We subscribe to the daily email from www.theflightdeal.com. It arrives around noon Pacific Time every day and takes about 15 seconds to scan on my phone. We also get daily emails from www.secretflying.com. Here's what I'm looking for to find a good deal to Bali.

1. Denpasar (DPS) is the airport on the island of Bali and the only airport that is practical for our place. Look for flight deals to this airport, regardless of the departure airport listed. For example, even if they only advertise a deal for LAX – DPS, I find there is still a deal for DEN – DPS, they just only list the cheapest flight.
2. Similarly, if you see a deal to Jakarta, check to see if there is also a deal to DPS.
3. If you see a deal to Singapore, check to see if there is also a deal to DPS. Or see if you can find a cheap flight on a local airline from Singapore to DPS that you book separately. With the separate local airline purchase and checked bags consider a layover of 3+ hrs.
   Sometimes the Air Asia and other regional airline websites give challenges with ticket booking from America or Europe.
4. We found a great deal from DEN to DPS by booking SFO-DPS then getting a Southwest Airlines flight from DEN-SFO.

 
We also use Google Flights to search around and see what is out there, and boy have we found some great deals!

• You can enter up to 5 airport codes in the Origin and Destination fields. For example:
  • Origin: SFO, SEA, PHX, PDX, SLC
  • Destination: DPS, SIN, KUL
• Beware: When you select all your flights you will then be presented with your buying options. We prefer to buy from a company we have heard of, either the airline itself or Expedia, Orbitz, etc. 

​Anything under $1000 roundtrip from most major US airports and on reputable carriers, I consider to be a very good deal.

Here are some rules to know before you buy your flight. This is how it currently works for US Passport holders, I’m not sure about other passports. When you check in for the first segment of your flight, the ticket agent will ask when you are leaving Indonesia and possibly will ask to see confirmation. I've never had them do more than glance at a printout I had with my itinerary.

• You don’t have to go back to your home country, you just have to have a flight booked to somewhere outside of Indonesia.
• Hint: Singapore, Malaysia (KL), Bangkok, and Perth are choices that often have cheap fares.

Speaking of passports, did you know that your passport must be valid for at least 6 more months after your arrival date in Bali and have at least 2 completely blank pages? Read more about entry and exit criteria here.

Trip Insurance: Do you ever feel nervous to pass up the trip insurance because of how they present it when you are buying your flights? We have read the fine print on these offers and suggest that you do too. What we have found is that they vary quite a bit in coverage and we like this policy from World Nomads. They have been very easy to work with when we had to make a claim.

Your checked baggage policy will depend on the the airline operating the first leg of your journey. Knowing this could save you hundreds of dollars if you plan to bring oversized items like golf clubs or surfboards.

Sometimes the cheap fares involve an overnight at an airport. To determine if this is worth it, I reference www.SleepingInAirports.net.

Do you have other tips for finding good flight deals? Let us know in the comments.