New Travel Hack Tool: Achieve up to 60% Savings on The Lowest-Priced Flights for Any Route (Free)

AssociatedThe Wololo Wombat @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 08:46
Last edited 16/05/2023 - 11:28

Moved to Forum: Original Link

A good mate of mine shared his new project with me and I figured my friends on OzBargain would like to know about it too - *mods plz move to Forums if more appropriate!

Here's the blurb!

stopoverhack.com

"I've always been an avid traveller, constantly looking for ways to stretch my travel budget. Originally, I built this tool for my own trips to help navigate the maze of travel bookings. However, after getting a lot of interest from other travellers, I decided to share this little passion project of mine online for everyone to use for free, of course. That's how Stopover Hack was born - a tool designed to automatically find the cheapest multi-stop itineraries.

Stopover Hack does all the legwork for you, scanning through over 12,000 different locations to generate routes – everything from bus terminals and train stations to airports. What you get are up to 500 unique routes that could potentially save you a huge chunk of change and, importantly, time trying to figure it all out.

The savings can be pretty impressive, too. Often, the itineraries that Stopover Hack comes up with are 20% cheaper than the next best alternative offered by any other travel booking website. Sometimes, I've seen savings of more than 60% which a few savvy travellers have picked up.

But it's not just about finding the cheapest route. If the website can't reduce costs, it'll suggest stopovers that are either free or just a bit more expensive. That way, you can experience more places and avoid the fatigue that often comes with long-haul travel.

This has been a fun project for me, and it's exciting to finally be able to share it with the wider travel community. Whether you're a backpacker, an adventurous holidaymaker, or just someone looking to break up a long journey, I believe you'll find Stopover Hack a handy tool.

Since this is a prototype at this stage, I would love to hear any feedback, ideas, questions, issues or anything else that comes to mind. Feel free to send me an email at [email protected]

TLDR;

Stopover Hack automatically finds the cheapest multi-stop itineraries typically, saving travellers 20% but sometimes even up to 60% compared to even the cheapest options on other booking sites. The aim is not only to save you time and money but when it can't save you a boatload of money it also suggests free or low-cost stopovers for a more enriching travel experience.

Travel

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Comments

  • AssociatedThe Wololo Wombat @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 08:47
    +2

    I'm also keen to see how it works - please let me know your experience with it (good or bad!)

  • RubenM on 15/05/2023 - 08:48

    While it seems like an interesting idea, I don't think there's a tangible bargain here and this will likely disappear very quickly.

    If you don't want it deleted just list a flight that has a high discount as an example.

  • Snape on 15/05/2023 - 08:53
    +1

    Seems very slow, been waiting for longer than a few minutes for Aus —> UK.

    • AssociatedThe Wololo Wombat @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 08:58
      +1

      OzBargain crashed servers? Haha

  • RubenM on 15/05/2023 - 08:54

    I just tried to run it, it took quite some time and then told be an error had occurred.

  • Twitchh on 15/05/2023 - 08:56

    This really isn't that helpful as it doesn't let you pick the Australian city you're in or want to go to.. Seems like I would then have to do more effort to find a domestic flight to the city that matches up with these deals…

    • AssociatedThe Wololo Wombat @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 08:57
      +2

      Keep in mind this is in Beta and he’s looking for feedback! Thanks for the feedback :)

      • FlyingPanda99 on 15/05/2023 - 09:23

        not sure how quick took you to update the table.
        it actually works if you just key the city name in Origin and Destination.
        But it took about 5 mins to give the result.

    • INFIDEL on 15/05/2023 - 09:22
      +2

      it doesn't let you pick the Australian city

      A choice of Australian cities are listed to pick from. But it's in development, so may not be implemented yet.

      Don't think this stopover tool is intended for Australian domestic flights as you did.
      Sure, you could fly SYD-MEL via Perth, but who does that? Won't be cheap! And few carriers / routes to choose from. Most prefer to find a quick direct flight.

      There are existing sites to search for those cheapest flights options across carriers (on normal routes) - regularly found in Deals.

      Seems designed for long haul international flights. It may offer some more interesting options for the adventurous traveller. (Maybe Tokyo to London via Kazakhstan?) That's my kind of fantasy journey option.

      Looking forward to the development of this tool👍

  • Voucherd on 15/05/2023 - 09:49
    +3

    I think this is a great idea. I spend countless hours comparing and trying to find stop overs for every trip we do. This should help potentially.

    The website currently hasn't loaded any trips becides the default London one for me though

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 10:04
      +3

      Thank you for the feedback! I'm sorry for the slow load times and failing requests. There has been an insane number of users and consequently, our system is feeling the pressure. This high demand is causing some hiccups with our ability to fetch up-to-date pricing data quickly.

      I'm working hard to iron out these issues and scale up our system to handle this surge in users. Hopefully, this will be resolved by this time tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!

      Alec ~the guy that built this thing

  • Mokr on 15/05/2023 - 09:58

    Tl dr.

    It gives you the cheapest airport to city transfers. When you are having a stop over.

    For site seeing erc

  • renaldof on 15/05/2023 - 10:05

    May I suggest that when you present the results, could you also present the duration of each choice and the %% comparison? As much as people may want the cheapest price, duration also has a huge impact.
    May I ask if it is considering skipping connections?
    This is a fantastic tool.

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 10:22

      This is a great suggestion! I will prioritise adding it immediately.

      Thank you!

  • anglais on 15/05/2023 - 10:05

    Great concept. Belongs in forums but still cool. One consideration from a business perspective would be that if you target budget conscious travellers you don't give yourself much margin. You're going to be making max 1% slices on cheap itineraries, and people will probably just book direct anyway. Imagine server costs for this level of querying probably not negligible. Maybe show video ads while the action happens in the background.

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 10:27
      +3

      I really appreciate your insights! You hit the nail on the head with the challenges of targeting budget-conscious travellers and the thin margins that come with it. But to be honest, for me, it's not all about the money.

      I started this project because I saw a need for a tool that could simplify the process of finding affordable travel options. While the server costs are indeed significant, and the returns might not be massive, it's fulfilling to see people find value in what we've built.

      The idea of showing video ads during the action is definitely an interesting one. It could help offset some of the costs while keeping the service free for budget-conscious travellers. Thanks again for the feedback!

  • Classo on 15/05/2023 - 10:15

    Great idea! Just small observations that I have after trying random destinations:
    1. One way trips only - so i'll have to do the return again -> be good to have return trip included
    2. 3 months earliest departure date and 3 months latest arrival date -> be good to increase this
    3. Be good to filter for airlines

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 10:35
      +2

      Thank you so much for your feedback and for testing out the site with various destinations!

      1. You make a great point about return trips. It is only offering one-way trips, but I'm actively working on including return trip functionality. It's on our roadmap and I hope to roll it out soon.

      2. As for the 3-month limit on departure and arrival dates, that's something I'm also looking into expanding. I understand that many travellers plan trips well in advance, and I want to accommodate that. It's a quick change that I can make, the only downside is the airlines don't have as much pricing data for further in the future as readily available which might reduce the effectiveness. This is something that I'll need to dive into to try to solve as I obviously want the cheapest options for users.

      3. Your suggestion about filtering for airlines is a fantastic one. It's important to be able to choose which airlines you prefer or avoid, and I will add this to the roadmap to be included in future updates.

      Your insights are really valuable to me and will certainly help shape the future of the platform. Thanks again!

  • djones145 on 15/05/2023 - 11:00

    consider having options for people with family (like young families)
    for me the short, fastest is best for me (unless its alot more)
    if i need to pay a bit more its ok

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 11:21

      You've made a great point! While Stopover Hack is currently more tuned towards travellers with more flexibility, I absolutely understand that quick and direct routes are a priority for families, especially those with young kids.

      I'm exploring options to make our platform more accommodating for families, including the addition of round-trip functionalities. This could potentially spark some travel ideas for family holidays too, helping them optimise some unique itineraries.

      Your insights are truly valuable, and they will help shape the future of our service. Thank you so much!

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 11:27

      Now thats a great travel hack!

  • chrisie on 15/05/2023 - 11:33

    Something I'm sure I will use :)

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 11:36
      +1

      That's awesome to hear! I'm happy that Stopover Hack will be useful for you. If you have any suggestions or run into any issues, don't hesitate to reach out. Safe travels!

  • HardQuiz on 15/05/2023 - 12:33

    Your focus is on domestic or international?

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 19:21

      Stopover Hack can certainly be useful for both domestic and international travel. However, you'll often find the best deals when travelling internationally. This is because there are more opportunities for stopovers, which gives our Stopover Hack more chances to identify cost-saving options for your journey.

      That said, some domestic routes could end up being cheaper too, especially for last-minute travel. If the direct flights to your destination are pricey, this tool might be able to find a more affordable alternative route. So, it's definitely worth giving it a try for both types of travel!

  • cheekymonkey97 on 15/05/2023 - 12:41
    +2

    Doesn't skiplagged already do this?

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 15/05/2023 - 19:23

      Great question! While our service may seem similar to Skiplagged, there are some differences in how we approach finding the best flights for you.

      Skiplagged's main feature is revealing 'hidden city' ticketing, where it might be cheaper to book a flight with a layover at your actual destination and not take the final leg of the journey.

      My tool, on the other hand, focuses on 'Stopover Hacks.' It identifies opportunities for extended layovers(stopovers) that allow you to visit additional cities at no extra cost. This can often result in significant savings, especially for international flights, while also providing a unique travel experience.

      It's not just about finding the cheapest flights, but also about enriching your travel experience by turning layovers into bonus destinations. That's what sets us apart.

      • cheekymonkey97 on 15/05/2023 - 21:19

        That’s pretty cool and interesting! I’ll check it out tomorrow. Thanks for the response

  • shakman on 16/05/2023 - 08:22

    Skiplag does this, but you have to be careful doing this, as some people in the US are being blacklisted from Airlines.

    Also, it seems to work better, if you are not using checked baggage

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 16/05/2023 - 10:16

      That's a great point you've brought up. Skiplagged is known for finding 'hidden city' fares, which can lead to cheaper flights but also comes with some risks, such as the ones you mentioned.

      Stopover Hack on the other hand operates differently. We focus on identifying opportunities for extended layovers(stopovers) at no extra cost or even a nice little saving. This doesn't involve any 'hidden city' ticketing or skipping any parts of your journey, so it doesn't come with the same risks.

      Hope this helps. Happy travels!

  • wako on 16/05/2023 - 08:40

    Only gives me 3 months to choose

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 16/05/2023 - 10:17

      Thanks for pointing that out! Currently, our tool does indeed have a 3-month window for choosing departure and arrival dates. We've set it up this way to provide the most accurate and up-to-date pricing information.

      However, we understand that many travelers plan their trips further in advance, and we're actively working to extend this range. Your feedback is really valuable and helps us prioritize these improvements. Thanks for your patience while we work on this!

  • IcemanF14 on 16/05/2023 - 10:04

    I think this sounds like an awesome idea. You see more of the world for very little, if any, cost compared to say booking through a travel agent or flying direct.
    I'll definitely be checking this out when I go on my next holiday!

    • AssociatedAlecArnold @ stopoverhack.com on 16/05/2023 - 10:18

      That's fantastic to hear! You've hit the nail on the head - our goal is to help travelers see more of the world without breaking the bank. We're thrilled that you're planning to use our tool for your next holiday. If you have any questions or need any help while planning, feel free to reach out. Enjoy your trip!

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