Cheap flights are the holy grail of travel, so it’s no wonder that the community at r/Shoestring would like to know how to find them. In that vein, I’ve decided to create a sticky thread with tips and tricks on how to find the best deals. I’m in the process of collating information, but I’d love feedback from the community on what would be most useful.
So far, I’m thinking we should include sections on Google Flights (including how to use it), Skyscanner and Kayak (including the ‘everywhere’ function), Scotts Cheap Flights/Jacks Cheap Flights, as well as Kiwi, Hopper, and any other sites that may be worth checking out. We should also have a section that covers potential risks associated with booking through third parties.
What else would you like to see? I’d particularly like to see a section warning about Kiwi, as I don’t think it’s the best option. Also, I’d like to include a section on Timatic IATA onward tickets lookup. This is something people need to be aware of; some countries require you to have an onward ticket before you can enter, while other countries do not. It all depends on the country and the nationality of your passport. For example, Canadian passport holders don’t need to worry about onward tickets when entering the US, while Irish passport holders do.
Finally, it would be helpful to define “self-transfer” tickets versus connected tickets. “Self-transfer” tickets, even those sold by travel agencies, put the onus on the traveler to be on time for all flights, even if the delay was due to the fault of a previous airline.
I hope this gives you a better idea of what to expect from the sticky thread. If you have any other ideas, please let me know!