While I travel quite a bit, I’m admittedly also always looking up airfare prices for additional trips. It’s become a bit of an obsession to be checking prices for various places and I also subscribe to flight deal newsletters that I open religiously. When looking at airfare prices, I may be looking for a place I am planning to go to at some point or it may to be a place I always want to return to (Paris). Or, it may be to a place that I’m just curious what the cost is.

Years ago my cousin taught me a game-changing tip for flight prices and I thought it was high time that I share the genius with you guys. (I have, over the years, shared this hack with people on Instagram DM who always reply with “OMG! Amazing!” or “What!? This is brilliant”) Some of you may know this hack, some of you may not.

Essentially, whenever you go to search for flight prices or go to book a flight, be sure to do so in a Google Chrome Incognito window. This allows you to browse in private i.e.; the airlines won’t track your searches using cookies and serve up higher prices the next time you go to look for the fares and are ready to book.

How to do this? When in Chrome, get into Incognito mode by:

The first time I used this hack after my cousin told me about it, I booked a flight back to Colorado for an unheard of price that was almost too good to be true. I couldn’t find it anywhere else when running searches immediately after I nabbed it.

Now, there’s also a fair amount of internet lore that says this won’t help you score cheaper airfare but I personally have found some of the best airfare deals by searching this way. I also cross-compare through a variety of means. Once in incognito, I’ll use Kayak, Google Flights and the websites of my preferred airlines (Delta!! I have and absolutely love the Amex SkyMiles card and have reaped the benefits time and time again from the miles I earn with the card so I always try and fly Delta where possible. In three years of having the card I have flown to Europe roundtrip on miles at least twice that I can recall) and then I’ll check out the results on each vendor. I also have been using the Hopper app lately and really like how they serve push notifications for changing airfares. But when it comes time to book, I’m booking in incognito. Be sure you don’t sign into the various vendors you’re searching with either. This may affect the results you’re served.

Of course the lead time of your booking, high seasons and other factors go into the prices you find, but I have found great deals in using this hack. I hope you will, too in the near future!

. . .

Curious about what I always bring with me on trips? Find all my essentials here. New additions since that post include this universal charger with a USB port that I bring on every Euro trip, this dual-voltage curling iron I use when in Europe and here is the mobile hot spot I always have topped up and ready when I want /need WiFi and it isn’t readily available. 

p.s. how I reset after traveling and tips for traveling solo.

p.p.s. Going to Paris? Let me help plan your trip!