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Seasoned traveler Tim Ferriss says in his book that it’s entirely possible to get up to 80 per cent off air tickets’ retail price. His advice is for the long-term traveler, not the so-called ‘binge traveller’. ‘For someone embarking on a mini-retirement, an extra $150 for hassle-free airfare amortised over two months is a better deal than 20 hours of manipulating frequent-flier points on an unknown airline or chasing questionable deals,’ argues Ferriss.

Get up to 80 per cent off air tickets

To get up to 80 per cent off air tickets, Ferriss advises using credit cards with reward points, buying tickets three months (or more) in advance or at the last minute and buying one ticket to an international hub from where an ongoing ticket can be purchased with a local airline that’s cheap.

Use credit cards

Ferriss says to use credit cards with reward points for large advertising and manufacturing expenses. In his words, ‘I am not spending more money to get pennies on the dollar – these costs are inevitable, so I capitalise on them. This alone gets me a free round-trip international ticket each three months.’

Buy tickets in advance or last minute

Buying tickets three months or more in advance can save big money. Plan to depart and return on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Ferriss adds, ‘long term travel planning turns me off and can be expensive if plans change, so I opt for purchasing tickets in the last four or five days prior to target departure.’

He explains that the value of empty seats is zero as soon as the flight takes off which is why last minute seats are cheap.

Fly to an international hub then purchase a local ticket

Ferriss says that one can also make big savings by using one ticket to an international hub and then another outgoing ticket from a cheaper local airline. When he flies from the US to Europe, he generally buys three tickets. Once he’s in London he buys a cheap ticket from Ryanair or EasyJet, where he’s paid as little as $10 to get from London to Berlin.

Tags: travelling