This Kayak Travel Planning Tool Is a Hidden Gem Every Traveler Needs to Know About

Regardless of whether you subscribe to Kayak or use its booking engine, the website—and its embedded planning tools—are available for everyone to use for free. One particularly valuable feature is Kayak Direct, which originated from a hackathon project in 2011 by the Kayak product team and has since remained a little-known resource among travel enthusiasts.

A practical tool for discovering destinations reachable via nonstop flights from your home or chosen airport (both large and small), Kayak Direct also identifies which airlines can take you there and the most affordable dates for your journey (if you’re flexible).

In previous discussions, we’ve highlighted Wikipedia and Google Flights as excellent travel planning resources. Kayak Direct is another lesser-known tool for mapping out your next adventure. Here’s how to make the most of it.

Identifying nonstop destinations along with the time and distance to reach them

Kayak Direct simplifies the process of viewing all nonstop destinations available from a particular airport using commercial flights. The landing page will automatically fill with options from the nearest airport to you (based on your device’s GPS). Just enter a different airport in the first field, select your preferred travel month, click the search button, and voilà: all nonstop flight options will appear.

The information presented is well-structured and easy to understand. Destinations are listed by distance (and travel time from your home airport). For instance, I want to explore getaway options for June 2023 from my home airport, Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Given the current travel challenges, I’m only interested in nonstop flights. After inputting this data, I discover I can take a quick 45-minute, 60-mile flight to Bimini in the Bahamas.

On the opposite end, I can travel all the way to Oslo, Norway, a distance of 4,708 miles, with just one flight from Fort Lauderdale. (Note: All destinations between Bimini and Oslo are not included for brevity.)

When and how to reach your destination

On the right side of the displayed information, you’ll find a list of airlines that may serve each destination. By clicking the expansion arrow, you can access additional details about flight schedules. Keep in mind that just because an airline icon is present doesn’t guarantee that the airline operates flights to that destination; these icons indicate airlines available for booking through code-share agreements.

Referring back to our example of Fort Lauderdale to Bimini, the schedule shows that identical flights are available through JetBlue, Silver Airways, and United. (When you proceed to book, you'll find that it’s actually Silver Airways operating the flight.) Additionally, we learn that there are no flights between the two airports on Mondays and Tuesdays—there goes my plan for a long summer weekend in Bimini with a commercial airline!

Evaluating options within any budget

On the same landing page, after entering your home or desired airport along with your preferred travel month, scroll through the information, then return to the top left corner and click 'show routes on map' to examine pricing. This action will redirect you to a new page featuring an interactive map that highlights possible nonstop destinations and the lowest round-trip fares. You can also enter a specific destination, whether as broad as anywhere, a continent, or a region. Next, you can select a date range or exact dates and specify a trip length from 1 to 14+ days. Additional filters for budget or flight duration are available to refine your search.

To illustrate further, I’m considering a trip from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean for three to six days in May. I have flexible travel dates but a strict budget. I’m aiming to keep my round-trip flight under $200. After entering my details and adjusting the budget slider to $200, I discover options including Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and Key West (which isn’t exactly the Caribbean, but it’s presented as a reasonable choice).

These options don’t quite match my vision for my May getaway. So, I adjust the budget slider to $280, and now I see the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and the Bahamas have been added to the list. From there, I can click on each destination to check which dates offer the best prices, leading me to book a round trip to Montego Bay in May for $226.

Key Takeaway

By leveraging the capabilities of Kayak Direct, you can discover how to access nonstop destinations affordably. While it doesn’t replace our beloved travel duo, Wikipedia + Google Flights, it serves as an excellent complement.