There are plenty of ways to save money while flying. From cutting your amount of luggage to purchasing tickets on certain days, there are hundreds of tips and tricks to reduce the cost of a flight.
But in times like these, people are trying to save every penny possible. How can a family of four plan a trip to go see grandma across the country on a budget of, say, only a couple hundred dollars? Can it even be done?
The answer is a resounding yes. With plenty of advance planning and a little saving, it’s definitely possible to make a cross-country trip without spending your entire budget on the airfare itself. Here’s how to do it.
Book Well in Advance
Plan your trip a month ahead. Not only will you have the headache of planning at the last minute prevented, you’ll also save hundreds of dollars. You could even end up spending less than $100 per ticket if you do this in conjunction with the following tips.
Play with Your Dates
Before you plan out your entire trip while you’ll be away, play with the dates you use to find tickets. Sometimes just changing your departure (or return) date by one day will save you a few hundred dollars.
Skip Holiday Charges
Airfare tends to rise over the holidays, so see if you can have Christmas with Nana a little early instead of right on Christmas day. Then your family can have two Christmases! Who wants to travel on Christmas anyway?
Don’t Fly During the Weekend
You might have to stagger your vacation dates–say, Wednesday through Tuesday rather than Monday through Friday–but you’ll save a few hundred dollars doing so.
Specifically Search for Cheap Flights
Search for “Flights Under $100″ and you’ll find round-trip fares all across the country for around $70 each. Southwest Air is particularly famous for such prices. Once you add in fees they’re a little higher, but still often under $100 per ticket.
Tags: budget travel, cheap airfare, cheap flights, cheap travel