Avid travelers are blown away by a Google flights hack that’s gone viral on TikTok.
A travel influencer posted a clip about how she only just discovered a little-known Google “cheat code’ to finding the cheapest flights to anywhere in the world.
Within one day of posting the video, it has amassed 4 million views and more than 201,000 ‘saves’ by people planning to give the hack a go.
“Did I just unlock a cheat code or did everyone know about this??” the British influencer who goes by the handle ‘Around the Atlas’ asked her followers.
She explained to go on Google and search ‘Google Flights’.
“When you are in, type in the destination you are leaving from.”
In her case it was London. She then said to type ‘anywhere’ in the space where it asks where you are flying to.
“Leave departure and return dates blank and hit explore,” she added.
Filming her laptop screen, the TikToker excitedly brought up a bunch of destinations with the cheapest airfares.
“Does anyone else know about this because I feel like the world is gatekeeping how insane this is,” she said.
“So literally, it gives you flight prices for ridiculous prices (like) £26 ($31) return to Bareclona (from London) and £54 ($65) to Budapest.
“There’s even long-haul flights to the US, like £336 ($408) to fly to New York.”
She pointed out that you have to fly between certain dates, but was still shocked by how cheap some of the flights were, particularly to international destinations.
Others commented that while they knew about Google Flights they didn’t know about the ‘anywhere hack’.
“I travel a lot and always use google flights. didn’t know this ‘to anywhere’ though, thanks,” one person wrote.
“Apparently if you search while incognito mode they’re even cheaper,” a second person added.
A third said: “I flew London (to) Cologne for $10 best time to look for cheap flights is Tuesday or Wednesday around midnight. Also use incognito mode!”
However, some pointed out that while it was cheap, the times weren’t always convenient.
“I was so ecstatic to book flights when I discovered this only to find out they were the worst times (often fly at 00:10H) with lots of layovers,” one person wrote.
Others mentioned Skyscanner and Kayak also have similar features to find cheap flights.
“I like Skyscanner and have used it for many years but since it has started to run ads etc. you don’t always get shown the best value flights,” the influencer wrote.
Meanwhile, Google Flights can also now tell you the cheapest time to book trips.
According to its “reliable trend data”, the new search function offers insights on whether prices are overblown or at a discount.
“For example, these insights could tell you that the cheapest time to book similar trips is usually two months before departure, and you’re currently in that sweet spot,” Google said in a blog.
“Or you might learn that prices have usually dropped closer to takeoff, so you decide to wait before booking. Either way, you can make that decision with a greater sense of confidence.”
To help with this, travelers can turn on price tracking on Google Flights to receive automatic notifications for when fares drop significantly on chosen destination and dates.
Users will be notified via email — providing they are signed up with Google.
If you aren’t tied down to any specific dates, users can turn on “any dates” to receive emails about deals anytime in the next three to six months.
If you spot a rainbow “price guarantee” badge on certain flights, it means Google is confident the fare will not drop.
However, if you do book and that specific flight does drop, the tech titan will pay you the difference.
“When you book one of these flights, we’ll monitor the price every day before takeoff, and if the price does go down, we’ll pay you back the difference via Google Pay,” the blog explains.
However, as of now, the price guarantees are only part of a pilot program available for a select group of flights in the US.