Back to: Australia Training
General Principles
- It doesn’t always matter to get to your final destination right away
- Once you’ve crossed the ocean or are closer to Australia, it can be cheaper to get little flights to and from main cities
- You can save money
- You can see something you didn’t plan on
- Keep in mind: it might take more time to get to your final destination
- But have an open mind and you’ll have an adventure along the way!
Remember the Rule of Flexibility
- The more of these factors you have, the cheaper deals available:
- Less luggage (carry on or less)
- Book in advance (3-8 months)
- Extra time invested in searching for flights
- Long travel time (getting from A to B)
- Flexible dates
- If you aren’t willing to compromise on these factors, your airfare might be more
Be flexible!
- Most people book flights in this order:
- Pick their dates, then destination, and see what prices come up > this usually results in high costs!
- Do it backwards if you want a cheap flight to Europe/Asia/Australia:
- See what cheap fares are available to the overall area in your general time-frame
- Use the “flexible dates” search feature available on a lot of sites
- Figure out the small connections to get you to your final destination
- Don’t rule out trains/buses!
When should I book my flight?
- After your agreement is signed
- When you see a great deal
- International flights: ideally 2-8 months in advance
- Remember: prices tend to increase about a month or two before departure
- If you’re going between September and May, you can book a little closer to your departure date
- Remember: prices tend to increase about a month or two before departure
When is the cheapest time to fly?
- January through mid-May
- September through early December
When is the most expensive time to fly?
- Peak summer (mid-June through mid-August)
- Christmas/New Year’s
Cheapest days to fly (generally speaking):
- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday
- Friday and Sunday usually the most expensive days
Great resources for finding flights on your own:
- Kiwi.com
- Skyscanner
- Google Flights
- Kayak
- Momondo
- Southwest (their flights don’t show up in general search engines like Expedia, Orbitz, etc.)
- Allegiant Airlines (for cheap flights from SLC/Provo to LAX, SFO, etc.)
Great organizations for finding flights for you:
- Scott’s Cheap Flights
- Pomelo
- Flights from Home (out of SLC & Vegas)
- Hopper app
- Cheap Fly Club
- I Know The Pilot
- Matt’s Flights