Have you ever been driving down the highway and your heart skips a beat when you see a police car on the side of the road because you have NO IDEA what the speed limit is (but it’s probably slower than what you’re driving)? Fortunately, I just got a new car that has a pretty cool “sign recognition” technology that keeps track of that for me at all times.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m a safe driver, but it sure is nice to know my car is “watching” for the speed limit, even when I’m not. Now, whenever I see a cop with a radar gun pointing right at me, I’m a lot more relaxed because I know the exact speed limit wherever I’m driving (not just 10 miles before I started zoning out on a long-stretch of highway and stopped paying attention to the speed limit.)
What does this have to do with travel? Even if you’re good at finding OK deals whenever you want to take a trip – If you don’t have a system in place to watch fares FOR YOU every day, day in and day out – you’re going to miss out on the amazing mistake fares that pop up and are gone by the time you decide to look for a trip.
Don’t want to use my paid service to have details to the best mistake fares we find delivered every day? No problem.
Here are three free options. Pick one. I assure you – you’ll be traveling sooner than you thought, spending less than you thought, and going to cooler places than you ever planned on.
- Flexible on when you want to go? Airfare watchdog is great, and you’ll get alerts for the best prices possible for as many destinations as you want to watch. (Don’t forget to watch domestic flights where you have friends & family too. $29 and $49 round-trip flights across the country happen all the time, and it’s pretty cool when you get to call a long-lost friend or family member and say – “Hey – I just found $39 round-trip flights from your city to mine. Want to come out for a visit?”)
- Have specific times you need to go? You’ll end up paying slightly more when you don’t have much flexibility on departure and return dates, but mistake fares still happen during peak travel times, so watching every day will pay off. Google flights and Kayak.com are GREAT for setting up fare watches for specific dates. Again – the more destinations you watch – the more likely you’ll find not just a good deal – but an unbelievably good deal. You’ll be surprised at how often you’re looking at your calendar to see if you could make a $224 flight to Paris work, or whether or not you could fly your parents out for a visit for $29.
- Tip: Remember that this is a numbers game; We watch over 750 destinations around the world every day and we only find 4 to 6 mistake fares we think are worth sharing. If you’re going to set up fare watches yourself – I recommend watching at least a few dozen locations.
Both of the above options are free and the only downside is that you still have to look at the subject line of 100 20% to 40% off “good deals” before you find an “amazing” 70% to 90% off deal worth looking further into. (But still – actively watching every day will out-perform “looking when you’re ready” every time.)
Happy travels!
PS – Speaking of police cars, if you are one – don’t forget that you (along with other first responders, teachers and non-profit employees) are eligible for a FREE premium subscription worth $249. Click here for more info.
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