We lived within walking distance of the Eagle County Airport in Gypsum, Colorado, and we walked to the airport many times. This tiny airport is usually filled with private jets, so finding decently-priced airfare seemed impossible when we first moved there. Once we learned which airlines flew through it, we realized we could easily and affordably fly to almost anywhere. Our overnight fly-to-Dallas-to-see-Dead-and-Company whirlwind proved that. Still, we had a lot to learn about international travel. Our first trip to Portugal almost cost us valuable days: our American Airlines connecting flight at DIA came in late, we got bumped, and suddenly we had only a 35-minute connection in Denver. Some high-speed running, as well as running in the ground-level escalators, got us onto the flight, but it was far too close for comfort. We made it: overnight to Heathrow, through customs, and on to Lisbon. I’d gotten a great deal on airfare, but that little hiccup in Denver taught me something important: spending a little more for a better connection is worth every penny. Finding affordable airfare is one of the biggest expenses you will incur; together with finding accommodations, it is one of the major pieces of planning you need to consider.

There are some decent websites out there that help you find very cheap airfare. I even bought a year’s subscription to one of them, but I could never take advantage of the great flights because you have to be flexible with your timing, and my job didn’t allow for that. One important thing I learned from that service was that Google Flights is your best friend. If you know me, you know how much I love saving money. Paul reminds me often that there is a line between being thrifty and being a cheapskate. I’ll admit it, I’m a cheapskate, but I’m learning. Google Flights might not have rock-bottom fares, but it offers the best filtering tools, the clearest information, and a calendar view that makes finding good options simple. You can turn on price alerts like other sites, but I find that getting into Google Flights and digging around always gets me what I’m looking for.

Start with Flexible Dates and Airports

What is the biggest mistake most travelers make when searching for airfare? Most search for exact dates from a single airport and never consider Google Flights’ amazing settings. This is where the real savings hide. I’ve seen a Lisbon flight drop by several hundred dollars just by leaving on a Tuesday instead of a Saturday, and a London return become much cheaper by flying home on Monday instead of Sunday. Airports matter too. Flying out of Denver often costs far less than the smaller Colorado airports, and if you live in the Four Corners region, Albuquerque can have far better fares than Durango. A little flexibility with dates and one extra airport option can save you more than you’d imagine. These ideas matter, and it's essential always to verify them, but there is more to this than you might think.

What Actually Makes Sense for Your Trip

In my quest for cheap airfare, comfortable long-haul flights, cheaper airports, and Goldilocks connection times, I’ve learned that flexibility can get tricky. Yes, Albuquerque flights are often cheaper, but they can also create problems elsewhere in the trip. And DIA is an eight-hour drive from our house, which is not exactly fun before or after flying overnight. Still, this third-way thinking has helped us find discounted airfare more often than not. Remember the Eagle County Airport? Our old neighbors still live there, and we’ve traded pet sitting for years. Our dog loves going over there, so sometimes flying out of Eagle works, with bonus dog-sitting built in.

Here in Cortez, we also have a little commuter airport—$109 each way to Denver. Sometimes that solves everything, and sometimes it doesn’t. Once you factor in hotels, drive time, and extra flights, flying out of Durango is often our best bet. But I always check which airports are cheap to fly out of and which are cheap to fly into. For example, Miami often has better outbound rates, and Madrid, Barcelona, or Valencia can be much cheaper arrival airports in Spain. Looking at everything—outbound airport, inbound airport, connection time, total travel time, and your budget—helps you find the sweet spot. Time really is money.

The Google Flights Calendar: Your Secret Weapon

Once Google Flights is open, the first thing I look at is the calendar. It shows an entire month of prices at a glance, and the lower fares are highlighted in green. I love this feature because it instantly shows you where the savings are hiding. You can move your trip forward or back a couple of days and see which week makes the most sense. Sometimes you will notice one stretch of dates where the price suddenly drops, and that is usually the time to go. The calendar helps you stop guessing and start seeing actual patterns, which makes the whole process less overwhelming and a lot more fun.

Filters: Your Sanity Settings

Once you find a few dates that look good, the filters become your sanity settings. I always start with layover times. I want at least an hour and a half to two hours between flights, especially on international trips. I also limit the number of stops. One stop is fine for domestic travel and one or two for long-haul flights, but anything beyond that usually turns into a headache. I pay close attention to departure and arrival times because I want to actually enjoy the first and last days of my trip, not spend them half asleep.

I do not check bags, and I rarely pay for overhead luggage, except in Europe, where some airlines, like TAP, make you pay for that space. I wrote a full article on how to pack so you never have to check a bag, which is perfect for anyone who likes to travel light, the way I do. You can also sort flights by Best instead of Cheapest, which helps avoid those routings that look like a deal but make no sense in real life.

Yes, you can set alerts, but the real magic is learning how to use these filters. One more tip is that you can add a chosen stopover if you want to see another city along the way. Google lets you do this by choosing a preferred connecting airport, which is a fun way to turn a long travel day into a mini adventure. On my next Europe trip, I plan to see Paris this way.

What a Good Fare Actually Looks Like

At some point you will find a fare that looks good, but it helps to know what “good” actually means. For me, a reasonable price to Europe is usually anything under about seven hundred dollars from most major U.S. airports. But price is only one piece of it. I look at the routing and the total travel time. I want a trip that makes sense, not one that has me wandering around airports for half a day.

Layovers are also important. I do not want anything terrifyingly tight, and I do not want a twelve-hour layover unless I am planning to leave the airport on purpose. I also have a personal list of things I refuse to book. I will not take a thirty-five minute connection. I will not take three-stop itineraries. And I will not spend the night in an airport just to save a little money. A good fare should make your trip easier, not harder.

This is why the three-to-six-month rule matters. If you find a fare that fits your itinerary, budget, and travel needs, book it. Most travel bloggers and experts agree that the four-month mark before departure is often the sweet spot for international tickets. Keep watching your itinerary afterward, just in case the airline makes changes.

Effective trip planning = Happy Traveling!

Europe-Specific Strategies

If you are heading to Europe, there are a few tricks that can make a big difference. One is to look at open-jaw tickets, which let you fly into one city and out of another. It saves time and often saves money, especially if you are planning to move around anyway. I also think shoulder season is your best friend. Late spring and early fall usually give you better prices, better weather, and fewer crowds.

Another thing that helps is flying into a gateway city like Lisbon, Dublin, or Madrid and then hopping to your final destination on a regional airline or train. Those big hubs often have much cheaper long-haul fares.

That said, you still have to keep in mind your particular trip and what actually makes sense for your itinerary. For example, we are crossing our fingers that we will finally be able to buy our little cottage in the Algarve. Life moves at a glacial pace in Portugal, but when it does finally happen, we might fly into Lisbon and take the train south, or we might fly directly into Faro if it fits the trip better. We are definitely planning to go and stay with our dear friends in Valencia for a few days and will then take a TAP flight to Faro afterward. Every trip has its own logic, and the smaller airports can make all the difference depending on where you are headed. I always book the long-haul flight first because that is where the real savings live, and then I layer in the shorter pieces once I know where I am landing and when.

Travel Smart, Travel Confidently

Smart travelers know how to find smart fares. They also know how to balance the budget with sensible trip planning. Making friends with Google Flights, keeping your dates flexible, being open to different airlines and airports, and recognizing that a Goldilocks fare when it appears can make a huge difference in your overall travel budget. The good news is that none of this is magic. It is simply a system you can learn, and the more you practice, the easier it gets. A good fare that fits your actual life is always better than chasing the mythical perfect deal. I hope this helps you feel more confident and a little more adventurous when planning your next trip. Keep an eye out for future travel posts, because I have plenty more coming as we head into the new year.

How to Find Affordable Airfare