Stop Picking Destinations First: Save Big on Flights

Are you making the most expensive travel mistake without even knowing it?

The moment you pick your destination first, you’ve already locked yourself into paying more.

With cash, it means you’re stuck with the highest fares. 

With points, it means you’ll waste way more than you should, because saver seats almost never line up with rigid plans. 

Either way, this mistake costs travelers hundreds and even thousands…every single trip.

I used to overpay for nearly every trip until I figured out this one shift. 

Now I consistently find flights for a fraction of the usual cost, and my points stretch 5–10x further. In this video, you’ll learn:

• Why choosing the destination first is the fastest way to overpay
• How to flip the order and let the deals decide where to go
• And how this simple change can save you a fortune every time you travel.

Why choosing the destination first is the fastest way to overpay, in cash and in points

Let me ask you this. 

Ever pick a destination, set your dates, and then get sticker shock from the flight prices?

That’s not bad luck. The system’s rigged that way.

When you pick the destination first, you’re automatically competing with everyone else trying to get to that same place at the same time. 

Airlines know this, and their prices adjust dynamically. 

The less flexibility you have, the more they can charge… and they do.

With cash, this can easily mean paying two or even three times more than the lowest prices that were out there.

And with points, it’s just as bad. 

Saver Award seats almost never line up perfectly with rigid plans. 

So instead of that 60,000-point redemption you’ve probably heard about, you end up paying 200,000 or more for the exact same seat.

Bottom line: when you lock yourself into a destination first, you hand all the leverage to the airlines, and they make sure you pay the penalty.

How to flip the order and let the deals decide where to go

What if instead of fighting overpriced flights, you could let the cheapest ones come straight to you?

Here’s how you flip the script: instead of starting with a destination, start with the deals.

Set up flight deal alerts, watch for mistake fares, or use flexible search tools like Google Explore, Kayak Explore, or Going. 

These tools show you the lowest fares available across dozens of destinations.

And if you haven’t seen my video on the 3 most common mistakes people make when searching for flights, I’ll link it for you below in the description. 

That one goes right along with this strategy.

So instead of saying, ‘We’re going to Paris in June,’  (which almost guarantees you’ll overpay) you might see a $400 roundtrip to Madrid or Lisbon during the same window. 

That one choice could save you a thousand dollars or more, maybe per ticket!

And it works with points too. 

Tools like seats.aero let you spot where Saver Space is wide open. 

Once you know where those deals are, you can plan your trip around them instead of forcing your plans into the scraps.

The truth is, flexibility equals leverage. 

When you flip the order and let the deals decide where to go, you’re suddenly the one in control, not the airlines.

How this simple change can save you a fortune every time you travel

Here’s the crazy part… just one small change in how you plan trips can literally pay for all your other travel that year.

When you stay flexible, the numbers add up fast. 

On a domestic trip, it’s common to save a few hundred dollars. 

On an international trip, that savings jumps into the thousands.

And if you’re using points, the difference is even bigger. 

A flexible traveler can book business class for 60,000 points, while a rigid traveler with the same plan might burn 300,000 points for the exact same seat. 

That’s a 5x difference in value.

The best part? The money you save on just one trip often covers an entire year of travel expenses.

Flights, hotels, even activities.

And when you do this trip after trip, your travel budget stretches further and further. 

You stop taking one trip a year, and start taking three or four, all without spending more.

This isn’t a one-time trick. It’s a repeatable system you can use on every single trip you plan.

Before you go, don’t make the other common mistakes travelers fall into when booking flights. 

I covered the top three in this video, and you’ll definitely want to see them because they go hand in hand with what I just showed you today.

And if you’re ready to go even deeper into stretching your budget and your points, I’ve also got a video on how to travel more for less money in 2025.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, travel doesn’t have to drain your wallet or your points balance.

The real difference comes down to one choice: lock yourself into a destination and let the system bleed you dry, or stay flexible and let the best deals lead the way.

It’s a small shift, but it’s the kind that compounds, saving you hundreds, sometimes thousands, and opening the door to more trips than you thought possible.

So the next time you’re tempted to start with the “where,” pause.

Flip the order.

Let the deals guide you.

You’ll thank yourself when you’re boarding a flight you never thought you could afford.