This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on any of the links below, I may get a commission if you make a purchase at absolutely no additional charge to you. This helps offset the costs of running this blog & I appreciate your support. Please see my privacy & disclosure policy for more.
One major aspect of travelling is finding Cheap Flight, Travel Deals, Flight Deals & Error Fares. When we don’t have enough miles to book a free flight, our go to is waiting for an error fare or a flight sale notification from one of these sites below. Wondering how to get the best travel deals, flight deals and hotel deals too? Then you’re in the right place.
Contents
What Is An Error Fare / What Is A Mistake Fare / What Is A Glitch Fare ?
Let me start by explaining what an error / flight / mistake fare is. An error fare is a glitch or error or mistake in an airline’s system due to technical issues or human error.
This glitch or error causes a flight to show up online for a price which is significantly lower than the regular price. However the airline can decide whether to honor the error/glitch or not. If they don’t honor it, whatever you paid will be reimbursed, if they do honor it, then hooray!! Time to plan by booking your hotel.
When I get an alert for an error fare that catches my eye, “I Purchase It Immediately” and then figure out the logistics later. Logistics meaning, hotel, activities etc. Error fares don’t come around too often, so when they do I try to take advantage of them.
Two of my favorite error fare purchases have been
- Los Angeles to London on Norwegian Airline – $12.40 for 4 one way tickets.
- Washington DC to Chile on Copa Airlines – $660 for 4 round trip tickets
Expert Tips:
- NEVER call the airline to ask about the error fare, just wait to see if you get a confirmation number or a cancellation email.
- Don’t book activities or accommodation right away, and if you absolutely have to, make sure you book refundable options so that you can cancel without a penalty.
- The rule of thumb is usually to wait it out to see what happens
How To Search For The Best Flight Deals
Skyscanner
While waiting for an error fare notification to come to my phone, my absolutely favorite website to shop for tickets is Skycanner. I love Skycanner because it gives me the option to shop for the cheapest place to fly to in the world from my home airport. The only way we can afford travel is to go where is cheap, so this website is a game changer and life saver for me.
Skyscanner App
Make sure that you download the Skyscanner App to find flights, hotels and most especially track flight prices so that you know the best time to purchase them. The website is great to use, but the app is even more handy.
Websites That Send Error Fare Notifications
The websites listed below are the best websites to sign up for if you want be notified of flight deals and cheap air fare. If you click on each of the links below, you’ll be able to sign up for each of the Facebook pages that I follow.
Don’t forget to sign up for their emails as well, especially if you don’t check Facebook often. The following websites are how I get my notifications for flights deals, error fares and much more. I highly recommend that you follow every single one listed below, including my Facebook page too of course – The MOM Trotter .
Dan’s Deals and Daily Getaways don’t send out flight deals like the websites below do, but they do have post about hotel deals and more and so you should follow them too.
Secret Flying
Scotts Cheap Flights
(by the way I paid for premium, super worth it as I get the emails even faster)
The Flight Deal
Travel Pirates
Travelzoo
Fly4Free USA Flight Deals & Fly4Free Europe Flight Deals
(Fly4Free is my ultimate favorite. Make sure to sign up for the push app notifications as well)
Airfare Spot
Our family has been lucky enough to score so many error fares and great deals from these website above. For example our trip to Chile below was an error fare for $165 Round Trip per person. Can you imagine? Our trip cost us about $1,300 for our family of 4 including airfare and lodging etc. We walked a lot, took Uber a few times, cooked in our Airbnb or Rental Home and visited lots of free stuff.
How To Be The First To See Flight Deals
If you want to see these deals as soon as they are posted, make sure to follow the steps below:
1. Search the Facebook Page you want to follow – The Mom Trotter (see example using my Facebook Page below)
2. Click on Like
When you do, this screen below will Pop Up. Make sure you click – “See First” so that every time I or any Facebook page you follow posts something, it’ll show up right away on your timeline. This is crucial if you want to find out about flight deals and most especially error fares. Some of these fares only lasts a few hours before the flight changes so you definitely want to see them as soon as they are posted.
2. Click on Edit Notification Settings
Make sure you check All Posts, Events and All Live Posts. Yes it may seem like overkill; but trust me, you don’t want to miss Anything!!!
https://themomtrotter.com/11-tips-on-how-to-make-travel-affordable-for-families/
Booking Your Trip – Tips & Tricks
How To Book Cheap Flights When You Travel
If you are looking to book the cheapest flights you can possibly find on the internet, then make sure to use Skyscanner when searching for flights. Don’t forget to download the Skyscanner App also which is very handy. This is how I was able to get $12.40 airfare from Los Angeles to London, as well as $9.40 airfare from London to Italy.
How To Book Affordable Accommodation When You Travel
When booking accommodation, TripAdvisor is the way to go because you can read reviews and see photos from other travelers to get a feel of where you will be staying. Other great sites to book hotels are HotelsCombined, Booking.com and Hotels.com. Don’t forget to check HomeAway, VRBO and Airbnb for house and villa rentals too. Perfect for when you travel with a large family, and also to save money when hotels are expensive.
How To Book Activities When You Travel
My favorite website to search for activities, tours and especially skip the line tickets is Viator and Get Your Guide. This makes trip planning so much easier because you don’t have to search several sites as both websites have several options to choose from. Same also goes with TripAdvisor Attractions – you can search and book activities as well as read reviews.
How To Book Rental Cars When You Travel
Instead of checking every single website, I use RentalCars.com and Car Rental 8 to find car rentals all over the world with just one click. If you plan to park at the airport, visit Airport Parking and make a reservation.
Why Travel Insurance Is a Must When You Travel
People book trips and forget the most important part, purchasing travel insurance. Because we travel often, I purchase our travel insurance through Allianz for a year at a time which means that we are covered for all trips within that year. Travel insurance will protect you and your family against theft, injury illness, flight cancellations and so much more. It is a MUST!
Looking to save even more money when you travel?
Visit my Travel Resources page to see all the reliable and trustworthy brands that I use to book my travel with. I only recommend brands that I’ve used and can vouch for, so you’re in good hands! ? Also check out these posts below:
- Tips On How To Make Travel Affordable For Families
- Best Websites To Find Cheap Flights & Error Fares
- How To Save Money On Flights
Top Travel With Kids Tips
Traveling with kids and have a few questions you need answers too, these posts below will help your trip run smooth.
I follow your post and you give one great Idea after the other. I’ll love it and I can hardly wait to put some of these travel tips to use. Thank You!!!