It’s time for Kiwi Nomad review.
We use Kiwi a lot. And we have talked about this flight booking website before. But today I want to talk about one specific feature called Kiwi Nomad. It’s a feature that allows you to find super cheap flights — if you’re a flexible traveler, and if you want to go to not one, but several destinations during a single trip.
Kiwi Nomad has been around for a few years. At the same time, very few people still know about it. Continue reading to learn more about it!
Book protected self-transfer connection with Kiwi.
Cheap Flights Exist
It’s not a myth. Cheap flights exist.
How to find cheap flights? Unfortunately, there’s no one method that would work for every one and every single time. Just like there is no one best website for cheap flights and holidays. Finding great deals takes time, some know-how and sometimes also luck. The latter is just as important.
Be patient. Compare the prices regularly. And act fast when you see a great deal. That’s your best bet (“the easiest method” to find cheap flights).
What Kind of Deals Can You Find on Kiwi Nomad? (Our Experience)
What do I mean by cheap flights?
For example, Riga – London – Fez, Morocco – Riga for 70 EUR/USD. Or Riga – Dubai – Manila – Bali for 220 EUR/USD. That’s cheap flights. Not bad, huh? Just go to Kiwi Nomad, enter your own destinations and travel dates, and you’ll find your own awesome travel deals.
If you go to more destinations, often you can find better deals. When compared to going only to 2 places. If you are flexible you can find even better deals.
For inspiration, check out our Kiwi Nomad itineraries:
Kiwi Nomad Review: How to Find Cheap Flights With Kiwi.com?
What is Kiwi? What is Kiwi Nomad?
What Is Kiwi.com?
Kiwi.com is an airline ticket search engine and booking platform, one of the best sites for cheap flights. Kiwi (former skypicker.com) was founded in Czech Republic but now it’s popular worldwide. It’s well designed and easy to use.
In short, you can book flights on kiwi.com.
What Is Kiwi Nomad?
Whereas Kiwi Nomad is a great feature on kiwi.com.
Launched in summer 2018, it’s a feature that will come in handy for those who are traveling to more than one destination. And also to those who don’t mind to have a couple of stopovers or layovers on the way to their destination. Even though, these are self-transfer flights, Kiwi protection makes them safe (generally speaking, self-transfer flights are somewhat unsafe).
With Nomad, you just have to choose the origin, places you want to visit and for how long do you want to stay in each of those places.
With Nomad, you can book return flight or travel one way.
Here’s how it looks on Kiwi Nomad:
- First, you choose from where you want to fly
- Then, you choose when you want to travel. There you have two options — it can be an exact date or a period of time
- Then, you set the duration of your trip
- And then, you choose places you want to visit
How to Use Kiwi Nomad Feature? Step by Step
Step 1 – Go to Kiwi Nomad
Go to kiwi.com. Click Nomad.
It’s in the dropdown that’s above origin (“From”). That’s the same dropdown where you choose whether you want to book a one-way or return flight. Alternatively, go directly to https://www.kiwi.com/en/nomad.
The Nomad feature is available on mobile devices, too.
Step 2 – Choose the Origin and Set Travel Dates
You don’t have to know the exact date.
It’s possible to select a time frame.
Set trip length.
Step 3 – Select Cities You Want to Visit During Your Trip
Select cities and set length of stay in each city.
Want to visit 5 cities? 10 cities? And stay in each of them for a period of 5 to 10 days? 1 to 3 days? Or, maybe, exactly 2 days in every one of them? No problem! Kiwi Nomad allows very flexible itineraries.
Does the order matter? No.
It’s highly likely, that you won’t be traveling in that order.
Keep this in mind! Kiwi always shuffles destinations. It’s done, to find the best and cheapest flights for the whole journey. So, there’s a high chance that the cities won’t be in the same order as you choose them, not in the cheapest option at least. Kiwi will offer you several different options to choose from.
Here’s an example. You choose to travel to London, Paris and Barcelona. You’re flying from New York. There will be several options – in one you may fly to London first and then to Paris, in other Paris will be your first stop, in third Barcelona may be the first stop, etc.
The cities will be the ones you choose. But maybe not the order.
Look at the options presented.
Choose the itinerary you like the most.
Step 4 – Click “Return to a different location” – If You Want to End Your Trip in a Different City
If you want to end your trip in a different location, click “Return to a different location”. Choose where you want to return to.
Step 5 – Press Search
Step 6 – Choose the Best Itinerary
Kiwi Nomad will find all the possible itineraries.
There will be multiple options.
Duration of stay at each destination and order might vary. So will the price. Press “Show Details” to see more information about the flights. You will see if each individual flight is a direct flight, connecting flight or a self transfer.
You can apply filters (e.g., only direct flights).
And you can also sort the results (best, cheapest, fastest).
As we have already mentioned, Kiwi will shuffle your destinations to find the best and cheapest flights. The cities won’t be in the same order you choose. Pay attention to this, and choose the option that you like the most.
Step 7 – Make a Booking
You are ready to make a booking.
You have chosen an itinerary you like the most.
Fill in the passenger details (name, e-mail, date of birth, etc), pay. And that’s it. You have booked all of these flights – sometimes 10+ flights – with a single reservation. You don’t have to search for flights any more.
Your itinerary is ready and booked!
Do You Still Need Travel Insurance With Kiwi?
What’s the difference between Kiwi Guarantee and insurance?
Do you need both? It’s a very good idea to have both.
You see, when you are eligible, Kiwi Guarantee will give you a new flight right away. For free. Travel insurance won’t do that. They will pay you afterwards. At the same time, Kiwi Guarantee won’t protect you against anything else, like health problems abroad. That’s why it’s a good idea to have both — safe self-transfer flight (with Kiwi Guarantee) AND travel insurance.
Kiwi Nomad: Our Experience
Some time ago, we had an idea of going on a trip to Morocco.
We also wanted to visit London on our way there. So, we decided to use Kiwi Nomad feature to find our flights. We set a departure date less than a month later and set the length of stay in London and Morocco. Who knows – maybe there are some great last-minute deals? That’s how we were thinking.
The list of options was very long.
When searching for cheap flights with Nomad feature, take this into account. If you aren’t an experienced traveler, don’t be confused. Just look through the options and choose what suits you the best. The most important part of this is to pay attention to how long will be the flights and layovers. More about this below.
So, the list was very long. But there were also a lot of good options. Really, a lot. Direct flights, connecting flights, separate flights. Longer layovers and shorter layovers. Layovers in several different cities (Milan, Berlin, etc).
But the total price didn’t really differ much.
At the end we chose Riga – London – Fez – Milan (short layover) – Berlin (overnight layover) – Riga for just 144 EUR (144 USD).
Both ways, for both of us.
Yes, only 144 EUR.
So, 72 EUR per person both ways.
Do you want to visit more cities/countries?
Do it. We were thinking of visiting a few more places and made a research. Results? If we added a couple more destinations, like, Tenerife and Malta, the total price would be around 170 EUR (for the two of us, both ways). That’s crazy cheap, isn’t it? For such an interesting itinerary.
Kiwi Nomad for Travelers Who Want to Visit Only One Place
Traveling only to one destination? Still you can use the Nomad feature.
Let’s assume, I know that it’s a lot cheaper to fly to Marrakech from London than from Riga. So, that’s why instead of searching for flights from Riga to Marrakech I will look for flights from Riga to Marrakech via London. I will set London trip length only for 1 night.
Maybe it’s gonna be cheaper on your dates. Maybe not. And you should also not forget that you will need to spend that time somewhere in London. Chances are that this is gonna be a whole night.
Not always sleeping in airport is an option.
If you’re thinking of spending the night at the airport, visit SleepingInAirports and check if it’s possible to do so. Because, for example, London Stansted airport is closed at night. The bigger the airport, the higher your chances it will be open.
How Do We Find Cheap Flights?
Situations differ. Not always Kiwi Nomad is the best option.
What are other options? How to find cheap flights?
1. If We Need the Tickets NOW
We use Momondo, Skyscanner or Kiwi which both are great search tools for finding cheap flights. We just choose the origin & destination, and select travel dates. Then we look through all the cheapest options. We may compare the prices with other flight search websites, such as Kayak.
Then we check, how much the same flight costs directly from the airline.
When you are searching and booking flights on flight booking websites, bear in mind, more often than not you will be buying the ticket via some third party company. Usually these companies are reputable, and the tickets are cheaper than buying directly from the airline. But still you should do a research first. Is this company really legit? Or maybe it’s a scam? Mostly everything is gonna be OK. But it’s worth doing a quick research before booking the flight.
If the price difference is insignificant we mostly book a flight via the airline’s official site. The reason why we do so is – if something goes wrong, it’s way more easier to communicate with the airline than contacting the third party.
Yes, that easy.
Search. Compare prices. Book the flight.
2. If We Can Wait
We check the airline ticket prices on Momondo and Kiwi frequently. We set up a price alert, and use prediction algorithms like Hopper app. Time after time we also check the best travel deals on blogs such as TravelFree.
Sooner or later you should also define for yourself what’s a good price for you. What is that price you are looking forward to.
And when there is a great deal, we book that flight right away.
Cheap Flights: Tips & Things to Take Into Account
Are you searching for cheap airline tickets?
Here are some of our top tips.
1. Check Where the Airport is Located
Before booking a flight check where the airport is located.
And don’t forget to count in the costs of getting from there to the city, and back – if necessary. Then look at the price once again. What is the total price (flight + transport to the city)? Is it still cheaper than flying directly to your destination (e.g. not to Girona airport with Ryanair, but directly to Barcelona)?
It may feel like too much hassle, when you aren’t an experienced traveler. Trust me, you are not alone. I don’t know anyone who likes researching, how much does it cost to get from the airport to the city center. What I can recommend you is to use my simple formula – 20 EUR for one-way journey.
20 EUR in most cases will be enough to get to the city center. Even in the expensive cities like London and Paris. And it will be enough also to travel from smaller and more distant airports to the city center. That’s, of course, assuming that you plan to use public transportation.
For example, if you are flying to Barcelona – you might be flying to El Prat airport (BCN). Getting from there to the city center costs only 7 EUR (4.6 EUR airport train + 2.4 EUR metro in the city). Or – to Girona–Costa Brava (GRO) airport, where Ryanair is operating. This second airport is located about an hour drive away from Barcelona. A one-way bus ticket to Barcelona from Girona Airport costs around 20 EUR.
Another example – when searching for cheap flights to Milan most probably you will see flights to Orio Al Serio airport (BGY). This airport actually is not in Milan, but in Bergamo – a city one-hour train ride away from Milan.
2. Book Direct Flights
If the price difference is not that big book a direct flight. And save time.
Less flights = less chance of something going wrong.
Less chance of flight delays and missed connections.
This way you also won’t have to spend a night at the airport. When traveling with low-cost airlines frequently you’ll definitely have to spend a night at the airport at some point during your travels. Visit SleepingInAirports.net and check if it’s possible to spend a night at that airport and what are the conditions there. Some airports are closed during the night (e.g. Stansted airport in London).
3. Pay Attention to the Length of the Layover
Is your layover too long? Is it an overnight layover?
Maybe there are better options that cost only a little bit more. Maybe there are flights with no overnight layovers. Pay attention to details like this.
Or maybe your layover is too short? Avoid short layovers. There is a chance you will miss your next flight. Especially if it’s a self transfer, and you are traveling with checked baggage (you need to collect and recheck it after every flight).
4. Book from Kiwi or Directly from the Airline
If your journey consists of several, non connected flights – book the flights from kiwi.com.
It’s gonna be easier and much faster. Because you will need to make only one booking, not 5 or 10. And Kiwi also offers its own insurance – Kiwi Guarantee. It protects you from flight cancellations and delays. You can purchase Kiwi Guarantee when making a booking.
What’s the difference between Kiwi Guarantee and travel insurance? Do you need both? It’s a good idea to have both. You see, when you are eligible, Kiwi Guarantee will give you a new flight right away. For free. Travel insurance won’t do that. They will pay you afterwards. At the same time, Kiwi Guarantee won’t protect you against anything else, like health problems abroad. That’s why it’s a good idea to have both — safe self-transfer flight and travel insurance.
If you want to spend as little as possible, book directly from the airline. For instance, in our situation with the Riga – London – Fez – Milan – Berlin – Riga journey we would be able save around 20 more euros. Giving up on Kiwi insurance and booking all these flights separately. It would also probably take us about an hour to book all these flights. Instead of 2 minutes.
Compare and choose what’s the best for you.
Have you used Kiwi? Have you used Kiwi Nomad? What was your experience? Where did you go?
About the author:
Una is an organized globetrotter and foodie who’s been living a digital nomad lifestyle since 2013. She always starts her day early with a good book before diving into work. Apart from traveling and aviation, her other passions include gym, hiking and cycling. Una is also a strong proponent of AI technology. She firmly believes in its potential to simplify life and has often advocated for its wider adoption in our day-to-day activities. Her favorite airlines are Qatar Airways, Emirates, and KLM.