✨ Thanks to Unbound Merino for sponsoring this video. Use NORA10 for 10% off, and click here to start shopping! shrsl.com/40u23 Purchasing via my affiliate link above costs you nothing, and helps to support my channel, so thank you in advance! 👉🏻 Here's some more info about Merino Wool: Merino Wool terminology and benefits, including how to choose the best type for your needs: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4sXODXEeURY.htmlsi=BImh1NPs7iIVD7-d 📖 Prefer to read? Here you go: www.theprofessionalhobo.com/merino-wool-clothing-for-travel-a-guide-to-choosing-the-best-brands/ 📺RELATED VIDEOS 📺 ✈Travel Hacking 101 | Leveraging Frequent Flyer Miles - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bsOtsTCzomg.htmlsi=7HlRPUJxqLvWCrpZ 🛬15 Layover Do's and Don'ts | Watch This Before Booking Your Next Flight! - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6HMHimRg63U.htmlsi=Xd8E4Rmrrp4bA6Bx 🚫Top 10 Flight Booking Mistakes & How to Solve Them | 2024 Travel Guide - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4MXpCNB-xI.htmlsi=b8dLumMmyaz9iWd- 🛫How to Book CHEAP FLIGHTS! Top 8 Tips - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_aRVQ2ekIZk.htmlsi=wHLR4A95YxcRDqax 🤫Travel Secrets: Unlock Flight Comfort with Genius Carry-On Hacks - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gdwN8GG2Cyk.htmlsi=5AWMFIN26mKgtmcg
Wow, I feel like a total neophyte after watching this. I don't think I've ever watched something so useful and well thought out without, not even once, thinking "come on, get to the point!" You're very easy to listen to, and so helpful!
❤ your Google Flight tips. Prior to the pandemic, I traveled 48 out of 52 weeks in a year. I also planned all of our leisure travel, so I thought I knew a lot about booking flights for the best value for biz or economy. Your advice was so priceless that I had to subscribe.
I flew a lot during the 3 main years of the pandemic. Explored a lot Latin American because flights were just all over cheap. I was flying 5-6 a year, weeks at time during 2020-2023. It was great.
I fly for free with my airline because I’ve been there for 34 years now. I can also fly on the other airlines with a 90% discount. The only catch is that it’s all space available standby. If you are willing to fly at odd hours, during midweek and during off peak season, you can do it no problem. My wife and I currently buy our tickets full fare because of time restraints. We do get a 20% discount with our airline for a confirmed seat. When we retire, we will then have the time to miss flights without it being a big deal. Until then, we will continue to purchase our tickets. This info will be of good use to us. Thanks Nora!
I must have spent 30+ hours perusing Google Flights in the last month. And I've saved over $3500 on flights, thanks to codeshare discoveries and such! But still, I learned a lot from this video. Thank you!!
But don’t forget, if you live west of NYC (in NJ) yes, it’s always cheaper to fly from JFK but it also costs $100 to GET to JFK (and another $100 back, not to mention the additional time spent getting there). I refuse to fly out of JFK. It’s always easily worth the extra $100 or so to fly out of Newark.
Good point about the cost and time to get to the repositioning airport. Neward has some good international options, which is lucky. Many smaller airports don't.
Hello! @@NoraDunn just had your videos randomly suggested to me, I'm not even travelling anytime soon 😂 Anyways, I just would like to see you review Kayak flights. Thanks for this Google review I've never really used Google to search flights, I find it a bit confusing. But I'm also a well-seasoned traveler, happy 13 years so far. Never used travel agencies cos they charge extra, no miles benefits and I don't like not having full access to my itineraries. Kayak had been my go-to site to check flights then book directly from the website, but usually they only show base fare so it could take some time comparing prices. After the pandemic, Agoda stepped up their game and I get more search match and cheaper flights there, with the luggage/extras option. The prices are the same, or lower too, so I've never tried booking directly from a third-party app but Agoda changed that. I still prefer it as just a guidance to check flights and then book directly from the airlines. 😅 just to make sure. Please kindly do comparisons of these two if you don't have a video of it yet? I'd love to see your pov
@@RJ-sk2gv Thanks for sharing your experience and for your suggestions! I'm a pretty devout user of Google, so I'll have to do some research over time using other sites to see how they compare. I know lots of travelers who also like to check prices on Skyscanner as sometimes they show different flights/combos.
Glad to have found your channel. I used to travel monthly for business and now only for personal use. But learned a lot through this video. Some of the tricks you mention I had already been doing on my own, but the Google site seems to simplify my search method by having it all in one place. Will be giving it a shot for the next trip. Many thanks!
Not a bad video Nora. You should mention the date graph too, that is INCREDIBLY helpful for finessing dates for a cheaper trip as long as you're not too picky on what date you leave and come back on -good for planning out trips far not in the near future
Can confirm: As a male I typically don't care for BB's, but my favorite under garments are my base layer merino wool leggings for snowboarding. If they have merino wool boxer-briefs I would probably wear those on the daily. They're also great for running/jogging which can prevent chaffing between the male bits and legs. Not surprised he's a fan!
I insist on an absolute minimum layover time of 4 hours just in case of delays, I would rather have to kill time at an airport waiting for a connecting flight than risk being late for it.
Agreed! Here's a video I created about layover strategies and mistakes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6HMHimRg63U.htmlsi=D35XXEJ93NPAGkXr
Another feature that I wish these apps had is alerts about a given destination that might make you reconsider your plans in terms of dates or destinations, that might not occur to you, like a national holiday that shuts everything down when you're there, popular sights being closed for repairs or renovations, a major sporting event that will make hotel rooms expensive and transit crowded, or political unrest and the like. I.e. a comprehensive vacation planner and not just separate flight, hotel and car rental reservation pages.
I always go to my local library for preliminary searches because if I search from my home computer, the next time I go to look the prices almost always are higher. This way I can document the flight into in the library and then go home to book it.
Really? I researched this in depth for a video last year and I concluded it was a myth that airlines track IP addresses and raise the prices with subsequent searches. Interesting that you've found that to be true. Another solution that doesn't involve the library would be to use a VPN. That would solve the problem.
Thank you for all the great tips. I hope one say you're able to find a retailer to partner with that does not exploit others, but I understand we all need to make a living in this world. I wish you well and continued happy travels!
I wouldn't ever fully discount the multi-city option. I recently used it to book a flight going from where I live to Finland after Christmas, and then going back to college from there, and it was half as expensive as either one way on its own
@@ORvanTiel Yes, multi flight can be useful and cheaper if you are going to one main region. It definitely found the best overall deal when I visited Vietnam and Taiwan from Canada. (EVA Air.)
Thanks for the tips. I've never used this Google tool before. Amazing. I really liked the options available to plan a trip to an open destination and find deals to take advantage of.
Great…….. Al my flight out of the bag. Every single one you mention is what I’ve been doing and helping family and friends get good deals.. guess they won’t need me as much lol
Thank you for the video! I've used Google flight pretty often but still could learn couple things. The funny thing is I was search for ticket to go to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, and you were pretty much doing the same thing. I hope you could make the trip to Vietnam and did have good time there.😀
I’ve often wondered if it was cheaper to book a one way vs round trips. lol 😂and as much i travel you would have thought that I would have tried that. lol 😂 in all my years of traveling I haven’t once searched for a one way ticket.
I’ve personally given this feedback to Unbound Merino, and they’re well aware of the need to offer larger sizes. The challenge according to them, is that they don’t just want to take the same pattern/dimensions of smaller sizes and make that larger, because that’s not how larger people are shaped. They want to make something that will be flattering and fit properly. And for that, I respect their approach. It just means it’s taking them longer to get the right designs in place and manufactured.
Or much choice! They have 2 dresses. One for skinny gals only and one too fancy. Why not start with a basic trapeze dress? That’s why I appreciate Wool&. They show every item on a range of body types.
Thank you for your time and posting. Great information. Off to Vietnam in three months. :) I'll be deselecting all US carriers for the flight from the West Coast of the US to VN. Very interesting mosaic on the wall behind you. Have a great time in Bulgaria.
Just booked tix for my family R/T Bangkok to Chicago in October on Cathay Pacific. The tickets were reasonably priced, but they wanted almost $600 additional for our family of 3 to sit together. My daughter is 12. I assumed they would at least reserve a seat for her to sit next to one parent without additional costs. I called them. They suggested I should roll the dice and hope something favorable shows up. I'm starting to hate airlines as much as I hate car rentals. Money grubbing imbeciles.
Sorry that's happening. But indeed, at check-in you will be assigned seats and most airlines allow you to change the seats for free at that time. I can't imagine there won't be two seats together at that time.
I like ANA/United from Chicago (ORD) to Bangkok. I checked on google. The price is still reasonable in October. I never have to pay for choosing a seat.
@@jumpiam8477 Yeah, I had been checking for about two months before I bought my tickets. They don't reveal the additional costs to sit next to your family until AFTER you commit to the purchase. Snaky shit. Never again, Cathay. Should have gone with ANA or United.
I have that very pair of travel pants and took them and other merino wool clothing to Norway last month. I really am a convert, but I wish they would make women’s pants that look like the men’s travel pants. I’ve never used Google flights, but I will try that the next time I’m booking.
I've learned most of the Google flight tricks you mentioned, and you confirmed things about the trickier things that are possible that I'd wondered about. My dilemma is, how can I book directly with the airlines while trying to use credit card travel miles? Is that possible? Btw, I've really been enjoying the airport lounges that are included with my credit card. It's great to get free food and drinks (including alcohol) in a cheerful atmosphere during layovers. We also recently enrolled in Global Entry so we won't have to endure the long lines at security. Those lines can be quite frustrating and tiring. Thanks for the great videos. 👍
Yes, you can book directly with the airline using miles if the credit card allows you to transfer the miles to that airline (or to another airline within the alliance that has "codeshare" flights with the one you wish to fly on).
Thanks! You can get it here: www.amazon.com/shop/theprofessionalhobo/list/2H88L1AJASF08?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsftheprofessionalhobo_YB311KYBCCCGXC74NQ24
I want to thank you for these great tips. A word of caution. Changing payment currency also means that in case of cancellation, a refund is in that currency too. You may lose $ because of the currency exchange rate fluctuation. It cost me one time $600. However, i also made a few $ too when the rate was in my favor.
Great tip - thank you! Indeed, if you're paying in a highly volatile currency and then need a refund that could get tricky. I have made similar mistakes, but not with super volatile currencies.
That depends on where you're from and what kind of travel goals you have. No easy answer! However Travel Freely is a free app designed to help you pick the perfect card for you based on your needs, spending habits, etc! my.travelfreely.com/share?bref=phyt
You content is always helpful. Wondering if you have a video on the airlines themselves. Have currently been looking at reviews of airlines offering routes to my destination to help make a good choice and many passengers have posted negative reviews about those airlines. Any tips on navigating this process to find a decent airline in 2024/25? Thank you
Great suggestion! Airline experiences are so subjective; it depends on route, the time of year, and the passenger leaving the review. (And we'll always hear the bad reviews because people tend to be very vocal when they have a negative experience; we don't hear as much about the good experiences).
Thanks for this great video. Interestingly, when I select bags drop down in the filters, I only get one option, which is for carry on bags. This is really annoying, because, even though I am a minimalist traveller and only travel with a carryon bag and one backpack, because in live in Australia, I have to check my bag as we can only carry on bags that are 7 kg and under, which is difficult to stick to.
Love the content and the delivery Nora! I am a traveling nut. I have built miles enough that I never need to buy a ticket if I don't want to. I still find this episode very enlightening. I'd really like to chat with you if that is possible. Reply and I will answer and again congratulations on your vlog's success.
Thank you for sharing this. I was only vaguely aware of Google Flights. Question: Is there a way to make the duration of the trip something like 6 weeks?
Thank you for this video, Nora. What advice for clothing do you have for those of us who are sensitivities to wool? I’m asking for myself. Most wools (any type) typically make me itch. I typically wear cotton undies, shirts, and sweaters. Socks too. I’m also a guy. I’m Andrew.
I hear you on the Morino wool idea but I don’t think that not washing my clothes for 2 to 3 weeks would work for me. I’m only saying that your clothes should be washed more often. Just as you should shower once or twice a day.
I'm surprised at how much longer my merino clothes last, but I also prefer to wash them more often than that, since clothes can get dirty in other ways from external factors.
Thanks for the great tips. I woukd love to purchase merino wool from Unbound but rhey don't make clothes in my size. The average US women is a size 14 and would also not be able to purchase this product. Can anyone suggest another company with more size options?
First time viewer, subscribed. You sure are getting a lot of clueless/hateful comments about the wood ad within the video. Do people really just watch and get angry, rather than skipping over it? I guess they do. A lot of "trust fund" comments from people who don't understand remote work, business travel, or nomadic living. Maybe they have never left a 100 mile radius of where they were born, or maybe only have flown a few times to tourist vacation spots.
Ha ha - thanks for your support, and also your other comments helping out other viewers! Indeed, some people love to "express themselves" negatively from safe anonymity of behind a screen. To each their own, I guess! But also, you seem to inherently understand that as a content creator I'm producing content and offering it for free; sponsorships allow me to continue to do it while affording to live - and it also allows me to authentically endorse products and services that I love.
Have you tried kiwi? I find it’s even more powerful than google flights. Gives you a lot of flexibility for dates ranges and regions. Also includes lots of repositioning, skiplagging, and other advanced tricks that an experienced traveler might use.
5:30 I live in Las Vegas. I've found that sometimes it is cheaper to fly out of Los Angeles, and sometimes it is cheaper to fly out of Las Vegas. I think it has to do with low-cost legs into/out of Las Vegas as part of the trip. Is there some way to check on this?
Sure - when flying out of LA/Las Vegas, enter both airports into the "from" field! I go through this in the video - it's a little known secret and an awesome feature!
Good stuff. I use google flights as a starting point. But I find prices for flights to Buenos Aires from Florida are frequently wrong, esp using a non US carrier. And domestic flights in Argentina almost always have the wrong price. ITA travel matrix seemed more accurate in the past although I have not used it lately as I usually go straight to the airlines website.
I've also noticed flights to Buenos Aires can be super expensive! ITA travel matrix has some super advanced search options - I occasionally use it if I need to search for flights with a specific code.
@@NoraDunn Yes the OTA's and google flights often use the "official" exchange rate which is worse than the MEP (credit card) rate. But the carriers use MEP and will display the correct price. These outlier situations also happen in other countries with multiple exchange rates like Cuba.
I use NordVPN, and would be really interested to hear from experienced searchers whether or not there is a benefit to change my VPN country to search in Google Flights or airline sites.
Yes! Just a week ago I used a vpn on a whim to see if I could find cheaper flights for a family trip from USA to Southern Africa. I followed instructions I found online to clear my cookies and browser history then select vpn country. Couldve been a fluke, but i saved hundreds per ticket over US prices and even got more direct flights.
do you think using a travel agency is a safer way to secure flights to Europe? I found good flights but what if something goes wrong? You have no one to call. I await Your thoughts please.
Great question! This is the challenge. A travel agent might find you a good flight, but if something goes awry (eg: a cancelled flight), and you're at the airport trying to sort it out, the people at the airline desk might not be able to help and they'll say you need to contact the travel agent. If the time difference is such that it's off-hours for the travel agent and they can't be reached, then you could be a bit stranded. That said, if the travel agent is available (and customer service oriented), they might be able to advocate for you in a way that you wouldn't be able to on your own. So....it's a gamble.
I still do not like that Google Flights does not let you search by Basic Economy and Economy. It almost always lists the Basic Economy fare as Economy. You'll see regular Economy once you select flights, but only then do you see that cost. It's annoying.
Hello. I have a question. I want to have ticket from Canada to Egypt 1 week then to srilanka 3 month .return to Canada How I do that on Google flights Thank you so much for your help. David
Hi David, I'm sorry I can't do your search for you. If this video isn't clear enough to help you do your search, then I suggest you use a travel agent. Good luck - and have a great trip!
Of course the answer varies by airline, and maybe even by the status level of the person whose miles you are using. It more often would be in the form of them booking you a ticket, than you buying miles that get added to your own miles account. The less the airline knows about what's going on transactionally, the better. I'd only do such a transaction with someone I trusted, not for instance someone on Craigslist, more likely someone at work.
I've used Google flights. I don't find it to be very helpful at all. What I choose is kayak, kayak allows me to get the lowest priced round-trip multi city or one way. With Google flights there's no difference in the price. Living in the Baltimore area I only have one airport to choose from so the option of choosing for example Washington DC is a no go as Dulles airport is an hour and a half to two hours away due to DC traffic. I've also used kayak to save thousands on multi city flights overseas. For example, I am about to take a flight this January 2025 Baltimore to Auckland, Sydney to Fort Myers and I saved $4000 off of the airline price.
@@NoraDunn it works by connecting me with the lowest fare, usually booked through AaronGrant. I've used them twice without issue. For example, my flight in January Business Class multiple stop Baltimore to Auckland, New Zealand January 1st , return January 21st Sydney, Australia, to Fort Myers I paid 8300 a ticket Business Class, the airlines were anywhere between &11,700 to $12,700. Delta was as high as 16,500 round-trip.
@@mbvmanagement3716 i've never had a problem at all… I've had flight changes, (AaronGrant contacted the airline and fixed my itinerary. (No problem free ) I had a same-day flight cancellation, contacted the airlines directly, and they rebooked me, No hassle
@@NoraDunnnot great since I’m been an outdoor educator, camper, snowshoer, backpacker, etc. I’ve had to wear synthetics and now with everything coming out about microplastics and PFASs. UGH!
I was skeptical about merino wool too because I have a sensitively to lanolin but it turned out amazing for me. I started with one T-shirt to try it out and now I have a whole travel wardrobe. I think the merino sheep lanolin is different than the regular wool sheep. Edit: I googled this. Merino sheep actually have MORE lanolin than other sheep (I couldn’t find out if it is chemically the same) but the wool is specially refined up to five times to remove it. I guess that is why merino wool is more gentle!!
It's not about not searching from the US, it's about not searching from a smaller airport that might charge more. It relates to my tip in the video about repositioning flights.
Alpaca is better than Merino wool the only problem is that there is not as much clothing available as with Merino wool products. Heavy marketing would explain that.
Just watched your channel for the first time, great info. You're a great spokesperson! I know you love your wall background, but I would suggest something less busy. It detracts the attention away from you. Looking forward to the next one.
Yes, I always book directly with the airline. I don't like using OTCs like Expedia, because if something goes wrong at the airport, some airline desks won't/can't help you - you have to call Expedia. And if it's an awkward time of day/night, or you don't have calling credits or power on your phone, it can be problematic.
Don't you ever feel bad for flying this much considering the state of the planet? I enjoy your packing videos and travel tips a lot, but do wonder how you can balance that, mentally...
It's a good question. I don't own a car, or a house, nor do I have kids. I don't generate single-use waste. In the grander scheme of things, even with my flights I'm pretty sure my carbon footprint is less than for most people.
@@NoraDunn Thanks for answering. I did a check of my footprint a few months ago (barely flying, once a year max, no new clothes, tiny apartment, no kids and vegan), and still the flying sent my footprint well above world-average, although below the dutch average, but still too high for the planet to be able to sustain. Might I request a video on low-footprint travelling if you ever find yourself interested in the subject? I'd be super curious about your findings!
Hi. I’ve watched several of your tips videos, but didn’t think you’re a solo traveler. Are you? (I thought your husband was a pilot.) I’ve traveled twice a year for seven years and almost done all of Europe. I’m ready to expand out. Have you been to Bangkok solo, and is so, is it safe for an experienced female solo traveler? Thank you.
You're thinking of Laurie from Travel Tips With Laurie - her hubby is a pilot! Yes, I've traveled the world mostly solo for the last 18 years. :-) I was in Bangkok many years ago; I personally prefer Chiang Mai, but yes I could consider Bangkok safe if you are experienced, street-savvy, and aware of the local scams (which you can be with a bit of research).
