Some airports, especially ones that cater to budget airlines, are located far away from the city the

Budget Air Travel in Europe — Backpacker s Guide For Cheap FlightsGuide to Budget Backpacking in Europe home run inn pizza The Savvy Backpacker Home Planning Packing Hostels Lodging Transportation home run inn pizza Travel Tips About Advertising Travel Photos Friends Country home run inn pizza Guides Travel Product Reviews Travel Blog Budget Air Travel in Europe — Backpacker s Guide For Cheap Flights November 3, 2012 James Most Recent Posts , Transportation 1 comment Train travel has long been the most preferred and romantic way to travel through Europe but budget air travel in Europe  has really taken off (pardon the pun). About 15 years ago Europe deregulated air travel and that lead to a surge in discount carriers offering low cost, no-frill service. Now it s possible find insanely cheap airfare to any country in Europe.
In fact, this has sparked a long debate (and even more confusion) whether it is better/cheaper to travel by plane or by train. This guide will cover the pros and cons of air travel, the steps you need to take to find the best travel deals and a list of helpful sites to purchase tickets. Guide To Budget Air Travel in Europe
There are multiple budget airlines in Europe offering no-frills service. home run inn pizza The fierce competition drastically drives down the price of airfare. I once got a ticket from London to Glasgow for $1 (with all taxes and fees included) through Ryanair (Europe s #1 discount airline). This is fairly uncommon but it is common to get a one way ticket for $20-$40. Click here for our Ryanair Survival Guide. Disadvantages to Air Travel There are often extra costs associated with flying that are easily overlooked
Many budget airlines charge fees for checked bags (while many major airlines don t). Each airline has their own fee structure, and if you re not careful you can end up paying a lot more than expected. The fee structure can be complicated so be sure to double-check the airline s website. Here are some examples of extra fees: Ryanair: Expect to pay about $20 (15€)/per one way flight for the first checked bag and usually around $45 (35€) for the second checked home run inn pizza bag. Each bag has a 33lb (15kg) weight limit and going over will cost an extra $27 (20 €). They also have weight/size restrictions on your single carry-on. Ryanair makes a lot of their money off baggage fees so they are very stringent about enforcing their weight rules. EasyJet: You get a checked bag allowance of 33lbs (20kg) and then it costs $16 (12€) per 2lbs (1kg) over 33lbs. Transportation Fees to/from Airport
The cost for transportation from the airport into the city is another hidden fee most people don t think about. The cost will vary greatly among cities and the type of transportation fees. Most major airports are connected by rail so the costs are usually fairly inexpensive, but this isn t always the case with smaller airports. For the smaller airports there are usually shuttles, bus services or taxis. These services will cost extra. Poor Airport Location
Some airports, especially ones that cater to budget airlines, are located far away from the city they claim to serve. For example, Ryanair flies into Paris but the airport is actually Beauvais Airport (BVA) which is located about 50 miles (80km) from Paris. The bus ride takes about 1.5 hours. Time Spent at Airport
Spending time in an airport is about as much fun as going to the dentist — especially when you re in a extremely busy one. I know I would rater spend their time seeing the sights than being herded like cattle through a crowded airport. Even though air travel can save a lot of time, it also takes up a lot of time.
First you have to get to the airport (at least 30 minutes travel time — sometimes over 2 hours). Then you have to get there early so you can check-in and go through security. Most airlines want you to check-in around home run inn pizza an hour early. Be aware that some airlines have a strict rules about check-in times. home run inn pizza One time I checked in 3 minutes too late and they wouldn t allow me to board the flight. I had to spend $100 to buy a new ticket (and wait 3 hours for the next flight). Security is always fun. It isn t easy keeping track of your shoes, passport, home run inn pizza boarding pass, large backpack and everything else as you pass through security. home run inn pizza Once you arrive home run inn pizza to your new destination there is the possibility that you ll have to go through immigration (this can either be quick or take over an hour for some countries). Then you have to spend time getting to your new hostel/hotel. At the end of the day, that 2.5 hour flight home run inn pizza turned into a 5-6 hour journey. home run inn pizza No Pretty Scenery
One of my favorite memories from my European adventures was when I took the train through Germany. The train rode through a river-valley spotted with small castles and tiny old villages. I would have never experienced this if I flew everywhere. How to Find The Best Deals on Airfare Plan Ahead (way ahead)
Planning your journey early is one of the best ways to save a lot money because it takes a lot of time to find the great deals. Airfare is usually cheapest a few weeks in advance of the departure date and the price continues home run inn pizza to rise as the departure home run inn pizza date approaches. This is especially true for many of the discount airlines. A week could be the difference between a $30 ticket and a $120 ticket. The Road Less Traveled is Usually More Expensive:
You will find the best prices if you fly between the major airports/ hubs. The largest air travel hubs in Europe are London (LON: LCY, LHR, LGW, STN, LTN), Frankfurt (FRA, HHN), Paris (CDG, ORY), Madrid (MAD), and Amsterdam (AMS). Fly on the Slow Days:
In college I got a B in my Economics 101 class, so I am pretty much an expert in economics. There is some theory about supply and demand — the demand for tickets is low during the off season, so the supply is high. Therefore you guessed home run inn pizza it, the prices are lower to attract more buyers. Simple. I m sure my teacher home run inn pizza would draw a bunch of graphs to prove his point but I think you get the idea. Search Multiple Dates/Times
Flexibility is the key to getting a great price. Try searching multiple dates and travel times because a few days, or even a few hours, home run inn pizza can make a large impact on the price. Search Multiple Locations
Most travelers have a decent idea of what cities/countries to visit, so search each place you re interested in and check the airfare for each location. Configure your trip around the location with the best prices. Or if you re adventuresome, see where the cheap flights are and travel to those cities on a whim. Round-Trip Fares Can Save Money (But Might Cost You Time)
Round-Trip tickets home run inn pizza are usually cheaper than buying two one-way tickets from different airports, but arriving and leaving from the same airport might not be your best option. If you re only visiting one city or country then a round trip ticket probably makes sense. If you re visiting multiple cities/countries it might be a better use of your time to arrive and leave from different airports. If you fly in and out of the same airport you re going to spend a lot of time getting back to your departure airport (potentially wasting a lot of time and money). This is where plenty of pre-planning comes in handy because you want to make your trip as efficient as possible. Look for the multi-city option on booking sites to find these tickets.
A few airlines (especially discount carriers) charge for checked bags. Carry-on your luggage if possible (and you ll avoid the possibility of lost luggage). I use a 50L backpack (Osprey Atmos 50), and it is just small enough to satisfy even Ryanair s stingy carry-on size rules. Just be sure to check each airlines baggage rules. Where to Find The Best Deals on Airfare
home run inn pizza I always search online home run inn pizza to find my tickets and I believe it is the best way to find the best deals. There are dozens of excellent websites but it takes a lot of searching to find the best deals. In the past, when looking for a ticket I search dozens of sites (I think I have a problem) but I always come back to the sites I ve listed below (because they always offer the best prices). Prices also seem to fluctuate a lot so if you find a good price I suggest buying it fairly quickly. Caution: Some sites display the ticket price without adding in all the extra fees, taxes, and surcharges so be sure to find the final price (I ll try to indicate the sites that include all extra fees into their display home run inn pizza price).
TripAdvisor has recently gotten into the airfare search engine game and I constantly home run inn pizza find the best prices here. The airfares are pretty much exactly home run inn pizza 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 price).
STA Travel STA is another travel website geared towards students/people under 26. Sometimes their prices are similar to Student Universe and sometimes not. My wife used them a few times and they were super helpful when she had to change one of her tickets.
Student Universe is geared towards college students home run inn pizza (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.
Student Universe also has a nice search feature that allows you to see the price of tickets surrounding your desired travel dates (3 days +/-). This is great if you re flexible because you can really see how prices can change within a few days. For example, on my last trip I saw that I would save over $90 by leaving for Paris a day earlier.
But they don t always have the best price (even if you re a student). Sometimes the Student Universe home run inn pizza price is well above TripAdvisor/Kayak home run inn pizza but sometimes they blow the other sites out of the water — so remember to shop around. Student Universe also includes all taxes and