Smarter travel. Less stress. More memories.

2-minute read

Hey Reader,

In 2021, I opened Google Flights with pretty much no plan.

I knew I wanted to go somewhere right after Thanksgiving, and I had a budget I didn't want to blow past, but that was basically it.

No destination in mind, no real list of places I was choosing between.

Most people start with "where do I want to go" and then check the price. I decided to flip it. I typed my home airport into the search bar, left the destination blank, and let Google Flights show me the map.

Every country lit up with a price, and I filtered it down to nonstop only so I wasn't comparing a direct flight to Peru against a two-layover flight to Portugal.

Colombia wasn't the cheapest option on the map.

But it had a direct flight out to Cartagena and a direct flight home from Bogotá, and the price was comfortably under my budget.

So I did 8 days in Colombia.

It was already on my list, one of the countries I knew I wanted to get to eventually. It just wasn't next in line.

But seeing those numbers on the map is what turned "eventually" into "let me check the dates." Everything lined up, so I booked it.

That trip ended up being one of the best I've taken.

And it happened because I searched price-first instead of forcing myself to pick a destination and then hoping the price cooperated.

🧭 Travel Tip of the Week: Let the map pick, not you

Most people scroll past this because they already know where they want to go. But if you're even a little flexible, here's how to use it:

1. Open Google Flights and leave the destination field blank. Enter your home airport and travel dates (or leave dates loose too). The map view will populate with prices to basically anywhere you can fly.
2. Scan for outliers. You're not looking for the cheapest overall. You're looking for a price that's noticeably lower than similar destinations nearby. That gap usually means a deal, not just a cheap country.
3. Turn on price tracking before you book. Once something catches your eye, track it. Google Flights will email you if the price drops (or spikes), so you're not stuck guessing whether today's the day to buy.
4. Widen your date range. Shifting your trip by even two or three days can change the price significantly, especially avoiding Friday and Sunday departures.

This trick works well on its own. But if you want it automated instead of checking Google Flights every day, that's exactly what Thrifty Traveler does.

They track flight deals around the clock and flag major price drops, even mistake fares, before most people ever see them. Use my link below to save $20 on your first year membership.

I may earn a commission if you sign up through this link, at no extra cost to you.

And if you want a shortcut for turning "I have no idea where to go" into an actual plan, this is one of the prompts inside the Dream Trip Prompt Playbook.

Imagine turning that same kind of decision-paralysis into a plan in ten minutes, instead of spending the whole weekend doing research.

🛫 Coming up on the Next Flight Path

You've done it. Tab open, dates picked, price staring back at you. And you close it anyway. Next edition, I'm getting into why that happens and what finally gets us to stop hesitating and book the trip.

Here's to smarter, easier travel.

Until next time,
Joe

Follow the journey → @heavilyinkedpassport​

P.S. Know someone who's "flexible but stuck" on where to go next? Forward this to them.

​
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​