Transatlantic flights are just as important as the sunsets on the Mediterranean, selfies with the Eiffel tower, and rail journeys through the Alps.
If you are a North American, you will almost certainly arrive in Europe by plane unless you have plans to sail over on the Queen Mary 2 and/or grab a place on a repositioning voyage across the Atlantic.
The flight is a major part of your trip costs.
Flights to Europe are expensive this summer, and some travelers may be wondering if they’re a thing from the past.
Do not be afraid
If you are savvy, even if the average flight price is high, it will fluctuate. You can get the cheapest flights to Europe at that time.
How can you find cheap flights in Europe?
Flexible Rules
Airlines will have you if you are tied to a specific travel date. It cannot be overstated that the best way to save on your next flight is to travel in offseason and be flexible with arrival and departure dates.
In Europe, you can also expect to pay less for travel during the week, just as in North America.
Google Flights and Skyscanner, for example, offer a calendar view that allows you to see the cheapest dates at a glance.
Second tip: If you have a set date (weddings, festivals, etc. ), you should be flexible about where you choose to stay.
Arrival with an Open Mind
You can take advantage of the incredible public transport system that runs across Europe.
You could save a lot of money if you expand your horizons and look at other entry points.
Consider the possibility of taking a train or bus to your final destination after flying into a city.
Want to start your trip in Paris, France? You can also include cities that have direct high-speed trains like London (1.5 hours), Amsterdam (3.5), Geneva (3hrs), Frankfurt (4hrs), Geneva (3hrs), and Brussels (2hrs).
Do you dream of a Roman vacation? Search for flights to Milan (3 hours). Making for Munich? Frankfurt is 3.5 hours away.
You can save a lot of money by casting a wider net.
You may still be able to save money even after adding the cost of train tickets. These websites are great for this, as they allow you to plot flight prices on a map.
Secret Flying, airfarewatchdog, and Going (formerly Scott’s Low Flights) are the most prestigious of all.
Book Budget
This tip is related to the second one: Buy the cheapest transatlantic round-trip flight that you can find on a major airline, and then use one of Europe’s budget airlines to connect to your desired destination.
It is a great way to get to the southern European resorts and islands (Ibiza or Dubrovnik or Mallorca, or wherever else Europeans go on holiday) from places like London, Amsterdam, or Berlin. But it works for all kinds of European travel.
Some of these low-cost airlines, like PLAY and Norse, also fly across the Atlantic.
Go Incognito
This one may seem a bit out there, yet many people swear that using the Incognito mode or Private mode in your browser can help you find a cheaper flight.
Why? According to the theory, if you search for a flight repeatedly on a site without booking it, the website knows that you are interested and will raise the price, thinking you’ll buy it anyway.
You have nothing to lose except cookies if you give it a go.
Save money by translating your way to savings
If you are willing to use a browser to translate the language of a European airline website, you could be rewarded by a lower fare than if the English version was used.
It has been shown that “locals’ prices can be lower than those of travelers from abroad.
If you need another reason to brush-up on your foreign language before your trip, here it is.
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