I’m a huge travel geek. You know how some people go on Pinterest and start designing their dream wedding or dream home? Well, I look up travel destinations. And not only on Pinterest. Some days, I just peruse my favorite flight booking websites to see where I should go next! From all that browsing and actual experience booking flights, I’ve been able to come up with a list of the top sites for booking flights, budget-friendly flights mostly.
My Favorite Sites
Kayak is my all time favorite. It’s usually my first stop when searching for flights, especially within the US. When selecting dates, Kayak shows you a calendar indicating which dates have the best prices. It’s also incredibly fast and, in my experience, has the best deals. There’s also something about the aesthetic of the actual site that I like and that I’m used to. I’m a creature of habit in this way!
Google Flights is good to get an idea of what prices might be, since you can see fare calendars months at a time. I usually search with Google Flights to start and then search through Kayak and the airline’s website. I’ve found often with European flights the prices aren’t accurate on Google Flights or the time was slightly off. While it may have looked less expensive on Google, the Kayak version ends up being cheaper. It really depends. For my trip back to the states this summer, I found my flight through Google flights.
CheapoAir is my go-to for flights within Europe. It seems like the bigger sites don’t have all the regional airlines, where CheapoAir does. Most of my flights within Europe I’ve searched and booked through them. Don’t be put off by the kitschy name, it’s a legit site! And the website has improved tons in recent years. I remember when I first started using it the actual website looked almost homemade.
Skyscanner has been a more recent favorite. If you talk to frequent travelers, you’ve probably heard about Skyscanner. It’s great because it’s a free site that finds crazy, random deals. I’m always hearing about how people find really inexpensive flights to super far-off locations. And it’s true, Skyscanner does that. But in my experience, Skyscanner is more for the spontaneous trip or planning far off in advance. It’s also great for finding best deals based on dates rather than location. When I’ve looked, those deals have fallen on weekdays or days that are less practical to someone with a more strict schedule. For someone with a really flexible schedule, Skyscanner is ideal.
One thing to note with all of these is that generally they show the base rate. Those cheap prices are typically the lowest the airline offers, which means no special anything. I’d recommend double checking the baggage policy for the airline ahead of time too! Sometimes it’s more economical to book directly, especially if you’re looking for any extras.
I know there are tons of other free sites and apps available, and several paid membership ones as well. At some point I’d like to have the flexibility in my schedule and be able to afford those, but for right now I’m sticking to my free, budget favorites.
Do you have any other sites you’d recommend?
*Disclaimer: this post is not sponsored by any of these sites. This is all based on my personal experience and opinions.