This girl probably booked tickets online, and she doesn’t look particularly stressed. Picture: iStock

I’m currently planning a one-way flight from Munich to Sydney, and while I’m excited about the trip, I’m dragging my feet when it comes to booking tickets.

The choice is overwhelming. There is an array of airlines, booking services, destinations and points programs to choose from, all of which make our lives “easier”.

Wading through is time-consuming and stressful, but we all hate parting with money. With that in mind, I’m determined to find the best combination possible.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to how I’m tackling it.

The huge number of international airports in Europe creates plenty of options.Source:Supplied

STEP ONE: BE FLEXIBLE

Ultimately, the key to snapping up a cheap flight is to be flexible.

You’ll never find a better deal than if you’re able to move the day you fly, your departure airport, and your arrival airport according to price.

For this trip, I’ve decided on a five-day window in which I’d like to travel home.

In my experience, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays are the most expensive days to travel, so I’m going to start by looking at flights departing midweek.

Evenings are also likely to be far cheaper than flying in the middle of the day, because no-one wants to fly overnight. However, if you’re lucky enough to be able to sleep in transit, you’ll not only get a better deal — you’ll also save on accommodation.

It’s also worth looking at flight from major airports nearby. For example, a flight from Frankfurt may be cheaper than a flight from Munich. Since the cost of travelling within Europe is so low, I may even compare flights from cities as far away as Rome or Paris.

The same goes in Australia — it might be cheaper to fly to Melbourne or Brisbane, and then opt for a budget flight to complete my journey to Sydney.

If you have enough Qantas points, you can save on flights departing any of these days.Source:Supplied

STEP TWO: LOOK FOR DEALS

The earlier you start looking, the more likely you are to snap up a deal.

Competition between airlines is fierce, and they frequently offer cheap deals in sales with the hope of scoring your credit card details. They sell out fast, so you’ll have to be ready to pounce without a moment’s hesitation.

If you’re a member of an airline’s frequent flyer program, scope out their deals before you look elsewhere. True story, I recently bought a flight to the US for just $281 by using points and researching deals available to the airline’s members.

At the moment, I have hardly any points saved up. Most of my points come from buying groceries and paying bills — I’m reluctant to shell out top dollar for flight if there are significantly cheaper fares available.

Unfortunately, the measly amount left on my account is likely to knock off $50 at best, so this time around I’m going to look to the competition for a better option.

Websites like Skyscanner and Momondo make it easy to see the cheapest prices over a month.Source:Supplied

STEP THREE: COMPARE PRICES

There are a bunch of different ways you can book tickets.

Honestly, if your trip is complex, it’s probably worth going to a travel agent. They’re experts at juggling arrivals and departures with awkward connections and accommodation and it’s seriously not worth the stress of trying to navigate the wild web on your own.

The notable exception is if you’re planning to fly exclusively with budget airlines, because in many cases they will only sell tickets over the internet.

However, if you decide to book the whole trip yourself, read on.

No matter where I’m travelling, be it domestic or international, I always do a quick search on Skyscanner or Momondo to get an estimate of the options available.

Once you’ve selected your departure and arrival airports, you can view prices available across an entire month at a time, which will help pinpoint your dates.

These search engines also put together different airlines and stopovers to help you find the combination that works best for your budget and style.

The best option I found is Munich to Sydney via Bangkok, leaving on a Thursday.

This Momondo infographic shows three things to keep in mind when you’re booking.Source:Supplied

STEP FOUR: BOOK EARLY

Once I’ve found a combination of airlines, connections and prices I’m happy with, I book tickets directly through the airline’s website.

No-one wants an inbox full of e-tickets and hotel bookings, so I recently started using an app called TripIt to keep track of my plans.

It automatically syncs with your emails and stores your bookings chronologically, keeping details like flight numbers and departure times readily available.

According to Momondo, the cheapest tickets are available 53 days before departure — so buy early, but don’t stress about booking many months in advance.

You’re as silly as this stock photograph if you travel without insurance.Source:istock

STEP FIVE: GET INSURANCE

Don’t ever think you’re “saving money” by opting out of travel insurance.

The cost of buying insurance is minuscule compared to your other travel expenses, and it’s worth its weight in gold when things go wrong.

The advice in this article is intended to be general in nature.