While flying can be a practical and convenient way to travel, it can also break your budget. Thanks to ever-increasing fuel costs, new luggage fees and constantly changing ticket prices, the prospect of finding a reasonably priced flight can feel like a hopeless endeavor. With a little legwork and planning, however, travelers will find that they can still snag great deals on airfare just by following a few simple tips.

Be Flexible
The best way to find cheap airfare is to be flexible in your travel dates. Take advantage of websites such as Travelocity and Orbitz that allow you to search using a range of dates. You can save hundreds of dollars by simply adjusting your flight one day in either direction.

Fly Mid Week
Ticket prices are most expensive over the weekends because that's when most people fly. By flying during the week, you not only pay less for your ticket, you also avoid the crowds.

Check Surrounding Airports
Many travelers have saved money by simply switching their flight to a neighboring airport. If the surrounding airport is slightly out of your way, however, be sure to calculate how much it will cost you to get to your final destination and add that into the cost of your ticket. For example, a short train ride may be inexpensive, but if you have to rent a car, it might cancel out the money you saved from your flight.

Research Round-Trip Prices
If you're flying one-way, research round-trip prices as well. Inexplicably, a one-way ticket is often more expensive than a round-trip flight and sometimes double the price!

Avoid Holidays
The days surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas are the most expensive and hectic times to fly. If possible, don't fly the day before a holiday or the Sunday after as those are the most busy holiday travel days. Instead, try to time your flight when fewer people will be traveling. For example, fly in on Thanksgiving day itself and wait to fly out until the Monday after.

Time When You Buy
If you have a set destination and travel dates, buy your tickets at least three weeks in advance. The airlines consider this an advance purchase ticket and it comes with a lower price tag. The price will go up approximately 15 days before a flight and then will go up even more seven days before departure.

If you're just looking to get out of town and don't have a set destination, however, consider waiting until the very last minute. Many airlines greatly reduce airfares on under-booked flights about a day or two before the departure date. If you don't mind choosing your destination at the last minute, you can save a lot of money by waiting it out.