least flexible traveler can find a steal of a flight if they know where and when to look. When you have a specific destination and date in mind, the key is to start looking early.
About 6 months (or more) out from your trip, enter your travel details into GoogleFlights.com or SkyScanner.com and save your search to track the flight. These sites will then send you updates on when the flights go up or down in price.
There’s no exact science on when to pull the trigger and book, but if you track your flight for a while, you’ll get a sense of what a good deal or not. Mobile apps like Hopper will even tell you whether you should book right away or wait for fares to fall. Like with the error fares, when you see your flight drop to a price you like, book it quickly before it goes away.
Use Facebook Groups for the Inside Scoop
Once you have your flight squared away, you can finally start planning the fun stuff! Most people start with popular sites like TripAdvisor.com to get an idea of things to do at your new location.
But the savvy traveler heads to Facebook to find groups of expats (Americans living abroad) who live in their vacation destination. You can look for black expat groups who live in your desired location and ask for insight on what to see, where to eat and where to find other black faces when you arrive. Check out Nomadness, Black Travel Movement, and TravelNoire for starters on Facebook.
Where to Find Tours, Sights, and Food
Rather than go to a