The WLC students are starting a new blog- the Advice Archive!
Our students have knowledge on all things study abroad from phone apps to jetlag naps and everything in between. Our first entry is below. Enjoy!
Getting the Perfect Flight
By Sarah Bartlett
Getting flights for study abroad can be stressful and expensive. There are a few programs that can make this process simpler and cheaper.
The Hopper app for your phone (right) is a great way to monitor the rise and fall of flight prices. You can input the dates and it will track the flights for your desired destination and send you notifications when prices drop, raise, or are about to drop. It’ll also tell you what time is the best to buy. Google flights is also a good resource because it compares prices from all travel websites and lays them out for you.
Is flying direct too expensive? Try flying round trip to another European Country and then flying round trip from that country to your destination. Flights from the US to London and Paris are fairly low and flights out of those cities to other European cities tend to be shockingly low. By doing this you will have two tickets and have to go through customs when you arrive at the first country, so make sure you budget enough time to make your next flight! If you don’t mind dealing with airports or traveling for a long time, this is a great way to cut down on cost.
Here are some other nuggets of flight shopping wisdom:
- Have flexible travel dates and plan before you buy tickets!
- The cheapest days to buy tickets are Tuesday and Wednesday and the most expensive day to fly is Sunday.
- When browsing flights, clear your history or browse “incognito”. If flight websites see in your cookies that you are interested in a particular destination, they will jack up the prices.
- If you’re less than 3 months out, the best time to book your ticket is 6 weeks before your desired flight date on a Tuesday.
- If you really want to gamble, you can sometimes find a great deal by buying last minute.
Check back for more Advice Archive posts soon!