The Thrifty Traveler Podcast

All Our Best Tricks & Tools to Find the Cheapest Flight, Every Time


Listen Later

We’re going back to basics this week by showcasing all the strategies, tips and tricks that we use to book the cheapest flight - every single time we fly. That requires some mythbusting about the dumbest tips out there (here’s looking at you, incognito searchers and Tuesday-only bookers) and shed some light on the actual best tips (i.e. Google Flights Explore and price alerts). Never get fleeced on flights again with these tips. 

Special shoutout to the sponsor of this week’s episode, Abundo Wealth!

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - The 2 most important rules to booking cheap flight: The Flight First Rule and the 24-hour rule

06:50 - Something Hot: Rethinking your departure and destination cities - use positioning flights and the best tip for booking cheap flights to Europe

13:30 - Something Cold: Clearing your cookies and why there’s no best day to book flights

18:40 - A word about the founding sponsor of the show: Abundo Wealth

19:32 - The Extra Mile: Why flexibility is everything for finding cheap flights

21:50 - Google Flights primer: Google Flights Explore, Price Alerts and more!

30:00 - Why it pays to take the connection and why it doesn’t pay to be loyal to an airline

34:19 - Watch for pricing shenanigans: One-way flights and the solo passenger penalty

38:00 - How long before my flight should I book?

42:10 - What are the cheapest times of year to fly? Enter: Shoulder Season

46:00 - When to use points and miles instead

48:30 - Get some help from Thrifty Traveler Premium or other award search tools

51:00 - Use your credits, companion certificates  and more - and how to stay organized

53:45 - Why you should never stop booking (& booking again) to make your trip cheaper (or better)

57:00 - Listener Question: Using points/miles + cash and when to mix and match

1:00:00 - Gunnar’s BRUTAL confession about his most expensive flight

Produced by Gunnar Olson
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts! 

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at [email protected]

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

Follow us on…
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Thrifty Traveler PodcastBy Thrifty Traveler

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

111 ratings


More shows like The Thrifty Traveler Podcast

View all
Miles to Go - Travel Tips, News & Reviews You Can't Afford to Miss! by Ed Pizza, Richard Kerr

Miles to Go - Travel Tips, News & Reviews You Can't Afford to Miss!

377 Listeners

Award Travel 101 by Award Travel 101 Team

Award Travel 101

166 Listeners

Frequent Miler on the Air by Frequent Miler

Frequent Miler on the Air

603 Listeners

Travel Squad Podcast by Travel Squad Podcast

Travel Squad Podcast

235 Listeners

MTM Travel - The Fun Side of Points & Travel! by Shawn Coomer & Mark Ostermann

MTM Travel - The Fun Side of Points & Travel!

340 Listeners

Geobreeze Travel by Julia Menez

Geobreeze Travel

406 Listeners

All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins by Chris Hutchins

All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins

1,604 Listeners

The Daily Churn by thedailychurn

The Daily Churn

134 Listeners

Points Talk® with the Travel Mom Squad by Travel Mom Squad: Travel on Credit Card Points

Points Talk® with the Travel Mom Squad

950 Listeners

Point Me To First Class by Devon Gimbel MD

Point Me To First Class

1,147 Listeners

Let's Get To The Points by Serena, Miguel and Mitch Shannon

Let's Get To The Points

117 Listeners

Takeoff: A Points and Miles Podcast by 10xTravel by 10xTravel

Takeoff: A Points and Miles Podcast by 10xTravel

382 Listeners

Wonderland on Points | Credit Card Rewards & Budget Travel by Mary Ellen and Jo

Wonderland on Points | Credit Card Rewards & Budget Travel

198 Listeners

Revolutionizing Your Journey: Travel With Points & Miles by DeAndre Coke

Revolutionizing Your Journey: Travel With Points & Miles

55 Listeners

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks by Katie's Travel Tricks

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

360 Listeners