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Save Money With Google Flights This Holiday Booking Season

Why you absolutely need to have a play with Google's revamped flight-finding tool

If you've struggled through the difficult first quarter of the year without going on or booking a holiday, it's time to reward yourself for your restraint - with a holiday.

HOLIDAY! (REX)
HOLIDAY! (REX)

And as we enter into peak holiday booking season, Google has launched a super cool tool for finding the cheapest flights, discovering the best airports for your chosen destination and the answer to that stopover time versus cheap flight condundrum.

So here's how to get the most out of it. Warning: You're about the get obsessed.

Google Flights' Six Best Features:

1. Pick A Place, Any Place

Where will you go?
Where will you go?

Not sure where you want to go or where you can afford? Just type in a country, or better yet an entire continent, and browse around. For many of the routes, the fares show underneath the airport destination so you don't even have to click to work out how far you can get for your budget.

And if you don't know your Borneo from your Bangkok, it's easy to see what airports are available and how far different destinations are from each other.

2. Be Flexible And Let Google Tell You When To Go

Go when you like (Google)
Go when you like (Google)

Using the calender view you can see when the cheapest rates are for as far ahead as you like. The best value flights are coloured green and if you're flexible with your available dates, you're quids in.

3. Stopover Time vs Price

Stopover vs price (Google)
Stopover vs price (Google)

Is it worth going on a cheaper route to save a few bob even if it involves bedding down in a Middle Eastern airport for several hours?

Google checks out the cost of the flight and the length of the route to give you the best value for your money, rather than the bog standard cheapest. So you'll get the one that won't break the bank but also won't leave you feeling like a zombie on arrival (Unless it's to, like, New Zealand, and then there's no alternative.)

For example, take a look at the screengrab above. The cheapest flight to Kuala Lumpar (in green) is a significant saving, but if you add just over £100 you can cut the flight time by more than seven hours.

4. Price Monitoring

Generally speaking the best time to buy flights is around eight weeks before you want to travel but if it seems too pricey, or you're not ready to commit you can save your flights and have Google alert you when they change price.

Make it cheaper (Google)
Make it cheaper (Google)

5. Money Saving Swaps

If it's cheaper for you to get a slightly different flight, change at a different aiport or go on a different date or time, listen to Google, it will alert you with 'Tips' in red, so you don't have to change your travel plans too much but you'll get a much better deal.

6. Get Lucky

Finally, let Google send you on holiday with 'I'm Feeling Lucky'. Using your search history it will take you somewhere it thinks you'd like. How much fun is that?!

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