Wish traveling was cheap so that you could visit more places around the world? Despite the ridiculous number of online publications on how to travel cheap, the overwhelming perception with many people is that traveling has to be expensive. But nothing could be farther from the reality.

Today, resources to find cheap travel options exist in droves. For sure, there is no excuse that money is a hindrance to traveling the world.

Everything you need to see in the world could be yours for cheaper than ever before. There are a few steps that you can take to ensure that you get cheap international flights and cheap holiday packages. From search engine tricks that can help you find the best prices to knowing when to book a flight, these tips are all you need to find the most affordable deals. You will be very happy to know how easy this can be.

1. Clear Cookies

Reloading a page won’t make the flights affordable, but it can make them go up depending on the demand. To avoid this, you will need to clear your cookies.

Cookies are small pieces of data that store information about your web browsing, which can be used by travel websites and airlines. Clearing cookies is the most effective way of clearing your recent searches.

3. Airlines Use Social Media-Follow Them

They announce special deals on Twitter and offer special sales to their Facebook fans. You’ll, however, need to act fast on these deals because they go quickly.

4. Visit the Airline’s Official Website

Some websites prefer hosting private sales on their websites. Quite a good number of airlines offer flights from R1,420 to R5,682 on their websites.

5. Ask For a Refund When a Flight Goes on Sale

If it happens that you’ve bought a flight and it goes on sale, you can ask for a refund. Find a website that allows you to input your flight details so that you can get alerts when you are eligible for a refund.

6. Travel With Flexible Times and Days

The only way you can get cheap domestic flights is to be flexible with your traveling schedule. Many people travel during the weekends; therefore, you should use Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to find cheap flights.

Late night, early morning and red-eye are the most affordable times to find cheap airline tickets because only a few people want to be on these.

7. Use Multiple Airlines

Instead of using a one-trip carrier, utilize multiple airlines. To do this, you will need to search for individual one-way prices on different airlines websites or aggregators. You will then add the two one-way prices up to see if it meets your budget.

8. Use Multiple Sources

Everyone has their own go-to websites for booking flights. You need to have different go-to websites to book your flights. Your website should be the easiest to search flexible dates and aggregate great airlines in one platform.

When you visit your favorite go-to website, you will also need to open a few other websites to confirm that you have the best deal. You may find a cheaper deal on other website.

10. Find Coupons

Discount vouchers can make the world different for people who travel frequently. There are several sites that you can use to find voucher codes. You can get up to R710 off. It only takes a few seconds and you can cut dozens or a few hundred Rand off your flights.

You can also join the airline email lists, which basically features bargain prices and sales. Although this can be slightly annoying, you can save a lot of money in the end. As a matter of fact, you can even get a free flight.

11. Skip the Extras

Most discount airlines will try to make more money by allowing you to choose a specific seat at an additional fee. The reality is that you don’t need to choose seats. Go with any seat and use your extra money to treat yourself when you arrive at the hotel.

You should also avoid paying for any extra airline food. Instead, pack yourself some snacks. Well, most airlines won’t allow you bring water with you, but you can actually eat them near the gate. This will certainly be cheaper for you.

12. Book the Flight Yourself

Avoid using travel agents because they will not check all cheap air tickets. They won’t check separate legs or multiple days either. They do the job to make a living and for this reason, they won’t find you a cheaper flight than you can yourself.

13. Pack Lightly and Proficiently

You should think twice about what you want to pack into your bags. A large number of discount airlines charge you for every piece of luggage they check. That means that the further you fly, the more you will need to pay for that big luggage. If you take a small carry-on bag, you can save a lot of money. In addition to this, if you don’t carry big bags, you don’t have to wait for them to after landing.

14. Expensive Countries Have Cheap Travel Options

As counter-intuitive as it may sound, being in a country that is expensive forces travelers to seek cheap air flights. For example, in Europe, you would go camping out of the necessary, but in Asia you would happily pay for accommodation simply because it’s cheaper. But that means that you will end up paying more at the end of the day.

16. You Don’t Need a Lot Of Money to Get Started

Many people have a belief that traveling needs a lot of money. That means that they can only consider traveling when they have a lot of money. Well, the reality is that traveling is not that expensive. You can work for as short as three months to raise money for your first trip. If you want to go for an adventure around the world, you should consider starting with a small savings goal. You could actually start with as little as R284 a week. If you do this for a year, you will have R14,206, which is enough to travel.

17. Out-of-the Way Destinations Are Great

If you are looking to travel on a budget then you should look for destinations with little to no tourism. It’s more of how the people there will perceive you. If the locals are used to seeing rich westerners who spend a lot of money, they will see you a business opportunity. But if the locals barely come in contact with rich foreigners, then curiosity will get the best of them and you’ll get more personal contact.

Destinations you can choose include Zimbabwe, Djibouti, Andaman Islands, Mozambique and French Guiana.

18. Get Global Health Insurance

Getting a worldwide plan will allow you to see a doctor in any country you visit, just in case you fall ill. You can only pay a small amount of money per year to get global health insurance. This will ensure that you stay healthy as you travel around the world

19. Ensure That You Carry Enough Money For a Month

Once you are off the beaten tourist track, chances are that you won’t be able to use a credit card. Ensure that you carry enough cash on hand to help cover a month’s expenses. If you are running on a R213 a day budget, you will need to carry R6,392. Although carrying a lot of money is risky, the reality is that this world is far much safer than most people assume.