A plane ticket is frequently the most expensive part of a trip and can affect where and when you travel. You can choose from a wide variety of travel booking websites as well as a wealth of information in travel periodicals and blogs. Because of this, choosing which resources to employ can be challenging. Fortunately, we’ve put together a list of suggestions for finding less expensive flights so you can go on the getaway of your dreams.

Be flexible with the dates

You can schedule your trip to coincide with the days that feature the cheapest flights if you plan ahead. Weekdays are significantly less expensive than weekends, which are always more expensive. Because most people prefer to travel during the day, cheap flights are also available early in the morning and late at night. You should search for flights before or after a significant holiday to avoid the holiday travel rush.

Be adaptable with your flight schedule.

One of the more well-known websites for searching for flights is Kayak, which offers a feature called “Explore” that displays the least expensive routes from your home airport to locations around the globe. This feature allows you to conduct a search by month or season. Similar functionality is available on Google Flights, where you can enter your home airport and destination to view all flights that are available during a given time frame.

Go to a secondary airport on a low-cost airline.

Most significant destinations are served by a primary airport and a smaller secondary airport. Most low-cost airlines will fly into smaller airports because they have lower landing fees than larger airports. It’s important to know how close the secondary airport is to your final destination because if it’s far away, ground transportation costs can mount up quickly.

Consider different routes.

Booking separate legs of your trip can sometimes be less expensive than traveling straight. It might be less expensive to fly to Iceland first and then take a low-cost flight from there to Istanbul rather than taking a direct flight from New York to Istanbul. The extra time you spend looking for alternate routes will be well worth it if you discover a flight or flights that will end up saving you a lot of money in the long run.

Utilize social media

You can learn about new flight deals as soon as they are announced by following airline and travel search engine Twitter accounts. Among the accounts that have been known to tweet excellent deals are those for websites like Wanderlisting and airlines like JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic.

Make use of various booking websites.

Remember that prices on popular websites may not be accurate and that airlines may have relationships with them when looking for flights. It’s essential to comparison shop on as many websites as you can to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Not all booking websites offer flights on all airlines, especially low-cost carriers, and not all geographical areas are equally covered.

Directly book a flight with a carrier.

Booking directly with an airline can occasionally be more affordable, especially if they are not available on any booking websites (usually budget airlines). You may be able to save a lot of money on your ticket by taking advantage of airline exclusive sales that are occasionally only accessible online. Checking a fare on an airline’s official website also has the benefit of making all additional fees, including those annoying baggage fees, always visible.