Getting the Most Out of Your Flights

Adventure is a State of Mind

In a previous post, I’ve discussed how to book your flights to hopefully find the most reasonably-priced tickets. Getting the most for your money, however, doesn’t mean just buying the cheapest ticket (although that’s nice when it happens). It also means making the most of your investment… and yes, with ticket prices being the way they are these days, it’s often quite an investment!

Let’s explore four simple tricks — stopovers, one-way versus round-trip tickets, choosing your destination airport wisely, and staying flexible on dates — to help you get the best bang for your travel-adventure buck.

Consider a Stopover

When planning a trip in which flights are involved, consider adding a third location as an affordable way to expand your adventure. Many airlines will allow you to have a “stopover” without adding to the price of your ticket, meaning you can add an extra location to your trip without adding significantly to the price of transportation. 

A stopover is similar to a layover but is 24 hours or longer. Some airlines actually promote this. For example, Icelandair makes it easy to book a one- to seven-day stopover in Iceland as part of their flights to continental Europe.

Even if the airline you are using does not promote stopovers, it is often possible to create one on your own. Start by searching online and identifying the flight you are interested in taking and determining where their connecting flights occur. For example, many flights to Europe from the U.S. have a layover in Frankfurt. If this is the case for you and you want to add some time in Germany to your trip, you can then redo your online search as a “Multi-City” search and add that stopover location. 

Not all airlines allow stopovers and most have limits as to how long a stopover can last before adding to the expense of the ticket. And unfortunately, it’s not always easy to figure out what an airline’s policies are from a quick glance at their website. If you’re not sure what the policy is, you can experiment with your Multi-City search by changing the length of time for your stopover. If you change the length of time that you are staying in Frankfurt, to use the example above, from three days to five days and the price of the ticket does not differ, you know that you are still within the airline’s time restriction.

You can also find most airlines’ stopover programs by doing an internet search of the airline and the word “stopover.” For example, if you search “Air France stopover,” the results will include the Flying Blue website, which is the frequent flier program for Air France and their partners, and will explain how to plan a stopover in Paris or Amsterdam. There are also some websites, such as airwander.com, that help you identify possible stopover combinations.

Consider adding a stopover to your next flight, whether flying internationally or domestically. It’s a great way to expand how much you can see and do during your adventures without adding significantly to the cost of doing so.

Compare One-Way and Roundtrip Tickets

If you are trying to figure out the cheapest available airfare, consider whether buying two one-way tickets is actually more affordable than buying a round-trip ticket. This also allows you the flexibility of flying with one airline in one direction and another airline on your return home, which gives you more options when choosing the most convenient flight schedule. 

Many years ago, it used to be that flying roundtrip was always the more affordable option, but airline pricing idiosyncrasies seem to have increased in recent years so that sometimes your best option is to break your round-trip ticket into two one-way tickets.  While this is not always the case, it’s worth the extra time and effort to check out how much each option will cost before making your final decision.

There is meaning in every journey that is unknown to the traveler.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Consider Alternative Destinations

Another way to possibly save money on airfare is to consider flying into an alternative airport near your destination. If you are traveling to Germany, for example, you might initially plan to fly into Berlin, but perhaps it would be more affordable to fly into Frankfurt instead and then take a train to Berlin.

If you’re planning your own trip, are visiting multiple cities, and can rearrange the itinerary, it is often fairly easy to change the days you plan to visit various areas so that you can fly into the more affordable airport. 

Also, remember that you don’t have to fly in and out of the same airport or even with the same airline if you are buying two one-way tickets. This gives you additional flexibility in searching for affordable plane tickets and the most convenient times and routes. 

Consider Alternative Dates

We’ve discussed it before, but it’s important enough to go over again. If you have enough time and freedom to be flexible with what days you travel, consider optional days when booking your flights. Booking a flight midweek will usually save you money compared to booking Friday through Monday, although this isn’t always the case. Check out whether there are any differences if you book a day or two earlier or later.

If you have the time, and if flying on a different day will decrease the cost of the ticket, it might feel like a bonus to add a couple of days to your trip!

How can you be flexible and think creatively to add some value to your next flight? Have you considered alternative dates and destinations that might save you money? And is there a possibility of planning a stopover to add to your adventure and give you an additional city to explore?