How To Get Cheap Flights To South America (From The US)

Hey there, lovelies! As you know, I’m in a long distance relationship. That means that my boyfriend and I are constantly traveling from the US to Chile and vice versa.

• Related: 7 Reasons To Visit Chile

We have been together for almost five years, so we have quite the experience trying to get cheap flights to South America.

That’s why I want to share with you some of the best tips and tricks that I have learned along the way.

[title align=”center” type=”line”]How To Get Cheap Flights To South America[/title]

Alright! So you decided to make a trip to South America? Great! You will love what we have around here.

• Related: One Week In Lima, Peru: A Travel Guide

Choose A Cheap Destination

The key to get cheap flights to South America is by choosing a cheap destination.

For instance, getting to Peru (Lima airport) and Colombia (Bogota airport) are going to be one of the cheapest destinations in South America if you are traveling from the US. 

Especially if your are flying from the Miami area (Forth Lauderdale or Miami airport).

It will also depend on the airline you want to flight with. 

From the US to South America you have many options: Delta, United, Spirit, JetBlue, LATAM, Avianca, American Airlines, Copa Airlines, Interjet, Aerolineas Argentinas, GOL Airlines, and some more.

Also, have in mind that some airlines have cheaper prices depending on the destination. For example, if you are flying from the Dallas/Forth Worth airport, it’s going to be cheaper to flight to Santiago, Chile with United Airlines (direct flight).

So definitely play around with different routes and destinations.

Get Tickets Directly On The Airline Website

Websites like Skyscanner and Kayak are very helpful because they show you some of the flight options you have and with which airlines. That’s very helpful when you don’t know a lot about your destination.

That being said, I recommend buying your plane tickets on the actual website of the airline. For some reason I have found better deals that way. 

Try To Get Flights During Cheaper Months

Overall, flying to South America is not cheap. Tickets are expensive, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find a good deal.

A good way to get these deals is by playing with the dates. Like I said, South America is an expensive destination, but by traveling  on certain months, you can save a few dollars.

I have realized that September is when tickets are cheaper. It’s also a good time to travel since part of the continent is making the transition from winter to spring. Another good time to go is after January and February.

Remember that the seasons are inverted. When in the US is winter, in South America is summer.

Also, since the weather changes depending on where in South America you are going, you need to check the best times to travel for certain destinations. 

For example, if you want to go to Machu Picchu, is best to go during the dry season (between April and October).

How To Travel Around South America

Now, this is an entirely different topic, but I just wanted to highlight a few things to have in mind in case you want to travel to other countries while in South America. 

Like I said, the important part is to arrive in South America. So even though Peru or Colombia are not in your list, it is convenient to arrive at ones of those destinations.

After all it’s cheaper to travel locally. You can easily mix airlines!

Some of the local airlines are: Sky Airlines, Jet Smart, LATAM, Avianca, Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Canada, KLM, Copa Airlines, GOL, and more.

When my boyfriend goes to Chile, this is what he does:

Myrtle Beach -> Fort Lauderdale -> Lima (with Spirit) then Lima -> Santiago (with Sky). That’s one of the cheapest ways. Instead of paying almost one thousand dollars for a “direct flight” that it’s not even direct because it has layovers anyway.

Are you trying to get cheap flights to South America from the US can be quite experience, but necessary if you want to go. Is there a country in particular you want to visit? Let me know in the comments!

Sincerely,

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2017 and it has been updated with new links and information.