Wander Wisely

<div>There's a myriad of flight booking tools on the web toting the cheapest flights, package deals, and  booking discounts.  Which of these booking tools is the absolute best?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGG96wnmbl94yfVpdywLkvh1wfv5ruCF4sWiJBsQxeo_b6hVzJDEiUo7bCREJgffrhq78BT0uV9k1OyDFv3E7q1W2WSUTfmdUws4_Dg_S46frAx6LA5ncclEZRAU8JnqM34Lzm9-U1K8w9/s1600/airport+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGG96wnmbl94yfVpdywLkvh1wfv5ruCF4sWiJBsQxeo_b6hVzJDEiUo7bCREJgffrhq78BT0uV9k1OyDFv3E7q1W2WSUTfmdUws4_Dg_S46frAx6LA5ncclEZRAU8JnqM34Lzm9-U1K8w9/s1600/airport+board.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's impossible to know what site actually offers the best deals without running multiple comparison checks on each one but even after all of that work there are often hidden fees that only show up when  you are completing the purchase.  The only thing worse than hidden fees while checking out is showing up at the airport and having the airline-counter employee inform you that each checked bag will cost an extra $50.00.  A flight booking tool may offer a first time booking fare discount or show well designed graphics when filtering flights, but what I care about is the tool that will always give me the best prices, is fast, and consistent.  </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Google Flights</b> is the ultimate flight booking tool.  <a href="https://www.google.com/flights/">Google Flights</a> shows the lowest prices, is extremely fast, and provides data that can make or break your trip.<br /><br /><i>(NOTE: I am not in any way compensated by Google through the recommendation of their product: Google Flights.  The opinions expressed here are solely my own.)</i><br /><br /> Here are 7 reasons why <a href="https://www.google.com/flights/">Google Flights</a> is the only flight search tool you should be using:</div><div><h2>1. Combines other flight booking websites, airline's websites, travel agent prices, and more in search.</h2><div><br /></div>Nearly all travel booking tools let you "compare" the competitors prices and "guarantee" to give you the best prices.  The truth is each of those sites gives you the exact same final price and usually that price is the same as it would be booking directly on the airline's website.<br /><br />This flight search from Google Flights shows that regardless of booking through Spirit, Priceline, CheapOair, or Orbitz you're still going to pay $117:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83MKU9lvaVWUt_ClY7z9hKm-o3wZSpcV58pG3pHq9RnSkLEwli5gokYL9gKclxXEzf1SeQqdg2Su4PzFHd4TLhTkFDl8oaiKmoLmMBVWd5xwhUf1EWlJM4ZStomc2PTkfyZJ1cu0e7JnQ/s1600/ads+on+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83MKU9lvaVWUt_ClY7z9hKm-o3wZSpcV58pG3pHq9RnSkLEwli5gokYL9gKclxXEzf1SeQqdg2Su4PzFHd4TLhTkFDl8oaiKmoLmMBVWd5xwhUf1EWlJM4ZStomc2PTkfyZJ1cu0e7JnQ/s1600/ads+on+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All booking options are displayed in each search.  Image from Google Flights.   </td></tr></tbody></table>From the graphic we see that the booking companies are charging the exact same price for the ticket as Spirit Airlines.  Those booking companies have employees and bills to pay so if they are not marking the price in flights up any how are they making money? <br /><br />They make money by suggesting hotels and rental car packages to include with your flight.  These suggestions can result in a very cluttered and confusing check out process on the website and you may end up paying way too much for a hotel room! <br /><br />The difference between other airfare booking tools and Google Flights is that Google makes their money from advertisements and not through expensive trip add-on's.  The Google Flights platform has very few ads and the ads that do appear have never ruined my flight search experience.<br /><br /></div><div><h2>2. Immediately Displays Final Price including all fees </h2><div><br /></div>The displayed price on a Google Flight's searches includes all government taxes, booking, and airport fees.  A flight from Chicago to Dallas provides us with a great example showing how important displaying the final price immediately is:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbLB0w92F08e14Rb9pT1kfC4n7QB6TDBysfRk7j-Ov_DF0rYPiZXB2W6OTZvuEVKRtENyBwUWe6PvrfXWDICdJ4iU_fVO9wooWrdk8gLrkbvyC1b3QGgJ6Zru42z6Y2E2Q0iVW9tjgkkX/s1600/total+fees+shown+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCbLB0w92F08e14Rb9pT1kfC4n7QB6TDBysfRk7j-Ov_DF0rYPiZXB2W6OTZvuEVKRtENyBwUWe6PvrfXWDICdJ4iU_fVO9wooWrdk8gLrkbvyC1b3QGgJ6Zru42z6Y2E2Q0iVW9tjgkkX/s1600/total+fees+shown+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Extra fees are added into the final displayed price.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>We can either book online through the American Airlines webpage or call US Airways to book the flight, but when calling US Airways a $25 phone service fee is added onto the cost of the flight.  This sort of detail is very important when purchasing high cost items like airfare.<br /><br /></div><div><h2>3. Provides important details regarding baggage fees, in flight Wi-Fi, and average on-time departure statistics.</h2><br />Spirit airlines usually has the lowest prices in the United States for common routes but is also notorious for delayed flights, high baggage fees, and limited in-flight amenities.  Only Google Flights shows the exact percentage of time the flight is delayed and the average legroom on each flight:</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SBVSkPn0AM1rZYFRyauKxilstvjGjhkXOA51LOmZ9qtKKSR-JGgIGjw25KlZh7rGM-TzJkvimFm1pwT1KsN3GdIv6jzIMNNJsLl2VX6SBFfLj6jtCylxrNGE8f3N352kTu0xIN5TCLI9/s1600/extra+details+google+flights.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2SBVSkPn0AM1rZYFRyauKxilstvjGjhkXOA51LOmZ9qtKKSR-JGgIGjw25KlZh7rGM-TzJkvimFm1pwT1KsN3GdIv6jzIMNNJsLl2VX6SBFfLj6jtCylxrNGE8f3N352kTu0xIN5TCLI9/s1600/extra+details+google+flights.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Important details like the percentage of the time the flight is delayed.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table>The statistics provided by Google Flights can truly make or break a trip.  I've missed my fare share of connecting flights because my first flight was delayed, but with details like the percentage of time the flight is delayed I've been able to better plan and avoid the classic <i><b>airport sleepover</b></i>!<br /><br /></div><div><h2>4. Map view lets you quickly check nearby airport prices and adjust flights</h2><br />The Google Flight's map view is one of the most powerful features of the tool.  You are able to quickly see the prices of flights to nearby airports, adjust the dates of your flight, and see a monthly average price for flights to your destination.   On most travel booking sites it would take 30 extra searches to get these statistics, but with Google Flight's you are served the details on a silver platter in the form of a map with pretty city pictures.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YTAafevNIDRJA5aB7q7b1oPkw7vOoen3hoCitnXy0a72xMvbMhGpPZXPt3NxwrxQt0va-dDSIX34ZFr5o46ZYm5ippWxjQZIZbJZ8rvsBkubQPSgGZIuid8R_Rd7NjnkbZFL10DMIT8C/s1600/map+view+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YTAafevNIDRJA5aB7q7b1oPkw7vOoen3hoCitnXy0a72xMvbMhGpPZXPt3NxwrxQt0va-dDSIX34ZFr5o46ZYm5ippWxjQZIZbJZ8rvsBkubQPSgGZIuid8R_Rd7NjnkbZFL10DMIT8C/s1600/map+view+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The map view provides prices for flying into nearby airports as well as a monthly fare view.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><h2>5. Fastest Flight Searches and Results</h2><div><br /></div>I've never had a Google Flights search take longer than 6 seconds!  In comparison the same search on <a href="http://hipmunk.com/">HipMunk.com</a>, a popular travel booking website, took over 15 seconds and I was asked to subscribe to their news and announcements (aka advertisements) while I was waiting on the search.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITNt1gy8SGK9sKZVRwMHkJ4HQYHPAjPDeybHL2FibQALSmU7itetP27D5tX6NrFgnlM-l1H-cgvPt8AkTXPZRFpyk61GchS8dkvJL4CsWGEAcZ5LdwfWcfYUBLYZA_Cv1VlTAvAU1vkKp/s1600/searching+other+site.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITNt1gy8SGK9sKZVRwMHkJ4HQYHPAjPDeybHL2FibQALSmU7itetP27D5tX6NrFgnlM-l1H-cgvPt8AkTXPZRFpyk61GchS8dkvJL4CsWGEAcZ5LdwfWcfYUBLYZA_Cv1VlTAvAU1vkKp/s1600/searching+other+site.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Searching for a new route on HipMunk can take longer than 15 seconds.  Image from HipMunk.com</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div><h2>6. Previous flight searches are stored -- Makes checking flight prices super quick</h2><div><br /></div>One secret to finding super cheap flights is persistence.  Watching flight prices on a daily basis can save you hundreds of dollars each year, but the pace of our world makes the extra 5 minutes a day it used to take to check flight searches too burdensome.  With Google Flights previous searches it literally takes 1 second to check changes in flight prices each day.  You don't need to save any flight searches or subscribe to any updates Google Flights automatically remembers your previous searches. </div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjenQS0A-GzLND9mioTfgilf84_ZKUsznjOsHU5kJl6cl45JbaQJRWyGqHStGLJj4gHhyH903dtvb292MasfLmiyDkTt_XYzgg8ERqgGeFhmf9aJpXtI4JIfSFpYWQUPwe7dki0LN5jynN/s1600/previous+searches+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjenQS0A-GzLND9mioTfgilf84_ZKUsznjOsHU5kJl6cl45JbaQJRWyGqHStGLJj4gHhyH903dtvb292MasfLmiyDkTt_XYzgg8ERqgGeFhmf9aJpXtI4JIfSFpYWQUPwe7dki0LN5jynN/s1600/previous+searches+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When hunting for great airfare deals be sure to check your previous searches daily in Google Flights.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><h2><br />7. Best Flights Filtering</h2></div><div><br />The luxury of comparing every possible route, fare, and airline provider isn't always available when you're in a rush.  Thankfully, with Google Flight's Best Flights listings you don't need to be a financial analyst to find the best option for you!<br /><br />Best Flights calculates the trade-off between price, duration, number of stops as well as baggage fees and based off of the majority of users preferences suggests the best flight options for you!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkChuaU0JxOu_G-CAjE8RLQ-cKiXWTZNPIfiOTsA_361NkTEkM0G2LMIzGdd_woZrXFKItr4tpmFjzEchnpiJAoQ46tTV7kDL-aVLuzOhO8OAD7E8h_5MDfRA3uDIGfmZ4BSHypXYmCqT/s1600/Best+Flights+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkChuaU0JxOu_G-CAjE8RLQ-cKiXWTZNPIfiOTsA_361NkTEkM0G2LMIzGdd_woZrXFKItr4tpmFjzEchnpiJAoQ46tTV7kDL-aVLuzOhO8OAD7E8h_5MDfRA3uDIGfmZ4BSHypXYmCqT/s1600/Best+Flights+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best Flights service by Google Flights.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><h2>Are there reasons to not use Google Flights?</h2></div><div><br /></div><div>No, at the end of the day you'll be most successful using Google Flights.  It is important to note that Southwest airlines fare prices do not show on Google Flights, but the search will still display any Southwest flights on that route and then provide a direct link for you to check price of the fare on Southwest's website.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtsqdSro1-7g0tpRBfhtPXXIQq0lHEsz6p4-S9bOBCfCmFMsVJ_wVdhUWREWbfgRvr7a515fGDJmCpdF7iGONI5B3oPNGqYwiDgy6AHiZubg7CSALxl4eHOay1EWgD7qTLYcdZhyphenhyphengAAjt/s1600/southwest+google+flights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtsqdSro1-7g0tpRBfhtPXXIQq0lHEsz6p4-S9bOBCfCmFMsVJ_wVdhUWREWbfgRvr7a515fGDJmCpdF7iGONI5B3oPNGqYwiDgy6AHiZubg7CSALxl4eHOay1EWgD7qTLYcdZhyphenhyphengAAjt/s1600/southwest+google+flights.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You must go to southwest.com to check the price of airfare for flights.  Image from Google Flights.</td></tr></tbody></table>Southwest airlines does not participate in the GDS airline system so their prices will not show up on any 3rd party websites.  It is always useful to check Southwest's website if they do have lots of flights on your route as Southwest usually has very competitive rates.<br /><h2>The Bottom Line</h2><div><br /></div>There are hundreds of websites that provide travel booking services available online.  Save yourself time, money, and confusion by using the simple <a href="https://www.google.com/flights/">Google Flights</a> booking tool.<br /><br />Please share any experiences you've had using Google Flights in the comments below!<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div>

The Only Flight Search Tool You Should Be Using

There's a myriad of flight booking tools on the web toting the cheapest flights, package deals, and booking discounts. Which of these ...