Cheap Travel Trips The number one question I get asked is how do I find my tickets for cheap European flights? There is some planning involved, but really, it is quite easy. The first thing I do is find a major hub in Europe that is located near the country and/or city I want to travel to. Then, I start with that place as my central location to and from Europe.
Best European Hubs
In the United States, airports with the largest amount of flights coming in and out of an airport (ex: LAX or JFK) will have the most opportunities for deals. The same is true in Europe. The biggest hubs are:
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Dublin, Ireland
- London, England
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Munich, Germany
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Paris, France
Depending on the length of time you can vacation and the primary destination of your choice. It is important to start watching flights to these airports from your location. Check out my other blog about tracking flights, which will provide more information.
Using European Hubs for Cheap European Flights
The main premise of the hub is to just inexpensively get to Europe. For example, if there is a direct flight to Paris from your airport for $250 pp (yes, these tickets exist), you can land in Paris and either take a small connecting flight to the location of your choice (Rome is popular for around $75 pp), or there is an amazing high speed rail connecting Paris to Brussels, Belgium and London, England for around $30 on way. Therefore, you could visit three countries in Europe for around $340 pp just by flying into a hub.
Cheap Tickets to Dublin
For example, this Christmas, we found affordable tickets to Dublin, Ireland over the Christmas holidays. We will be using Dublin as our hub. From there, we bought one-way tickets to Hamburg, Germany, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Edinburgh, Scotland and then back to Dublin to round out the trip. For a family of four, we spent roughly $3k in travel expenses, which worked out to $750 pp.
Low Conversion Rate for Cheap European Flights
Another tip is to jump on the low conversion rates. Right now the Pound and Euro are almost equal to the American dollar (1.19 and 1.04 respectively) close to the American dollar. This also helps when budgeting trips as you will be saving almost half right now compared to traveling to Europe five years ago.
There will never be a “right” time to travel. You just need to make the leap and explore the world and take advantage of the cheap European flights.
