My Mom’s Tips: How to fly on the cheap

Emilee wants more families to travel and see the world. This cool mom tip is about flying on the cheap.

Hello moms and dads!

These tips are for you! I want more than anything for you to travel more and spend quality time with your kids while saving money. I love to travel, but with two and sometimes four kids, we have to travel very cheaply. And because we are able to get great deals, we can travel more often and go to cool places. And to be honest, sometimes we've been plain lucky.

I've been flying on discount airlines such as Frontier Airline and Spirit for the last couple years. So far my experience has been overall more than satisfactory. I’ve been able to routinely get airline tickets down to Florida and North Carolina for as low as $35 round-trip. Yes you heard me, round-trip. Check out these couple tips and you’ll find out how to fly on the cheap.

TIP #1: Become a Member

For about $60 a year you could become a member of Frontier’s Discount Den. This saves you $5-10 or more dollars on your flights. Spirit has a similar member program. It costs $60 your first year and $70 every year after. Members in both programs save money on flights, baggage, and other has other benefits.

TIP #2: Travel on Weekdays

Weekend flying is pricey. Think about traveling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. With the discount airline app or website, you can put in your date you want to fly, but easily look at other similar dates to get your best price.

TIP#3: Travel Light

The one problem with flying on the discount airlines is that you have to pay for your bag. It’s more expensive to pay for a carry-on then to pay for a bag that goes under the plane. But, I've found, even with paying for baggage, I am still saving a ton of money compared to mainstream airlines. We routinely pack one or two suitcases for the four of us. Pack light and think about what you can use multiple times. Keep in mind, Frontier has larger suitcase size allowances than Spirit.

TIP #4: How to get $20 off Each Ticket

Here’s a tip on how I routinely fly for $35 round-trip for each ticket. The discount airlines charges a fee for using the Internet to book your ticket. However, a government law states that a fee must be able to be waived. Tale baggage for instance. You don't have to pay for baggage if you only bring a bag that fits under the seat.

You can get around paying this $20 fee by going to the Spirit or Frontier desk at your nearest airport and book directly with the agent. Allegiant has a $16 internet fee. Keep in mind, you can only book while the agents are there. Check your airports listings to see when flights are departing. Agents will be there two hours before a flight is scheduled to leave. You might have to wait a bit, and be flexible as agents will pause to help out passengers who are checking bags, but it’s worth it!

TIP #5: Check Out Nearby Airports

Check our flights from nearby airports. I found that flying out of Cincinnati (about a 2 hour drive for us), has many more options for Spirit and Frontier then Columbus. Or flying into Orlando has many more options then Fort Meyers or Jacksonville. You might have to drive a bit or rent a car, but $35 round trip for each ticket...you're still saving money.

Hopefully, you've enjoyed these tips and you're ready to get out and see the world on the cheap!