If you’re looking for ways on how to find a cheap flight to Europe or if you’re traveling inside the continent check out some of my favorite tips that could help you find a better deal.

Flying is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you know where to look for!

Search Engines

The first step we make on a quest for finding a cheap flight is to head to flight search engines. They are very easy to use and have a range of helpful tools such as fare alerts by email etc.

Here are the search engines I use the most;

Momondo almost always shows a cheaper deal than other websites and Skyscanner is great as it also shows the results from low-cost carriers. Kayak is great for US citizens. However, I recommend checking all three just in case. Don’t forget to set up fare alert and you’ll be informed if the price drops down.

Airfare websites

These kind of websites have really grown in popularity in recent years. They publish the best deals, error fares and most recent updates. Besides flights you can also find great deals on package holidays and accommodations.

Airline Website

Sometimes you’ll find a cheaper deal directly on the airlines’ website, so don’t rely on search engines only! You should sign up for airlines’ newsletter as their subscribers will be the first to know about any special deals. Also check out the promotions page on the official website of the airline you want to fly with.

Besides these two steps, you can also follow the social media of your favorite airline company or the one you wish to fly with, as promotions and giveaways are also advertised there.

Flights from nearby airports

If you live close to another big town do check the deals from that airport. For example, RyanAir doesn’t fly from Belgrade but it does from Timisoara, Nis and Budapest which are close to the Serbian capital. Bus and train rides are less than 20 EUR and this way I always save up at least 100 EUR.

Check the website of the airport for the list of all carriers including the low-cost ones which are not available on every search engine.

Be Flexible

This is very important if you want to find a cheap flight to Europe. The cheapest prices are usually found a month before the trip as airlines advertise their best deals. Most importantly – travel off season when there is less demand. August is always the most expensive month for flights, accommodation and everything else. Prices are also higher on the weekends than in the middle of the week.

If you are also flexible with the destination you wanna visit, many search engines will show you the cheapest flights from your nearest airport.

Fly With Low-Cost Carriers

Low-cost carriers are very popular in Europe. You can find one way flights starting from 2 EUR! Sure they have some drawbacks- alternative instead of main hubs, paying for extras, not so great customer support, but if you want to explore Europe without breaking bank, low-cost carriers are the way to go.

The most famous low-cost carriers in Europe are;

  • RyanAir

  • WizzAir

  • easyJet

  • Niki

  • WOW Air – cheap flights to Iceland

  • Air Baltic – cheap flights to the Baltics

  • Norwegian – great for flights to Scandinavia

  • Pegasus Airlines – cheap flights to and in Turkey

  • Blue Air – cheap flights to Romania

VPN

If you’re thinking what on earth is VPN, it’s a Virtual Private Network. Cookies and sometimes even your location can give you a much higher price for a flight ticket. For example you may find a much cheaper price of the same flight, just by changing your location.

If you want to travel from New York to Paris and you are checking the prices on Momondo or the site of your favourite airline, you may find that the price on US servers is higher than for example on an Australian one.

There are many VPN online and some of them can be downloaded for free.

Also don’t forget to delete cookies when you’re looking for a flight or browse in a private window.

Book Separate Flights

Sometimes you will also find that booking two separate flights instead of one return flight will save you money. This is not always the case but it’s worth checking out!

Other currency

Booking your flight in a currency other than your own can also save you some real money. Just make sure that your card waives the foreign transaction fees. British pound is stronger than the US dollar, so if you’re a Brit you may save money by booking flight in a currency other than your own.

If you follow these steps I assure you that you’ll save money when booking for your next flight!

I always start with the search engine called Momondo. They show all major and budget carriers, have a website in different languages and currencies and other great features.