Your Ultimate Guide to Booking Affordable International Flights from Africa!
Are you a travel enthusiast with a yearning to explore the world on a budget?
Well, you’re in luck!
In this comprehensive blog post, we’ll uncover the secrets to booking and finding affordable international flights from Africa.
So, fasten your seatbelts, and let’s embark on a journey to uncover the best travel deals and turn your dreams into reality!
- Plan Your Trip Wisely
Before you start hunting for those budget-friendly flights, begin with careful planning.
Determine your destination and travel dates.
Being flexible with your schedule can significantly impact the cost of your flight.
Consider traveling during off-peak seasons and weekdays for better deals. The first step to saving money begins with smart travel planning.
- Leverage Flight Search Engines
In this digital era, flight search engines are a treasure trove for finding the best deals on airfare.
Websites like Skyscanner, Expedia, Google Flights, Kayak , Secret Flying, etc., are excellent tools to compare fares across various airlines.
These platforms also offer fare alerts, which notify you when prices drop, giving you the advantage of booking your flight at the most opportune time.
- Embrace Layovers
While direct flights might be convenient, they often come with a higher price tag.
Embrace layovers as a cost-saving measure.
Opting for flights with layovers can lead to significant savings on your international journeys.
Just make sure to leave ample time between flights to avoid unnecessary stress.
- Consider Nearby Airports
Did you know that flying into a neighboring city can sometimes be more economical than landing at the main airport?
Consider looking for flights to nearby airports and then taking ground transportation to your final destination.
You’ll be surprised at the money you can save by adopting this strategy.
- Sign Up for Fare Alerts and Newsletters
Stay ahead of the game by signing up for fare alerts and newsletters from airlines and travel websites.
These subscriptions often bring exclusive deals and discounts right to your inbox.
Don’t miss out on fantastic opportunities to snag those coveted cheap international flights!
- Embrace Frequent Flyer Programs
If you’re a frequent traveler, frequent flyer programs are your best friends.
Sign up for loyalty programs with your preferred airlines and earn miles or points for each trip.
Over time, these accumulated rewards can be redeemed for free or discounted flights, making your travel dreams even more accessible.
- Timing is Everything
Timing plays a crucial role in securing the best flight deals.
Aim to book your international flights around 6-8 weeks before your travel date for optimal prices.
However, keep in mind that this timeframe can vary depending on the destination and the time of year.
Keep a keen eye out for flash sales and limited-time offers to capitalize on extraordinary deals.
- Use Incognito Mode
Unveil the secret to avoiding inflated prices due to search history tracking by using your browser’s incognito or private mode.
Some travel websites utilize cookies to monitor your search history and may raise prices accordingly.
By browsing incognito, you ensure you get the most competitive price possible.
Always search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode.
If using Google or Safari to search, you enable incognito by hitting Command (or “Ctrl” if using PC) + Shift + N at the same time. For Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer, hit Command (or “Ctrl” if using a PC) + Shift + “P”.
This action opens a new browser window where your information is not tracked since your cookies are reset (“ not remembered”) each time you re-open an incognito window, hence the flight prices are not inflated as you search.
Remember to close all your incognito windows and re-open a new one each time you’re performing a new flight search.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to go the incognito route, consider clearing your cookies or searching for your flights from a different laptop or computer to get cheaper air ticket prices.
- Stay Flexible with Airlines
While we all have our preferred airlines, staying open to flying with different carriers can work wonders for your travel budget.
Certain airlines are renowned for offering budget-friendly options.
By being flexible with your airline choices, you might stumble upon hidden gems of affordable flights.
- 10. Visit local airlines websites for your destination
Most OTA search engines do not list local airlines flights especially for remote destinations or less popular routes.
A simple search on Google will reveal some of these local airlines that may not be listed on the OTA sites.
Thereafter, visit the local airlines website and check for any possibilities of booking your flights at a lower fare or rate.
- 11. Search for one-person flights first when booking group flights
Starting your ticket search with a one-person flight is another hack you can use to enable you get cheap flights if booking group tickets.
Most airlines usually inflate prices the moment they realize that you’re buying multiple tickets.
It is therefore advisable to first search an individual ticket to get a sense of the non-inflated price of the tickets.
- 12. Opt for a red eye flight
A red-eye flight is basically a flight on which a passenger doesn’t get much sleep because of awkward (usually super early or super late) time of the flight’s departure or arrival.
Creative use of red-eye flights can reduce the costs significantly — I literally halved the cost of a ticket to London by taking the cheapest most inconvenient flight of the day from Nairobi with a 2-day stopover in Istanbul.
- 13. Try alternative airports and destinations
A direct flight out of Nairobi to Mauritius on KQ costs $900 return
One from Dar e salaam (1.5 hour flight away) to Nairobi costs $450 since the flight has a stop-over in Nairobi both on departure and return.
You can choose to take a bus for $3.5 to Dar or take a flight for $200 then fly from Dar to Mauritius return. As the flight returns from Mauritius, just get off at Nairobi and ignore the remaining leg to Dar.
Conclusion
Congratulations, fellow adventurers!
Armed with these top-notch tips, you’re now equipped to conquer the skies and explore the world without breaking the bank.
Whether you dream of an African safari, a European escapade, or an Asian adventure, don’t let expensive flights hinder your wanderlust.
Remember, wise planning, leveraging flight search engines, embracing layovers, and subscribing to fare alerts are some of the key strategies to find cheap international flights from Africa.
So, pack your bags and set forth on unforgettable journeys, creating memories to cherish for a lifetime.
For more travel tips and exciting adventures, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and stay tuned to evamtalii.com. Happy travels, and may your passport be stamped with remarkable experiences from around the globe!
