Travel Tips from Willis Orlando
Willis Orlando is Senior Product Operations Specialist at Scott's Cheap Flights. We are a flight deal alert service, where we use human power and technology to scour the web to track down uncanny flight deals on reputable airlines, both internationally and domestically, from more than 180 airports within the US. As soon as prices drop low enough to meet our standards, think $291 roundtrip to Barcelona or $125 roundtrip to Puerto Rico, we send folks an email giving them all the details.
Is it safe to fly?
By and large, flying is as safe, or even safer than many other activities folks are partaking in these days. While the CDC's current mask mandate for airports and airplanes has been extended to May 3 and will likely be allowed to lapse after that, we fully expect that plenty of folks will continue to voluntarily mask while flying, likely a much higher proportion of people than choose to voluntarily mask when eating out, going to the supermarket, or seeing a movie. Combine that with planes' advanced air filtration systems and the enhanced cleaning protocols most airlines have put in place since 2020, and you've got yourself an activity as safe as just about any other.
If we go to Europe, do we run the risk of having our trip canceled because of Covid?
Flight cancellations and delays have become part and parcel of travel these days. The reasons range from staffing issues brought on by Covid outbreaks, to equipment shortages, voluntary schedule adjustments, to bad weather, to technology issues, and so on. While it's impossible to predict where the next spate of cancellations will be, luckily, transatlantic routes have not been as commonly affected by these delays and cancellations as have within-continent routes. That's largely because those big planes hauling across the Atlantic generally have longer turn-around time between flights and run fewer routes in a day, leaving less room for a small issue somewhere in the plane and crew's schedule to snowball into widespread cancellations. If you're flying to Europe, particularly if you choose a nonstop route to a popular destination like Rome, Paris, or London, your chances of having your trip messed up because of these issues are relatively slim. Do keep in mind though that if you have a domestic connection or a smaller flight within Europe, those schedules are changing all the time, so keep a close eye on your itinerary in the days leading up to your trip, and try to book accommodations that offer some sort of flexibility, in case you need to tweak your plans a bit. For example, I'm flying from Bologna, Italy to Rhodes, Greece next month, and I recently had my flight canceled. Luckily the airline was able to rebook me on another itinerary for earlier in the day, and I'd chosen to book an apartment with free early check-in, so the earlier flight won't be a huge inconvenience.
What is the best place to go where we get good value for our money?
Value, value, value. Right now everyone and their mother is trying to get back out and see the world, and sky-high demand to certain places means sky-high prices. Luckily, though, if you're willing to step just a smidge off the beaten track, you can save a ton of money. If we're talking about Europe, there are a couple of familiar faces: Portugal is a perennial favorite for Iberian energy, great wine, beautiful landscapes, and ridiculously tasty food for a fraction of what (already pretty high-value) neighboring Spain costs. The average nightly price for an Airbnb in Lisbon this summer, for example, is $126 per night, and there are literally hundreds of options for under $80 per night. Head into the countryside or to a smaller town and your bang for your buck only increases. Croatia is another great option. Though cheap flights to get there aren't as abundant as the $392 roundtrip bargains we sent Scott's Cheap Flights members to Lisbon from JFK a couple of weeks ago, they still regularly drop below $600 roundtrip. And once you're there, you'll find prices similar to what we see in Portugal.
If you want to head to one of those all-time-favorite countries like Italy, Spain, or France but get more value, all you really have to do is get away from the biggest tourist hotspots. Consider checking out the cities right on the edge of some of the most iconic coastal regions: Genoa, in the Italian Riviera, and Salerno, on the edge of the Amalfi Coast both offer great downtowns, terrific local ambiance, and easy access to all of the regions' natural beauty. Similarly, head down the Spanish coast from crowded and pricier (relatively) Barcelona the laid-back charm of Valencia and use the money you save to stay an extra night or two.
Another tip, if you're going to Europe, consider using what we call the Greek Island Trick to get yourself to the continent. Grab the cheapest nonstop flight to just about anywhere on the continent you can find—SCF members in big cities like New York routinely see deals to places like Madrid, Lisbon, Milan, Paris, or London for under $400 roundtrip. Then take a look at grabbing a small hopper flight from your point of entry in Europe to your final destination. Flights within Europe are quick, easy, and cheap, so you're bound to save money compared to buying an otherwise expensive ticket to a smaller airport like those in Sicily, the French Riviera, or the Scottish Highlands, plus it gives you the chance to check out another destination en route, if you're so inclined.
If you're looking to get in a bargain beach vacation, there are tons of great options. While demand to places like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Riviera Maya, and Costa Rica is sky-high, neighboring places are still facing a little pandemic lag, which means those sparkling beaches can be available to you for a fraction of the cost. Instead of Costa Rica, look at Panama (we recently found $182 nonstop roundtrip flights from NYC). Instead of the Riviera Maya, check out neighboring Belize. Or instead of a Caribbean island, check out coastal Colombia. All of these destinations offer cheap flights, good on-the-ground prices, and small crowds.
What’s the best way to use our points?
I love booking flights with points, but it's a tricky game. The last thing you want to do is to blow your hard-earned points on something that would have been a better value booking with cash. If you're someone who likes flying in the front of the plane, I'd encourage you to always do the math and compare the difference between the spread of booking an economy ticket versus a business class ticket with cash or points. While cash prices to sit up front are often 3-4x the price of an economy ticket, miles redemption prices can be as low as 1.5 or 2x the price. If you have the points and see an economy ticket going for $500 or 60,000 miles roundtrip versus business class for $3,500 or 180,000 miles roundtrip, the math says that the choice to book with points is a no-brainer.
Similarly, try to use your points for those trips you just have to take. If you have flexibility with your dates or destination, it's much easier to be patient and score a great deal. But when you're locked into a certain itinerary, say for a wedding or other special event, your chances of scoring a deal with cash are slim. This is when it pays to have points in your pocket, which offer pretty steady prices across the board, allowing you to book the flight without having to scour for a deal for weeks or months and risk overpaying.
Finally, right now everyone is concerned about flexibility. Booking a flight with points is a great way to lock in a super high level of flexibility, if you're not 100% sure you're going to want to go through with a trip. In general, tickets booked with points are changeable without a fee, and they are very often fully refundable. If I'm nervous about potentially having to cancel or change my trip and the value is similar, booking with points offers a lot more peace of mind than say, buying an insurance policy.
What are your insider tips for traveling?
I've hinted at some of my biggest tips already here: the Greek Islands Trick has saved me thousands over the years, for example. Another trick I love is open-jaw traveling. Very often when folks travel, they buy a roundtrip ticket into one airport or another and end up either spending their whole trip in that area or having to plan extensively around getting back to the airport to fly home. But one thing a lot of folks don't realize is that many, many tickets can be booked open-jaw, allowing you to fly into one airport and out of another for a similar price. So if you see roundtrip prices to say, Los Angeles and San Francisco are similar, chances are for the same price you can book a flight that arrives into LAX and flies home from SFO for the same price. That lets you do a lot of meandering and exploring without having to backtrack for your flight home. I honestly can't remember the last time I flew to Europe and arrived and departed from the same airport—it's just too tempting to book an open-jaw ticket and explore a little bit more.
Finally, for folks who have some sort of flexibility, I can't emphasize enough giving the "Flight First" method of trip planning a try. Most folks plan their trips in three steps. First they determine where they want to go. Then they decide when they want to go. And finally, they go and book the flight. By locking in the destination and dates ahead of time, you're almost guaranteed to overpay. But if you flip that process on its head you can save hundreds and open up your world just a little bit more. So this means taking a look at where the best deals are, and then choosing your destination and dates accordingly. While you really can just go literally anywhere the best deals land you (that's how I ended up in Macedonia years ago), it doesn't need to be completely open-ended. A good example: instead of saying, "I want to go to Paris, from December 27th through January 3rd" say, "I want to go to Western Europe around the winter holidays, and I'll book the cheapest flight that lets me do that." By opening up your parameters, you're in turn opening up your chances of finding a great deal exponentially, and if you're really set on Paris, chances are you can make your way there without too much hassle. It's a no-lose proposition.
