A positive effect of the continual forecasts of economic doom and futility is that flying has suddenly gotten a whole lot cheaper. Various airlines, be they the giants such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, or the no-frills alternative of Ryanair or EasyJet, have been forced to slash their prices in a desperate attempt to sell seats. Due to the fact that during a recession overseas travel usually decreases, the airlines have had to offer better deals if they want to stay in the air.

The major advice you must take away when looking for a sensibly priced flight is to compare and contrast. The internet, being the glorious technological marvel that it is, has so many price-comparison sites these days that the best deals usually are sitting right in front of you. Don’t be tempted to fall for the travel agents wily charm of making you book an all-in-one package, it will invariably be more expensive. Instead, try to mix-and-match your own holiday online. By comparing prices from a large selection of sources, you can be sure of getting the best deal.

Picking the correct time to buy your flight is also important. Operators are prone to changing their prices almost on a day-to-day basis, which means that you must be eagle eyed if you want the right deal. Also be on the lookout for airline sales, where a particular airline will discount all of their flights for a limited time. Certain budget airlines often seem to have permanent sales. During economic bliss, leaving buying your flight to the last minute can be very dangerous, since you risk losing any opportunity of flying at all. Due to the recession however, this worry is alleviated because there aren’t enough people buying the flights in the first place. If you ever felt like going on holiday on a whim, this is the perfect time to do it.

Finally, you should also consider where you are going, which will naturally factor into the cost of your flight and holiday. A brilliant location is Iceland, which is sadly locked into an economic slump greater than our own, meaning that it is now one of the cheapest places to visit in the world. Likewise, Mexico currently has a good exchange rate against the Pound, making it economically viable. Make sure to fully research any local information online before you leave.

So although we are probably heading into the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, it doesn’t mean that we can’t get out and enjoy ourselves along the way.