Let’s save some money now on one of my favorite things, travel. If you’re frustrated because it seems like all of the travel websites quote the same prices, you’re right, many do. And that’s because the mainstream websites are all owned by just a few companies. For example, Expedia owns hotels.com, Hotwire and Trip Advisor. And Priceline owns Kayak and booking.com.
So I want to share some off-the-beaten path travel websites where you really CAN find different —and often lower— prices.
Many thanks to ThePointsGuy.com, which did a great roundup of lesser-known airfare sites. Nobody knows more about travel deals than Brian Kelly and his team. Here are some of their favorite websites for REALLY finding airfare deals:
First up is ITA Matrix, whose software is utilized by many airline and travel agency websites. Maybe the reason it’s for real is that you can’t actually buy flights on ITA Matrix. You just find the lowest option there and then book on the airline’s own site.
Number 2: Airfare Watchdog has several cool features, including showing you the top 50 fares all over the world each day.
Third, Google Flights is worth your time because it automatically shows you whether you can get a better price if you change your dates slightly or fly into or out of a different nearby airport.
Next, Momondo, is great for showing you deals where you fly one airline on your way and another on your the way back.
And finally, after you’ve booked, Yapta keeps track of price drops and lets you know if the price has gone down so much that you can save money by re-booking, despite the change fee.
Safe travels!
