After visiting 25 countries and averaging two international trips a year, I've dialed in a system for finding cheap flights and getting real value out of hotel bookings. These aren't theoretical hacks. They're exactly what I do every single time I plan a trip.
Finding Your Next Destination
1. Start with Google Flights Explore, not a destination in mind.
Go to Google Flights Explore, enter your home airport, and leave the destination blank. Or just pick a continent. Set flexible dates if you can. The map will show you the cheapest flights from your city to the entire world. This is how I've discovered some of my best trips. Want to go to Europe but don't care which city? Fly into wherever is cheapest and build your trip from there.
Booking Flights
2. Cross-check Google Flights with Kayak and Skyscanner.
Google Flights is my starting point, but I always run the same search on Kayak and Skyscanner before pulling the trigger. Prices can vary across platforms, and it takes two minutes to compare.
3. Always buy directly from the airline's website.
Once I've found the flight I want, I go straight to the airline's site to book. This is especially important for international flights. If something goes wrong with delays, cancellations, or rebooking, dealing with the airline directly is so much easier than going through a third-party aggregator. I learned this the hard way.
4. Set fare alerts and stop manually checking.
All three platforms above let you set alerts on a specific route and will notify you when prices drop. You don't need to keep refreshing. Once you get the alert, go straight to the airline's site and book. It takes the obsessive checking out of the process entirely.
5. Fly open jaw to save money and see more.
Most people only search round trips to the same city. But flying into one city and out of another is often cheaper, and it eliminates backtracking entirely. I've done Lisbon in and Madrid out, or Barcelona in and Lisbon out, and paid less than a standard round trip would have cost. Google Flights handles this search easily under the multi-city option. It's one of the most underused tricks in flight booking.
Travel Credit Cards & Points
6. Get a travel credit card with transferable points.
The big three for frequent travelers are the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X, and the AmEx Platinum. These aren't just about earning miles. They let you transfer points to airline partners at great rates, which is where the real value lives.
7. Learn your transfer partners.
With Chase Ultimate Rewards, for example, you can transfer points to United (Star Alliance), Air Canada (Star Alliance), Singapore Airlines (Star Alliance), Iberia (OneWorld), Air France (SkyTeam), and Emirates. This flexibility is huge. I've booked flights from SFO to Istanbul for 65,000 Chase points. That's about $975 in value on a ticket that normally costs $1,200+.
8. Book award tickets as early as possible. Most airlines open them 11 months out.
The best award availability disappears fast. I've scored round-trip flights from SFO to Australia for 80,000 points (roughly $1,200 in value) when the cash price was $1,600+. But you have to be looking early. Set a calendar reminder for 11 months before your travel dates and check as soon as award seats open.
9. Don't forget you can book partner airlines with the same points.
This is one of the most underused tricks out there. You can book Turkish Airlines flights using United miles because they're both in the Star Alliance. Same goes for any alliance partners. One points currency, dozens of airlines.
10. Use Priority Pass for free lounge access.
Most premium travel cards come with Priority Pass, which gets you into 1,000+ airport lounges worldwide. Free food, drinks, Wi-Fi, and showers before a long flight. Layovers become something you actually look forward to.
Booking Hotels
11. Compare hotel prices on Google Hotels.
Just like with flights, I start with Google Hotels to see prices across platforms at a glance. It pulls rates from the hotel's direct site, Booking.com, Expedia, and others so you can spot the best deal quickly.
12. Always book a refundable rate unless the savings are significant.
Most hotels now offer free cancellation up to 24 to 48 hours before check-in. I default to this every single time. It costs little or nothing extra upfront, and it protects you when plans change or a better property opens up. The number of times this has saved me is embarrassing.
13. Activate Booking.com Genius status.
It's free, requires no credit card, and unlocks lower rates, free breakfast, and late checkout at a wide range of properties. I use it as a complement to booking direct when the rates are close. It takes two minutes to set up and the perks stack up quickly over multiple trips.
14. Hyatt has the best points value, especially on peak dates.
If you're in the points game, Hyatt consistently delivers the best redemption value. They use seasonal pricing for award nights, which means you can find incredible value during high-demand periods like holidays or special events, exactly when cash prices spike. If the prices are the same between the hotel direct site and a third-party, I'll book through Booking.com for the flexibility. Otherwise I go direct.
Your flight and hotel strategy can save you hundreds (or thousands) per trip. Build the system once, and it pays off every time you travel.