After about a month of checking and re-checking all the flight sites I knew of, I finally booked my airline tickets to Europe! I am literally jumping up and down in my apartment like a little child. This is going to be awesome! (Last word said in a sing-songy voice)
I had been pouring over travel pins on Pinterest on how to score a good deal on an overseas flight. All the time. I am obsessed with getting the best deal I can. The anxiety that I might overpay was eating at my soul.
When it came time to purchase the flight; I couldn't wait anymore, the prices were rising, so I tried the article from Pinterest that I found most worth while and gave it a shot. And guess, what? Bingo! Found a great, and I mean GREAT, flight that was under my budget. With, wait for it... short layovers! Huzzah!
Getting to the info that I know you are wanting for...the article I found that gave me the best step-by-step instructions on landing that great flight was found on lifehacker.com . You can find the article here: http://lifehacker.com/5841147/the-ultimate-travel-hacking-guide/all .
The one thing that I found helpful across multiple sites is to use an incognito tab when going on airline ticket sites. They do remember you and I feel it doesn't take any more time to go incognito in order to make sure you are getting the best deal.
My usual go-to site is cheaptickets.com, so I had that open, as well and the recommended Kayak open, to my travel dates and used both as my "base" comparison.
I then opened a new incognito tab and went to Momondo.com and (another new incognito tab) Mobissimo.com. I did my search on each one and waited for the results. I seached a day before and after on my arrival date and departure date on these sites as well. I found the best flight at the best price on Momondo.com . My best price was flying out on Monday and flying back on a Tuesday.
Momondo took me to the actual site that I would be purchasing my tickets through, which was Payless Flights . Once I saw the airlines that I would be booking my flight through, I pooped on over to their actual website to check the price of the flight, if I booked directly. It was way more. So thank you Payless FLights for getting me such a great deal. I am flying to Europe on Swiss Air and flying back on United.
I don't think it really matters what day you book your flight. I checked everyday when I was looking and didn't see a difference. I booked on a Saturday night and got one heck of a deal! I paid just over $1000 for my flight round trip. With only about an hour layover on each flight. Just so you know, the flights are more expensive than normal because I am flying right before Christmas and right after New Years. Most of the other flights I saw were around $1300. So I am very happy with what I got.
After I finished my victory dance, and called my mother. I proceeded to pop some champagne and celebrate making my trip official! Needless to say, I slept like a baby that night.
