Flight Steals
by Ludi Wang
Photography by Drew Wolos and Michaela Johnston
Have you ever wished to escape the glittering skyscrapers and camouflage yourself in the pedestrian streets of Copenhagen, or does it sound more appealing to be surrounded by the Shanghai’s alleys with thousands of years of history? No matter how badly you might desire these authentic foreign experiences, money can always be problematic.
“I signed up for websites like JetBlue and Orbitz to get information about discounts and cheap tickets,” said Charlotte Ho (COM ’20).
In addition to JetBlue and Orbitz, another travel-lovers' must-know budget airfare tool is Skyscanner, a website that compares more than 600 airlines and 6,700 routes across the world, which can help travelers save incredible amounts of money.
With its easy-to-navigate search engine, users can even find the cheapest months to fly to certain destinations. Need a plan for your Christmas break? Read on and follow the links below.
* The prices listed below are for round-trip tickets for one adult in the economy cabin.
December
(1) Myrtle Beach, South California, U.S. Enjoy every kind of water sport you can imagine on 60 miles of beautiful beaches packed with endless stores and incredible eateries. Don’t miss the Johnny D’s crab cakes Benedict.
Tickets starting at: $106
(2) Barcelona, Spain The only thing more surreal than Barcelona’s buildings is perhaps its tapas.
Tickets starting at: $324
(3) Shanghai, China Pan-fried pork buns, an annual temple fair where red lanterns light up the night sky and the first Disneyland where Mickey speaks Mandarin Chinese.f—Experience Shanghai first-hand, low-cost.
Tickets starting at: $433
January
(1) San Juan, Puerto Rico Explore the roots of Puerto Rican culture when strolling through the Spanish colonial buildings.
Tickets starting at: $213
(2) Copenhagen, Denmark Find yourself in painting-like sceneries, remains of ancient castles and 17th-century architectures, all scattered in every corner of the city.
Tickets starting at: $302
(3) Stockholm, Sweden Pose for a photo in the middle of the cobblestone streets to take Instagram pictures everyone will be jealous of.
Tickets starting at: $356
February
(1) London, U.K. Go for an early morning run on the Tower Bridge and enjoy being blown away in the treasure house of the National Gallery. But be careful! The London Eye is watching.
Tickets starting at: $285
(2) Cancun, Mexico Cancun is full of once-in-a-lifetime events: your first kiss with a dolphin, swimming with a whale shark and snorkeling with sea turtles. If you love the marine world, how can you say no to Cancun?
Tickets starting at: $282
(3) Amsterdam, Netherlands If you’re bored of hotels, consider living in a houseboat here in Amsterdam. A picturesque city full of colorful canals and bridges, Amsterdam is the home of the Van Gogh Museum, the world’s only floating flower market and many other must-see tourist attractions.
Tickets starting at: $422
It is always important to remember that these prices are never set and are always fluctuating. KAYAK, another popular travel search engine, has developed new feature called KAYAK price forecaster to deal with this problem. The KAYAK price forecaster is shown in the search results page and predicts whether the price of a certain flight booking is more likely to increase or to decrease in the following week.
There’s a golden rule to follow—it is almost always true that travelers should avoid departing on Thursday and Friday and returning on Sunday and Monday because more people schedule their trips over weekends. Instead, try traveling at off-times to keep prices low and morale high.
People have always debated good and bad natures of technology, but most travelers feel thankful for numerous reasons. Technology like Skyscanner and KAYAK allows travelers to budget their trips in advance with higher accuracy. Tools have penetrated into every aspect of traveling and have enhanced the travel experience into more than touring a new place, but also sharing, learning and remembering the experience.