Are you a Canadian looking for affordable flights for a last minute getaway? If so, this post is for you.
If you’re a Canadian like us, then you know our pain: it’s just way too expensive to fly to anywhere in Canada. It’s even worse if you’re looking to fly somewhere last minute, as flight prices seem to increase exponentially closer to the flight date.
That said, there is hope. We fly a lot, and we’ve discovered Skyscanner.ca’s Search Everywhere feature can help save money on last minute getaway fares.
Click here to search Skyscanner.
In case you missed it, here’s the quick SnapChat tutorial I made, and be sure to follow us on Snapchat @barefootnomads or subscribe on YouTube for more tips.
The easiest way to save money while flying is to be as flexible as possible. Simply put, the more flexible you are with your flight dates and destinations, the more you can save.
First, you need to find when and where the deals are. For this, we use Skyscanner.ca.
We’ve used Skyscanner to search for flight deals for years. It’s scored us some great deals on flights, including a one way flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Toronto, Canada for just $288 CDN, including taxes and fees. Skyscanner’s well known in Europe and the USA, and finally getting popular here in Canada.
Skyscanner’s Everywhere search lets you search for the cheapest flights from your destination city to anywhere in the world. Even better, you can search a month’s worth of fares at a time, which can save you a bundle if your dates are flexible.
Click here to search Skyscanner.
They’re reliable for low prices, since they search through many different aggregators and airlines to find the best fare.
How to use use Skyscanner to save on flights for a last minute getaway
To find cheap flights to everywhere from your departure city, just type Everywhere in the the To field in your Skyscanner search and click Search Flights.
Click here to search Skyscanner.
Tip 1: Skyscanner also lets you type in a country name to find cheap airfares from your departure city only to cities in a specific country.
Then select the dates you want to search. You can search a specific date, but we’re usually flexible on dates, so we chose to search all of September.
Tip 2: If you’re really flexible on dates, just select the Cheapest Month button!
Skyscanner shows a list of the cheapest flights from your departure city to destinations all over the world.
We searched a one way fare from Toronto and found a few great deals (hello, Iceland for $129!), but we’re looking to go somewhere south, so we selected Hamilton, Bermuda (no, not Hamilton Ontario!).
Click the from $ green arrow button to see more price details and exact dates.
Next, Skyscanner shows a list of dates and the cheapest airfare on each date. Click the date you want, and click the Show flights button to see airfare details. Details of the flights on that date are shown.
Note: The prices listed on Skyscanner are based on previous flight search data. When you click the link the initial prices might differ from the actual listed price.
In this instance, we found three flights for $175. To book the flight, you just click the Select button, and Skyscanner whisks you away to the airline’s page to book.
From there, you can book directly on the airline’s site.
Another way to search: the searchable Map
This is really cool as well. You can use Skyscanner to look at a world-wide map of flight deals from any departure city. To see the map of airfare deals, just click the little Map link at the top of the search box.
From there you can click on any of the points to see more information about those flights, change your departure city and dates, and even used the Price option. The price option is great if you’re looking for a getaway for under a specific price point, as the map will only show prices that match your budget.
Free App! We use the Skyscanner iPhone app a lot as well. The app seems to have all of the features of the site, including the ability to search for flights to anywhere, and for a month’s worth at a time. It also features the cool interactive map that lists prices to cities around the globe. It’s also available for Android.
Wondering what to read next?
- Six Steps to Nailing the Cheapest Flight
- How to Find the Cheapest Fight to Anywhere
- Advanced Flight Hacking: How to Save Money if Your Departure City is Flexible
- Where to travel while the Canadian dollar is Weak
