3 Ways To Find The Cheapest Flights and Hotels

The Cheapest Flights and Hotels – “There’s an App for that”

This article is going to focus on finding great travel deals on flights and hotels paid with cash, NOT points and miles.  If you are interested in learning how to score a free flight or hotel, please check out the http://www.firststepfortune.com/free-flight-or-hotel/ article I have previously written.

1. Google Flights – Search for Cheap Flights

It is safe to say my fiance and I love a good weekend getaway.  Since Taylor practices as a nurse, her schedule differs from week to week and it is difficult to plan trips in advance.  In an effort to keep costs down, when we are planning to pay cash for a trip instead of using points and miles, I use https://www.google.com/flights/ to search for cheap flights.  This allows me to set a filter on price that then displays destinations that meet my threshold.  The beauty of this feature is that I can set the Departing Location and then click the “explore” feature to see any and all destinations within my price range.

Below is an example of leveraging Google Flights to find flights less than $150 round trip for specified dates.

Notice, the multiple destinations displayed all cost less than $150, round trip.  For example:

• Seattle, WA $93
• Portland, OR $83
• San Francisco, CA $127
• Minneapolis, MN $149
• Chicago, IL $111
• Dallas, TX $121
• Houston, TX $133

This is a great tool to leverage if you know your travel dates!  However, taking this a step further and traveling ANYWHERE at ANYTIME is the best way to score the best deals.

2. SkyScanner – Best App for Spontaneous Travelers

Finding cheap flights can save you a lot of money when you are flexible with your travel dates and locations.  SkyScanner (www.SkyScanner.com) is a website, as well as mobile app, that gives users the ability to find the best deal to ANYWHERE at ANYTIME.

SkyScanner has two key features to help you find the best possible deal. These features include:

1. Travel Dates: Cheapest Month
2. Travel Destination: Everywhere

Leveraging these two features lets all kinds of travelers find the best deals out there. For example:

1. The full spontaneous traveler (go anywhere, anytime)!
2. The traveler willing to go anywhere but only during specific set dates.
3. The traveler with a mission for visiting a specific destination, but it doesn’t matter when!
4. You’re average traveler, must go to this destination, on these dates.

3. HotelTonight – Last Minute Hotel Accommodation Deals

Lastly, if you are a traveler that enjoys the spontaneity of a vacation and enjoys going from place to place without a real set plan then the HotelTonight app is the app for you!  HotelTonight is an app that can help you find a great deal on any last minute hotel accommodation. This app allows you to find discounted rates from hotels trying to fill their vacant rooms for the night.

HotelTonight allows you to book a hotel room for tonight, tomorrow, or as far in advance as next week.

Summary

1. Google Flights – Search destinations based on a specific price range
2. SkyScanner – Best deals for the spontaneous traveler
3. HotelTonight – Score discounted rates for last minute accommodations