Every frequent traveler has experienced the struggle of trying to wait for the perfect time to book their flights to ensure the lowest price possible, only to guess incorrectly and end up paying more anyway.
Last month, I flew to Seattle for a good friend’s wedding in Olympic National Park. In the weeks leading up to my trip, I kept my eye on the prices, watching them fall consistently, only to wake up one day and realize the fare had doubled since I last looked.
Booking a flight for the right price is one of the most stressful parts of traveling, but one expert has recently shared a useful Google trick that can make the whole process a lot easier.
How Airlines Set Pricing
Airlines make use of sophisticated algorithms that adjust fares based on demand, seasonality, competitor pricing, and even how many people are searching for specific routes.
For this reason, SEO expert Richard Edwards explains, fares often change multiple times per day for a variety of reasons.
“Think of it like surge pricing for rideshares, but much more complex,” said Edwards, who is the Founder and CEO of Vibra Media, a digital PR agency that helps businesses maximize their online visibility. “A Tuesday morning flight to Paris might cost $200 at 9 a.m. and $280 by lunchtime, simply because the algorithm detected increased interest.”
The Mistake Most People Make
The biggest mistake that most customers make, Edwards explained, is using traditional, rigid search strategies where they input exact dates and destinations into their search.
“People always ask me about ‘secret’ flight deals or hidden fares that airlines don’t want you to find. The truth is, there aren’t any ‘secret’ prices. Everything is publicly available. The real secret is how you search,” Edwards said.
“Most travelers approach flight booking like shopping for groceries, with a rigid list of exactly what they want. But flights aren’t groceries. They’re dynamic products where flexibility equals savings. The airlines aren’t hiding cheaper fares from you. They’re just not making them easy to find with traditional search methods.”
Edwards said that the trick to saving up to hundreds of dollars on your flights is being flexible in your
“Last month, I was helping a friend find flights to Italy,” Edwards said. “Direct searches to Rome showed $450 minimum. But the Explore Map revealed flights to Naples for $190. Same country, same week, but $260 savings just by being flexible about the exact airport.”
From there, travelers can take a quick train for far less than it would have cost to fly directly into Rome.
How to Use This Trick
While you could accomplish this by simply checking the fares to each airport near your desired destination, Edwards has a trick to make the whole search process a lot easier: Google Flights’ Explore Map feature.
Instead of searching for specific destinations in the Google search bar, this tool allows users to search prices across multiple cities at once, all displayed visually.
“Here’s the game-changer most people ignore,” says Edwards. “Open Google Flights, enter your departure city, but leave the destination completely blank. Then click on the map view. Suddenly, you can see flight prices to dozens of cities across Europe, all displayed visually.”
This often shows you far more flight options than you were previously even considering, sometimes with cheaper flights you didn’t even know existed.
“When you use tools like the Explore Map strategically, you’re not accessing hidden inventory, but simply seeing the full picture of what’s available,” Edwards said. “That broader view almost always reveals cheaper options you’d never have considered otherwise.”
How to Use This Feature
- Go to Google Flights and enter your departure airport
- Leave the destination field empty
- Select your travel dates (or choose “flexible dates”)
- Click the map icon to view the Explore Map
- Browse prices across multiple destinations simultaneously
- Use filters for budget, trip length, or specific airlines
Use Google Fare Tracking, Too
While the Explore Map technique allows travelers to see all the possible options for their desired destinations, Edwards suggests combining this technique with Google’s fare tracking feature.
Once a traveler has determined all of the possible flight options, they can then use the fare tracking feature to find the lowest possible price.
“The map shows you what’s possible, but alerts catch the price drops,” he explains. “I’ll often find three potential destinations using the map, then set alerts for all three. When one drops significantly, that’s my trigger to book.”
I Tried It Myself
I recently used this approach myself when my wife and I were planning a trip to St. Pete Beach in Florida. Having traveled there many times, I know that the closest airport is in Tampa. However, a flight to Tampa was nowhere near the least expensive way to get there.
Using the Explore Map technique, I was able to determine that it was far cheaper to fly into Sarasota or Orlando, then drive to St. Pete Beach, than it was to fly into Tampa. Given that I was going to be renting a car anyway, it didn’t matter all that much if I had a little longer drive from the airport.
While this trick doesn’t help you find hidden secret fares, it does help you find routes that you might not have even considered before, especially if your travel plans are flexible.
