It can be hard to ignore the travel bug when it lands. Maybe stress is driving you to a quick trip away to clear your mind, or it's just been a while since you've traveled and you're just craving a change of scenery. Whatever the reason, we get it. And we know that, often, the problem is finding cheap weekend flights. Even if it's not a last-minute booking, airfare for a short trip can be more expensive than a longer one. Of course, that's not always the case, and we've got a few tricks up our sleeve for finding the best offers. Read on for our flight search strategies and get inspiration for your next destination.

How to find cheap flights for a weekend trip

Basic flight searches lead to basic prices. Frequent flyers use a few proven strategies to find lower airfare — and you don't need to pay for a service to do it yourself. Use these five tips when searching Skyscanner to slash the cost of your next flight.

1. Use flexible date calendars

You may be eager to fly out after work on Friday and return Sunday night, but if you can take a little time off and shift your days (say, flying out on Thursday night or returning Monday morning), you could save a significant amount.

How to do it: Instead of choosing specific dates to fly, tap "Flexible dates" and choose a whole month. Skyscanner will show you estimated airfare by day in a calendar view (you can switch over to a chart view, too). Then you can experiment with different departure and return dates to see how it affects the overall price.

2. Check secondary airports

Major airports may have more flight options, but they often also charge higher taxes and fees. Secondary airports within a 1 or 2 hours of your destination can come with big savings.

How to do it: Just check the box for "Add nearby airports" in the flight search tool and you'll automatically see these additional airports appear in your results. Skyscanner will also show you options for flying in and out of different airports in case those combinations work well for your schedule and budget.

3. Set up automated price trackers

You may want to start by just casually browsing for cheap weekend flights to get a sense of costs. Airfare is dynamic and can change frequently, so if you're not ready to book and want to keep an eye on the price, just activate a Price Alert to get notified whenever airfare rises and falls.

How to do it: Fill out Skyscanner's flight search tool and click search. Once your results are shown, just tap the bell icon to activate automated Price Alerts.

4. Compare round-trip vs. one-way tickets

You can't always assume that a round-trip ticket will be cheaper than two one-way tickets on different airlines, especially when you have the option of using a budget carrier. To make sure you're maximizing savings, it's a smart move to search both round-trip itineraries and individual one-way flights.

How to do it: You'll need to do three separate flight searches to see all your options and compare costs. First, search for a round-trip itinerary and note the option you'd most likely go with and its cost. Then, search for the one-way outbound flight, again noting the price. Finally, search for the one-way return flight and note airfare. Add up the costs of the two one-way flights and compare it with the round-trip option.

5. Let the price choose your destination

If you're just eager to get away and not set on a particular destination, then a feature like Skyscanner's Everywhere search is perfect for the job. You'll indicate your origin airport and dates, and then the search results will show domestic and international options sorted by price. You may wind up traveling somewhere you've never heard of.

How to do it: Fill out the flight search tool as normal, but instead of specifying a destination city or airport, type everywhere or anywhere and click search. You can toggle between seeing results for cities or countries, and you can add filters like budget, number of stops, trip style, and continents to narrow down your options.

Inspiration for cheap weekend flights

We've got some destination inspiration if you're departing from the US and want short-haul flights at home or abroad.

Traveler favorites

Away from the crowds

Final thoughts: Cheap flights for a weekend away

Finding cheap weekend flights may seem out of reach, but it's really not. The key is to use a few smart search strategies and have a little flexibility on your end, especially with your destination. If you're willing to use a regional airport or check out a less-crowded destination, you could find cheaper airfare and use your savings on a hotel upgrade or local experience. Give our tips a try and see what fun and affordable options are waiting for you!