It’s estimated that there is an average of 9,728 planes are in the air at any given time, and flying only seems to be getting more and more frequent as a method of both international and domestic travel. However, flight pricing still remains one of those unsolved mysteries for many! With dynamic price changes and surprising hidden fees, navigating the world of flight shopping can be confusing at best and downright maddening at worst.

Before you hit the web and purchase a ticket straight from the airline, which is often the most expensive way to do it, here are a few tips and tricks to getting the best deal on your next flight.

Credit Card Rewards

We’ve talked about using Credit Card Rewards for flights in detail before on our blog here, but we’ll say it again because it really works. Bigger airlines like Delta, United and American Airlines have teamed up with credit card companies to offer sign up bonuses in the form of frequent flyer miles, sometimes offering up to 70,000 miles just for signing up. That’s enough to take you virtually anywhere in the continental US and even some international destinations, roundtrip, for free!

Make sure you read the fine print as some cards may include spending requirements. The key is to make sure you’re not spending any more than you normally would. Change over your car payment, cell bill or other recurring payments to this new card to cover any spending requirement if needed and you’ll be flying high in no time.

Frequent Flyer Loyalty Perks

One of the best ways to get those extra perks while flying is to rack up your frequent flier points. Airlines are one of the best companies when it comes to rewarding loyalty and are quick to dish out lounge passes and upgrades to those they deem “valuable customers.” So if you haven’t done so already, find an airline that has a hub near you and stick with it. Even if the prices are slightly higher now, in the long run, frequent fliers reap the benefits of brand loyalty.

ultimate way to find cheap flight deals

JustFly

Want to easily cross compare flights across 440+ different airlines? Justfly lets you search and compare flights, will let you know if nearby dates could save you money, and you can even sign up to get email notifications about price changes. What’s more, you can bundle up and save even more by adding on a hotel, car rental, and even cruises!

CarryOn Only

find cheap flight deals

We recently started doing this while we travel and it has made an enormous difference in the way we travel. We were surprised at actually how little we needed on our last trip. Use smart packing techniques like rolling clothes instead of folding them and packing multi-purpose clothing like the chrysalis cardi and sarongs to cut back on your luggage. This just made everything seem to go much smoother, from checking in at the airport to skipping baggage claim altogether. It also tends to keep our hotel room more organized as we don’t have multiple bags that inevitably explode their contents all over the floor. Give it a try, you’ll thank us later.

Yoga Is Your Friend

For as adventurous as travel can be, a surprising amount of it can be done while sitting. Sitting in planes, in Ubers, buses, taxis, and restaurants, suntanning or relaxing at the spa; it’s no wonder so many of us complain about gaining weight while we travel! Get some mobility back in your body during your layover or after your flight with a simple yoga series that will have you feeling loose and limber without the need for equipment or a large chunk of time. Some of the best poses include Downward Facing Dog to get the blood flowing, Pigeon Pose to open up the hips, some twists like Revolved Triangle or Revolved Chair to loosen up the spine, and Plank Pose for a bit of strength and engaging the core.

Get Your Rest

While traveling for an extended period of time you’re bound to suffer from jet lag. This is especially true if you’re traveling across many time zones. Use your time in the sky wisely. Time your sleep patterns on a long flight with the time zone of where you’re traveling. Light is closely tied to your sleep cycles. Your mind will automatically want to wake up if it’s light outside even though your body is used to sleeping during that time at home. Use noise canceling headphones and a mask over your eyes on the plane to cancel out any external factors preventing you from sleep.

Entertainment

Whether your flight has free movies or not, we always come prepared with our own entertainment just in case. Our essentials include the Netflix app on our tablet which allows you to download and save tv shows and videos to watch offline. That coupled with a pair of headphone splitters and a battery pack to ensure we don’t run out of juice keeps us entertained no matter how far we’re flying!

We hope you find these hacks for enjoying your next flight helpful! Are you a frequent flyer? What are your top tips for enjoyable flights?