Plane Tickets: There is no right answer... but here's mine
There is so, SO much information out there about the best time, place, and which phase of the moon to purchase your plane tickets under. The most frustrating part is that a lot of that information contradicts one another. No one has a perfect answer, but here's some tips that work for me. I have noticed it's cheaper to buy the tickets Sunday than Friday. (Perhaps most people only sit down to purchase tickets to celebrate their weekend beginning.) Also, here are some things you absolutely should do:
- Check many different types of websites. Both sites that search multiple airlines such as kayak.com and skyscanner.com. After you have found the cheapest tickets check THAT airline's website because sometimes the same ticket is cheaper on their page than on the large search engine.
- Check the price at least 5 different times on different days and at different times of the day. That way you have a ballpark idea of the price range.
- Book as soon as you are ready. Cheapest fares are often snatched up right away and last minute deals rarely exist. If they do that means you are waiting on pins and needles to see when your journey will begin. Don't add that stress on your trip.
After you have nailed down your general outline of when and where you will travel it's time to CLEAR OUT THAT HISTORY. This may be a bit overboard, but I have heard that search engines that know you have been searching the same destination over and over again will raise their prices because they know you are looking to buy. So I clear my history, cache, and then even open an "incognito" window. Could it be overkill? Sure. But it takes 10 seconds and if it's going to save me money, I'm going to do it.
The truth is that the algorithms and statistical analysis is so complex there is no exact time to get the best deal, but if you have checked tickets a few times and are aware of when you want to travel, just book the tickets. The price will not fluctuate enough to compensate for the anxiety you will get neurotically checking flights every 30 minutes. Just clear your history, open a private window, purchase, and enjoy the fact that you are one step closer to that vacation happening.
