The cost of airfare has skyrocketed recently. According to a CNBC report, airline tickets prices were up by 25%, outpacing inflation (8%) in 2023. High ticket prices have been fueled by increased demand, high fuel costs, and staffing shortages. But if you can be flexible and do your research, you can still find reasonably priced airfare.
There are many places on my travel bucket list but if I’m locked into a specific place and a specific week, it would be difficult or nearly impossible to find reasonable airfare. Two criteria I use when planning a trip is the cost of airfare and non-stop flights. Luckily, I can access two major airports – Newark and Philadelphia. Instead of saying, “I want to plan a trip to Italy this summer”, I say, “I want to go to one of my bucket list destinations and I’ll consider destinations with non-stop flights that are reasonably priced.” With the help of Google Flights, I was able to find a non-stop flight to the Azores and a non-stop flight to Ireland for less than $650 round trip. Both were incredible trips.
Here is how you can price shop for flights from your local airport. Go to Google Flights. Enter in your local airport(s). Leave the “Where to?” field blank. Click on “Explore”. Then you will see a choice of “Specific Dates” and “Flexible Dates”. I choose Flexible Dates, the month I want to travel, and “Nonstop only”. Here’s what is available from Newark/Philadelphia for a one-week trip in May: Denver $98, Los Angeles, $180, Aruba $293, Costa Rica $392, Paris $508, and Madrid $683. In addition to the price, Google Flights also tells you which airline the flight is available on. Once you’ve chosen a destination, visit the airline’s website and book your flight.
Comments