Finding a Flight

Booking your flight is the most important step in planning your trip. It is the moment you realize the trip is most definitely happening and there is no backing out now. It is my favorite moment when waiting for my trip to finally arrive and always ends in some kind of happy dance or squeal.

For me, I find that I can usually navigate my way around the all the various sites and find the best value(not just the best price). It has taken loads of advice and mostly just playing around with all my favorite websites and the dates I am willing to travel. When finding your flight these are my favorite websites thus far:

1. Skyscanner- This website is great for international and domestic travel. Sky Scanner checks various websites and finds you the best deal. It then will direct you to the website. It does not charge you for it's use. http://www.skyscanner.com/

2. Kayak- A crowd favorite is www.kayak.com. Both skyscanner and Kayak are fairly similar and I have found that it really depends on the flight on which site will provide me with a cheaper flight.

3. Airfare Watch Dog- This is a great site if you have time to wait before booking your flight. This site (among others) allows you to put in when and where you would like to travel, then having the website send you emails letting you know when the price has gone down on said flight.

4. Go straight to the source. Although all of these websites will provide you with great service, sometimes it's in your best interest to go straight to the airlines website. I have signed up with every airline, allowing me to receive emails informing me when they are having a huge sale. Often airlines will have $49 one way tickets to areas close in your region and even great deals on places that normally cost double the amount. My favorite airlines (because of prices) are as follows:

1. Alaska Airlines
2. Frontier Airlines
3. Virgin Airlines
3. United Airlines
4. Southwest

Now these airlines are my favorites due to my location. Find which airline has a hub in your local airport. Those are going to be the Airlines that offer you the best specials. Don't forget to check airports that are only a few hours away. Often you can save hundreds just by driving a little further!