How to buy the cheapest air ticket?

Do you like traveling alone? Although it is cool to travel alone, there are many things to pay attention to, such as ensuring your own safety and preferential tips when booking tickets, which have nothing to do with traveling alone.

Skills of booking air tickets

1. Choose the right time to book.

The key to finding the cheapest air ticket is to find out the best time to book a flight. Many studies show that booking an international flight 47 ~ 60 days before departure is the most likely to buy a special ticket. The price of air tickets fluctuates frequently, so there is no need to wait for the price reduction of air tickets all the time. If you shoot at the right time, you can buy the cheapest air ticket.

2. Arrive at the neighboring airport

There are often other airports around big airports, which can be used to further save air tickets. For example, don't fly to Los Angeles, California, but check the flights from nearby airports, so you can get to Los Angeles in a short drive. There are airports in Langbeach, burbank, Ontario and John Wayne near Los Angeles, all within 80 kilometers of Los Angeles.

3. Book a flight that stops at the destination

Airlines don't like this practice, but they can save money. Websites like skiplagged (skiplagged. com) can help you find hidden city tickets. If you plan to fly from London to Istanbul, Skiplagged will find you a flight that stops in Istanbul. All you have to do is get off the plane at Istanbul airport, because this is your final destination. Remember not to check your luggage!

4. Pay attention to ultra-low-cost flights and wrong fares

If your travel date is flexible, you can choose to book ultra-low-cost flights. In addition to websites such as Ctrip and Flying Pig in China, websites such as theflightdeal.com and travelpirates.com will continue to search for the lowest discounts and share them on social media. Expedia(www.expedia.com.hk/cn) will have a last-minute discount, so you can book special air tickets in the next week or two. Wrong fares often appear, and most airlines will accept them. Once you find that the fare is wrong, buy it quickly, because such pricing will not last long.

5. Subscribe to the newsletter and get low-cost flight information.

Subscribe to the newsletters of some big airlines. This is a good way to know the information of the lowest-priced flights at the first time, and at the same time, you can learn the accumulation method of airline miles and points.

6. Join the frequent flyer program and accumulate mileage.

If you haven't joined the frequent flyer program, you might as well consider signing up. There are three major aviation alliances in the world, and airlines in the same alliance can accumulate mileage with each other. This means that if you fly on Delta Air Lines, you can redeem KLM miles, because both airlines belong to SkyTeam. Don't waste mileage, even if it's the first time you take an airline flight, you should accumulate mileage.

7. Set price reminders to track low-cost flights.

Two or three months before the departure date, you can start tracking flight prices. For example, the most likely time to buy a special ticket is 47~60 days before the departure date, so it is necessary to set a price reminder 90 days in advance. If the fare drops very low, you will receive an email notice and you can book it in advance. You can set price reminders through Ctrip, Sky Patrol, Flying Pig and Kayak(www.cn.kayak.com).

8. Choose the destination according to the fare.

If you plan to travel, but haven't decided on your destination, you can decide your destination by searching for the lowest fare. Ctrip and Flying Pig both have special fares (Kayak provides a special "search" option in the route area, while Sky Tour can search "all places" on a monthly basis, and you can see the lowest fares in a certain area. Suppose you plan to travel to many European countries, there is no need to focus only on flights in a certain city, you can choose to start your journey in an area with cheaper air tickets.

9. Know the best booking time through historical data.

Kayak has a "price forecast" option to provide historical price trends. Through historical statistics, we can judge whether the ticket price will go up or down in the next seven days. If the current price is high, the website may advise you to wait a little longer. If the price is already low, it will tell you that you can consider booking now.

10. Select Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

This is one of the easiest ways to save money on air tickets. Everyone wants to fly on Friday or Sunday, and few people want to travel on Saturday because it will affect the arrangement of the whole weekend. The airline wants to increase the mid-week attendance rate, so you can make full use of it.

Precautions for solo travelers

1. Book a special plane meal.

Book special plane meals in advance, such as vegetarian or vegan. Flight attendants will provide special meals first, so you will get food before other passengers, so you can rest earlier than your neighbors. Vegetarian food is usually healthy, light and delicious. In contrast, ordinary airplane meals are greasy and easy to feel dizzy, full and tired after eating. Choose vegetarian food, don't worry about this situation.

Dress appropriately and check in

Do you know that solo travelers are easier to upgrade? If you dress properly, you can also increase the probability of upgrading, so put on the most beautiful clothes and go to the airport (you can put a comfortable leisure suit in your carry-on luggage so that you can change it after boarding. When checking in, ask the staff if there is an upgrade opportunity. Although it is more and more difficult to upgrade if you don't travel frequently now, it is even more impossible to have a chance if you come uninvited!

3. Use the VIP lounge at the airport

The airport lounge is not only for first-class passengers. You can often enjoy the VIP room service at a lower price. In Britain, the lowest price of airport VIP card is around 25%, which allows you to enjoy unlimited snacks and drinks before boarding the plane, use wireless network and read magazines in a quiet and comfortable environment. If the connecting flight takes a long time, it is more worthwhile to use the VIP room service, which is usually not much more expensive than dining in other parts of the airport.

Carrying mobile power supply

When traveling, you will definitely use a lot of mobile phones, so it is necessary to bring a mobile power supply. Make sure that in case of emergency, you can contact other people and use mobile phone GPS to locate. Mobile power supply is light and cheap. At 3 o'clock in the morning, when your mobile phone has only 2% power left and you want to call a taxi, you will thank yourself for bringing mobile power!

Camouflage fashion gadgets

Fashionable new gadgets with beautiful shells are easily targeted by thieves, which is the last thing a solo traveler wants to encounter. You can package valuables in an inconspicuous way to avoid attracting unnecessary attention. For example, stick some stickers on the camera, buy cheap shells for smartphones and tablets, and it is best to do some wear-out effects.

6. Label the luggage fragile.

Put a "fragile" label on the suitcase to prevent your suitcase from being damaged during transportation. Usually, special luggage and equipment are loaded into the cabin last, which means they will be unloaded first.

7. Take your hotel card with you.

After arriving at the hotel or youth hostel, ask the front desk for a business card with the address and contact number printed on it. If you get lost, you can call a taxi and give your business card to the driver to ensure that you can return to the hotel safely. If you don't have a business card, ask the front desk staff if they can write down the address in the local language. Be sure to take these materials with you when you are ready to go out.

8. Unlock your phone before you travel.

If you use a contract machine, you must unlock it before you travel. In other words, SIM cards of all mobile networks in the world can only be used after being unlocked. When you arrive at your destination, you can save roaming charges by buying a local SIM card, and the price of calling and texting is lower. SIM cards are sold in convenience stores in airports and tourist areas.

9. Put the travel necessities in the suitcase when you are at home.

You can use this method if you travel frequently and don't want to forget important travel supplies. When you come back from your trip, leave important things in your suitcase, such as passport, adapter, portable toiletries and insurance documents, because you won't need them at home. Putting them in the suitcase means that you won't miss them when you pack.

10. Join free travel and group tour to integrate into the new city faster.

Most cities have free hiking to attract other solo travelers. After hiking, people who travel alone often go for a drink or dinner together, so it is also a good opportunity to meet like-minded travelers and help you eliminate the anxiety of eating alone on the first day of arrival.