Unlocking great travel deals isn’t just about luck; it’s about knowing where to look and how to search smarter. Google Travel has quietly become one of the most powerful tools for finding affordable flights, spotting hidden savings, and planning trips with confidence. Whether you’re dreaming of Provence, craving Caribbean sunshine, or simply trying to shave a few dollars off your next weekend getaway, these insider strategies will help you stretch your budget further and explore more of the world.
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Five Tricks I Use With Google Travel to Get the Best Rates!
1. Use the Google Explore Map
I think the Google Explore map is one of the most fun features on Google Travel! As with any other flight search, enter your home airport in the departure city box. In the WHERE TO entry box, type in the name of a specific region (Europe, Asia, Caribbean) or use the Anywhere catchall.
Select the EXPLORE button, and you’ll be taken to a map showing fares to locations worldwide. As you zoom in, even more fare options become available. You can even set date preferences. Once you hit EXPLORE, a menu in the upper left corner will let you specify specific or flexible dates. Choose a weekend, 1-week or 2-week trip any time in the next six months, or pick a specific month you’d like to travel in.
Price differences can be substantial! Let’s say you have your heart set on a trip to Provence. Note that, in the example below, flying to Avignon costs $1,000 more than a flight to Marseille. Avignon is less than 1.5 hours from Marseille and is serviced by bus and train if you don’t want to rent a car.
Alternatively, you can use the map to determine your destination. Want something with sunshine and beaches? Select the Caribbean. As you can see below, a trip to Puerto Rico or Jamaica costs less than half of what you’d spend to visit St. Lucia.
2. Select Multiple Departure and Arrival Cities
This tip is similar to the trick above but works better when you have a specific destination and date in mind. For instance, I live close to both Cleveland (CLE) and Akron (CAK) airports. To see flights from both, I click the plus arrow next to the departure city and add more options. The same is true for arrival cities. In the example below, I added both Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
As you can see, the Breeze flight from Akron-Canton Airport is a bit less than the Frontier flight from Cleveland. Different dates and different cities may lead to more substantial savings.
3. Include or Exclude Basic Fares
Depending on the type of travel you’re doing, you might want to exclude basic fares. I often choose to exclude basic fares unless it’s a one-day there-and-back where I’m only bringing my purse.
Once you conduct your search with your preferred destinations and dates, you can find the basic fare exclusion toggle at the top of the results screen.
4. Use the Points Path Extension
Developed in 2024, the Points Path extension is an indispensable tool for both finding award flights and determining whether the award fare is better than paying cash. If you belong to any airline loyalty program or are part of a credit card program that allows transfers to airline partners, I highly recommend trying Points Path.
To add the Points Path Extension:
- Type “Points Path Extension” into your search bar.
- Select the PointsPath.com link.
- On the next page, select “Download the Free Extension”.
- Close any pop-ups and select “Add to Chrome” (or whatever browser you use).
- Select “Add Extension” when prompted by the pop-up.
- Confirm the extension was added by viewing the small globe with an airplane icon among your extensions next to the search bar.
The video below will walk you through each step.
Once you have Points Path installed, you can see in the examples below how valuable it is. It both identifies if there is any award availability on a flight AND, if so, compares the point value to the cash value and recommends the better option.
5. Set Price Tracking for Flights & Hotels
The last feature on Google Travel that you can use to get deals on flights and hotels is Price Tracking. Once reserved only for flights, Google now offers price tracking for specific hotel properties. It’s a fantastic way to snag a deal on a splurge property you’ve had your eye on!
To set price tracking for flights, look for the Track Prices option below the blue bar that indicates whether prices are low, high, or typical after conducting your flight search. Toggle on your preferred option: tracking for specific dates or tracking for any dates.
You can also monitor your tracked flights by selecting the Tracked Flight Prices option under the three-line menu bar next to the Google logo.
As you can see, a flight I’m currently tracking is quite low right now.
Hotel tracking works the same way. You can choose to track prices for all hotels in an area, and you will get updates if there are major changes. Or, if you are eyeing up a specific property, you can toggle on price tracking specifically for that hotel.
If you found this post useful, I’d love for you to share it with a friend or on your social media! As always, thanks for stopping by. Until next time…
