We booked our flights through TripAdivsor and CheapOAir, the only problem with Cheapoair is no refun

Tips for Finding Cheap Flights to EuropeGuide to Budget Backpacking in Europe The Savvy Backpacker Home Planning Packing Hostels Lodging travel site fare results reservation return Transportation Travel Tips About Contact Us Advertising Travel Photos Country Guides Travel Product Reviews Travel Blog Giveaways START HERE Tips for Finding Cheap Flights to Europe January 25, 2012 James Most Recent Posts , Planning 7 comments
Your plane ticket to Europe will probably be your single greatest expense. Unfortunately, after the economy collapsed many airlines cut back on their number of international fights so there are less tickets travel site fare results reservation return available—which means that the days of super cheap airfare travel site fare results reservation return are gone. At the moment expect to pay between travel site fare results reservation return $900-$1400 for a round-trip ticket (from the US).
High Season vs. Low Season vs. Shoulder Season: The time of year you travel is going to have the biggest impact on ticket prices. Click here for the savvy guide to choosing which season to travel. High Season travel site fare results reservation return (Mid June-August) : It is almost impossible to find tickets under $1,100 during the high season. You should expect to pay $1,000-$1,600. This is when most people travel so the airlines can hike up the prices. Low Season (Mid November Easter) : This is where you ll find the cheapest tickets. I purchased a round trip ticket for $515 from 12/14/2009-1/7/10.  These days, I would expect to pay $750+ for low season tickets but it is possible to find tickets travel site fare results reservation return at a lower price.  Note : Price wise, traveling around Christmas is pretty much like flying during the high season. travel site fare results reservation return Shoulder Season (Mid September Late November travel site fare results reservation return Easter Mid June): travel site fare results reservation return  The shoulder seasons are the periods of time between the high and low seasons. You ll often find reasonable plane ticket prices this time of year. A lot of budget travels pick this time to travel. Plan on finding tickets in the $750-$850 range (although I have seen tickets a little bit cheaper).
Departure Airport: Where you fly from can have a big impact on your ticket price. Tickets always seem to be the cheapest from New York City. Unfortunately, you can t really travel site fare results reservation return change where you live, so there isn t much you can do about it. But if you live near multiple airports you should see if there are any price differences between them.
Search Multiple European Airports: The European airport you fly into can save (or cost) you an extra one or two hundred dollars. Search all the major European airports and compare prices. London (LON: LCY, LHR, LGW, STN, LTN), Frankfurt (FRA, HHN), Paris (CDG, ORY), Madrid (MAD), and Amsterdam (AMS) are the largest airport hubs in Europe, so you re more than likely to find the best price by flying into one of these airports. But search travel site fare results reservation return the other ones as well. Note: The cheapest airport isn t always travel site fare results reservation return the best choice — it has to fit into your travel plans. For example, say you want to visit France but you find a flight into Dublin that costs $200 less than flying into Paris. You ll spend a lot of time and money getting from Dublin to France so you ll negate any potential savings. It would make more sense to just fly into Paris.
Search Multiple Departure Dates: Plane ticket prices can vary greatly depending on when you travel. Leaving a day later or earlier could save you $20-$100. In general, traveling travel site fare results reservation return during mid-week will give you the best prices. I really like student universe travel site fare results reservation return s flexible travel search travel site fare results reservation return feature (other sites are starting to offer this feature as well). It gives you all the results for 3 days +/- of your selected travel travel site fare results reservation return date. This lets you find the best time to travel. Try Open Jaw Tickets: During my last trip I was able to save about $110 by arriving in Paris and departing travel site fare results reservation return from Frankfurt. This type of ticket is called an open jaw ticket. A lot of times these tickets cost more, so your results will vary. Buy Tickets Far In Advance: For international flights you want to book as soon as possible. A month before is usually considered the bare minimum. travel site fare results reservation return Some people say you should book six months in advance for the best deal. I don t think anyone really knows. For some winter flights you might be able to get a cheap ticket by waiting until the last minute but this is a big gamble. travel site fare results reservation return You could end up paying a ton more. I don t think it is worth risking it, but it is up to you. Buy Tickets After Midnight: I have heard airlines lower their prices after midnight. I have no idea if this is actually true but you might want to check it out. Cheap Tickets Are Often Nonrefundable: Cheap Tickets are often nonrefundable or there is a very high ticket change fee. Many companies charge something like $250 + other fees to change your original flight. Most people don t have a problem, but you should be aware your ticket s terms. The Best Websites To Find The Cheapest Plane Tickets To Europe
TripAdvisor has recently gotten into the airfare search travel site fare results reservation return engine game and I constantly find the best prices here. The airfares are pretty much exactly the same or lower than Kayak (which is pretty rare). I could see TripAdvisor becoming one of the largest search engines within the next few years. Also, TripAdvisor is also nice because the price they show you in the search results is the price you pay (all taxes and extra fees are included in the display travel site fare results reservation return price).
STA Travel STA is another travel website geared towards students/people under 26. They offer much of the same deals at StudentUniverse and their prices seem to be nearly identical. My wife used them a few times for international travel. They were super helpful when she needed to change her ticket.
Student Universe Student Universe is a good site for youth travelers. It is geared towards college students (anyone, regardless of age, currently enrolled in a college, even part-time) or anyone between 18-25 years old. They do check to see if you’re currently a student/are the correct age and they won’t process your reservation until your status is confirmed.
SkyScanner Traditionally SkyScanner was really only used for flights inside Europe, but they ve started offering flights from all over the world. It also allows you to search by country and not just cities (for example, search travel site fare results reservation return for flights from Seattle to Germany). This is a nice feature if you don’t have a specific destination in mind. I’ve used them a few times and I’ve been happy with everything.
I ve invested a lot of long hours creating this site. If you ve found it helpful, the best way to say thanks is by clicking on my  Amazon.com links. I get a depressingly small commission when you purchase travel site fare results reservation return anything on Amazon after you ve clicked my link—this helps me keep the site running and maybe buy a few beers. And it doesn t cost you anything extra. Also, if you’re a student don’t forget to sign up for a  FREE year of Amazon Prime .
Thanks for all your support! email air travel airfare deals backpacking budget kayak plane tickets sky scanner STA travel student student universe Related Posts Backpacking Europe Packing List... January 28, 2014 Itinerary Planning Advice for Budget Bac... August 9, 2013 Best Digital Cameras travel site fare results reservation return for Travel Photogra... April 18, 2013 Complete Guide To Train Travel In Europe... December 4, 2012
What about Phoenix as a departure hub? Flying from Europe I always found good deals to Arizona. Even three legs (Amsterdam, Phoenix and San Francisco) And as a departure travel site fare results reservation return airport, Duesseldorf is whorthwhile. I don t know how it is in reverse direction?
Great advice! travel site fare results reservation return Another tip I found helpful is to look at airlines that originate overseas such as Thomas travel site fare results reservation return Cook. Through them I got a round trip ticket from Orlando to London for around $700 in June (other airlines were charging around travel site fare results reservation return $1300!) Heather S
We booked our flights through TripAdivsor and CheapOAir, the only problem with Cheapoair is no refunds, so just make sure youre going with the right person and the right dates! $440 one way from Seattle London with a layover in Iceland with TripAdvisor and CheapOair Rome Sydney $660 one way with layovers in Taipei and Delhi.
Flying Norwegian Air Shuttle I was able to get a ticket from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Copenhagen for $523 round trip and thats a direct flight no stops! Start Here! Planning travel site fare results reservation return to Backpack Europe? This comprehensive guide organizes the most important articles travel site fare results reservation return on this site so it is the perfect place to start planning your trip to Europe. Click here to read more. About The Savvy Backpacker
Welcome to The Savvy Backpacker. We’re James and Susan, and we have a passion for backpacking Europe. The Savvy Backpacker was created as an independent planning resource for travelers wanting to backpack travel site fare results reservation return through travel site fare results reservation return Europe on a budget. Read more about us here . Travel Tips in Your Inbox Stay updated on travel advice for backpacking Europe.
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