In order to travel over land and sea, we have to fly. This is just a fact of life, well, unless you fancy getting on a boat and travelling over the high seas for days on end, which I don’t think many people would be too keen to do. Because of this logistical fact, flying costs can be high if you need to travel during peak times, such as school holidays. Finding a cheap fare can be done, but it takes patience, perseverance and a clear head.

Here are a few tips I’ve picked up along the way.

Be flexible

The more rigid your search, the more unlikely you are to land on a cheap flight fare. You could be lucky and just fall on your selected day, but it’s unlikely. It’s for that reason it’s always advisable to be as flexible with your travel days as possible. Mid-week flights are generally cheaper than weekends, so try and avoid flying on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, if at all possible.

Don’t be picky with your departure airport

If you live in the vicinity of several airports, open up your search to travel from a different one to where you normally would. Some airports just generally come up cheaper. For instance, I live in the UK and I always find that flights are cheaper from London. Yes, this means I have to travel, but it sometimes means that the cost of my flight and travel to the airport combined, still works out cheaper than a more expensive regional flight. It’s a case of weighing up the pros and cons.

Consider split bookings

Like the above example, certain airports are cheaper on different routes I find, so if you can, go through a site such as Skyscanner, and book your outbound flight and your inbound flight separately, with possibly different companies, and to and from different airports. You might find you save here.

Be patient

If you see a cheap flight, either split booked or as a return journey, it’s advisable to watch it for a while before jumping to book. Of course, if the cost if ridiculously low, don’t risk it going up, but if you think it might come down in price, then wait. Flight prices do fluctuate depending on the day, the amount of traffic on the website etc, so sometimes waiting and being patient does yield results.

Think indirect

I’ve flown indirect before and saved big. Yes, it’s a bit more hassle and adds time to your overall journey, but if it saves a lot of money then it should definitely be considered. If you book with the same company for the whole journey, then you might not even have to pick up your luggage at your connection, and they should simply be loaded onto your next flight. This makes the whole thing easier, so certainly look at using the same company for your indirect bookings.

Flexibility is the key when finding cheap flights, as you can see, and it can be done. A hefty dose of patience and a bit of going around the houses is needed, but when it comes to saving money, it’s worth every second.