Nowadays,
traveling is could be as easy as 1-2-3 because airfare could be as low as P1.
You just have to be alert with all the air fare promos and be sure to be the
fastest to click the “book” button. However, it could be sound as simple as
that but what if you are not in front of your computer, well, I must say, most
of the times great deal comes in a most unexpected time of the day. Thus, I am
so thankful that I was able to attend the 1st Skyscanner BloggersKapihan at Museum Café, Greenbelt 4, Makati City happened sometime in January.
I was enlightened with the best app ever when it comes to traveling, simply
because, you will happen to know the lowest rates offered by different air lines
at the convenience of your smart phones. I just have to download the apps and
search for the destination and voila, it will show me the list of fares throughout
the year (or if I have specific months/dates in mind) from lowest to highest.
With
that said, friends and I can now book our flights at the lowest possible prices.
Furthermore, Skyscanner, a leading
global travel search site, did a study on the millions of flights purchased by
their customers over the past three years to arrive with the best time to book.
The study shows that on average, 3-4
weeks in advance is the optimal time to book flights. This suggestion,
however, depends on the type of flight you book or the airlines you book with.
When traveling with a budget airline, prices are likely to go up as the day of
the flight approaches. If traveling on long haul flights or for more than 5
hours, prices are likely to fluctuate as the flight day grows near, and this
does not guarantee the best seats.
And
here’s another tip, In the Philippines, we have always loved the idea of
discounts and because of this, booking early has always been a trend. Below are
the top outbound destinations in the Philippines alongside the number of weeks you need to book in advancefor maximum saving:
China. If you book 28 weeks
in advance, you can save as much as P7000 per flight which means more money for
shopping and buying souvenirs.
Malaysia. Because Malaysia is
relatively near, it can be a go-to destination for last minute getaways and
short vacations, but booking close to your departure date can be quite
expensive. Consider booking 31 weeks in advance so you will only have to pay
46% of the actual flight cost.
Japan. Book a flight to the
land of cherry blossoms 14 weeks in advance and you can save as much as P6300.
Like with Thailand, booking four tickets will make way for another friend or
relative to tag along in your trip.
Thailand. Save as much as P3000
if you book 16 weeks ahead, the discount you will get from booking four tickets
is enough to get you another flight for free!
Singapore. This country is the
most visited by Filipinos in 2013 according to a recent study by Skyscanner. The best time to book
flights going to Singapore is 25 weeks in advance. By booking this early, you
can save as much as P1600. This is almost 24% less than the average flight
cost.
There
you go! With that information I can now save up more for my getaways. But hey,
there are some simple rules to bear in mind to get the best prices, kindly read
on.
Book smart: Avoiding peak season
travel and flying at less popular hours of the day, can really help to lower
costs.
Be flexible: Costs to different destinations can vary
significantly depending on the airlines operating that route and the Thai
airports offering these flights. If you are planning your next trip but are
open to destinations, running a search to ‘everywhere’ can help find the
countries that offer the best value flights at any time.
Compare and contrast: Using a travel
comparison site like Skyscanner allows you to compare the widest range of
airlines and online travel agents, so you’ll be able to see where you can get
the best deal.
Track prices Skyscanner’s analysis
has found that keeping an eye on the flight prices a few months in advance of
travel, is the best way to find a good value flight. Using a flight tracker
price alert service, either by email or via the app can help monitor when
prices drop on a chosen route.
Moreover,
after hearing the tips on when and how to book a cheapest flight to your dream
destination, during the Skyscanner’s 1st Bloggers Kapihan, they also
announced the Bloscars 2014 Travel Awards Nominees, wherein fellow TRT/Travel
Blogger Christian Sangoyo of www.lakadpilipinas.com
and Melo Villareal of www.outoftownblog.com
are nominees together with other travel bloggers here in the Philippines.
The
Bloscars Travel Award 2014 is an
award given by Skyscanner to travel blogs from selected countries in Europe and
Asia. It recognizes the excellent work of travel bloggers in informing and
inspiring travellers by sharing their adventures and first-hand experience. The
competition will consist of three stages: the nomination period, the voting and
selection of the Best Travel Blogs from each participating country, and the
selection of the international winner.
Nominating
your favourite travel blog is simple. Simply place in the URL of the blog in
the form hosted in the Skyscanner
news site. Nomination period will run from December 16th until
December 31st. Skyscanner will then shortlist the nominees according
to Skyscanner’s visual and content quality criteria. The final nominees for the
Best Travel Blog of the Year will then be announced on January 27th.
Voting
will start as soon as Skyscanner has announced the final nominees for the Best
Travel Blog of the Year, so cast your votes wisely and support your favourite
travel blogger! You can cast one vote
weekly and support more than one travel blog as well. Each travel blogger
will have a profile page showcasing their work in Skyscanner, so that you can
choose wisely. Remember that whoever wins the award will represent our country
to compete for the International
Bloscars Award!
What is at stake for
the winners?
The
winners for the Best Travel Blog from each participating country will each
receive P50,000 worth of flights. They will also be invited in to the
Skyscanner regional headquarters in Singapore for the awarding, where one will
receive a surprise award. The international winner will receive P145,000 worth
of free flights.
But
here’s the exciting part, as a voter you can also win prizes and a chance to
win free flights worth P18,000! Yeah, you read it right; it is eighteen thousand weekly prizes! So,
please vote and support your favourite travel blogger.
Skyscanner offers price alerts on all routes to
enable flights to be monitored by email. The Skyscanner app offers widgets for
Android, Live Tiles for Windows Phone and “watch” functionality for iOS, all of
which allow customers to track the latest price changes on a chosen route.
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About
Skyscanner
‡ Skyscanner
is a leading global travel search site providing instant online comparisons for
millions of flights plus hotels and car hire.
‡ Founded
in 2003 by three IT Professionals, Gareth Williams, Barry Smith and Bonamy
Grimes, Skyscanner is the No. 1 travel search website in Europe and No. 3
Worldwide, receiving over 50 million visits per month.
‡ Skyscanner’s
travel search site is available in 40 countries and in 30 languages.
‡ Skyscanner’s
highly-rated free mobile apps are available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows
Phone, and Blackberry devices and have been downloaded over 20 million time. To
download, click here.
‡ The
company employs over 200 staff and its global headquarters in Edinburgh, with a
second Scottish office in Glasgow. It also has offices in Singapore and Beijing
and plans to open in Miami in 2013.
For
more updates and details about Skyscanner, visit these accounts:
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