How I Find Cheap Flights to Almost Anywhere in the World

Why I Use Skyscanner

After visiting all 195 countries, people often ask me the same question: "How can you afford so many flights?" The answer surprises most people. It is not because I have unlimited amounts of money – quite the opposite. It's because I spend more time searching. In fact, I visited my first 50 countries as a student with next to no budget, probably less than 7000 Euros in total for 50 countries.

Over the years, I have booked hundreds of flights across every continent, from Ryanair budget hops across Europe to remote destinations in the Pacific and Africa. Finding cheap flights is not about luck. It is about knowing where and how to search.

My favorite tool for this is *Skyscanner, mainly because it gives you flexibility. You can search entire countries instead of single airports, whole months instead of exact dates, nearby airports, "Everywhere" as a destination, and even the cheapest month of the year.

The Biggest Mistake Most Travelers Make

Most travelers decide on an exact destination, exact airport, exact departure date, and exact return date before they search. By the time they hit the search button, they have already eliminated most of the cheap options.

Try reversing the process. Start with flexibility and narrow things down later. Instead of searching Buenos Aires to Madrid on July 10th, try Argentina to Spain in July. Or go even wider and search Argentina to Everywhere.

You might discover destinations you had not considered that cost hundreds of dollars less.

Use the Everywhere Search

One of my favorite *Skyscanner features is the Everywhere option. If you are flexible about where you want to travel, enter your departure airport and select Everywhere as the destination.

Skyscanner will show the cheapest countries and cities you can fly to. This is how I have discovered some of my favorite destinations. Sometimes a flight to Jordan costs less than a train ticket in Germany. Sometimes a weekend in Poland is cheaper than staying home. You do not know until you look.

Search an Entire Month

Flight prices can vary dramatically depending on the day. A flight on Friday might cost three times as much as the same flight on Tuesday. Instead of searching day by day, use the monthly calendar view.

This lets you see the cheapest travel days, price trends throughout the month, and better outbound and return combinations. If your schedule is flexible by even a few days, the savings can be substantial.

The 8-Week Rule

One pattern I have noticed over years of travel is that many flights reach attractive prices around 6 to 10 weeks before departure. This is not guaranteed, and every route is different.

For many short-haul and medium-haul routes, booking roughly two months before departure often gives a good balance between price and availability. Booking a year in advance is not always cheaper. Booking a week before departure usually is not either. The sweet spot is often somewhere in the middle.

The Power of Stopovers

Most travelers instinctively search for direct flights. After all, flying directly from A to B is usually the most convenient option. However, convenience and price are often not the same thing.

One of the biggest surprises I discovered while traveling to all 195 countries is that flights with stopovers are sometimes dramatically cheaper than direct routes. In some cases, adding a stop in another city can save hundreds of dollars.

For example, imagine a direct flight from Paris to Dubai costs $250. At the same time, a route from Paris to Rome and then Rome to Dubai might cost only $150 in total. The journey takes longer, but the savings can be substantial.

This is especially common on long-haul routes where airlines compete heavily for certain connections. When using *Skyscanner, do not automatically dismiss flights with one or two stopovers. Sometimes the cheapest option is not the most obvious one. You can also use the "layering method" to build your own connections. More on that later.

If you have a long layover, you may even get the opportunity to explore an additional city along the way. I have spent unexpected afternoons wandering aound city centers all over the world simply because a stopover happened to be the cheapest route available.

As a general rule, always compare direct flights against connections with stopovers before booking. A few extra hours of travel time can sometimes save enough money to pay for several nights of accommodation at your destination.

Do Not Ignore Nearby Airports

Many travelers only search from their nearest airport. While that seems logical, it can sometimes be one of the most expensive ways to book a flight.

Major cities often have multiple airports, and neighboring cities may offer dramatically different prices. For example, when searching for flights to London, compare Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, and London City Airport. The same principle applies in New York, Paris, Tokyo, and many other destinations. But it's not just limited to cities. In Europe, travelling a few hours by train to a different country can often be worth it.

The same idea works for departure airports. A flight from Airport A might cost $300, while a flight from an airport just two hours away costs $120. Depending on train or bus prices, sometimes it becomes a no-brainer.

One of my favorite *Skyscanner tricks is to search using countries rather than individual airports whenever possible. This gives a much broader overview of available options and often reveals routes I would never have considered otherwise.

Just remember to factor in transportation costs. A cheaper flight is only a better deal if getting to that airport does not cost more than the savings.

One-Way Flights vs Round Trips

Most travelers automatically search for round-trip tickets. That is often a mistake. Low-cost airlines frequently price one-way tickets very competitively.

In Europe especially, I have often found it cheaper to book one airline outbound and another airline inbound instead of buying a traditional return ticket. Before booking, always compare round trips with two separate one-way flights.

Do Not Ignore Budget Airlines

Budget airlines get a bad reputation, but they have helped millions of people travel affordably. Airlines like Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet, AirAsia, and Jetstar regularly offer fares that seem almost unbelievable.

Always check baggage fees and extra charges. But if you are traveling light, these airlines can be incredible value.

Flight Prices Change More Than You Think

One mistake many travelers make is assuming that flight prices are fixed. They are not. Airfares constantly change based on demand, seasonality, airline competition, available seats, and countless other factors.

A route that costs $200 today might cost $300 next week, or $150. That is why I recommend starting your research early, even if you are not ready to book immediately. Rather than obsessing over a single offer, try to "scan" the market for good offers, and do that multiple times a week to get a feeling for flight prices.

By checking prices periodically on *Skyscanner, you will develop a good instinct for what is normal on your chosen route. Once a genuinely good fare appears, you will recognize it immediately.

If you find a fare that fits your budget and your schedule, do not obsess over saving another few dollars. Great flight deals often disappear quickly, and waiting too long can sometimes be more expensive than booking slightly earlier.

Be Flexible With Your Destination

This is probably the most powerful travel hack of all. Many people decide, "I want to go to Paris." I often decide, "I want to travel somewhere interesting next month."

The second approach almost always produces cheaper flights. When you allow the airfare to help choose the destination, incredible opportunities appear. Some of my favorite trips happened simply because a flight was unusually cheap.

The Layering Method

One of the biggest mistakes travelers make is assuming that the route shown by a search engine is the cheapest possible way to get from A to B. Often, it is not.

Over the years, I have developed what I call the Layering Method. It is one of the most powerful flight hacks I discovered while traveling to all 195 countries, and it has saved me thousands of dollars.

The idea is simple: instead of searching directly from your home airport to your final destination, you build the journey layer by layer. If you want to fly from Germany to Thailand, most people search Germany to Bangkok. I usually start wider: Germany to Everywhere.

Then I look at the cheapest destinations available. Maybe London, Milan, Budapest, or Istanbul is unusually cheap. Next, I open a second *Skyscanner tab and search from one of those cities to Everywhere again. Suddenly, completely different flight opportunities appear.

Some cities have airlines, routes, and promotions that simply do not exist from your original departure point. By adding layers, you sometimes create your own route from several cheap flights instead of buying one expensive ticket.

Why This Works

Airline pricing often makes very little sense. Sometimes a direct flight costs $700, while a route that looks ridiculous on paper costs $250. I have personally taken routes that looked like Nice to Geneva to Madrid to Duesseldorf, simply because the total price was cheaper than many direct alternatives.

Airlines price routes based on demand, competition, schedules, and countless other factors. As a result, unusual combinations can occasionally be dramatically cheaper than official routes. The Layering Method helps uncover those hidden opportunities. Also, Skyscanner will sometimes not show connections with a longer layover or an overnight stop (probably because of passenger comforts). With the layering method, you can still get access to those "more annoying" connections.

A Real Example

Several years ago, I needed to get from Germany to Israel on relatively short notice. The standard flight prices were approaching 400 euros.

Using the Layering Method, I started searching through alternative cities, neighboring countries, and separate connections. After a bit of experimentation, I managed to reduce the total price to under 100 euros. I flew from Cologne to Iași in Romania, had an overnight stop there, and then on to Tel Aviv.

The route was not as convenient, but the savings were enormous.

Important Things to Remember

The Layering Method requires more planning than simply booking one ticket. When building your own route, always leave enough time between flights. If you book separate tickets and miss your connection because of a delay, airlines are generally not responsible for getting you to your final destination.

I personally try to leave at least 4 hours between separately booked flights whenever possible. You should also think beyond airports. Sometimes the cheapest route involves taking a bus between two airports, crossing a border by train, spending a night in a transit city, or flying from a neighboring country.

It is not always worth the effort. If the direct flight costs only slightly more, I usually take the direct option. But when the difference is several hundred dollars, it is very worth the extra effort.

My Flight Search Process

1. Open *Skyscanner.
2. Search from my nearest airport.
3. Select Everywhere.
4. Check the cheapest month.
5. Browse countries with attractive fares.
6. Compare nearby airports.
7. Check one-way and round-trip options.
8. Book once I find a route that makes sense.

The entire process usually takes 30 minutes to 1 hour.

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