Travel With Culture Trip: When Should I Book My Flights?

Now that you’ve booked your trip, how should you go about booking your flights? At Culture Trip, we leave the travel arrangements to you, so you’re free to choose whichever flights suit you best – whether you have air miles to cash in, or you want to find the cheapest flights possible.

Culture Trip only requires small deposits when you book your adventure, which will be refunded in full if it can’t go ahead for any reason, such as a change in Covid-19 regulations. You’ll receive a confirmation email letting you know when your trip is guaranteed – and as soon as you do (not before), you’ve got the green light to sort your flight arrangements. Here, we’ve gathered a handful of useful tips to bear in mind when researching – and keeping tabs on – flights.

Use sites such as Skyscanner to find a full range of options across different airlines on your chosen dates. This will give you a sense of not only what the best-value flights are, but also the timings of each and the airports they fly to and from. Once you have an idea of which ones suit you best, it’s always worth checking out the airlines’ websites as prices can sometimes be inflated when you book through a third-party service.

And, if they have a mailing list, sign up to receive special offers and price-drop alerts direct to your inbox. Most comparison websites also offer similar tools. Jack’s Flight Club, meanwhile, offers a super handy free newsletter dedicated to helping you unearth potential flight bargains.

Depending on your final destination, it might work out significantly cheaper to transit via another airport en route, rather than flying directly there. If you have several hours to kill, embrace the free time – treat yourself to a nice meal, get stuck into a book you’ve been meaning to get into or listen to a podcast your daily routine doesn’t usually allow for. You’ll be on your way again before you know it. Consider booking individual flights if you plan on taking an indirect route via a particular city, rather than booking all your connections together as a single package. You’d be surprised how much this can save you. Just be sure to factor in ample transit time in case of delays.

This way, you’ll give yourself much greater flexibility with your travel timings, as well as being able to explore at leisure without feeling the need to rush to catch a flight. If your trip mainly involves visiting rural areas, why not take the opportunity to extend it by booking a mini city break?

By doing this, you’ll avoid the frustration of price hikes closer to your departure date. We’ve all been there, pinpointing a particular flight and holding off booking straight away, only to be hit with that sinking feeling after discovering several weeks later that it costs twice as much. It’s worth being proactive to get yourself the best value for your money.

If flights to your chosen destination appear prohibitively expensive at first glance, don’t panic – widen your search and you may find much more affordable options to other nearby airports which require a slightly longer transfer to your hotel on arrival.

Often when booking, airlines will automatically prompt you to choose your seat in advance and add a hefty extra fee for the privilege. That’s fine, of course, but if you’re travelling solo or don’t mind sitting apart from your companions on the journey, opt for a randomly allocated seat.

Don’t want to wait? Browse our collection of TRIPS by Culture Trip and keep an eye out for guaranteed departures – then you can book your flights straight after you’ve booked your trip!