Finding a trip when you are flexible

Being flexible is one of the best ways to pay less for flights. Cheaplyfly has several tools for flexible travelers. Here is how to combine them, depending on what you are flexible about.

Flexible on where

1. Open Explore and set your budget with the slider.
2. Pick a region, or keep Everywhere.
3. Check the deals page too. It lists the lowest recent fares from your airport and has filters for weekend breaks, beaches, culture and direct flights.
4. Shortlist two or three destinations.

Flexible on when

1. Open the route page for your destination.
2. Look at the cheapest months chart.
3. Tap the cheapest month you could travel and find the lowest days in the calendar.
4. Search those dates and use the nearby dates strip on the results page to fine-tune.

Flexible on both

Start with Explore or deals to choose the place, then use the route page to choose the time. Set an alert for each shortlisted route, for a whole month, and let the alerts tell you which one drops first.

Flexible on airports

• Search a city rather than a single airport, to include all its airports.
• Check deals from a larger city nearby with the Departing from picker.
• Compare the cost and time of getting to each airport, not just the fare.

Our guide nearby airports and alternative routes has more ideas.

Using alerts while you decide

• Create a whole-month alert for each option. You can have several at once, up to the site’s limit.
• Leave the target as Any drop at first, so you learn how prices move.
• When you have decided, remove the alerts you no longer need and keep one for the trip you chose.

Things to weigh beyond price

• Total travel time, including connections.
• Arrival times and how you get from the airport.
• What the fare includes, especially bags.
• Season at the destination: the cheapest month may be the rainiest or hottest.

If this, then that

• If every option looks expensive, look further ahead or at shoulder seasons.
• If a great deal appears but your dates don’t fit, check whether the same route is cheap on nearby dates.
• If you are traveling as a group, remember prices are per adult and seats at the lowest fare are limited.

Read peak, shoulder and off-season travel and flexible dates and price calendars for more.

Still stuck? Contact us with the page you were on and the departure city, and we will take a look.