June 22, 2023, 6:30 am | Read time: 3 minutes
Do you know the feeling? You want to book a short trip or a longer vacation, but you’d rather give up right at the planning stage because the flight search is so tedious? Then you should definitely try the trick that savvy internet users have discovered for flight searches on Google Flights. TRAVELBOOK shows you how it works.
Videos with various travel life hacks frequently circulate on TikTok, Instagram, and other social networks. Among them are tips on how to save money on flights. TRAVELBOOK took a closer look at one of these tips, specifically a trick for searching flights on Google Flights. The only thing you need to successfully apply this trick is a bit of flexibility—both in your travel dates and in choosing your specific destination.
Also of interest: Right timing, best price – what you should consider when booking flights
How the Google Flights Trick Works
Go to the Google Flights page and select a departure airport. Leave the destination airport field blank, and you don’t need to select any dates initially. Then click on “Explore,” and a map with flight prices will open. Click on the calendar icon when selecting travel dates. A window will open, and in the top right, you can select “Flexible dates.” Here, you can specify which month you want to travel and for how long (weekend, 1 week, or 2 weeks). The prices on the map will then update to show the cheapest options for your chosen travel period.
If you’re searching for a round-trip flight for a one-week vacation in July from Berlin*, during peak travel season, you’ll find that you can fly to Milan, Italy, and back for an extremely low price of just 57 euros. The airline in this case is Ryanair—so expect additional costs for things like luggage or seat reservations. Nevertheless, the price is unexpectedly low, especially for the summer holidays. A round-trip flight to Thessaloniki, Greece, is available for 90 euros, and to Pula, Croatia, for 68 euros.
You Can Also Search for Long-Haul Flights
The map can be enlarged and moved as desired, allowing you to view flights to long-haul destinations for a specific period.
Of course, you could also go directly to the airlines’ websites and search for flights. However, this takes significantly longer. And with the flexible search on Google Flights, you get suggestions for alternative destinations if your preferred destination is too expensive. Therefore, TRAVELBOOK’s conclusion is: you can definitely save money with Google Flights!
*The search by TRAVELBOOK was conducted on March 21, 2023