People often ask how they can travel more like we do. The truth is, it comes down to two things. First, learning how to find cheap flights so getting to new places stays affordable. Second, understanding how travel works. The airlines, the routes, the timing, and the opportunities most people never notice.
This guide is about the first steps. It’s not about miles and points yet. It’s about learning the ropes, spotting opportunities, and getting comfortable making travel decisions with confidence.
Finding Cheap Flights
If you want to travel more, this is where you start. Finding cheap flights is the single best way to make travel feel possible. It was our first step, and the gateway skill that got everything else rolling. Our first big win was a round-trip flight to Europe out of LAX for $275. That one deal completely changed how we thought about travel and showed us that amazing trips don’t have to cost a fortune.
The biggest secret is that you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Email lists and deal alerts do the work for you. Many of them are already tracking airlines, routes, and flash sales so all you have to do is be ready to act when a deal pops up. Flexibility helps too: being open to different dates, destinations, and airports gives you the best chance of snagging something.
Some of our favorite resources are Going, Pomelo, The Points Guy, FareDrop, and Thrifty Traveler. These alerts have sent us deals like Salt Lake to Finland for $280, Mexico City for $250, and even Hawaii for $270. These deals disappear fast, but if you’re paying attention and ready to act, you can grab them too.
Cheap flights get you moving. They build the confidence and excitement that make the next step, learning how the travel world actually works, feel possible.
Want to go deeper? Check out our post on How We Find Cheap Flights for a full breakdown.
Understanding Travel
Once you’ve started booking cheap flights, the next step is learning how travel really works. This is where most people get stuck or lazy, but it’s also where the biggest opportunities are. Airlines, routes, timing, promos, stopovers, even where you buy your ticket, all of it affects how much you pay and how far you can go.
For us, this stage started with curiosity. We noticed an Icelandair stopover that let us see a new country on the way to Europe. We’ve booked Frontier tickets at the airport on a whim, jumped on a Southwest BOGO sale to Hawaii, and grabbed Avelo tickets to California for $19. Each of those trips taught us something new about how airlines actually price flights, and what’s possible if you’re paying attention.
A few things worth knowing as you build that awareness:
- Routes and hubs matter. Flying out of Denver might beat Salt Lake for some destinations. Some airlines, like Norse, quietly offer some of the cheapest fares to Europe.
- Sign up for airline emails – These can be annoying, but airlines send sales, discounts, and limited-time deals to their subscribers that are easy to miss otherwise.
- Follow blogs and forums – Reddit communities like r/travel, r/Flights, or travel Facebook groups are full of tips and firsthand experiences. Looking up specific destination groups can also help in showcasing how others are getting to where you want to be.
- Follow airlines on social media – Some flash sales or new route announcements show up first on Twitter or Instagram.
- Track what you notice over time. Even a simple running note of prices and promos helps you start recognizing a good deal the moment you see one.
The more you engage, the more your awareness grows and the more doors open for travel that starts to feel almost effortless.
A Quick Note on Miles and Points
Once you’re spotting deals and understanding how travel works, miles and points can take things even further. Think of them as a multiplier for strategies you’re already using or a way to book flights and hotels that might otherwise be out of reach. You don’t need them to travel more. Plenty of the trips in this post happened with cash and good timing alone. But once you’re comfortable finding deals and paying attention to opportunities, points give you another gear.
If you’re curious where that road leads, we lay out the basics in Miles & Points 101: How Points Actually Work.
Wrapping It Up
Traveling more isn’t about luck or insider secrets. It’s about paying attention, staying curious, and taking action. Start with cheap flights — they’re the gateway skill that gets you out the door and builds confidence. Sign up for deal alerts, follow airline promotions, and stay flexible with dates and destinations.
At the same time, spend a little time understanding how travel works. Experiment, track patterns, and pay attention to routes, hubs, and airline quirks. That knowledge compounds, and it turns random deals into strategic opportunities.
The most important thing is to start. Pick a flight, grab a deal, take the trip, and let your curiosity guide you from there.