The Insider Hacks and Tips On How To Buy Cheaper AirFares

There are Insider hacks and tops on how to buy cheaper airfares.

Airfares have never been more expensive, especially in and out of Australia. A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald claimed airfares are 8 times more expensive during the Australian school holidays right now, and that applies to both domestic and international.

If you are not flying in your private jet, even the wealthiest travellers do not want to pay ski high prices for their airfares. Here are some practical hacks and tips to buy cheaper airfares.

These are some insider tips on how to buy cheaper airfare – but to do so you have to be more flexible.

1. Don’t fly on peak days. Peak days are usually Fridays and Sundays, as people are more often leaving or returning home on those days of the week. If there is a public holiday Monday then that becomes the peak day for returning home that week.
2. Book well in advance for school holidays. Booking well in advance is always a good idea, but especially during school holidays.
3. Think outside the square about your location. If for example you want to fly to Bali, consider flying into other destinations close by like Jakarta and then connecting to Bali domestically from there. Over the last 6 months there have been considerably cheaper airfares to Europe, Singapore and other locations by stopping over in lesser known locations such as Jakarta or Ho Chi Minh City and then flying from there.
4. If you are flying to Europe don’t just consider the typical entry destinations like London and Paris – what about Amsterdam, Istanbul or Milan. Get creative.
5. Consider flying a longer route if you can afford the extra time. Flying to Europe from Sydney via Tokyo for example has seen some cheaper fares emerge, as has flying from Europe to Los Angeles and then Sydney. Yes it does take a lot longer in some cases but it can be up to 60% cheaper especially in business class and first.
6. Use a travel agent – this is always a good idea as it can save you money in the long term especially if your flight is cancelled or delayed. There is nothing worse than trying to get through to an airline call centre at 2am after flying all night. Use the above strategies and be more flexible with your travel agent too.
7. Check the cost of flying one way to your destination then buying a return from there if you travel frequently. So if you are flying to London, bu a one way Sydney-London then a return London-Sydney-London. This only works if you travel to hat destination regularly, but often saves a lot.
8. Use a VPN and a different currency. Put your VPN on India and use a more affordable currency than British, American or Australian and the flight is often cheaper when you do the currency conversion.
9. For internal travel within Europe check the cost of trains over flights – and trains are often less hassle and more relaxing.
10. Click here for some more tips on how to avoid the travel chaos once you are finally on your way.