Adventure is a State of Mind
For me, figuring out how to get somewhere is one of the most frustrating parts of trip planning. Because so much of what we consider adventure or exotic travel involves flying to another country, I am focusing in this post on flying to your destination, although there are obviously other ways of getting there, including boat and train travel as well as driving.
Where Are You Flying?
There is a very good chance that if you enjoy travel (which I will assume since you’re reading this blog) and you’re a “mature” adult, you have flown someplace domestically, even if you’ve never flown internationally. If you’re looking now to travel someplace more adventurous, such as to another country, the principles are mostly the same…except for perhaps double-checking that you’ve typed in the correct destination. You may think I’m joking, but I’ve been to London, Ontario, in Canada, and it’s really nothing like London, England. Both are lovely in their own unique ways, but I’m sure you’d be disappointed to realize your ticket was not taking you to the London you’d hoped to visit.
When Are You Flying?
When booking longer flights, which is usually the case when traveling to another continent, it is important that you pay attention to what day you will be arriving. When flying internationally, especially if you are flying east, your arrival date is often the day after you leave. This can make a big difference if you’re making arrangements for continued travel by plane, train, or boat or are making hotel or car rental reservations.
The Fine Print
When purchasing plane tickets, make sure to read and double check the fine print regarding hidden costs, especially fees for checked bags. If you are flying internationally, many airlines will allow you to check one bag for free; but it is important to make sure that this is the case rather than making an assumption that could cost you a significant amount at the airport. Also, check what the weight limit is. This is usually easier to do at the beginning of your trip since many of us have bathroom scales that can also work as a luggage scale.
On the return trip, especially since you may have bought souvenirs, it is a little more difficult to know for sure the weight of your bag. I have a friend who travels with a travel scale specifically designed for weighing luggage (it has a hook that you use to pick up the bag by its handle), but I personally don’t want to carry the extra weight of that scale in my bag. As a general rule, I make sure the bag I am taking is at least a few pounds under the airline’s weight limit when I’m leaving home so that even if I buy things to bring back, I’m hopefully not over the weight limit. For some advice on how to handle an overweight bag if you are traveling with a group, read this post.
Comparing Airlines and Flights
I usually begin my search for flights by doing a general search to figure out which airlines fly to a desired airport and to compare factors like price and layover times. My favorite flight search engine at the beginning of my research is Google Flights, especially because it has a feature that allows me to see whether leaving or returning on different days than I had originally planned makes a significant difference in the price. (Spoiler alert: It often does.) Here are a list of possible flight search engines:
While most of the major, international airlines are included in these search engines, in the U.S., Southwest Airlines is a notable exception as are regional airlines in most countries. Sometimes those smaller, regional airlines are the ones that have the best value for the flight you want, especially if you are traveling in or out of a small airport. For this reason, it is often a good idea to do an internet search inquiring about what airlines serve a particular airport and then going to those airlines’ websites to explore options.
We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.
Ray Bradbury
Once I have a general idea of what airline and times I want, I tend to go directly to that airline to book my flights. I’ve found that if there are problems like weather delays, the airline is more likely to notify me of changes and cancelations and to work quickly with me to reschedule if I have booked my ticket directly with them. It also is usually easier to get frequent flyer credit when booking directly. (If you haven’t yet joined an airline’s frequent flyer program, you usually can do so easily while booking your ticket when you are on their website.)
A Positive Way to Complicate Your Flights
If you are planning to travel long distances between the places you will visit on your trip, such as visiting the capitols of two or three different countries in Europe, consider doing a “multi-city flight,” also known as an “open jaw flight.” This is when you fly into one city but leave from a different city on your return flight. An open jaw flight can save you the time and expense of traveling back to the airport where you initially arrived. Similarly, consider a “stop over” so that you can spend a day or more in an in-between location before continuing on the last leg of your flight to your ultimate destination.
The Benefits of Being Flexible
If you can be flexible, compare which days of the week cost less to fly. If you have flexibility in your schedule, you can also compare whether flying into a nearby airport is a more affordable option than your first choice. Many websites will give you an option for this, but it is also easy to look at a map and consider alternative arrival and departure locations. For example, if you want to visit Scotland, it might be more or less expensive to fly into Edinburgh as compared to Glasgow. Or perhaps it might be more affordable to fly into London and take a train to Edinburgh. Depending on the amount of time you have available, the cheapest option might also be the one that provides you with additional adventures and locations to visit!
When considering alternative arrival cities, make sure to do your research specifically for the dates you plan to visit since this can make a difference. For example, if one city is famous for an annual festival, plane tickets are likely to be more expensive during that time but might be the more affordable option at other times during the year.
A final but important consideration when buying airline tickets is timing. I usually don’t buy my airline tickets until I’ve mapped out the rest of my trip and know exactly how many days I need for the trip, even if I do not always know specifically which days those will be. Knowing the amount of time I need in order to do the things I want to do and to see the things I want to see makes sure that I’m allowing enough days for the trip. Not having set days I have to travel (when possible) allows me a bit of flexibility in booking flights that may be less expensive or less stressful due to leaving at a convenient time with fewer layovers.
What have your experiences been with buying airline tickets and flying? Are there some different strategies you can try the next time you are buying airline tickets to save money or to add value to your travel adventure?
4 thoughts on “Research–How to Get There”