in our quest to visit every country, there are likely at least a dozen destinations that appeal to you. At least. Look more closely if not, because there are so many amazing places in the world.

When deals are spotted… they’re gone within a few hours. The best dates are usually gone even quicker. They’re deals. That’s how it works: the better the deal, the faster it’s gone.

If you have to ask yourself whether that destination appeals to you when the deal comes out, it’s probably already too late. Once you decide, especially if you aren’t traveling solo and need to both agree on a destination, you’ll have missed the deal.

It makes no sense because you can easily take the time to think about this BEFORE. Again: planning is key if you want to travel for less.

The little time you have when we spot a deal has to be invested in figuring out the dates, that’s what varies with each deal. Thailand will always be the same Thailand. Make a decision in advance and determine whether or not you want to go there if there’s ever a good deal. Prepare.

It’s therefore vital to pre-approve as many destinations as possible that are interesting to you, as soon as possible. Make a list, check it twice. It’s that simple.

You should always have this list to be able to jump on any deal. Why not today in fact? Planning your travels is the only thing that is almost as fun as your travels.

My entire trip to Bali cost me less than what my seatmates paid for their flight alone, because I jumped on a half-price deal to Singapore and they paid literally 3 times more.

Let that sink in for a second.

That is the scope of what I’m telling you: getting an entire trip for the price of just the flight. Imagine how much more you can travel when you do that.

Want to travel more or travel for less? The plane ticket is the only thing whose price can vary by 300% for the exact same thing. So get the cheapest ones by taking advantage of the deals we spot for you.

Again, most people who believe in the myth that travel is expensive choose a destination first, and just one. That’s literally the best way to pay a lot for your flights! Just be open to a few similar destinations at least, and with the money you’ll save, you’ll get to travel more often and see more places.

It’s really the best way to travel more: the reason I go on multiple international trips every year is that I am open to going pretty much anywhere and I choose based on the best deals (among other tips I’ll share in this special series of articles).

I want to travel more, so I prioritize traveling more: I choose destinations from the ones that are in our deals for my dates.

 

2. Pre-approve as many dates as possible

This is the hardest part for many who aren’t as flexible with work schedules. And it’s why it’s so important to follow tip #1 and be open to as many destinations as possible.

Deals are always available for limited dates. Most of the time, there are a lot of combinations available; other times not so much. It always depends.

So again, if when the deal comes out, you have to start from scratch and think about which dates are good and come to an agreement with your travel buddy ON TOP of having to get approval for time off from work… your odds of getting your #1 destination go way down. The deal will be gone.

Again, it’s so easy to get a head start before. Like now!

Preparation.

Here’s what to do: go over the calendar, think about all your logistics, and come up with as many timeframes as possible for a potential trip based on your situation (when you want to go on a trip and when you think you can go on a trip). That way at least some of the pondering is done and you’ve narrowed it down a bit: you can save time when the deal is there.

I’ll have an entire article about this, but in short, keep in mind this graph:

 

There’s no magic formula (well, in fact, there are a few that I’ll share in the rest of this series) but in general, you can choose only 2 of those 3 elements.

If you have a very specific destination, no problem. Your destination will eventually come on sale at some point: you’ll get a low price.

If you have very specific dates, no problem. A ton of destinations will eventually come on sale at some point for those dates: you’ll get a low price.

Flexibility is key for cheap flights.

It’s not complicated (I’m not saying it’s easy; it’s just not a complicated principle): you need to be flexible on just one of those 2 elements, and you’ll be fine and find a low price.

Not being able to be flexible on dates is understandable, but not being flexible on the destination means you don’t really want to prioritize low prices. Which is fine, it’s just that so many people tell me they had never thought of it that way, so it’s good to share.

So it’s tougher if you can’t even be flexible on one. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too (at least not easily without our more advanced pro tips to come).

 

3. See deals first with these 3 insider tricks

So you’re almost there, but there’s no use in having pre-selected destinations and dates if you don’t see the deal when it comes out.

To find one of these half-price deals on your own, you’d have to happen to be looking at exactly the right destination and date combinations… at exactly the right time (exactly when a deal that lasts just a few hours pops up). It’s just not going to happen.

To make sure you see all the best deals that we spot, follow these 3 easy steps that will take you 2 minutes to complete at most:

  • Subscribe to our free newsletter
  • Follow us on Facebook AND select “Favorites”
  • Share our newsletter and Facebook page with all your travel buddies

 

3.1 Free newsletter

First, subscribe to our free newsletter to get deals from your city. It’s free and always will be. It will always be spam-free too.

Sign up for our free newsletter

 

3.2 Facebook

Second, even if you already follow us on Facebook, Mr. Zuckerberg hides our deals from you. By default, only about 30,000 of our 175,000+ Canadian Facebook followers will see a deal we share. They want us to pay to reach you, but we just can’t because we want our content to remain free to help more people travel.

So go to your city’s Facebook page (for example “Flytrippers Toronto” if you live in Toronto) and click on “Favorites” in the settings to make sure you see our deals (not to get notifications, but simply to make sure Facebook actually shows you the deals). 

It’s really simple and requires just 3 or 4 quick clicks, depending on whether you are on a mobile or a computer.

 

3.2.1 Facebook on mobile

Step 1: On our page, click on the 3 dots and then click on “Follow”

Step 1

 

Step 2: Click on the 3 dots again and then on “Manage follow settings”

Step 2

 

Step 3: Click on “Feed”

Step 3

 

Step 4: Choose “Favorites”

Step 4

 

3.2.2 Facebook on a computer

Step 1: On our page, click on the 3 dots and then click on “Follow”

 

Step 1

 

Step 2: Click on the 3 dots again and then on “Follow settings”

Step 2

 

Step 3: Choose “Favorites”

Step 3

 

3.3 Share with your travel buddies

If there are more of you on the lookout, you’re more likely to see the deals.

You can then help each other not miss out.

 

4. Be ready and book quickly

Finally, once you do see a deal you like, act fast.

There’s no way around it: these prices are amazing and everyone wants to buy them, so they are snapped up quickly.

It’s probably the #1 thing people don’t understand about our deals here at Flytrippers so I’ll repeat one last time: deals expire quickly.

No, it’s not a scam—we don’t share fake deals for the fun of it. If the price is gone, it’s just that unfortunately you weren’t fast enough and the deal is over; that’s how it works. 

Yes, the prices we spot are so low they’re hard to believe, but they’re 100% true and if you follow these tips, you can be the next one to take advantage of one!

 

Bonus. Don’t fall for this…

We love giving you more for your money, so here’s a bonus tip.

Don’t fall for airline “sales”.

Just because they use the word “sale” doesn’t mean it’s actually any good, it rarely is in fact. A vast majority of “sales” flat out suck and aren’t worth your time.

Many airlines will make a big deal out of a “15% off” sale. That’s abysmal. Well, it can be useful if you already were going to buy a specific flight, but it’s not a price so good that it saves you hundreds or makes you decide on a destination. The second exception is Ultra Low-Cost Carriers (ULCCs), who have a different business model and the third is the occasional actual good price buried in a subpar sale (they are very few and far between).

The best deals we spot are often 50% off. And that’s on the total price, not just 50% off of half the price.

Those are good deals. Airlines don’t promote those. They don’t waste their marketing budget on these; the tickets will sell out on their own because they’re actually good deals that are worth buying.

You can read an entire article about airline “sales” if you want more details.

So make sure it’s really a good price and don’t fall into the trap of booking something not really discounted just because an airline promotes it as a “sale”, especially if you are flexible and can wait for an actual good deal.

 

Want to get more content to learn to travel for less?

Sign up for our free newsletter

 

Summary

If one of your goals is to travel more, one of the best ways to do that is to be prepared and to seize the flight deals we spot all the time. Have your list of desired destinations ready and start figuring out when you can go. Then, if you can be flexible on one of those two points, you are sure to find a plane ticket that suits you on sale at a deep discount. And when that happens, don’t hesitate—jump on it!!

What do you want to know about our flight deals? Tell us in the comments below.

 

Explore awesome destinations: travel inspiration

Learn pro tricks: travel tips

Discover free travel: travel rewards

 

Featured image: traveler in Indonesia (photo credit: Killian Pham)

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Andrew D'Amours

Andrew is the co-founder of Flytrippers. He is passionate about traveling the world but also, as a former management consultant, about the travel industry itself. He shares his experiences to help you save money on travel. As a very cost-conscious traveler, he loves finding deals and getting free travel thanks to travel rewards points... to help him visit every country in the world (current count: 71/193 Countries, 47/50 US States & 9/10 Canadian Provinces).

This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. oneearthhotels

    It was a great article, thanks for sharing!

  2. Mitzi Gopang

    Hi Andrew,
    A lot of the deals include flights out of Montreal or Toronto. I live in Edmonton. If I add the cost of flight from Edmonton to Montreal, it would cost me a fortune. How do I get cheap international flights from Edmonton?
    Thanks,
    Mitzi

    1. Andrew D'Amours

      Hi Mitzi, we do spot many deals from Edmonton if you select Edmonton as your city (https://flytrippers.com/edmonton/). There might not be quite as many as from Toronto or Montreal but there are many deals spotted every day, so it’s quite possible to find good international deals 🙂 For example today there’s China in the $600s and Bali in the $900s. Latin America is pretty often on sale too 🙂

  3. Barry Wilder

    Thank you Andrew for your quick reply.

  4. Barry Wilder

    We are seniors so trying to match dates and time away from work is not a problem however price is really important. Can we change arrival/departure dates after we have booked and paid for our tickets. Are there multi stops on special also?
    Keep up the good work.
    Regards
    Barry Wilder

    1. Andrew D'Amours

      Hello Barry, unfortunately, cheap plane tickets rarely include the possibility of making changes after booking. That is a convenience that comes at a cost (with special more flexible ticket fares, often a lot more expensive). So if price is important it’s better to make sure you buy the right destination and dates right from the start 🙂 As for multi-stops, unfortunately there aren’t often deals on those (but it does happen once in a while). That being said, making your own multi-stop ticket is pretty easy and can even save you money for some specific destinations. For example, from Toronto flights to Eastern Europe are often $1,200 roundtrip. But flights to Portugal are $600 roundtrip, and flights from Portugal to Eastern Europe are $200 roundtrip. So you could buy two separate tickets, get to Eastern Europe for hundreds of dollars less… and get an extra destination and stay for a few days in Portugal 🙂

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