Before diving in, here’s a quick heads up—you’ll need a bit of flexibility for this method, and you’ll soon see why. This isn’t about having the freedom to do anything at any time, as most of us have commitments. It’s more about being open-minded and willing to explore places you might not have considered before. If you’re cool with that, you’re all set.
The Best Way to Travel as Much as Possible:
1. Jot down your free time. This step’s simple if you have a set schedule, but even if you don’t, just write it down somewhere.
2. Visit Skyscanner (not sponsored, promise) and look for flights from your location to “Everywhere” for the whole year. This feature lets you see flights available worldwide.
3. You’ll see a list organized by the cheapest flights throughout the year. Now, try to match these flights with your free time. We’ve snagged incredible deals this way, with return flights as low as £8; usually, they’re around £20, which is still a steal.
4. This results page is where that earlier flexibility kicks in. While many dream of visiting major cities like London or Paris, remember there are tons of equally amazing places out there. Being open to new destinations can really enrich your travel experience. Some personal favorites discovered through this method include Nimes, Bratislava, Gothenburg, and Porto.
5. The winning combination is finding affordable flights that fit your schedule, even if they’re at 6:00 am. Every new place is an opportunity to discover something different, so embrace it. Also, for practical planning, flights about 6-8 weeks out can be a sweet spot for deals.
How Do We Usually Book Our Trips?
Short Trips
These are often spontaneous. After chatting with friends over dinner, travel ideas come up, and we end up booking trips on a whim. For instance, we booked trips to Palermo, Norway, and Iceland just because we stumbled upon great deals while looking into South American activities. There’s no fixed pattern; it’s about keeping an eye out for good deals whenever they pop up.
Long Trips
Longer trips often start with someone suggesting a destination that gets everyone excited. Once an idea sticks, we eventually meet to look at travel options. With our laptops out, using sites like Skyscanner, Expedia, and TripAdvisor, we book the necessary flights over drinks and snacks. The rest of the planning happens gradually. The key is to secure deals that fluctuate, like flight prices, while less urgent bookings can wait until plans are clearer.
And that’s the gist of it! I intended this to be brief, but it turned out more detailed. Over to you—how do you usually plan your travels, and how organized are you?
