5 Awesome Tips on How to Use Skyscanner Smartly – Surprise Flight Booking for my Mom @SkyscannerPH

We are getting married on July 12 and of course, my mom has to be here on my special day. That’s non – negotiable. She has to be here because of obvious reasons – it’s my special day.  Plus, she’s going to prepare some of the most delicious meals for us! I miss the food and yes, I badly miss my mom. Can you feel my excitement here?So after I learned that she received her UK Tourist visa, I was so ecstatic and would like to push her to get the ticket right away. It was also a relief because my mom is a Philippine passport holder. While it is not impossible to have her visa approved, it’s also not like she could get her visa as easy as 1,2,3. It is more complex and expensive when you are holding a Philippine passport. Jonathan doesn’t have these kinds of problems but for people like me, it can be pretty challenging. Now, if you get denied, you have to say goodbye to what you have spent. What a waste, right? Luckily, Jonathan was able to complete the necessary documents like invitation letters, addresses, and wedding registration among many others. That may have been her quick pass to get approved easily.

My mom is scared to book things online!

So going back, my mom would always have so many excuses why she hasn’t booked yet. It’s either she’s too busy at work or she doesn’t want to go to the city to have her ticket issued. I’m quite used to this. You see, she’s not a fan of online booking for some security reasons. I think a lot of people are like her and I understand. She thinks her money will be stolen and she has that misconception that her credit card details will be readily available to the crooks. While there are instances that some no-good folks might hack certain systems, there are still a lot of websites that offer tight security. Let me share with you a trick. If you are going to transact online, install a MozBar on your device so you can easily check a website’s reliability. The higher the score, the more credible it is. And that’s precisely the reason why I’m enjoying SkyScanner.

What is SkyScanner?

Yes, our flights are mostly sponsored by Turkish Airlines so some of you might say that we don’t need SkyScanner. However, there are few flights where we have to get it from our own pockets. So being introduced to this SkyScanner is actually a dream come true for travelers who are always working on a budget.This a free – yes FREE – travel site that provides online comparisons for cheap flights, hotels and even car rentals both domestic and international. Also, they are generous enough to give out deals from time to time. And most importantly, it is secured.Remember the MozBar tip I gave you? Try it out on their website and you would see a great score.

In addition, you don’t actually pay them when you make bookings. You pay directly to the airlines, hotels or car rental companies. So in simpler terms, it’s a search website that routes you directly to suppliers. Sounds great, right?

But if you want to maximize what SkyScanner can offer, then I’ll give 5 AWESOME TIPS on HOW TO USE THIS FLIGHT COMPARISON APP SMARTLY.  I used the same techniques so it should work just the same for you.

• Use its calendar or chart function to check the cheapest flights

I prefer the chart function because you can easily check which dates offer the cheapest price. I used this for my mom’s flight and got a great deal.

• Use the map to check if you are taking the most efficient route

Now, you might get the cheapest rates but you also have to consider your route. My mom is coming from Kuwait and one of the cheapest flights would require her to fly to India before going to London. The price can be tempting but I would rather have her take the most direct flight. After all, it’s not easy to transfer planes or airports most especially if you are on your own and do not travel a lot.

• Use its feature to check the travel time

Time is gold. Sounds cliché but there are some travelers who consider the travel time. If you are one of the few travelers who would like to stay on planes for several hours, then this shouldn’t be an issue. But for most, it’s quite different.

• Subscribe to their newsletter for price changes

If you still have a lot of lead time before your travel dates, then we suggest that you subscribe to their newsletter to be able to receive notifications if there are price changes. Of course if it last minute booking, you might want to get the cheapest available at that time because of the seat availability.

• Read their articles and posts for tips, deals and promos

I actually enjoy reading their articles because these are substantial. If you are lucky, you might cross one which has great deals within it.

Some other cool tips when you book a flight!

And here are 2 of the most important tips for online booking especially if you hold a passport which requires you to get visas in most countries.

• Check the stop – overs

It is crucial to know your stop-overs because there are some destinations which would require you to have transit visas. You wouldn’t want to get stuck in an airport just because you can’t take your connecting flight. Would you? That’s a nightmare if you have already plotted your itinerary.

• Change Terminal vs. Change Airport

Always check if you are to change terminal or to change airport. These are two different things. Remember that there are some airports which are hours away from each other. If you have the luxury of time, then this is fine. But if you are in a rush and you don’t want to spend hours for layovers, make sure you choose a better flight option.

So what happened with my mom’s flight booking?

My mom loves to fly on Emirates (because of her points), and of course, I booked her in it. Our live video ran for around 25 minutes (please watch it if you haven’t)  and I completed the booking in less than 15 minutes. In that duration, I was able to check the flight options, explain some of the features and successfully booked my mom.  I am sure that  it is less than 25 minutes because I spent most of the time talking! I can’t help it. HAHA!

I was teary eyed when I completed the transaction not only because I was sick, but more so because I will be reunited with mom in few weeks’ time!