How to find cheap flights online to anywhere | A Guide to Using Skyscanner

‘How to find cheap flights’ is probably one of the questions I get asked most! Have you heard of Skyscanner? If not, you’re probably spending a lot more on flights than you should be. Skyscanner is a free travel search engine, which searches over 1200 airline and travel sites for the best deals, without adding any hidden fees or charges. I’m obsessed with this incredible tool and the bargains it finds! My favourite deal so far was finding return flights from Glasgow to Barbados for a mere £299 – cheaper than some European flights. If you want to know how to find cheap flights too, read on…

Be Flexible

To really maximise your savings, be flexible with your departure and return dates. Input your chosen departure airport and destination and then choose ‘cheapest month’ for the dates. Click search.

Skyscanner will then show you which month and days are cheaper to fly. As you can see below, I could enjoy a long weekend in Venice in April for £152. Not bad, eh? However, this isn’t a direct flight – make sure to tick the ‘direct flights only’ box if you are pressed for time, such as on a weekend break.

Choose Everywhere

The ‘Everywhere’ option is my favourite tool on Skyscanner if I’m lacking inspiration or not sure where to go next. This is great if you want to see where in the world you can go within your budget!

And the results…

How to Find Cheap Flights Tips & Tricks

• The greater the flexibility, the greater the saving. If you can fly on weekdays, particularly Tuesdays or Wednesdays, you will save money in most cases.
• The further in advance you book, the cheaper the flight – usually. 6-8 weeks before your departure date is considered the best time to book, but flight prices are always subject to unpredictable fluctuations.
• Set up price alerts on Skyscanner on your chosen routes to keep an eye on the price and if you see it drop considerably – now is the time to buy. The basic concept is that you mark a flight that you are interested in and they will email you every day telling you whether the price has dropped, risen, or stayed the same.
• If you live equal distance between two airports (as I do) be sure to check prices from both and then weigh up the savings vs the cost of petrol/airport parking.
• Can you get a much cheaper flight to an airport nearby your destination rather than the destination itself? If so, check out the cost of an overnight bus or train.
• Don’t forget to consider checked baggage fees! That bargain flight may not be such a bargain after all if you can’t fit all your luggage into a carry-on.
• Consider booking two one way tickets instead – round trip tickets can easily be far more expensive as they don’t give you the option to mix and match your days. This is particularly useful for long haul flights.
• Don’t forget to check the airlines own websites for special deals, sign up to their newsletter and follow them on Twitter and Facebook for announcements. Ryanair occasionally announce seats for £5 but these sell out very quickly!

I hope you now know how to find cheap flights online by using Skyscanner – let me know if you find any amazing deals by commenting below!

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