The cheapest option often appears to be the logical choice until the remainder of the journey is factored in. A travel ticket is merely one part of the equation. The time of departure, the time window for arrival, baggage limits, the amount of transfer work you need to do, the location of the station or terminal, and the check-in conditions could all change the utility of that low-cost option. It’s not a lack of interest in saving money for a first-time traveler; it’s when only the visible costs are weighed, and the less visible effort is left to be discovered outside the plan.
Imagine a flight that has a lower price tag than all other options and arrives at an inconvenient time in the evening. The airport terminal is distant from where you will stay, the public transport system has very limited availability when you arrive, and the check-in window ends just before you are even on your way. The flight ticket price might be the lowest, but now the actual travel day also means a taxi fare, a rush, anxiety and fatigue, or perhaps an unpleasant hunger on arrival. A more expensive train or an earlier flight, in contrast, might make for a far more relaxed first evening. The reason for that might not be that it looks “better” online, but that the itinerary works in a more convenient way.
Start your comparison from the total travel time. This includes the travel time to reach the departure point, any waiting time in advance of departure, the actual time of travel (with time for transfers, layovers, etc. accounted for), border and check-in or luggage collection time, if applicable, as well as the travel time from the arrival point to the place of accommodation. Even a 4 hour ticket might result in 8 hours of the day being dedicated to travel. A simple addition of all these elements to a day on the calendar or a scratch sheet will help you to determine if a particular option is actually convenient, or if it only “looks cheap” on a first comparison.
Make a note of the baggage policy, too. While a cheap fare might only give you enough room for a carry on, you might be packing for a week or longer, with plenty of warm clothes, footwear, and multiple activities to accommodate. A cost to add later for checked bags might wipe out the savings, while re-organizing your luggage at the terminal adds further stress on the day of travel. Before choosing the lowest fare, it is always wise to think about whether your choice of luggage would be the same if it was for a longer trip, or if the weather was bad (or the activities involved more travel). When choosing luggage, it is the travel time and the nature of the trip that should be accounted for.
Another factor that might change the price of a journey to something less relevant is where the departure and arrival points are situated in relation to the places of origin and destination. Some airports, bus stops or railway stations are far more accessible by the local public transport system from where you will stay (by walking distance or otherwise). It’s worth looking on a map to see exactly how accessible your route is. What’s the walking distance to a train station or bus route? Are there times when a connection might not be available? Will you have to travel on foot or will you be taking a public route? Does this mean that your train/bus/flight won’t fit your itinerary if you are delayed? Just a few minutes spent checking the local transport system can make it clear why two options with a similar cost may not be equal.
Before you book anything, compare at least three possible transport options for the same trip idea, all in front of you on the same screen. Don’t start your ranking with the cheapest option. Just fill in the table with as much detail as you can. What time of day do you plan to depart and arrive? How long is the total journey time? How many transfers are involved? Does your fare include checked bags? Do you have the ability to cancel or change the ticket later? What is the next leg of the journey and how do you plan to get there? Write down one final piece of information: how will you feel on the first evening after your journey, under each scenario? This turns a decision based on the cheapest price into a decision based on the actual journey.
There’s no need to rule out the cheapest option right from the start. It might actually end up fitting your itinerary perfectly (or being the one option that only arrives at a more desirable time), while allowing for a more comfortable luggage allowance to keep your spending in budget elsewhere in the trip. However, make sure that you have weighed the price of the ticket against the whole journey, in all its aspects. It’s about choosing the option that will not only fit your journey, but protect your journey’s most vulnerable time (the day of arrival) and leave the fewest loose ends when you are trying to work out your next move with a suitcase and a new city around you.