[trip style = any]
Booking a flight takes time and money: time to research the best flight, money to seal the deal.
Recently a member of the TS community asked me about tips and resources for booking the best/cheapest flight without spending hours of research. After giving my two cents---and recently going through my own research process for flights to Australia and New York---here are my top 5 tips for finding the best flight.
5 Commandments for Booking the Best Flight 1 - Know thy destination/price range {5-10 mins} - get a sense of which airlines fly there from your departure point{s} and the price range by doing a quick search on Kayak - don't rule out smaller airports near you
2 - Know thy budget/path {5 mins} - how much money do you want to spend on your flight? - are you willing to spend more for a direct flight? - would you rather spend less for multi-leg, all-day journey? - consider the airline alliance with which you collect points, sometimes the 'best' flight might be $75 more
3 - Seeketh and findeth the best options {up to 15 mins} - knowing which airlines fly to your destination and how you'd like to get there, start looking for seat sales and deals on the airlines' websites, facebook groups and twitter feeds.... Trip Styler Tip :: if you choose only one place to look for seat sales, go to the sale section of the airline's website
4 - Followeth thy rules of flight booking {up to 15 mins} - booking your flight on a tuesday night or wednesday morning are your best bets for fare deals - avoid flying friday and sunday {unless you absolutely have to} - know that last-minute flight deals are a usually a myth - booking 15-30 days in advance usually posts the best price
5 - Findeth the best online resources {3 mins} - see a list of Trip Styler's go-to travel website here - don't forget about discount airlines---some of which are not indexed by travel meta search sites like Kayak
Related How to Save on Airfare Fight or Flight The Airfare Dance {When to book your flight} The Chicken or the Egg {Booking your flight or hotel first?}
[photo by @tripstyler, taken on a runway at Wilson Airport in Kenya]