Most people flock to their favorite airline to start looking for a trip. Not me! I don't book based on my favorite airline - I book based on the cheapest airline. Here is a step-by-step guide to teach you how to use Google Flights in order to find a cheap vacation. Throughout the process, I will tell you how I scored $750 roundtrip tickets for my sister and I to visit Europe using Google Flights.
Step 1: Have a brief idea of your vacation.
Start with a general idea of where you would like to visit, approximately how many days you would like to visit, and what time of the year you would like to go.
Where You Would Like to Visit: I keep a general idea of where I would like to go. When I was looking into my sister's graduation trip to Europe, I kept checking on flight prices to Spain, Paris, London, Germany, and the vicinity. If you know which specific country you'd like to visit, check for flight prices to different airports in that country.
How Many Days: This should be heavily based on your amount of work vacation time and budget cap. If you have $500, it will be hard to visit Tokyo for two weeks. However, if you have $500 and are planning a weekend getaway in Paso Robles, you won't be as restricted with money. Be approximate but realistic about how many days you will be on vacation.
What Time of the Year: I always like to vacation at the transition into the off season. During the off season, most locations are deserted and will not have many shops, restaurants, and attractions open. However, if you go just before the off season, there will still be a few other tourists around, everything will be open, and many things will be on sale before the season ends.
The off season varies depending where you want to go. My sister and I went to London, Paris, and Copenhagen in June. We scored 50 euro tickets to Disneyland Paris because this was a couple weeks before the busy summer, post-school season started. My boyfriend and I went to Santorini in October and scored a $250 one-way flight in because the busy season was just about to end.
Step 2: Start Searching on Google Flights
I like to check for flight prices on Google Flights because it gives you price listings for many different airlines and fare differences for different days. You can look at multiple options and prices instead of entering specific days and locations. I understand other websites can do this too, but Google Flights has never let me down. Here is my step-by-step guide when you use Google Flights.
Use an Incognito Browser: When you're looking for flights, your information is recorded and prices will increase when you keep looking for flights to the same destination over and over. To the airlines, looking at the same flights means you're very likely to book a flight to this destination, so why not raise the price 50 to 100 dollars and make a quick profit off you?
This happened to me during college. An acquaintance and I were looking on an airline page at the same time and were about to buy flights. My page refreshed and the prices went up $100 right before my eyes. Avoid flights prices increasing by doing all of your travel searches in incognito mode.
Explore Destinations: When you open Google Flights, enter your departure destination and the approximate dates you want to travel. Then click on "Explore Destination." This will bring you to a map of the world with prices showing you how much it would cost to fly to that destination in the dates you have provided.
On map view, click and drag to move the map around, showing you different parts of the world. Zoom in and out accordingly. Keep in mind that when you zoom out, you will see more destinations but less prices because they become too squished together. Be sure to zoom in to see all flight prices in that region.
Price Schedule: Once you find a destination that has an appealing price in the time period you've chosen, click on that airport. It will bring up flight prices from different airlines on the left hand side. Click on "View Flights."
The screen is now divided into "Best Departing Flights" on top and "Other Departing Flights" on the bottom. Be sure the check all of them out. Click on the dropdown arrow for each flight you're interested in for more information. While the price may seem appealing because it's in green and cheap, check all aspects of the flights:
-Look to the left. How many stops (aka layovers) will you have, and are they short and manageable, or long and likely to create turmoil during your vacation?
-Is there a crossed out suitcase next to the price? That means the price does not include luggage, and you'll have to pay more to bring your suitcase on each leg of the flight.
Date Grid Feature: Above the flight listings is a button that states "Date Grid." This feature shows you the total* price for your roundtrip flight. The dates on top are your "Departure" dates, and the dates on the right are your "Arrival" dates back home. Green prices are cheaper, and red prices are more expensive. Scroll through and see which days give you the best price, keeping in mind how many vacation days you have and what your budget allows.
Track Prices: Not too happy with the prices you're seeing right now? At the top left is an option to "Track Prices." Google Flights will remember your itinerary and send you a notification with price alerts. Personally, I have not used this feature, so it may be possible that this is a way to sign up for their e-mail list.
*Some flights have hidden prices. You will have to pay more to upgrade luggage, upgrade your flight class, etc.
Step 3: Book Your Trip!
After doing all of this research on Google Flights, you've finally settled on the best days and price for your trip. Congratulations!
Select the arrival and departure flights that work best for you. You'll then be prompted to buy the flights through Google, the airline directly, or a third party associated with the airline. Check all of the options as some may be running a special or a deal that you can use to bring the cost down. Lastly, book you're flight, and you're a step closer to your dream vacation!
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