Sarah in France

One of the biggest questions I get about travel is how I actually find such good deals. It’s not about luck—it’s about strategy and using the right tools. Over time I’ve figured out a few tricks that consistently save me money on both hotels and flights, so I’m sharing them here.

Be loyal to one hotel booking app

If you’re not already using your credit card’s hotel benefits, pick one app and stick with it. Loyalty tiers really do add up. Personally, I use Booking.com. This year alone, I’ve saved a couple hundred euros just from the automatic discounts in my tier. On top of that, I’ve gotten room upgrades and even free drink vouchers at check-in—all small perks that make traveling nicer without spending extra. I also like having one app that lets me search everything at once instead of bouncing between different hotel websites. The more I continue to book stays on Booking.com, the more benefits they seem to provide. Trip.com is another great option when it comes to booking apps.

Use the right flight search tools

For flights, Google Flights is my must-have tool. I always search in incognito mode so my browser doesn’t track that I’m checking certain dates (this can impact prices if you’re not careful). After that, my favorite for exploring is Skyscanner. What I love is the flexibility—you can search an entire month at a time to see the cheapest dates, or even search “Everywhere” as the destination to see all your options from your home airport.

This is how I end up with insane deals, like a 30 euro flight for three hours across countries. But here’s the catch—sometimes it’s only on one day of the week, like every Tuesday. If you searched just your exact dates, you’d see 300 euros instead. That’s why flexibility and smart searching matter so much.

The Bottom Line

If you’re willing to play with dates and commit to one booking platform, you’ll save a lot more than you think. I have found my best travel deals by taking the time to search and keep an open plan for dates and destinations.