I’ve got some exciting news for you. This fall, airfares have plummeted to some of the lowest we’ve seen in the past few years! I did some sample searches for itineraries aligning with our European trips on Google Flights, and the prices were hundreds of dollars lower than average. For instance, a small airport like Missoula, Montana (where I live), to Barcelona (which would be an airport for our Girona or Mallorca trips) costs only 575 dollars at the time of writing this for this October! That’s with a good itinerary, too! Of course, airfares can change on a dime, but now could be an excellent time to book a fall Cycling House getaway.
Keep reading below for some tips and favorite features on how to use Google Flights to find the best airfare for your trips, some sample itineraries and pricing to our fall destinations, and the limited spots left we have for our Fall trips.
Google Flights
Google Flights is a powerful search tool for finding the best airfares. It allows you to set filters and search criteria, view a grid of prices for different dates plus or minus a few days, set alerts for price drops, and track price history trends. It’s an excellent resource for finding the best flights for upcoming Cycling House trips.
1) Filters and Search Criteria
You can set various filters on Google Flights to refine your search results. Start by selecting one or multiple departure or arrival airports and your dates. Suppose you want to hone in on your flight options. In that case, you can also select the number of stops, specific airline or alliance preferences (like Delta or Skyteam Alliance), departure and arrival times, and total itinerary length.
These filters can help narrow your flight options according to your preferences and travel requirements. I like to keep these filters broad at first, see what prices and flights are presented, and then narrow down the search criteria. If my travel dates are flexible, I’ll leave filters broad because sometimes I can save hundreds of dollars with an overnight or longer layover in a cool European city like Amsterdam, where public transportation makes it easy to leave the airport.
Google Flights allows you to set filters like number of stops, arrival times, airlines or alliances, etc.
2) Use Date Grid View for Cheapest Days To Travel
When you enter your travel dates and search criteria, Google Flights will list flights and prices. I like to start with my optimal travel dates but will always click the date grid view. Then Google will clearly show you the prices of flights for traveling plus or minus a few days. You will see if leaving a few days early will save you money or if your dates are the best.
3) Alerts
I use Google Flight alerts in a few different manners:
A) Before I book a flight
I will find a specific set of flights that work for me and set an alert to let me know when prices increase or decrease. Google will email you when these change, helping you remember to book the flight when the price drops or letting you know you should book now because flight prices are increasing.
Sometimes, I will leave the search broader without specific flights selected and set an alert to notify me of a price change when any flight changes the price on the dates I choose.
B) After I book a flight
Once I book a flight, I will set up an alert for that specific flight, and if it drops, I will use that to claim a fare credit. For instance, with Delta, if you book a flight and the price drops, you can use the “change your flight feature” and select the same flight to claim the fare difference. I don’t know if all airlines allow this, but for the moment, a main cabin ticket booked at Delta allows this. So you can cancel your flight for a credit, rebook the same flight, and pocket the difference to be used on a future flight. This is worth checking with your airline and fare class booked, but this can allow you to book something early on your preferred flight and then take advantage of any price decreases.
Here is some more info on what to do if you see airfares drop.
Once you book a flight, go back to google flights and track prices so you get an alert if prices drop so you can rebook with the price difference. Here is a sample itinerary from DC/Baltimore area to Mallorca.
Protip
Did you know prices for domestic travel dip the lowest 30-60 days before travel then start creeping up on average around day 30?
For international travel, prices start high 9 to 11 months out, then dip to their lowest 60-90 days before creeping up.
However this is just the average and are exceptions. Book further out especially around holidays and summer vacation.
The takeaway is to book your travel and then set an alert to claim your flight credit when the price drops. Here is more info on the best time to book airfare.
Price Trends
If you set up price alerts for an itinerary, Google will also email you, giving you a heads-up that, based on historical data, it predicts that flights are about to increase.
4) See Flight’s Price History
When you search for a flight, Google will also let you know the price history of that flight, giving you insight into whether prices are below or above average and if they are trending up or down. If below average, I’ll book as soon as I can. If above, I’ll still typically book within reason, but then set the price alert to let me know if they drop again to claim that future flight credit mentioned above.
Right now, prices are low as of Aug 15th. I expect European flights in September and October to start increasing now that we are within 60 days of travel for a fall European trip.
Sample Flights and Itineraries
Here are a couple sample itineraries for trips this fall.
1) Dolomites
These are sample sample itineraries from Denver or New York to Northern Italy for our Dolomites Sept 20-26 trip. Typically the ideal itinerary is fly into Venice and then fly out of Milan. However many people extend their European trip after the trip and might fly back out of Venice or another european city since train transportation is so easy.
2) Mallorca
Here is an example of getting to Mallorca from NYC. You can fly to Barcelona and then book a 45 min flight with Air Europa from Barcelona to Palma (Mallorca).
3) Girona
Here are some sample itineraries to Barcelona for our Girona trip this October.
Fall Trips – Remaining Availability
Airfare this fall is relatively low, especially internationally! If your schedule allows, now is an excellent time to book a fall cycling vacation on one of our trips to take advantage of saving on low airfare. We only have 1-2 rooms left on the following trips:
Sept 20 – 26
Sept 2 – 8
Sept 10 – 16
Oct 15 – 21
Oct 22 – 28
Oct 8 – 14 & Oct 24 – 30
Oct 13 – 18
Arizona Road and Gravel
Availability Oct – Dec
Aug 25-30
Drop us a line if you have a question about flights, fall availability or if a travel itinerary will work well!
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The post Airfares Just Dropped for our Fall Cycling Vacations! How to Find The Cheapest Flights for Your Trip. appeared first on Cycling House.
