GOOGLE FLIGHT HACKING
One of the biggest financial burdens when traveling abroad is the cost of your flight. To get a flight during high season can be well over $1,500 per person from the East Coast of the US to Europe. If you have flexibility on the dates in which you can travel, this is a great place to start.
Step 1:
Open Google
Step 2:
Type in "FLIGHTS" and go to the flights tab (sort of like how you'd search images or videos) Fill in your starting city & Click "Explore Destinations"
Step 3:
Google will populate default information, you can see it defaulted for a 1 week trip within the next 6 months from BNA (our home airport), focusing on some good deals to the West coast. This was not what we were looking for, so we went a little further.
STEP 4:
Add in your parameters. We looked at a 1 week long trip within the next 6 months.
We want to have 1 layover flights only from BNA to Europe.
You can see where it lists out the dates, the airline, the hours of travel and the best deals.
Things to keep in mind when searching flights like this...
You will end up booking directly through the airline or other booking engines, as google is not the booking platform
If your flight has a layover listed check additional details, such as the layover airport being the same as arriving/departing (sometimes you see this in large cities like London/NYC). Check the timing of your layover from being too long or too short. Check that you are using a consistent brand, because if you have a Delta leg and then a Southwest leg of your flight, you'll have to re-check in and check bags.
The pricing shown is the "base price" of the ticket. If you are interested in seat selection, upgrades, cancellations, changes or checked bags- the price can go up quickly
If you do not have date flexibility, you can set up "Track Prices" where Google will let you know if the pricing during a given time period has gone down. We typically recommend to book early when you can, as flight prices tend to only increase as dates get closer.
This is what we use when we are just trying to get an idea of a good time to travel. Or to get ideas on what flights from your airport can get you direct and on what airline. It's always a good idea to purchase travel insurance, especially when booking a trip that is a few months out.
Hope this helps some of you to research your next trip!
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