How to find the cheapest flights for your yoga retreat

Whether you’re headed across the country or to a different continent you want to book cheaper airline tickets. No one wants to pay full price. There are plenty of airline ticket deals out there if you know how/where to find them.

This past year alone I have gotten some ridiculously cheap tickets from the west coast of North America; for example: Nicaragua  ($450), Thailand ($440), Bali ($460), Paris ($587/$408)… all from the West Coast! Awesome cheap tickets are out there; you just have to know where to find them.

Here are my favorite tips for finding the cheapest airline tickets.

1. Travelpirates.com and Holidaypirates.com

Travel Pirates rocks my world… in fact I have to make sure that I don’t go to their website too often because every time I do I see awesome airfares to places I want to go. I now limit myself to visiting only once or twice a week. Travelpirates.com posts airfare deals all over the world… some fares are error fares, some are sales, and all are at great prices. Also, they use kayak as their search engine, so it’s easy to use.

2. Kayak.com Flexible Date Search

ALWAYS use Kayak’s flexible date search (if possible +/- 3 days). It can save you hundreds of dollars on a flight. I don’t think I need to explain this one any further.

3. Travel Hubs

What are the travel hubs near you? Are they within driving distance? Or a short flight with a domestic carrier? I live in Bend, Oregon… the nearest international airport is Portland, which is a 3+ hour drive away. Portland sometimes has cheap flights, but I can usually save hundreds of dollars by commuting to Seattle or Vancouver, BC. The airports are busier, more flights, means more options and more competition. Look into hubs near you.

4. Check Regularly & Book When The Price Is Right

Do some research, check out Hopper, and find out what the best fare is. Know your buy price and when you see it, book it. Don’t wait. Also, check multiple search engines.

5. Flexible dates

You can find great deals flying most days of the week… although from experience Friday and Sunday are typically the most expensive… if you have any flexibility in your schedule take advantage of it and book an extra couple of days on your vacation. It will be totally worth it. You’ll have extra time to see the sights and get over any jetlag.

6. Farecompare.com

Farecompare.com has some decent tools for finding cheap flights when you don’t care too much about the destination… perhaps book a cheap flight to a destination and then look for a yoga retreat? This would only work in a place like Bali or Costa Rica where there are tons of yoga retreats.

7. Hopper App

Hopper app is a new to me app and I love it. You search your flight route and it will tell you whether it’s a good price or not, by color coding the airfares. It also shows up on a calendar, so you can see when flights are typically cheaper. And for more popular routes it shows the airfare history.

8. Consolidator Fares

I’m a little hesitant to recommend consolidator fares, but I’ve had decent luck with them even though the booking process can be a bit “sketchy” seeming. I’ve used ASAP travel and had both success and frustration. If you book a consolidator fare it’s likely non-refundable. Also, don’t consider your flight booked until you have a confirmation number from the airline.

9. Book 6+ weeks out

Start looking for flights as soon as you see a retreat you’re interested in, watch the fares. Once you start creeping past the 6 week mark the fares will start creeping up in price.

10. Skyscanner

Skyscanner is useful for finding out which airlines fly into specific airports. Go directly to the airline’s site and check out their fares.

11. Hacker fares

Book your ticket to paradise… whether it’s the French countryside or the tropics.

Hacker fares are multiple one way tickets. They also may be open jaw tickets. Kayak now has an option to book hacker fares.

Here is an example flight that I paid $440 USD for:

Vancouver, BC to Denpasar Bali

Lombok to Vancouver, BC

The one-way flight to Lombok is less than $50 USD…. and if you were interested in getting to Lombok super cheap there are also ferries to Lombok from Bali.

12. Mileage cards

Get a mileage card with a good rate and no annual fee (or at least a very low annual fee) then put all of your bills, rent, groceries, travel expenses on it. Also make sure to stay up to date on their mileage plan, so your points don’t expire.

That’s what I’ve got for you today yogis. I hope this blog hopes you book cheaper airline tickets to your next destination. I would love to hear how it goes!