Plan your trip around your destination's busy season. Every destination in the world has a peak and an off-peak season. Airfare and hotel prices both drop during the off-season because destinations are looking to attract visitors.
Shop in advance; airlines tend to feature cheaper prices on airfare four to five months before a flight's departure date. Shopping at this time allows you to compare prices on other airlines and have a little time to make your final decision before making a purchase.
Travel flexibly. If you don't have to depart on Sunday morning search airfare prices a day or two before and/or afterward to compare prices. Sometimes prices are less expensive if you wait 24 hours to depart.
Compare airports. For example: if you are planning a trip to New York City check the flight prices flying into the three main airports in the city: JFK, La Guardia and Newark. Sometimes the price difference between airports is considerable.
Fly out on Wednesday if possible. Airfare prices, according to Rick Seaney, CEO of Farecompare.com, are least expensive on Wednesdays than any other day of the week.
Buy your tickets in the middle of the week. Airlines start dropping prices on Tuesday afternoons and typically don't raise fares again until Thursdays.
Check airline websites in addition to travel websites. Travel websites are beneficial in that you can compare prices on several different airlines on each search but travel websites don't necessarily work with every possible airline, which means you might miss a lower fare by not checking airline websites as well.
