It's a neat tool (if you're in the UK check out the similar "I'll fly anywhere" option at http://flightchecker.moneysavingexpert.com/) but the problem with it is that for most people the cost of the flight is going to be less than the cost of the hotel.
So if you're after a cheap holiday it's much more important to fly somewhere where you can get a cheap hotel than to get a cheap flight. Hopefully they'll add hotels to the calculation in the future.
If you're travelling in a pair, and you're staying for a reasonable length of time (say, a week) then the hotel cost shouldn't dominate. 7 nights * $100 a night / 2 people is only $350 -- less than the airfare to most places.
Besides, saving money on a hotel is mostly a matter of deciding how awful a place you're willing to put up with. You don't get that option with airfares.
Hmm maybe it's just a European thing, you can typically fly most places in Europe/North Africa for for a couple of hundred dollars. Getting to the US isn't much more. Hotels on the other hand tend to be more expensive + hotel tax can be pricey.
And you do actually get the awful trade-off with planes in Europe as well, you get budget airlines like Ryan Air which many people don't travel on because they're so bad.
Ah yes, in the European context, where flights are cheaper and hotels more expensive (and extremely variable between richer and poorer parts of Europe), you could very well be right.
You can go from london to south east asia with AirAsia X for $500 and a decent midrange hotel costs around $20 to $30 a night. Also if your backpacking (hostels) or couchsurfing, it can be quite valuable.
Comments
It's a neat tool (if you're in the UK check out the similar "I'll fly anywhere" option at http://flightchecker.moneysavingexpert.com/) but the problem with it is that for most people the cost of the flight is going to be less than the cost of the hotel.
So if you're after a cheap holiday it's much more important to fly somewhere where you can get a cheap hotel than to get a cheap flight. Hopefully they'll add hotels to the calculation in the future.
If you're travelling in a pair, and you're staying for a reasonable length of time (say, a week) then the hotel cost shouldn't dominate. 7 nights * $100 a night / 2 people is only $350 -- less than the airfare to most places.
Besides, saving money on a hotel is mostly a matter of deciding how awful a place you're willing to put up with. You don't get that option with airfares.
Hmm maybe it's just a European thing, you can typically fly most places in Europe/North Africa for for a couple of hundred dollars. Getting to the US isn't much more. Hotels on the other hand tend to be more expensive + hotel tax can be pricey.
And you do actually get the awful trade-off with planes in Europe as well, you get budget airlines like Ryan Air which many people don't travel on because they're so bad.
Ah yes, in the European context, where flights are cheaper and hotels more expensive (and extremely variable between richer and poorer parts of Europe), you could very well be right.
You can go from london to south east asia with AirAsia X for $500 and a decent midrange hotel costs around $20 to $30 a night. Also if your backpacking (hostels) or couchsurfing, it can be quite valuable.