Getting to parts of Latin America such as Mexico and Central America is fairly easy and cheap. You can purchase a ticket from most major metropolis cities direct into Mexico City and start there for roughly under $500 dollars. Getting to South America is not as easy and not nearly as cheap, most tickets run anywhere from $900 to $1400 for a round trip ticket. I have flown more than a handful times to South America and have found a few tricks that can knock off a considerable amount from your ticket price.
Trick # 1 – Use the Right Search Engine
I have purchased over $5,000 dollars’ worth of tickets coming from the U.S.A heading to South America and I can give the golden seal of approval to Cheap-O-Air, for having, by far the lowest rates on the internet. Orbitz and Kayak bring back the steepest rates, whereas Trip Advisor usually falls somewhere in the middle. It´s worth checking the airlines company page for flights, but I have found that these too usually tend to be a bit pricey. For tickets to most parts in South America, Cheap-O-Air has returned flight results for an average price cut (compared to other search engines) at around $300 dollars.
Trick #2 – Buy Multi-Cities and One Ways using Different Airlines
Say you are starting your journey from Los Angeles and need to get to the coastline of Ecuador. If you book through one airline you will most likely get a bundled price that they provide based upon their occupancy. This means that they will judge how valuable a seat is worth based on how many people have already booked a flight. If you happen to choose an airline that is full, you will get a much higher price compared to an airline that has many empty seats. Most savvy travelers will get online, book a one-way ticket through one airline from, using the example from Los Angeles to Miami, and then purchase a separate one-way ticket through a different airline from Miami to Quito, then purchase another one-way from Quito to Manta (a major port of Ecuador with access to all coastline points). Yes, it’s a puzzle, but you can save yourself hundreds of dollars by using this method, if you spend a little time putting together the pieces.
Trick #3 – Purchase Tickets from Low-Cost Air Carriers
This should seem obvious, but there a few airlines that have somehow managed to stay under the radar with rock-bottom prices flying to South America until now. Frontier Airlines is a carrier based out of Colorado and but flies to all major metropolis cities in the U.S. A, sometimes for as little as $100 dollars. You can purchase a one-way ticket to Miami, and then check into other airlines that connect you from Miami to South America. Another super cheap airline is Spirit Airlines; you can purchase a fair, called ¨Bare Fare¨ for as little as $200 dollars from major airports in the U.S.A to cities in South America such as Lima, Peru and Bogotá, Columbia. If you add up a one way ticket from Miami to these cities and then back again, that´s a round trip ticket to South America for under $500 dollars.
Flying to South America doesn’t have to break the bank. If you use these savvy little tricks you may just end up scoring yourself an incredible deal and a journey of a lifetime.
How much did you pay for your ticket to South America?
