How To Find a Flight to Europe for Under $500
“Arianna, how can I get a dirt cheap plane ticket?”
I’ve been meaning to write this post forever and it’s finally here!
As an avid traveler I often get messages like the one above.
Why? Because I am the master at finding cheap plane tickets. However, this has not always been the case. The first time I traveled, I spent a ton of money, packed way too heavily, got hosed by tourist traps, and didn’t know many of the options that were available to me.
Over the last few trips I’ve taken, the size of my suitcase has decreased and the size of my bank account has increased (From saving piles and piles of money on flights!)
Okay, maybe not piles and piles – but sometimes as much as $800.
Now you’re probably thinking, “okay, cut to the chase and tell me how to do this!”
(Warning – If you are little princess and only travel first class please stop reading this post here.)
….And we’re back!
When you are looking for a flight there are so many great sites that can help knock hundred of dollars off your ticket price. Never start looking for flights directly through an airline carrier. The following travel aggregation sites should be the first places you look :
Kayak : Kayak is one of the first travel sites I began using. More recently, they launched their flexible search which allows you to search by budget instead of destination. This is AWESOME for flying to Europe because you can fly into a big city with a reduced ticket price and then fly a smaller airline to your final destination.
For example : I am going to Spain in September. I booked my flight into London ($432) and am then taking a Ryan Air flight into Madrid ($50) a few days later. This is drastically cheaper than a flight directly from Seattle to Madrid (Around $1200+). With the money I saved, I can now treat myself to a few pub nights in London AND have money left over.
Bing.com/Travel - Bing is another great travel aggregation. It has this nifty little graph that lets you see the high and low points of when to travel – if your dates are flexible this is great. With this site, I can compare :
Seattle > Frankfurt
Seattle > New York
Seattle > London
…and many more at the same time! If you’re open to adventure and have flexible dates, I highly recommend looking at this service.
HipMunk – This site is pretty new to me, but I’m glad I found it. The interface is beautiful! It lets you compare flights in a variety of ways – budget, stress level, and airlines. If there is one site I love for ease of use, it’s this one. They also allow you to search by + or – a few days from the date of travel which can sometimes lead to a savings of hundreds if you don’t need to leave on an exact date.
SkyScanner - This one I give credit to @MarinaMartin for finding. This is one of the most comprehensive aggregation sites I have found and is great for buying one way tickets. That said, many of the sites I have mentioned aggregate different sites so I recommend you check out all of these before booking a flight. C’mon! It only takes a few extra minutes of your day.
Okay, great you’ve found a deal! Now what?
Go book it directly through the airline. Just search for the dates and times you found within the aggregator. For example, if Kayak tells you the deal is on Alaska, go to the Alaska Airlines website and book directly. Often times, there are aggregators out there that are not reputable – just search Google for “Airline Scam”. This way, you know you are booking through a credible source (Though the ones I mentioned above are definitely okay to book directly through )
When you’re doing this, make sure to sign up for the airlines frequent flyer programs. Though I haven’t master the art of using my points – there are some great guides out there that can help you get the most of your airline points.
Just search for “Travel Hacking”.
One more thing : This doesn’t always work, but often times the airlines are running some kind of deal. If you search Google for a coupon code for your chosen airlines, you can sometimes find anywhere from $100-$300 off. (One time I received a $100 credit!)
*Phew* Let me know if any of these are helpful to you OR if you know of any other cool ways to save money on flights!
But wait, there’s MORE!
Not only can you save money on flights, but there are also many clever ways to save money on accommodation. What are they?
[This post coming soon!]
Cheers!
For more travel tips make sure to :
Chat us up on Twitter
Be our friend on Facebook
Arianna is an avid traveler based in the Seattle area. Last summer she spent 3 months backpacking Europe and had the time of her life. She can’t wait for her next trip back overseas.
0 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks