“Did I just unlock a cheat code or did everyone know??” is the caption in a TikTok that recently went viral. Personally, I think the TikToker who posted the video unlocked a cheat code and did us all a huge favor.
In the video, the poster walks viewers through Google Flights’ seemingly secret “Anywhere” feature. All you have to do is go to Google Flights, select your departure location, and type “anywhere” in the destination section. Also, leave the dates blank and make sure you’re looking for round-trip flights. Once you hit enter, a world map will appear, showing you tons of cheap flights from your selected departure hub to literally anywhere you want.
Of course, we had to see for ourselves. As it turns out, the rumors are true. Apparently, the search engine will show you the cheapest round-trip flights for a trip of about a week within the next six months, unless you specify a different travel duration before starting the search. As a result, you might see flights for the next month or the month after. Basically, it looks for the cheapest time to get to any destination, and once you click on a specific destination, it will show you other options as well. Pretty cool, right?
We’ve played around with that too and found some exciting deals. With NYC as the departure hub, we were able to find flights to Miami on Spirit for as little as $54 from September 9-17. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous and don’t have much to plan, consider a nonstop flight to Lima, Peru, from September 23-October 2 for just $435. Or maybe you could escape the winter and fly to Dubai from November 2-11 for just $499. If you’re thinking about next year, there are deals for that, too. From January 19-28, a flight to London is just $313.
The key to unlocking these deals, as you might have guessed, is being extremely flexible with travel dates and, to a certain extent, destinations. But if you’re feeling wanderlust or even a little undecided or uninspired, this is a great place to start looking for your next vacation.
To try out the tool and book your super cheap flights, you can go to Google Flights.
