Cheap flights to
El Salvador

While there’s no one day of the week when you’re guaranteed to find lower flight prices, there is a window when they’re likely to be cheapest. We call it the Goldilocks Window because it’s not too far ahead of your departure date, but it’s also not too last minute. It’s about 1–3 months before a domestic trip and 2–8 months before an international trip. That said, if you’re planning on traveling during peak travel season, look on the earlier side, like in June for a December trip, for example.

Whatever you do, don’t wait until the last minute if you can help it. Last-minute deals are few and far between, especially during busy travel seasons. In fact, we see airlines regularly increase prices at the 21-, 14-, and 7-day points before departure dates.

Don’t be fooled by the name. Our beloved Greek Islands Trick can actually be used all over the world. If you want to fly from Chicago to El Salvador in December, flights could be upwards of $650. Instead, look for flights from Chicago to Atlanta or Miami, often found for under $200. From there, you could find a cheap flight to El Salvador for another $200.

The point of the Greek Islands Trick is to get as close as you can to your final destination for the cheapest price, then find a budget airline flight, bus, or other option for the last leg. This type of travel requires more planning and effort, but it could save you a couple hundred bucks in the long run.

Like the Greek Islands Trick, you can save money by getting creative with your departure airports. If you live in Madison, Wisconsin, flights to El Salvador in peak season could be prohibitively expensive. Instead, search for flights out of Milwaukee or Chicago. Often, the savings are worth the drive or bus ticket.

We see deals from airports big and small all over the country every day. If you’re only searching your home airport, you could miss out on amazing savings. Try searching alternate airports whenever you’re looking for flights, and you might be surprised at the deals you can find.

One of the simplest ways to save money on a trip is to travel during the off season, when airlines and hotels typically lower prices. That would be May–October in El Salvador. However, low season in El Salvador is the rainy season, and that might not work with your outdoor activity travel goals.

That’s why our favorite time to travel is during shoulder seasons, the periods just before and after high season, like late October–early November or late April in El Salvador. You’ll usually have decent weather while also getting better deals on flights and hotels than in the height of high season.

The more flexible you can be with your dates the better. Play around with fares within the week or two you hope to travel, and see if some days are cheaper than others. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are generally cheaper days to fly, for example, while Fridays and Sundays are the most expensive.

Perusing constantly-changing airfare can be time consuming and frustrating. We know that firsthand. Luckily, technology can do much of the work for you. Set up fare alerts for your travel dates, and you’ll get an email when prices drop into your range or by a significant amount. It’s best to do this before the Goldilocks Window so you can see deals that come up during that time. If your dates or airports are flexible, set a few alerts.

El Salvador has nonstop flights from more than 30 destinations in 13 countries, including from a handful of cities in the US. If you live in New York, Boston, DC, Miami, Orlando, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Oakland, or Los Angeles you can reach El Salvador on a nonstop flight. From elsewhere in the US you’ll have to make a connection, likely in one of those cities.