A trip to London with your family is an exciting adventure just waiting to unfold. It’s easy to be excited with anticipation. Getting your family to London, though, may bring about a bit of anxiety because of the numerous options for flights and deciding the best way to get there. This process doesn’t need to be overly complex. Our tips for booking flights to London for a family help will give you the info that you need to get your trip off to a fantastic start!
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BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS IN ADVANCE
Waiting until the last minute to find a great deal will likely result in more stress and anxiety than savings, especially if you’re trying to book multiple tickets for your family.
So, if you’re planning to visit London, it’s best to book your flights as soon as possible. That could mean up to 10 months in advance. On our family’s trip to London, we booked our tickets 8 months before our departure date and got a great deal.
Airlines will often have discounted fares when flights are first released. Booking early also means that you will have time to track prices. You can see what to expect and be able to spot a great deal when it comes along. Once you see that deal, book immediately!
USE COMPARISON SITES FOR YOUR SEARCH
When searching for your deal on a flight to London, use sites that will let you compare fares for multiple airlines all at once. Booking.com is a great option to use to compare fares. You can select the airlines that you want to compare along with their fares and itineraries. We’ve found that it’s helpful to search by arrival and departure time and of course by price.
BE FLEXIBLE WITH WHEN YOU PLAN TO TRAVEL
Traveling with a family with kids will naturally restrict the times that you can travel. The most popular time is often the summer because the kids are out of school and the weather is amazing. This popularity causes larger crowds and higher travel costs.
To avoid this and still enjoy the benefit of summer travel, our family decided to travel to London in June.
We noticed that the crowds weren’t too bad even at the most popular spots and we got a great deal on our flight, which was much cheaper than if we had gone in July or August, which isn’t a great time to visit London.
Traveling in June is a big help, but also be flexible with the days and dates that you plan to travel. Try changing the dates by a day or two (or 3) and see what prices you get. Just a few days can mean big savings.
USE PRICE ALERTS TO TRACK PRICES
There will be flight deals to London, and you want to be there to grab them! Google Flights is the perfect tool to use to make sure that you don’t miss those fabulous deals.
You can enter your flight information and choose the option to track the flight. You’ll then receive email alerts whenever the prices change substantially. While you track your primary choice you can also create alerts for different dates and locations.
While the alert is set up, still check the sites for deals periodically because sometimes the best discounts are gone before you even get an alert.
CONSIDER FLYING OUT OF DIFFERENT AIRPORTS
So many of the best flight deals are for flying out of major cities. But you don’t necessarily have to live in a major city to get great deals. When searching for flights, include cities that are near you. If you are close enough to drive to a major city, it may be worth it even if you have to stay a night.
Our family lives in Cleveland, but we have family that lives in Toronto, so we fly from there. When we flew to London, we saved over $3,000 by flying out of Toronto for our family of four.
FLY INTO PARIS
London is one of the best cities in Europe to fly into because of the options and it’s usually easy to find a deal. However, if you find a great deal on a flight to Paris, you should consider it.
There is a high-speed train that connects Paris and London that only takes just over 2 hours to arrive. So it would be pretty easy to fly into Paris and then take the train into London.
CHECK THE AIRLINE’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Checking fares for several airlines at once is very helpful when using comparison sites. Sometimes, though, they won’t have the best deal. That’s because the airline may be offering a sale or discount directly. In that case, it’ll be worth it to check out the websites of a few airlines to see what they’re offering.
SIGN UP FOR LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Most airlines will offer some type of loyalty program that can provide discounts, points, or some other benefit for booking with them. If you have an airline that you like, it could be helpful to sign up with them. This is a great way to save on travel.
Credit card companies are also noted for having points or loyalty programs for travelers to use. Capital One, Chase Bank, and American Express are three of the more prominent ones.
CHECK PASSPORT AND VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR THE U.K.
When you’re making plans to book a flight to London, make sure to check your passport. It not only needs to be valid for the entire length of your stay. You also need to check to see if you need a visa to travel to London. You can do that here.
ENJOY YOUR FLIGHT TO LONDON
Planning and booking your flight to London doesn’t need to be a complicated experience. Just follow the tips in our detailed guide and you can plan your flight to London like a pro. Once you have your flight booked, you’ll have to decide what to do and what to bring. Don’t miss out on this practical itinerary for London, this essential packing list for your family as well as this essential guide to the best areas to stay in London. Safe travels!
