"If you're open to inspiration or being a bit random with your destinations and dates, signing up for newsletters that do the deal-finding for you on flights can be a great way to save money," Kristin Addis, CEO of BeMyTravelMuse.com, told Business Insider in an email. "Sometimes it works out perfectly for something you already have in mind, too."
She named Scott's Cheap Flight as one option, and said another service, Travel A Bunch, helped her get a great deal on a flight from LAX, her home airport, to Tahiti this year thanks to its newsletter that she only pays $24 per year to receive.
"You tell them which airport you want to find deals from, and they will email regularly with cheap flights from your home airport to anywhere in the world," she said.
Gennifer Rose, who runs the travel and lifestyle blog GenniferRose.com, also said to sign up for airlines' sales alerts.
"I get the best deals on flights during flash sales," she said. "The best rates go super quick, so when you receive the email, open and browse to your destination city at your earliest convenience. I once got an airline ticket from San Francisco to New York City for only $31 because JetBlue was running a Halloween promo."
Matt and Anna Kiefer, founders of Hostelgeeks.com and LesBoutiqueHotels.com, recommend signing up for alerts from many types of sites, including low-cost airlines, booking platforms, and flight comparison websites.
"These newsletters are free and really inspiring and useful," Matt Kiefer told Business Insider in an email. "For example, the European low-cost airline Ryanair only sends out special flight offers and no-nonsense promotional emails."