As many of you know, the past few years I have spent my entire wedding season traveling all over- From the coast of the Carolinas, to my home state of Maryland, to the Bahamas, Florida, Georgia, California and so on! Many people ask me how I can afford to photograph gorgeous destination weddings, without charging travel and my answer is simple…. Spirit Airlines!!!

Now, don’t get me wrong! There are instances that I do charge for travel but for the most part traveling back and forth between SC and MD I cover all expenses because my flights are so affordable and I have found a way to get the most out of my Spirit Airlines experience. Before we go any further, I want to put this out there- Spirit is not the most glamorous airlines and if you are OK with that/ all about getting from point a to point b cheaply then you will benefit greatly from this post! If you are looking for some sort of luxury…. I will save you some time and we can say our sweet goodbyes here!

I fly Spirit because its affordable. Thats it. I can serve couples in the Maryland area and South Carolina without charging an arm and a leg- Would I take Spirit somewhere far away? Probably not….. Unless the price is unbeatable of course ;-) I have compiled a list of how to spend less and fly MORE! I hope these little tricks and tips help you as much as they have helped me!

 

How to Get the Most Out of Your Spirit Airlines Experience

 

1. Buy your tickets at the airport: If you take nothing else away from this blog post, please remember this!!! Flights are extremely discounted when you buy them at the airport. Spirit will waive the “convenience” fees associated with buying your flights online and you end up saving anywhere from $30-$60 PER FLIGHT!!! Sometimes I have even gotten $0.99 cent one way tickets. Its bananas. SO do yourself a favor, I know its a pain in the ass but go to the airport to save some money!
2. Buy your tickets in advance: If you know when you are flying, buy your tickets as soon as you can! The earlier you buy the tickets the cheaper they are.
3. Purchase your flights on Wednesdays or Thursdays (mid-day if possible): This is a little hack I discovered last year when I was keeping an eye on my next round of flight purchases- When you purchase them mid-week the prices are insanely cheaper than if you went to the airport Friday-Monday.
4. Have everything written out: To save time at the airport have everything written out for your Spirit Agent upon arrival. They will not only be grateful for you being prepared but you will save so much time there and will fly through the booking experience! Here is what I write down for every flight:
   1. Dates of Travel (They always need this first)
   2. Departing City -> Arriving City
   3. Full name of person traveling (PS. you CAN buy tickets there for other people as well!)
   4. Date of Birth
   5. Email & Phone Number
5. Pack your snacks: Despite popular belief, a lot of people think you cant take food or snacks through security. YOU CAN! I pack RX Bars, packs of peanut butter, apples, etc for my flights and have never purchased anything! Also, pack an empty water bottle and fill it up at the water fountain! You just saved yourself $4 on the plane! #WIN
6. Pass on the $9 Fare Club: I had this for about two years and honestly, it doesn’t really make sense. When you buy your flights at the airport they are cheaper than the $9 fare club rates and they aren’t associated with it at all! Also, I never pay for bags which brings me to #7!
7. DO NOT PURCHASE A CARRY ON!!! (Unless you have a bag with wheels) I never pay for a carry on- I either use my large leather camera book bag or a HUGE duffel bag as my personal item. I know what you guys are going to say…. The size limitations on it. I have flown so many times and I PROMISE as long as it doesn’t have wheels and can fit in the overhead compartment you are FINE!!! Let me say that again because I know you wont believe me… They will not say anything!!
8. Dont pay for your seat: This is another misconception about flying on Spirit- You do not have to purchase a seat. They will give you a random seat if you don’t purchase one. 90% of the time I travel alone so I dont really care where I sit but even when Eddie and I fly together we get random seats- We end up saving around $50 just by sitting wherever they need us to sit.
9. Check in online: When you check in online and print your boarding pass at home (You can now just have it sent to your phone!) You save $10 instantly.
10. Combined bag weight: If you are traveling somewhere that requires you to check a bag remember that Spirit does a combined weight for two bags- They have to be UNDER 80 lbs together, aka yours can be 50 and your hubby’s can be 27.8. Also, there overage charges for weight are insane so be mindful when packing and you wont have to worry about it!

 

PHEW! Okay… I think thats all the tips I can think of right now! If I think of more, I will of course post an updated list but this should do the trick of helping you truly get the most out of your flying experience! Hope this was helpful and it helps you save lots of money when flying with Spirit Airlines!!! Happy traveling y’all!!!