The first thing you have to do, obviously, is decide where you want to go. Which country or countries. If you plan on traveling to multiple places or countries, you also want to have figured out what you want to see. And how many days you want to spend there. You don’t need to have it figured out into detail how your entire days are going to be filled. But generally you can know if you’re going to want to stay somewhere 3 of 5 days for example.

I always do some research on what the main attractions are. And what (day)tours are being offered. Which also gives you a nice overview of important and interesting sites that are to been seen there. And figure out what the distance is between all the things I want to do or see. That way I can think about how many days I’ll need to make it work.

If you’re ready to book your flight(s), here are some tips for booking your tickets, getting the best price and which important things you have to pay attention to during the booking process.

This post contains affiliate links. Any fees I may receive I use to keep this blog going.

Use Skyscanner

Skyscanner rapidly compares more than 1200 partners worldwide and finds you the cheapest airline tickets. You can compare the prices and find the flight that suites your requirements. With regards to departure and arrival time or flight duration.

You can filter the results on lowest price or shortest flight. It depends on what’s important to you. Skyscanner also has a filter that shows you the best flights with regards to price and flight duration. That is a good starting point to check out the flights. For me, the lowest price often isn’t the best choice for me. Because you’ll have to transfer 1 or 2 times. And that takes up a lot of time and extra effort. If a flight is only $100 more, but I’ll get to my end destination twice as fast, then I will definitely choose that one. So just check the different flights they offer and check the number of transfers. 

Go to Skyscanner to book your flights.

Besides the Skyscanner website, you can also download the Skyscanner app. It’s a free mobile app, available for iPhone, iPad en Android. You can download it from the App Store and Play Store.

Smaller (or lesser known) airline companies aren’t all bad

If you haven’t travelled that much or are unfamiliar with airline companies, please check the reviews of that airline company on websites like Tripadvisor.
Even the biggest companies will deal with delays at some point. And will get bad review here or there because of it. But you must see the bigger picture. If an airline company mostly gets bad reviews, then you might have to think twice about flying with them. And about the chance it will ruin your vacation. Sure, you will travel really cheap, but it can definitely ruin your happy traveling mood.

Also, just because you’ve never heard of an airline company, doesn’t always mean that it’s a bad or less sophisticated airplane. In Asia for example, there are a lot of cheap flights you can book, to fly between different Asian countries. And even though they’re not big airplanes like Emirates uses, they get you where you want to go. The staff is often pretty friendly. And most of the time they’re really short flights. So do you really care about not having a lot of leg room and not getting a complimentary soda or sandwich? Or are you OK with that because you’re flying to another country for like $50?! 🙂

I’ve flown with AirAsia and Bangkok Airways for example. They were all direct flights (no transfers) and the flights were cheap and on time. So fortunately, I’ve only had good experiences with those two Asian airlines and can really recommend them.

Sometimes it’s more practical to book directly with the airline itself.

Skyscanner gives you good options and prices. And for every flight, you’ll be offered different prices by different booking agencies. Here is where you have to pay attention. Your flight may be offered for $30 less by one booking agency compared to the airline company itself. But in some cases it’s more practical (and cheaper in the end) to book your tickets with the airline company that’s carrying out the flight.

Hidden costs

You have to pay attention to the extra costs. For example, one booking agency or airline company may charge you for your luggage and for a beverage and meal. While the other company will have it included in the air fare. It’s worth your time to go through the booking process of several providers. To check out the final price that you would have to pay. And even if the airline company itself may cost a little more money, there are other things that will make it worth the extra bucks. At least, in my opinion.

For example when you fly with KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) or Emirates. If you book directly with those companies, on their own website, you immediately get all the options and add ons to choose from. Such as meal selection and seat selection (against payment most of the time). I find seat selection very reassuring. Because when we have like a 10 hour flight ahead of us, I like to know for sure that I’m sitting next to my partner. And have the option early on to arrange that.

Also, most bigger airlines have their own app, which you can download onto your phone. So if you book directly with an airline company, you’ll get all your flight information and tickets right there in your app on your phone. Super convenient. I don’t know for sure if that doesn’t work if you bought your ticket through another agency, but I don’t think so.
Also, with a lot of airlines you can earn points for flying with them. Which in the future can result in advantages, like free seat selection.

Arrival and departure time

When booking a flight, pay attention to the arrival and departure time. A lot of the time, you will pay less when a flight departs or arrives late at night. Or in the middle of the night and really early morning. While it may seem great to have a cheaper flight, you also have to think about where you’re staying.

Arrival

When you arrive in the middle of the night, you have to take into account that you either have to wait a really really long time for your hotel room will be ready. Which means you have to wait till noon or 2 p.m. before you can access your room. Or you have to book an extra night at the hotel. For the night when you arrive. Depending on where you are staying, the extra hotel costs will not always be worth the money you save by taking that late flight. But on the other hand, when you arrive late at night and check in your hotel room for some sleep, you will gain a whole day at your destination,

Departure

With departure it’s the same. When you leave in the middle of the night or in the early morning (before 6 a.m. or so), you may get lower prices on your flight ticket. But is it worth that you have to leave your hotel room at 11 a.m. that day? Sure, most hotels have a secured luggage room where you can put your luggage. But personally, when I have a whole day left in a city or on the beach, I’d really like to shower at the end of the day. And relax in my room. Before I have a long flight ahead of me, in the middle of the night. So that means you have to pay extra for a hotel night.

So have a close look at the departure and arrival times of the flights you can choose. And decide for yourself what you find important. Price, comfort, extra day at the beach or in a city or do some last day shopping. Find out what departure times will best suit your needs. In relation to the costs attached.

Seat selection

If you’re going on a (short) domestic flight, the seating isn’t that important. If you’re flying over beautiful islands or mountains, you might want to check if you can get a window seat. For nice viewings.
However, if you’re going on a long flight, and you have the option to choose a seat, I’d recommend taking an isle seat. That way you can easily get up whenever you want. It will avoid your body getting stiff. And ensures a good blood circulation if you move around at least once every hour. Also, you can go to the toilet whenever you want without bothering anybody 😉

That is also the reason why I always book seats in the middle of the plane. And not on the window side. A lot of the bigger airplanes have a 3-4-3 seating plan. And I choose my seats in the row of 4 seats. That way no one (besides my partner) has to bother me when they want to get up from their seat. Which is the case if you’re in the row of 3 seats. If you’re unlucky, the stranger who is sitting by the window, wants to get up every half hour. Keeping you from your movie or sleep. And that is very annoying. So think carefully about what seats you choose. A window seat is great for the views, but isn’t always the best option for you.

Check out my article How to choose the best seat on a plane to find the best seats.

Cancellation policy and insurance

For me it’s never been an issue or something I had to take into consideration. I have a continuous travel and cancellation insurance, which is valid throughout the whole year. Regardless of where I’m traveling to. But maybe you live in a country where these type or insurance policies aren’t available. Or you simply don’t have any insurance. Then you have to look into this. You want to make sure you can cancel your flight when needed. And what the cancellation policy is of an airline. After checking this and when you’re moving on with booking your tickets, you’ll then be able to decide if you need the offered cancellation insurance.

I’m someone who likes certainty and like to be covered for as much as possible. I don’t take a lot of (financial) risks, so I just have an ongoing travel and cancellation insurance. I travel every year, multiple times, so this saves me the trouble of arranging insurance every single time. So if you’re a frequent traveler, I can recommend this type of insurance.

If you’re buying a very cheap ticket, and the chances are very slim that you’re going to have to cancel your flight, maybe the extra money isn’t worth the cancellation option for you. But that’s something you have to decide for yourself. Just make sure you check it. And besides the cancellation insurance, always make sure you have travel insurance!

So these were the tips for booking your flights. I hope they will help you next time you have to book your tickets.