Travelling on a budget can be challenging, especially if you’re flying from Australia. A return fare can easily start at $1,000 AUD. Yuck. Once I book two flights, that’s almost half of my budget GONE!
BUT! With some strategic planning, you can enjoy a fantastic trip without breaking the bank.
Set a Budget for Flights and Accommodation
For a trip to South East Asia, I aim to keep the total cost for flights and accommodation for 2-3 weeks around $2,500 per person. That’s $5,000 for two people, covering return and internal flights plus accommodation.
You might be thinking that you’ll be reaching into your pocket for more (and you could be, if you’re a fancy pants that doesn’t want to stay in the Ibis Budget! haha) BUT IT CAN BE DONE!
How to Get the Best Airfare
Weigh-up Your Flight Options
The first thing you should do is weigh up your direct or multiple flight options. Are you on a time crunch, or can you afford a long layover? If you’re heading to Europe for 2 weeks, you probably don’t want to waste 8 hours of your trip sitting in an airport.
We prioritised cost over time when we headed off to Europe. Why? Because we were going indefinitely, which meant we weren’t on a timer to see all the things we wanted to.
We ended up with a $420AUD flight, Sydney to London.
It sounds cheap (it was!), but we also had an 8 hour layover in Shanghai at an ungodly hour in the morning.
Be Flexible with Dates and Time
If you can be flexible with your travel dates, you’ll have a much better chance of finding lower prices. For instance, flying mid-week (particularly on Tuesday or Wednesday) is often cheaper than flying on weekends.
Sometimes snagging the best fare might mean catching that early morning flight at 6am, but if you’re willing to rise with the sun, and hit the road at 3am, the savings can be worth it!
Be aware that school holidays tend to be among the most expensive times to fly. Airlines frequently exclude these peak periods from their sales, so planning around them can help you score a better deal.
Use Fare Comparison Websites
We’re huge fans of price comparison sites because they save us from the hassle of checking every single airline’s website.
Sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Kayak pull together flight prices from multiple airlines and booking platforms, making it easier to find the best deals. Skyscanner is what we use most of the time. It lets you view prices for an entire month, so you can pinpoint the cheapest times to fly.
Once we’ve found the airlines offering the cheapest airfares, we head to their websites to see if they’re running any deals, or if we can sign up to their mailing list/promotional offers for discounts. Sometimes booking through the airline directly, rather than the third party that Skyscanner recommends actually cheaper.
Make sure to set up alerts! By configuring price alerts for your desired destinations and travel dates, you’ll get notified when fares drop, ensuring you never miss out on a great deal.
Book in Advance (Or Very Last Minute!)
To snag the best deals, aim to book your domestic flights 1-3 months in advance and international flights 2-8 months ahead.
When we were invited on a family trip to Bali, we booked our flights about a month before our other family members. They ended up paying about $500 more per person because they booked later (and because it’s school holidays)!
However, the opposite can also be true! If you’re willing to play plane roulette and wait until the last minute to book, you might get a great deal! If this sounds like you, check out lastminute.com.au!
Consider Nearby Airports
Check if flying into or out of nearby airports is cheaper. This can sometimes save you a significant amount of money.
If you’re flying into Melbourne for example, there’s Tullamarine airport and Avalon airport, both are a similar distance to the city (in opposite directions), but often Avalon can be a lot cheaper!
Use Airline Miles and Points
If you fly often, consider joining a frequent flyer program. Using accumulated miles or points can significantly reduce the cost of your flights. If you have a preferred airline or one you fly with frequently, check if they have a frequent flyer program. Major airlines often have their own programs.
Look for Budget Airlines
Airlines like JetStar or TigerAir often offer lower fares than traditional carriers. Be mindful of extra fees for things like baggage and seat selection! Especially with JetStar, if your carry-on is over the 7kg limit, you’ll be stung with a $75 fee – we learned that the hard way!
Use Incognito Mode
Search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode to prevent websites from tracking your searches and potentially increasing prices based on your search history.
Using Incognito Mode (or private browsing) for searching flights is based on the idea that websites may be tracking your activity to monitor your search behaviour.
Some believe that airlines and travel sites may increase prices for flights if they detect repeated searches for the same route, interpreting it as high demand. Incognito Mode can help avoid this by not saving your search history.
Using Incognito Mode ensures that all browsing data, including cache and cookies, are cleared after the session. This can provide a fresh start for each search, potentially displaying the lowest available prices.
Check for Deals and Discounts
Sign up for newsletters from airlines and travel websites to get notified about sales and special promotions. Follow airlines on social media for flash sales.
Consider Package Deals
Sometimes, booking flights as part of a package deal with accommodations can result in savings. Travel companies often negotiate bulk rates with airlines and hotels, allowing them to offer lower prices when these services are bundled together compared to booking them separately.
Here’s looking at you, TripADeal. Companies like TripADeal frequently run promotions on package deals, providing additional discounts or perks that you wouldn’t get if you booked flights and accommodations independently.
If you’re like us and don’t *love* travelling with a huge group of strangers, and prefer to do your own thing, there’s nothing stopping you from booking these tours, skipping the group activities, and then only showing up to your flights, accommodation and any included meals. Even though the package price often includes entry to scheduled activities, it can still be more cost-effective just for flight and accommodation.
By following these tips, you can travel more affordably and make the most of your budget. Happy travels!
