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Introduction

Hey there travel buddies! Mikki here, your favourite Aussie solo traveller, pulling back the curtain on how I snare bargain flights using Skyscanner. Pull up a chair, grab some snacks and let’s chat about tips, tricks and a few sneaky itineraries that’ll save you big bucks. No “buy now” pressure or fake stories about how I once flew for $1 (although wouldn’t that be nice?). Just real talk on how to find the cheapest flights on Skyscanner, sprinkled with natural recommendations for the rest of your trip planning.

Why Skyscanner Is Your Best Mate

Before we dive into the fun stuff, let’s be real: Skyscanner is one of the most versatile flight comparison tools out there. It scans hundreds of airlines and online travel agents, giving you a bird’s-eye view of prices across dates and destinations. You can search everywhere if you’re not fussed about your next stop, or zone in on specific routes. Combine that with flexible dates and price alerts and suddenly discount airfares start looking very tempting indeed.

1. Play with the “Everywhere” Search

One of Skyscanner’s coolest features is the “Everywhere” destination. If you’re in the mood for adventure but have zero idea where to go next, set your departure city, choose “Everywhere” and let the results roll in. You’ll see a list of places sorted by price. Maybe Bali is a steal at $200 return, or Bangkok is $450. It’s like a scratch-and-win ticket for wanderlust. Sometimes you’ll spot an obscure route you’d never considered before. That impulse trip to Vilnius? Yes please.

2. Hidden City Ticketing—Proceed with Caution

Ever heard of hidden city ticketing? It’s when you fly from A to C with a layover in B, but you hop off in B, skipping the last leg. It can be cheaper than a direct A–B fare. For example, London to New York via Toronto might be less than London to Toronto. Tools like Skiplagged exist for this, but you can also spot those fares manually on Skyscanner. Just be aware: your checked luggage will go to the final destination, and you might raise eyebrows if you frequently do this with the same airline. Use sparingly for light carry-on trips.

3. Mix and Match Airlines

Gone are the days when you had to stick to one carrier per booking. Skyscanner’s multi-carrier itineraries let you combine a budget airline for your outbound flight with a full-service airline on the way home. Often this is cheaper than booking round-trip with the same airline. Search “multi-city” on Skyscanner, plug in your segments, and watch it juggle different airlines to bring you a bargain. You might fly Jetstar out and Qantas back, saving a small fortune.

4. Set Up Price Alerts—and Actually Check Them

If you’re a patient soul, let Skyscanner do the heavy lifting. Create a price alert for your chosen route and dates. You’ll get an email if the price dips. I recommend checking every alert (even ones that say “no change”) because sometimes Skyscanner sends you a nudge about a sale or error fare it just spotted. Act fast when prices drop—bargains don’t hang around.

5. Be Flexible with Dates and Airports

Flexibility is your secret weapon. A two-day shift in travel dates can save you hundreds. Skyscanner has a “whole month” calendar view, showing you the cheapest day to fly. If you can’t be tied to specific dates, choose “cheapest month” and let it pick the best time. Also consider nearby airports. Flying into Gatwick instead of Heathrow, or landing in Oakland rather than SFO, might drop the price by $50 or more. Factor in ground transport costs though—sometimes it’s not worth the extra train ticket.

6. Exploit the “Multi-City” Search for Open-Jaw Adventures

Here’s where I get sneaky. Use Skyscanner’s multi-city feature to create “open-jaw” tickets (you fly into one city and out of another). This works brilliantly for loop trips. For instance, fly into Lisbon and out of Madrid, hitting Porto, Seville and Granada in between. Oftentimes it’s only marginally more expensive than a simple round-trip ticket, and you save on back-tracking. Plus, the novelty factor is off the charts.

7. Try the “Return From a Different City” Hack

Similar to open-jaw, but with a twist. Let’s say you want to start in Sydney and end in Auckland. Search a round trip from Sydney to Auckland, but manually select different airports or dates on the return leg. Sometimes this breaks Skyscanner’s algorithm into finding cheaper combinations that a standard round-trip search misses. You’ll end up booking two one-way flights, sometimes for less than a return would have cost.

8. Clear Your Cookies or Use Incognito Mode

Websites love looking busy. If you repeatedly search the same route, some claim prices will creep up. Whether that’s true or not, I clear my browser cookies or use private browsing (incognito) to make sure I’m seeing the rawest fare data possible. It takes two clicks and can give you peace of mind you’re not paying a markup.

9. Combine with Other Tools

Skyscanner is mighty, but you can add a few sidekicks to your traveller toolkit:

• Google Flights: Great for exploring date grids.
• Hopper app: Predicts price changes with surprising accuracy.
• Airalo eSIMs: If you want data on the go without swapping SIMs.

Use Skyscanner to find the itinerary, then cross-check on Google Flights to ensure it’s truly the best deal. If you spot a cheaper fare on another site, snatch it.

10. Keep an Eye on Mistake Fares and Flash Sales

Occasionally airlines publish fares with errors—like $200 flights to Europe in business class. Skyscanner may show these if they’re still live. Sign up to flight-deal newsletters or follow budget airline social accounts on Twitter. When you see a wild sale, jump on Skyscanner to lock it in before the mistake is corrected.

Bonus Tip: Consider Budget Carriers and Tiny Airports

Don’t ignore the little guys. Airlines like Wizz Air, Ryanair, Spirit or AirAsia frequently undercut the majors by heaps. Skyscanner includes them in its search. And look at regional airports—flying into Toulouse instead of Paris can be cheaper if you’re road-trip minded.

Where to Stay and What to Do While You’re There

Once you’ve nabbed that bargain flight, it’s time to sort accommodation and activities. I love using Hostelworld for budget stays and Booking.com for private rooms. Want day tours? GetYourGuide or Viator have you covered. And don’t forget travel insurance—World Nomads or SafetyWing. Safe travels means more adventures ahead.

Conclusion

There you have it—my go-to Skyscanner tricks for scoring the cheapest flights. Mix and match these strategies: be flexible, alert-savvy and a little crafty with multi-city searches or hidden city ticketing. Before you know it, you’ll be jetting off on spontaneous escapes without breaking the bank. And when you’re booking accommodation, tours or sim cards, feel free to support the blog by using the links above. Happy travels, and may your next airfare be ridiculously low!