Airline ticket prices change all the time because of competition, demand, and inventory. You can use this flux to your advantage in order to get the cheapest tickets possible to fly overseas. The Internet makes searching easy and allows you to be in control of how much you will pay to get to your destination. It pays to look around and shop comparatively, especially for longer, pricier flights overseas.
Start looking early (at least one month in advance). Give yourself plenty of time to shop and compare ticket prices. Look for early deals that usually involve a reservation at least 21 days before departure. Alternatively, wait for last-minute fares that will offer little flexibility but can be very inexpensive.
Remain flexible with your dates to find the cheapest fares. Fly when demand is at its lowest to get the best deals. Book your flight during the winter months, on a weekday, or overnight.
Use your age to your advantage, if possible. Inquire about senior or student discounts.
Join a travel club and get frequent flier miles that can eventually reward you with a cheap or even free flight.
Look into secondary airports outside of major cities that may offer cheaper fares.
Search through a consolidators website, such as lowestfare.com, cheapseats.com, or cheaptickets.com.
Use Internet trip planners, such as expedia.com, orbitz.com, or travelocity.com, where you can search for flights in any number of ways. Sign up for low-fare alerts at smarttraveler.com.
Become a member of a courier travel company such as The International Association of Air Travel Couriers or Global Courier Travel. Take advantage of the massively discounted seats that are sold by companies that need a warm body to accompany their goods and see that it gets to where it needs to go.
Register for a reverse option, allowing you to name your destination, dates, and price on expedia.com or priceline.com and take advantage of cheap, flexible flights.
