For over a decade, I’ve navigated the ups and downs of international travel as an expat, refining a system for purchasing plane tickets that “works” for me. Despite my years of experience, I always wondered if there was a better way—some secret strategy that could save me more money and make travel smoother.
To find out, I reached out to a fellow expat who’s a true master of airfare deals. His expertise blew me away, and I learned a ton from him about getting the best possible prices. In this guide, I’m sharing his insider tips and tricks so you, too, can book international flights with confidence and save big on your next trip.
Living abroad has incredible benefits that attract people to the expat life, but as in all things, there are also drawbacks. Perhaps the greatest of these is being far away from family and friends, along with the financial burden of traveling home to reconnect with them. These costs can be high if you’re single and even higher if you’re married or have kids. Getting tickets that you can afford is quite a challenge. Thankfully, we have great tools available to help us both lower costs and travel better.
Today I’m going to share two approaches people use when buying tickets, ways to get a cheaper price regardless of your approach, and other tips and tricks I’ve learned as an expat.
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Two different approaches
There are two main schools of thought when it comes to purchasing airfare. The “budget” school of thought says to always buy the cheapest airfare, regardless of which airline or how it affects your miles. The “loyalty” school of thought typically chooses a particular airline alliance (more on that later) and flies only with them for status and miles, even if that’s more expensive. Let’s consider the pros and cons of each approach, as both have merits:
Benefits of the budget approach
The greatest benefit of the budget approach is that you can choose any airline to fly, and if you find a good ticket, you buy it and get on with your life. Decisions are easier because you’re choosing based on just one variable: cost.
You may still join one (or many) frequent flyer programs to get basic benefits, but you are not chasing status, points, or miles. If you get a free ticket or upgrade eventually, fine, but you’re saving money on each flight and you don’t worry about whether a potential future free ticket is worth more than what you’re saving by getting the budget ticket.
Benefits of the loyalty approach
The opposite is true for the loyalty school of travel. Instead of the simple “search-buy-move on” approach, you have to make a lot of careful calculations and comparisons between airlines, even between airlines in the same alliance you’re loyal to.
As someone who uses the loyalty approach, I will always check and make note of the best overall price (which the budget approach would probably buy). I then search again and exclude any airlines outside of my alliance of choice. By searching only within my alliance, there are fewer flights, and sometimes the tickets are as cheap as the budget approach, but often not. I then have to start getting really creative to see if I can find ways to lower the price (see tips below).
What makes it a tad more complicated is that how many miles you earn will vary between airlines within the same alliance, so I look at the number of points and/or miles I will earn on Airline A vs Airline B. Sometimes it may be worth spending a bit more to fly with Airline A because the points earned on Airline B are very low.
For me, the perks from frequent flier miles is worth the extra effort.
Why do I spend extra time researching and purchasing tickets? Because of the perks that come by concentrating my miles within one alliance. I’ve been able to gain the second-highest status in my alliance of choice. This gives me free choice of any seats in economy class (which can cost over $100 per person otherwise), extra baggage allowance, easier check-in at the premium counter, early boarding, and often in-flight perks such as being served meals first.
In addition, I have access to business class airport lounges, which give me a great place to rest before a flight or during a layover, plus the free food means I never have to spend money at expensive airport restaurants. Lounges often have showers, which are a refreshing luxury if you have a layover on a long trip.
Additionally, the miles enable me to upgrade to business class on occasion, which makes for a markedly more pleasant travel experience. To me, these perks are worth the extra time and effort it takes to buy tickets and the (sometimes) higher price I pay for my tickets.
Sites to book tickets
Regardless of whether you follow the budget or loyalty approach, there are steps we can all take in order to buy cheaper and better tickets. I doubt any of you are just going to your favorite airline’s website and booking a ticket, but if you are, you can usually find cheaper and better flight options if you use an online travel agent or a travel search engine.
Online Travel Agents (OTA)
Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, Trip/C-Trip, Hotwire, and Agoda are examples of OTAs. OTAs will compare prices across multiple airlines for your route and dates and sell you the ticket directly. The prices are often comparable to or sometimes lower than booking directly with the airline, and many OTAs have loyalty programs that give you perks whenever you use them.
The biggest drawback to OTAs is that if your travel plans change (sickness, date change, or a delayed/missed/canceled flight), you usually can’t talk with the airline directly. You’ll have to talk with the OTA who coordinates with your airline, which wastes time and means your rebooking will be slower than those who talk directly with the airline. OTAs will also usually charge you their own fee if you choose to change the date.1
In addition, an airline’s frequent flyer program usually gives you fewer miles/points for tickets purchased through an OTA than if you purchase directly from the airline.
Mark’s note: You’re also at the mercy of how the OTA books the tickets. I had one experience where the OTA, unbeknownst to me, purchased my international fare as a series of one-way tickets rather than one itinerary. The result was that we had to exit security, collect our bags, and re-checkin at every airport along the way. It was ridiculous, and we only learned it was purchased that way when we were en route.
Travel search engines
Google Flights, Kayak, Skyscanner, and Momondo are travel search engines which compare prices from many airlines and websites and then link you to either the airline’s website or to an OTA to finalize your ticket purchase. If they redirect you to an OTA to finalize the ticket purchase, then you get the situation noted above.
However, if they redirect you to an airline, it means you can book directly with the airline and any flight issues can be addressed with the airline itself. Also, if you book directly with the airline you will get the most airline points and/or miles (if you are a member of their frequent flyer program). Using travel search engines, however, means extra steps because you will be redirected to another website to make the ticket purchase, and sometimes prices fluctuate or tickets are unavailable when you are redirected.
Are OTA or search engines better?
Which site is best? That is really up to you! Try different websites and see which one makes the most sense to you. My personal preference is Google Flights because it is robust and has many options that allow you to try different approaches to saving money. For some, especially beginner travelers, Google Flights’ many options may be too complicated.
How to buy cheap plane tickets
If you know a few tips and tricks and are creative, you can find ways to save substantially on your flights. In the notes below, I’ll refer to Google Flights, but most of these tips can apply to any travel search engine or even some OTA.
These tips can help you save substantially on your flights.
Take notes
As you search, make sure to keep track of what you’ve found: dates, prices, routes, times, flights, airlines, etc. I like to do this with pen and paper, but you may prefer to do it with a spreadsheet on your computer.
Search anonymously
Airlines and websites use cookies to track your searches and some may increase prices based on this. That is, if you search for a specific flight and then come back to search for it the next day, they may increase the price you see because they know you’re interested in it. To avoid this, it is best to always search for flights in Incognito or Private Mode in your browser of choice.
Book in advance
Book your tickets far enough in advance that there are still tickets in the cheapest ticket class available. As you get closer to the departure date, tickets get more expensive because the cheaper fares have already been purchased by other people.
For international travel, most professionals recommend booking at least 60 days prior to travel. If prices happen to drop, some airlines (American Airlines, for example) will allow you to change your flights for free and give you a voucher for the difference in price that is valid for one year for use on future flights.
Change your dates
The easiest way to save money is to have some flexibility in your travel dates (on both ends). Dates which have higher demand (peak travel season, holidays, etc.) will have higher prices, so changing the dates you leave or return can influence the price greatly. Start by inputting your desired dates you would like to fly, but consider whether you can fly 1-3 days before or after the dates you like.
For example, I searched a trip from December 22 to January 19 for 2 adults and one child from Hangzhou (HGH) to Houston (IAH). Google Flights will give you the best options, as well as other choices. They also conveniently tell you if the price is low, typical, or high for those specific tickets.
Although Google tells me that the cheapest price is $5,525 on those travel dates, that’s more than I’m willing to spend, so I adjusted the dates. You can do this manually or you can click “Date Grid” to easily see prices on several days before and after your desired travel date:
Departing just one day later drops the price to $3,150—a savings of nearly $2,500, or over 40%! Google Flights confirms that this price is significantly lower than average. Prices do change very regularly, so it’s a good idea to buy if you see a price (like the one I found) that looks good to you.
Changing my dates saved me $2,500 or 40% off the ticket price.
Change your airports
Another way you can save significantly is by considering other airports that are near you. While Hangzhou is my nearest airport, I can easily travel out of either Shanghai airport (PVG/SHA) or Nanjing (NKG). I can fly into the other Houston airport (HOU) or Dallas (DFW) without too much trouble, too. You can put up to eight airports in as departing or arriving airports in Google Flights. In my specific search, different airports doesn’t save me money (the $3,150 HGH to IAH fare was still the best), but many times the price can vary substantially.
Mark’s note: Especially if you live near a small airport, you may save an immense amount of money by taking a train, bus, or driving to a nearby larger city and flying out from there.
Search in a different language
This tip is a bit odd, but if you’re multilingual, try using a search engine in a different language or use a search engine for your host country. Sometimes, the exact same flight will have radically different prices based on what language you search in. Airlines are trying to maximize their revenue, so they’ll charge more for English searches on US websites than, say, a search in Thai made on a Thai-focused website.
One of the incredible benefits of being multilingual.
Widen your search
Google Flights allows you to perform a wider destination search than inputting one to eight cities in your search. If you’re searching in the United States, you can also put in a whole state (Texas, in my earlier example). This search will pull up a map of Texas with various cities and their airfares highlighted. Sometimes a great price will come up to a city that’s a bit further away than you’d usually consider. You may need to rent a car, but if it saves enough money, it can be worth it.
You can also widen even further and put an entire country in as the destination. Once you’re in the map, you can zoom in/out to see more/less airports, and you can also move the map around which will automatically show you new airports as you change the location. This can open up some big sales and discounts to cities you normally wouldn’t consider. The East and West Coasts of the US often have very cheap flights – cheap enough that you could still save significantly even if you have to buy a second flight from that city to your destination city.2
Go to another country
This is another bizarre tip, but sometimes you can save loads of money by first flying to a different country that is an international hub, and then taking the international flight to your final destination. Your total cost may be cheaper than flying directly from your host country to your passport country.3
To do this, though, you have to be SUPER careful, because the flights will be on separate itineraries. If the first flight is delayed or canceled, you’ll risk missing the second flight and the airlines will not compensate you or rebook you–they’ll consider it to be your responsibility and you’ll have to pay for the other ticket. So, if you go this route, definitely make sure you have a substantial amount of time before the international flight–strongly consider staying one day in that hub before your international flight.
Also, make sure your entire family have the appropriate visas for staying in the international city.
Track Prices
If you are looking at tickets for travel many months before your desired travel date, you can track prices for particular dates and routes (or just for particular routes). Google Flights will email you when prices change. This can be an excellent way to grab a sale price or when tickets reach a price point that makes you happy.
Know before you buy
In addition to the tips above, there are five things you should make sure you know before you buy the ticket.
Know what’s included
Always check and see what is included in your ticket price. Some airlines charge extra for any checked bags (even carry-on bags on some budget airlines) while others allow one or two free checked bags. You don’t want to be surprised at the airport with luggage fees which can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of your trip.
Some search engines (e.g. Kayak) will let you choose how many bags you have and they’ll take baggage fees into account when they show you the price of a ticket. Quite helpful.
Know when you’re flying
Cheaper tickets often depart or arrive at less desirable times. Make sure you look closely at your departure and arrival times on all flights, especially if they cross time zones or the international date line. A flight that leaves at 6am will likely mean you have to spend the night near the airport, and the cost of a hotel room adds to the cost of your trip. You may also not want to arrive at your destination late at night because it can inconvenience people meeting you, or finding a taxi may be harder.
Finally, if you’re flying with children, flying at times that will minimize the chance of them having a meltdown can mean the difference between a good trip and an awful one. If you are flying with kids, check out: Family Flight Plan: Expert Strategies for Traveling with Children.
Know where you’ll have a layover
Some airfares (particularly cheaper ones) often add in a layover that can be significant – even up to a full day. Layovers can even require you to change airports to make your connecting flight. If the price is right, these can still be tempting, but it is important to factor inconveniences like this into your overall travel plan.
If your layover includes a change of airport, make sure to check the visa requirements of that country before you book the ticket. You may be required to have a visa in order to leave one airport and enter the country, even if your goal is just to go to a different airport nearby.
Know who you’re flying
In addition to differing baggage allowances, the experience between airlines varies greatly. Some airlines have a reputation for excellence in the air and some don’t. If you’re unfamiliar with the airline you’re considering, take a few minutes to briefly look them up and see what people are saying about them.
Know where you’re sitting
It is also a very good idea to look up seat maps for the specific plane (e.g., A380 or 787-800) that will fly your route. Some planes and airlines have wider seats and greater seat pitch (the distance between your seat and the seat in front of you) and some have less. On a long flight, wider seats and greater seat pitch can make a huge difference.
Using frequent flier miles
There’s a massive industry of websites and people who will help you maximize your credit card and airline points, and I’m not going to attempt to explain those strategies. Search how to maximize your airline miles and you’ll find a wealth of information.
What I will say is that if you’re often flying the same long-distance routes, you’ll probably end up flying the same airline, so it makes sense to join that airline’s frequent flier program. Find out what alliance that airline belongs to (the three main alliances are Star Alliance, OneWorld, and SkyTeam), and make sure to claim any miles on any airline within the alliance. The points do add up and can get you free tickets or upgrades.
Conclusion
International travel doesn’t have to break the bank if you know how to navigate the ticket-buying process wisely. By taking the time to explore different booking strategies, adjusting your travel dates, and considering alternative airports, you can unlock significant savings. The right approach, whether budget-focused or loyalty-driven, will depend on your travel goals, but everyone can benefit from using the tips and tricks shared in this guide.
Ultimately, flights are just a means to reach your destination. Don’t let the process overwhelm you; instead, use these strategies to maximize your travel experience while minimizing costs. And, keep learning. If you had a horrendous experience on an airline, learn from it and let it inform your next purchase. With a bit of planning and a keen eye for deals, you’ll be on your way to more affordable, enjoyable international adventures. Safe travels, and happy flight hunting!
Thanks, Neil! I hope you learned a ton from the article and that it helps you get better and cheaper tickets! What’s your favorite tip for buying plane tickets? What did we miss? Please share in the comments below or on social media, especially Threads which is fast becoming my favorite social media platform.
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Footnotes
- Mark’s note: Once, when my baby was violently sick, the OTA wanted to charge me $250 per ticket to change the date, in addition to the difference in price of the tickets. ↩︎
- Just be careful when considering this, though, because you will be dealing with two separate bookings/itineraries. Therefore, you will have little recourse if your incoming flight is delayed and you miss the flight on your second booking. ↩︎
- Mark’s note: Right after COVID, I saved over $10,000 by using this strategy. It wasn’t nice to have to collect luggage, stay a night in a hotel, and recheck in–but to save $10,000? No brainer. ↩︎