Everyone would love to travel, but not everyone has the means to afford it. For travelers on a budget, finding cheap flights can be a challenge. Luckily, there are plenty of tools and websites out there to help you know where to find cheap flights, making it easier than ever to explore the world without breaking the bank.
Here are 12 sites that can help you find cheap flights.
Google Flights
Best Part: Easy price changes (which I’ve found super helpful), notifications when prices drop, and itineraries that are easy to share with friends and family so they know where you’re going and when.
One of my favorite ways I use to figure out where to find cheap flights is Google Flights. Simply plug in your desired destinations and dates, and you’ll see a list of options with their prices listed. From there, you can book directly through Google or search for other airlines offering cheaper flights on your dates.
You can use any of these methods in conjunction-take what works best for you! Remember: never give up searching for affordable tickets. With enough persistence, someone will eventually offer exactly what you want at just the right price-you just have to be ready when they do!
TripAdvisor
Best Part: It also allows users to leave reviews of hotels and attractions so you know what you’re getting yourself into before booking.
One of my favorite sites to find out where to find cheap flights, TripAdvisor has an excellent and robust travel section that includes some great deals on flights.
If you’re going somewhere popular, TripAdvisor is probably your best bet at finding a deal. I like using it as a filter to see if there are any flight options I may have overlooked when searching other websites.
Fareness
Best Part: The Fareness app lets users monitor their flights on their Apple Watch so they don’t have to constantly check their phones on long layovers between destinations.
By using Fareness, you will be able to find cheap airfares by searching multiple airlines at once. You can also search for discounted hotel rates and get access to exclusive travel deals. The app will send you an alert when a great deal is found on a flight that meets your price preferences.
This site is very straightforward and simple to use; it’s a great resource if you want one-stop shopping in terms of booking flights, hotels, and rental cars all from one source. For $7 per month or $65 per year, frequent fliers can sign up for a premium membership option with added benefits such as seat upgrades in advance or automatically checked bag fees waived when traveling within the U.S.
Skyscanner
Best Part: Skyscanner does not charge any booking fees but makes money by earning commissions on flights booked through their service; you can also see additional offers listed on pages that help cover their operating costs.
Easily search and compare flights from airlines, budget carriers, and major travel websites. Ideal for international business trips and first-time travelers, Skyscanner provides a simple interface for finding low fares on budget airlines like JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
Just enter your destination, preferred date range, and departure airport to search flight times, compare available destinations by price (lowest-to-highest) or by the number of stops (fewest-to-most), then book directly through your selected airline or travel website.
Momondo
Best Part: It’s free, easy, and works great if you’re trying to score last-minute tickets (or every single flight during a blackout period).
The best comparison search engine out there, Momondo is a fantastic option for anyone who’s trying to book flights without knowing where they want to go. Just enter your destination, then choose your dates and how much you’re willing to spend.
The site will display multiple results along with live availability information that you can use to find deals. Note: You’ll need a browser add-on if you want instant notifications when airfare drops below a certain price point.
If money’s no object, use SkyScanner instead-it searches more airlines than Momondo does.
Vayama
Best Part: If you’re traveling internationally, they’ve got a unique app that can help you track down an international cell phone plan.
The travel experts at Vayama find you some of the best prices on flights. You can even get alerts whenever your dream flight is being offered again, and you’ll be able to snag a deal before anyone else.
This site lets you compare fares from all different airlines, so no one gets left behind. You can also start tracking your trip right away with their mobile app and make sure that any schedule changes don’t throw off your itinerary.
Scott’s Cheap Flights
Best Part: Just when you think that you found a great deal, chances are he will find a way better deal.
If you are looking for flights at rock bottom prices, then check out Scott’s Cheap Flights. Scott has been traveling almost every week for work and personal reasons for years now and knows where to find amazing deals on flights all over the country.
From New York City to Los Angeles and Miami, Florida to San Francisco, California he finds amazing fares that will get you where you need to go without breaking your bank account.
You’ll want to bookmark Scott’s site and check it out every few days. I’ve taken advantage of his tips for years now because of how amazing he is at finding cheap flights!
Hopper
Best Part: Hopper takes into account everything from current trends and historic data on price drops (so much like we do when planning our own trips), meaning they help with more than just finding deals – they put you in front of them. Say goodbye to spending too much on travel.
Is your heart set on Europe but you’re thinking of paying through your nose for a ticket? No worries. Search by flight, hotel, or dining packages for some of our favorite spots in France, Greece, and Portugal to find out if you can score a deal.
Next time you head abroad, check it out first! You’ll be up on where to find cheap flights at convenient times, making it easier than ever to get away on vacation or business trips without breaking the bank.
Airfare Watchdog
Best Part: It shows which airlines have lower prices-even if they aren’t currently offering any flights!
One of my favorite places to check for cheap flights is a website called Airfare Watchdog. This site allows you to select when you would like to travel, where you would like to fly, and your ideal flight time (morning or evening), and the number of stops.
The site will then give you flight recommendations from several different airlines. Plus, they offer links that connect directly with each airline so you can book your tickets right away!
StudentUniverse
Best Part: StudentUniverse sells cheap round-the-world tickets-starting at $1,399-that can be booked for as long as five years in advance
If you’re a student, and one who’s flexible on travel dates, flight deals and discount flights are up for grabs. One of my favorite sites is StudentUniverse.
After flying about 40 times with them over a decade, I can confidently say that it’s never let me down.
Though not specifically designed for students or non-students, most international deals are open to anyone and tickets often come with additional perks like discounted hostels or free luggage storage.
FareCompare
Best Part: users can schedule up to five separate trips within their account and compare them all against each other once they’ve saved them with dates, times, etc., making it easier when deciding on what trip works best for their travel needs.
If you want to travel, but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, then you need FareCompare. It’s a great place for searching for flights on low-cost airlines such as Southwest and Frontier.
You can search by flight time, carrier or departure and arrival airports. If a trip is more than $50, you get to see if that price is competitive or not. This company has information about deals for kids and seniors as well as flexible fares that allow changes without fees. Some of its key features include interactive maps so you can see exactly where your flight will take off from and land.
A display showing how far away each destination is from you and details such as whether there are layovers involved in traveling to a specific location. FareCompare will even tell you what amenities are available on each airline such as Wi-Fi capability.
The website also lets users know which airlines have nonstop flights between destinations they might be looking into flying out of or toward.
Skiplagged
Best Part: This website lets you find hidden city ticketing.
Hidden city ticketing is when you book a flight to a city that you have no intention of going to that has a connecting flight to your actual destination. It will even search for coupon codes for you.
Make sure you read their disclaimer on how they get their deals and make sure it fits within your airline’s terms of service before buying. Depending on your destination, it can be way cheaper than buying a direct flight!
The best way to use SkipLagged is as an alternate means of transportation between two cities so you aren’t stuck booking only round-trip tickets. That will help keep costs down too.