So stop shelling out extra dough and read below:

• First-class airfare at coach prices.  What. It s possible, with a little research.  Be in the know about something never, ever advertised.  Y-up s are the airlines best kept secret .

• Sometimes it s more cost-effective to book flights out of a major hub (large city). If you live in a smaller city, try to find the cheapest flight to that hub, and then another flight to your final destination from there. This is not the case every time, but it s something to look into.

• Mix and match flights.  If you re looking for the cheapest possible route, consider that you might have to take two different airlines.  Skyscanner is excellent for this, and will combine flights from airlines automatically.

• Use Skyscanner, kayak, Expedia. and other price comparison websites. However, it s wise to always check the actual airline website as well. You never know.

• Check low cost airlines. Some, like Ryanair in Europe and southwest in the USA, don t come up when checking these websites used for comparison of prices.  Find a complete list of low-cost carriers here .

• Fake your Location.  Prices change depending on the country of origin, and you can drastically reduce the price of your ticket by faking your current location.  The point is to make it look like you are actually in the country you hope to go when buying a ticket.  A few ways to do this: buy your ticket in the foreign currency, masking your IP address (with the use of a VPN), and/or using the airline’s regional website (by using .ca/Canada. fr/France. za/South Africa, etc NOT .com).

• Clear your cookies.  Or, use an incognito window in Chrome and private browsing in Safari.  Airline websites are sneaky.  If they notice you checking out the same flights over and over again, they ll raise the prices for you.  Yes, you read that right.  Clearing your cookies erases certain aspects of your browser history, which will in turn keep the airfares at the same prices.

• Bring your own food on board.  Is it just me, or is everything increasing in price these days?  Might as well bring your lunch and eat in-flight.  Remember to be courteous to those sitting near you, and bring foods without any intense smells.  Don t wanna stink up the plane, or make anyone too jealous!  #leaveyourpizzaathome

• Sign up for airline emails/alerts.  THIS is where they release their sales firsthand, and it s likely the flights will be sold out by the time the deals are advertised to the general masses.  It s best to be on the list.  Deals occur year round, but look out for airfare deals around Thanksgiving, early spring, and early summer.

• Check social media.  In addition to email, you ll find the best deals advertised on social media, especially on twitter.  Follow Airfare Watchdog on twitter for some top notch deals from your city.

• Use points for long-haul, expensive flights. Sign up for a credit card when the sign-on bonus is unreal, and you ll automatically have enough points/miles to go almost anywhere.  Over the past few years, my husband and I have traveled to Greece, Hawaii, and Bora Bora all on air miles with our Delta American Express Platinum card. We use this card for every purchase we make (travel and non-travel related), and eventually, the points add up!

Follow these tips and your friends will be asking you how to get cheap flights!

It takes time and a little patience, and you may need to be a bit flexible with your travel dates, but finding cheaper airfare is possible.  Effort goes a long way here, which can potentially save you thousands of dollars.  Trust me on that.  I ve saved so much over the years.