Tips on Bookings Your Flight to London

So you've decided to go to London (or anywhere for that matter, it doesn't have to be London). You've probably already figured out how long you'd like to be gone for and possibly have a general idea of what you want to do while you're over there. So what's next? Booking your flight over course! Mike & I spent quite a bit of time pushing this off because of the expense, but finally bit the bullet about 6 months before we planned to leave. It is a large expense but I was able to save about $800 for our two tickets from Portland International Airport to London. Also, I have one major tip that, if you can afford it, will make your flight much more enjoyable...I wish we would have done it.

For starters, there are so many great booking sites for flights but there are a few that I really love. My all time favorite is (and this is hard for me, if you know my preferred search engine you'll understand) BING. They have a great travel tab that also has the best invention since sliced bread called the 'Price Predictor.' This little doozy lets you know if you should buy your tickets then due to probable price increase, or wait because prices are going to drop soon. It helped us quite a bit as we did take our time checking flight prices for about 3-4 months prior to booking. I would also recommend doing just that, take your time looking for flights. Another great site for booking flights is kayak of course. I will say that always remember that you can book flights directly from the airline, and this is actually how we found the best deal, with help from Bing Travel.

Waiting for our flight at PDX

 Along with finding a great booking site, there are others things that can help save a buck or two. Although most are obvious, sometimes these tips are often forgotten. First, try mid-week flights. Specifically Tuesdays and Wednesdays as those are usually the cheapest flight days. Second, if you don't have your heart set on going in the summer, or if you can go during another time of the year, do. It'll save you some serious cash! I just took a quick look at Bing Travel for flights in late November to early December and found round trip airfare for under $1,000, and some dates under $900! And lastly, sign up for email alerts from airlines directly and follow Twitter and Facebook accounts for deals. Many times airfares will send out great promos to their email subscribers and will post other deals on their social media first.

Now for something that won't save you money, seat options. When we flew we didn't dare think about upgrading out of coach. "It's not worth the money!" my husband and I both said. Let me throw something out there, spending 12+ hours in a plane in a crappy little seat jammed in between two other people, or having to worry about keeping your legs out of the aisle while trying to sleep as you stress about the entire day you're losing while flying isn't fun...at all. If you have a bigger budget I would definitely recommend upgrading. Here's why. I did everything right to prepare for our flight, every tip in the book to decrease jet lag and sleep on the plane. I maybe slept a half hour the entire time because I was so uncomfortable, however I didn't have jet lag so I know I did something right. Honestly, it's worth it to get the extra room with less noise (Considering I probably wouldn't have had the infant in front of me toying with my emotions as I dozed off into slumber only to have him start screaming his lungs out to startle me back awake) so that you can be well rested when you land in London the following morning ready for a quick refresh at the hotel and on to seeing the sites. 

Many other tips and tricks are available, some of the best are by the folks at Ytravel.com. Check them out as they were what gave me the inspiration to start this wonderful blog. And remember...

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

Mike & Alicia