Right now on Norwegian, you can book one-way trips for an incredible price with a “LowFare” ticket in September and October. From New York and Los Angeles, prices are only $175 to Paris and $220 for the return trip back to the US. The fare from Miami is starting a little higher at $299.

Previously, Norwegian has rolled out great deals like $240 flights to London, while WOW Air upped the ante with $99 one-way flights to Europe. The current LowFare of $175 to Paris includes all taxes, but you still might have to pony up for a few extra fees depending on how you like to travel. We’ve talked at length about the extra fees that can add up on budget airlines like WOW Air. Expect to pay for everything from seat reservations, checked baggage and meals.

Related: 8 Tips for finding cheap flights to Europe

However, if you just want to jet off to Paris with a small carry on and don’t care where you sit, you can grab a round-trip LowFare ticket for only $395! But being a bit more realistic, you’ll probably need to pay around $40 extra for a checked bag. Or an even better option might be to upgrade to LowFare+. This sale fare is still only $265 to Paris from New York and includes a seat reservation, checked bag and even meals with wine. Throw in the return LowFare+ ticket, and you can still get to Paris and back for only $575.

Even though oil prices have been falling since 2015, airfares to Europe have still not budged much. Finding any roundtrip fare for under $1,000 can be a challenge. However, maybe that is finally changing with airlines like Norwegian raising the stakes. You can contemplate the future of airline fares later, though. Right now, book your ticket to Paris, because these fares are only on sale from February 18 to 21, 2016.

Related: How we scored a $298 flight to London on Norwegian

The post Airfare Alert: Norwegian launching nonstop flights to Paris for $175 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Thinking about taking a flight with Iceland’s Wow Air? Well then, halló from the other side!

This year, I’ve taken multiple flights along the budget airline’s Paris (CDG) – Baltimore (BWI) route, always with a brief layover at the Keflavík International Airport (KEF). My airfare has hovered around $400 to $600 round-trip, or roughly half the cost the other airlines are currently charging.

Like all global expeditions, there have been highs and lows, because, well, turbulence happens. Based on my experience, here are tips on how to make the most of a Wow flight.

Related: $99 to Europe? Yes, but… | 8 tips for finding cheap flights to Europe

On a Wow flight, only the airline’s sassy wit, the view, and the air you breathe are free. Photo by T. Brack

Here’s the deal

Founded by Skúli Mogensen in 2011, Wow’s small fleet of planes cruises between Europe and North America (Baltimore, Boston, Montreal and Toronto). In 2016, Wow will begin to offer flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles, too. Fees typically start at $300 if you chart your plans (and book your seats) far enough in advance.

The planes are purple. The carpeting is purple. The flight attendants sport “Mad Men”-era uniforms in purple. Cheeky wordplay also reigns here, from the “Vomit-Meter” motion sickness bags and the “Rolling, Rolling, Rolling” food cart, to the “Honk if you’re hungry” service buzzer, and the “Sip it, Sip it good!” beverage cups.

Cheeky wordplay always flies on Wow. Photo by T. Brack

That said…

On a Wow flight, only the airline’s sassy wit, the view, and the air you breathe are free. Food, luggage, and extra legroom are additional. The list of additional charges includes the H2O, BTW, and I am not JKG.

Divas need not fly here. Still, even with the added charges, it’s a lot cheaper than any other flight deals out there.

Related: Creative and cheap ways to fly to Europe

On the flip side…

Just because it’s a low cost carrier doesn’t mean you have to lower expectations (said not in a Polly Anna sort of way!). Instead, change your approach. Try to leave behind your preconceptions of what makes a great flight great. In this new world of bare-bones budget flights, you are actually the master of your Airbus destiny.

Cheapo tip: Go with the flow, and embrace the opportunity to customize your flight.

• Mad shopper? Pay for a larger luggage allowance.
• Long gams? Buy extra legroom.
• Fancy brews or wines from afar? Supplement the snacks you brought from home with a glass of the house white. I did! Rocking a cat on its label, I couldn’t resist. Iceland’s own Gulle beer is often discounted, the perfect gift for one of your row mates.

As Bob Dylan once strummed, “For the times, they are a-changing.”

After selecting travel dates, you’ll be asked to purchase a seat. (Photo by T. Brack)

Booking your flight

After selecting travel dates, you’ll be asked to purchase a seat. Depending on the size of the plane, here’s the lay of the land:

Upper right section: XXL (35 to 40 inches of legroom), $57 to $67
Upper left section: XL (32 inches), $38 to $48
Middle section: (30 to 31 inches), $10 to $15
Back of the plane: (30 to 31 inches), $6

Tip: Like the theater, everyone has a sweet spot. I recommend following designer Elsa Schiaparelli’s mantra on this one: “Buy only the best or the cheapest.” I’d either splurge on a roomy XXL for $67, or book one in the back for a lean $6. Doing the math, it doesn’t make sense to pay extra for an upper left XL seat unless you’re going after location.

Here’s something else to consider: Restrooms. They’re located in the front and the back of the plane. So if you’re the kind that needs to skip to the loo often, pick your seat accordingly. Or if you’re fond of stretching the legs during the flight, perhaps a seat in the middle has your name on it.

You’re permitted one free carry-on item up to 11 pounds—and this includes your personal item. Image: Courtesy Wow Airlines

Luggage

You’re permitted one free carry-on item up to 11 pounds—and this includes your personal item (i.e., stylish handbag or backpack).

But don’t panic: You have options. For an additional $48, it’s possible to add 15 more pounds to your carry-on bag. Or do like I do: just pay the piper, and check one bag (maximum weight of 44 pounds) for $67.

Tip: Skirting around Wow’s one free little carry-on bag policy, I also wear a wafer-thin nylon cross-body bag in black, and because it matches my customary manteau noir, it rarely raises an eyebrow or a scale, for that matter.

Related: A Guide to airline baggage fees for US carriers to Europe

Don’t forget to pack a small blanket or wearing a large sweater and an eye mask. (Image by T. Brack’s archives, 1953)

Packing List

I recommend packing a small blanket (or wearing a large sweater) and an eye mask because Wow keeps the lights on throughout the entire flight.

Reading material should also be on your list, because Wow offers no in-flight entertainment, and they’ve stopping renting iPads. There are outlets for recharging your own electronic devices, but they’re not always in working order, but books and magazines are the good old green alternative.

Related: Packing for a two-week trip to Europe

Tip: On a recent flight I devoured Amy Poehler’s “Yes, Amy”. Heads-up: The book weighs a whopping 1.8 pounds, so consider purchasing it after checking in, in case they decide to weigh your carry-on. Or else pack Tina Fey’s relatively slim 12.8 ounce “Bossy Pants”. Time flew during both reads.

If you’re hungry, don’t hesitate to honk at anytime during the flight. (Image: Courtesy Wow Airlines)

The Flight

“Bon Appétit!” is what I always say whenever I hear the rumble of the meal cart in the distance, shortly after takeoff. Making no bones about it, dining is one of my favorite flight rituals. On Wow, there’s a meal truck, but everything comes at a price. Coffee, tea and chips cost about $2.65; juice, soda, candy bars, and Skyr cost $2.27; beer and soup cost about $5.30; and sandwiches and wine cost $7.57.

Tip: I usually pack beaucoup bags of trail mix in my pockets, and then score some soda pops at the airport. I’ve splurged on the wine, the soup, and the coffee, of course. Because fueled with caffeine is how I like to roll upon arrival.

Waiting for takeoff at the Keflavík International Airport (Photo by T. Brack)

The layover

Wow now prints out tickets for both legs of your trip at the start of your journey, so the layover at the Keflavík International Airport is easier and breezier. Need more reading material? Make a beeline to the Penninn Eymundsson bookshop, not far from the Wow gates. The other shops at KEF airport don’t stock books and magazines.

However, be quick on your feet because the layover is only an hour and a half, even if “Iceland’s most punctual airline” occasionally runs a bit behind schedule. Granted, I haven’t missed any of my connections yet, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re tacking on another flight at the end of your trip.

Lastly, keep your eyes peeled for Wow’s over-sized inflight magazine. Thanks to one fascinating article, I now no longer have to ponder how the flight attendants manage to fix their flawless topknots prior to a 4 a.m. flight. They don’t wake up that way, but can whip up their signature dos in a matter of seconds. Impressive!

Questions about Wow?

Feel free to ask away below. And if you have any more tips on how to make the most of a Wow flight, do spill.

Bon Voyage!

The post Wow Air: Our guide to flying the Cheapo skies appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Related: 7 Ways to save now on next year’s trip to Europe

For most of us traveling from North America, the flight to Europe is our biggest budget obstacle. While it can be easy to find great bargains on hotels, it takes a bit of effort and research to uncover cheap flights across the Atlantic.

There are airfare flash sales that come and go, but those are hard to nab if you don’t act quickly. However, before you give up hope on finding a good price for your next flight, try some of the tips below. Before long, you’ll be “humble bragging” on Facebook about the incredibly low airfare you just scored for your European vacation. Good luck!

Note: Looking for a little budget travel guidance? Check out the current EuroCheapo package deals for great discounts for US travelers heading to Europe. We book your airfare, hotel, and rental car all at once, and pass along the savings.

Example flight

For the tips that follow, we’ll use a sample itinerary. We’ll say that we’re based in Chicago and want to visit London, Amsterdam, and Paris. We’re looking for a flight from Chicago to London. After spending a few days in London, we plan to take the train to Amsterdam (via Lille) and wind up in Paris. Then we’ll head back to London to fly home to Chicago.

So how can we save on this flight?

Set up alerts so you can get the latest prices on your route.

1. Set up an airfare alert.

If you know the exact route that you want to fly, you should set up airfare alerts to be notified of flight deals immediately. Websites like Kayak.com and Airfarewatchdog.com will email you when they notice a deal on the route that you’re planning to fly.

In this example, we can go to these websites and create a flight alert for Chicago to London. But wait…

2. Don’t forget about “open jaw” flights.

Pardon us if this is too basic, but many travelers don’t realize that flights into one city and home from another are often just about the same price as flights into and out of the same city. Furthermore, you can save lots of money on transportation (trains, buses, ferries, etc), as you won’t need to circle back to your city of arrival. This tip can not only save you money but allows you to save time, so you can see more of Europe.

In our example, instead of a round-trip to London, fly into London and home from Paris. It’s a good idea to also research the round-trip fares from London (after all, you might snag a cheap deal), but we would certainly focus on flights from Chicago -> London, and then Paris -> Chicago.

Even if that flight turned out to be a bit more expensive, chances are it would be less expensive than paying for a trip on the Eurostar (or a flight!) back from Paris to London (and probably an extra overnight in London, too).

Paris in May can be just as beautiful (and a lot less crowded) than the summer. Photo: Loïc Lagarde

3. Be flexible with your dates.

Flexibility is a budget traveler’s best friend (in so, so many ways!). In terms of snagging a good deal on flights, if you can bump your travel dates around a bit, you may end up saving a lot on airfare.

If you have the possibility, try pushing the trip back a week or up a week to see if you can find a deal on airfare. You might be surprised—there might be something happening (a big convention, sporting event, Madonna concert…) in one of your cities that is throwing off the airfare.

Related: When is the best time to visit Paris and Amsterdam.

In our example, say that we find that our flight seems strangely expensive. In fact, the hotel prices also seem quite high—but only for Paris for our dates. This could indicate that Paris is booked up with some special event (such as a giant conference or the annual Fashion Weeks). If you have some flexibility, push your trip dates around and see if airfare drops. Hunt for a deal–you might just find it.

4. Avoid weekends if possible.

Flights tend to be more popular and more expensive for weekend travelers. If you’re able to travel midweek, chances are you’ll be able to snag a better deal. Play around with your dates — you’ll probably see cheaper airfare on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Related: Planning a trip to Europe? Avoid these 10 costly mistakes

Heathrow is a major airport in London, but did you know there are several others? Photo: Stefan Kellner

5. Be flexible with your destinations or itinerary.

Conversely, you can play around with your destinations. Is there another airport nearby that you haven’t included in your search? Could you add another leg to your trip that includes a less expensive airport to fly into? Can you juggle your itinerary a bit to avoid a momentarily expensive city?

Back to our example, if Paris is booked up (and flights expensive) because of the fashion show, perhaps we could invert the trip, landing in Paris (the week before the fashion show), visiting Amsterdam and then departing from London. This would allow us to avoid not only more expensive flight costs, but higher hotel rates, as well.

You should also double-check and make sure that you’re including all area airports in your search. In our example, don’t just search for Heathrow (LHR) and Charles de Gaulle (CDG). Make sure to search for the city code, “LON” and “PAR”, to see all area airports. A lot of European cities, even smaller ones, have secondary airports that might be new to you.

A final option is to “hub it.” For example, say you find an incredible flight deal from Chicago to Dublin on Aer Lingus. It might be worth booking the flight to Dublin and then searching Europe’s budget airlines (like Ryanair and easyJet) to get a fare from Dublin to London.

Don’t overlook nearby airports. Kayak has a function to let you easily search for them.

6. If at all possible, avoid the peak travel season.

We know, for many travelers, the timing of the trip has been established long in advance (often dictated by academic schedules, holidays, or growling bosses). However, if you do have a bit more flexibility and are looking for ways to save, consider pushing your trip away from peak summer months and global holidays, and into “shoulder season” or even low season.

For spring travel, instead of June, try early May or late April. Looking for a fall visit to Europe? Push your plans back from September to October to save a bit more. If you’re able to travel to Europe in the early spring or late fall, you will almost certainly be rewarded with lower airfares, shorter lines at top attractions, and lower hotel rates.

7. Know when to snag international airfare deals.

According to a study by the airline experts at Kayak.com, booking 34 days prior to departure is approximately 4% cheaper than booking six months in advance. That said, if you see a great deal many months out, don’t hesitate to book it!

WOW Air is just one of a handful of budget airlines offering super cheap flights to Europe. Photo: Alec Wilson

8. Don’t forget about “budget” international airlines.

In the past few years, a number of new budget-conscious airlines have started flying between North America and Europe. These airlines have made it possible to snag a one-way ticket for jaw-dropping prices, and their fare calendars make it easy to browse prices over the course of a few months.

WOW Airlines, which trumpets $99 one-way flights to mainland Europe (with a connection in Iceland) is certainly worth a search. Note, however, that this price is hard to find and doesn’t include extras such as checked baggage (which can add up fast, see our chart), seat assignments, or anything to nibble on. (Read our article on Wow Air to get more details.)

In 2016, it might be easier to fly WOW as they’ve recently announced a new route from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Europe, and that they’ll be expanding their schedule from Boston, Baltimore/Washington DC, Montreal, and Toronto. Hopefully, they’ll fly out New York in the near future as well!

Norwegian is another budget option that has been offering super cheap fares from North American to Europe. They fly non-stop from New York to London, and we’ve found some excellent deals on Norwegian in the past. Read our guide to making your trip on Norwegian more comfortable.

And the newest player to enter the transatlantic discount flight market is Primera Air. They are kicking off service to Paris and London in the spring of 2018.

Will you score a $99 one-way flight to Europe? Probably not, but it’s still worth it for budget travelers to look for deals on Wow! Airlines, Norwegian Air, and Westjet (from Canada).

Search now!

Ready to look for flights? Do a search with EuroCheapo’s flight search!

Your tips

How do you keep it cheap when searching for airfare to and around Europe? Share with us in the comments section below!

The post 8 Tips for finding cheap flights to Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

This past fall I was able to nab a fantastic deal on a non-stop flight to London from New York JFK for less than $300. Sound impossible? With a little bit of planning, a few hours of online searching, and a willingness to be flexible with your schedule and traveling habits, you could easily score the same kind of deal.

Related:

Wow! Airlines offers $99 flights to Europe

Norwegian offers $240 flights to Europe

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Search around

The big players in the flight search industry like Kayak, Expedia and Hipmunk are essential tools to finding good prices on flights. Spending a few minutes on each can’t hurt and is a great way to get the lay of the land. Be sure to check out EuroCheapo’s flight search, too, as it’s powered by Momondo.com and offers some surprising deals through smaller European carriers.

But don’t forget to check out the official airline websites, as well. The rates might be the same that you’ll find on meta-search engines, but they offer cool features to help you find less obvious deals. For example, Norwegian has a helpful fare calendar where you can quickly scan through a few months of schedules to find the cheapest trips. Wow! Air shows a few days at a time, and you can scroll back and forth to see cheap flights around the date you chose.

Spend some time getting to know your low-cost carrier’s online home, and you’ll be well on your way to finding a great deal.

Book early

This might be the most important tip here. Make sure to start your search well in advance of your potential travel times. And we don’t mean a few weeks—try to reserve your tickets at least two or three months out or even earlier.

For example, if you want to fly to London in January or February of 2015, flights are still available on Norwegian for as low as $249 each way. However, if you want to head over in spring when things warm up, you’d be wise not to wait on booking those seats. As of December 8, 2014, you can still find one-way flights to London in May for as little as $248. That’s a fantastic deal for a late spring vacation to Europe, but you can bet that those prices won’t last long. Snag them now.

Be flexible with dates and destinations

Granted, as a freelance writer, I had greater flexibility when planning my trip. However, even a little flexibility can usually go a long way when it comes to hunting down airline deals. Flying mid-week, for example, can almost always save you a $100 or more over weekend ticket prices–so if you can take an extra vacation day, go for it.

This doesn’t just mean that you have to leave midweek. For example, for my recent three-week jaunt around Europe this past fall, my plan was to start in London, and then hit Paris and Amsterdam on the way to a final week in Berlin for the Fall of the Wall 25 celebration. This gave me plenty of options when choosing my flights, as I could shuffle the order of the cities visited to find a deal. With a bit of patience, I was able to find a flight from NYC to London for a great price on Thursday night, getting into Gatwick on a Friday morning—just in time for the weekend!

Cut back on extras

We’ve talked about the stringent policies of these new budget carriers before in our recent article about $99 flights on Wow Air. But we’ll stress it again for any newbies to low-cost flying culture: Checked bags, meals, and even seat reservations can (and usually do) cost extra.

Fortunately, the price you’re shown on screen almost always includes taxes and airport fees. However, in almost all cases, the first fare you see is just the bare-bones flight. If you really need an aisle seat or plan on checking a bag, you’ll have to fork over some extra money.

Sometimes package deals on perks can be found. For example, Norwegian often bundles a seat reservation, meals and a checked bag into one fee. But this can still reach $50 or more, so a true Cheapo will go for the basic fare and pack lightly, bring along a sandwich or two and not mind where they end up sitting on the plane.

My ticket

Here’s how much I paid for my ticket for a non-stop flight from New York JFK to London Gatwick on Norwegian Air. I flew on October 23rd and booked the ticket in late July, approximately three months out. Cost of the ticket (including taxes and fees) was $298 (a great fare for an October direct flight), but I also opted to upgrade for an extra $50 to get two meals (including wine), a seat reservation (I love my window seats) and checked baggage to see if this experience was worth it. In the end, the food was only mediocre and I didn’t really need to check my bag, but I still enjoyed having the peace of mind that I wouldn’t be stuck in a middle seat or go hungry. It was nice to kick off my trip with a few extra perks, and a couple glasses of wine on your way to Europe never hurts!

Airfare: $298

Checked bag, seat reservation and food/drink: $50

Total cost: $348

The post How I scored a $298 one-way ticket to Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Travel blogs have been abuzz in the last few weeks in the wake of Iceland-based WOW Air’s announcement that they will be offering summer 2015 transatlantic flights starting at $99.

How is this possible? Is it really possible? There must be a catch, right?

Before we dive into the analysis of these deals, let’s take a moment to review Iceland’s recent and rather exciting low-cost passenger airline history.

Related: Creative and cheap ways to fly from the US to Europe

A little bit of history

Before there was WOW Air there was Iceland Express (2003-2012), which also flew transatlantic routes. The airline flew from Iceland’s Keflavík Airport (near the capital, Reykjavík, and the country’s main international airport) to Chicago, Boston, Orlando, Newark and Winnipeg.

Iceland Express ran the most irreverent in-house airline blog around and was a generally very appealing airline. The airline encountered serious logistics turbulence in 2011 when its operator abruptly terminated flight operations, and it turned to a Czech Airlines charter flight subsidiary for replacement aircraft. I flew the airline once after this shift occurred, and the experience was very uneven. The safety information on seats was in Czech, and the experience felt drained of any kind of branded Icelandic personality. It sort of felt as if the airline was in freefall; a few months later, Iceland Express was absorbed by WOW Air.

WOW Air was established in 2011. Like Iceland Express, it’s been cheeky from the start, though its brand has been more self-consciously stylish (just check out those flight attendant uniforms) and flashy than the older low-cost airline.

The transatlantic low-cost mini-boom

This year two airlines—Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet and Norway’s Norwegian—began selling inexpensive no-frills flights across the big pond for as low as $240 roundtrip. Let’s take a quick look at what the two airlines offer.

WestJet flew a seasonal route from Toronto via St. John’s, Newfoundland to Dublin this past summer, which it will reintroduce in 2015. This fall, deepening its reach into Europe, WestJet announced a Halifax-Glasgow route for 2015.

Norwegian’s assault was a bit broader from the get-go. The airline launched direct flights between four European gateways (Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and London Gatwick) and several US destinations: New York, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Oakland and Los Angeles. (Note that Oakland can only be reached from the three Scandinavian hubs as of yet.) As this investigative piece by Patrick Collinson in The Guardian shows, a return journey at the lowest advertised fare is all but impossible to snag.

WestJet and Norwegian’s forays provide a context for understanding WOW Air’s new routes. All three airlines’ lowest fares are incredibly cheap, though they also go quickly. In the established tradition of low-cost airlines, they’re also perk-free.

So what’s the WOW all about?

WOW Air will operate flights between Baltimore and Keflavík (with connections on to Copenhagen and London sold as single fares) from May through October 2015; flights between Boston and Keflavík (and also on to Copenhagen and London) begin in March 2015. Starting outbound single fares are advertised at $99, while fares returning from Europe will start at $125.

Availability is the kicker. I searched about a dozen dates on WOW’s website to find available flights from Baltimore and Boston in the US and Keflavík, London, and Copenhagen. Every April itinerary I looked for was fully booked, and itineraries into the summer and autumn were all well over the lowest $99/$125 per-sector fare advertised.

The best alternative that I came up with: a $327 roundtrip from Boston to Keflavík. This is, it must be said, a very good fare, even with additional charges of $100 or so roundtrip. (It is also plainly over the lowest $224 return fare.) WOW’s lowest fares clearly went very quickly, so the early birds scored the best deals.

Last month, Jaunted published an exhaustively detailed report on nabbing a $99 fare, which came to $164 once additional charges and “perks” were taken into account, and did not include in-flight costs like food and beverages.

Speaking of perks and fees… 

Flying on today’s transcontinental low-cost airlines require a shift in attitude. For many major carriers, from Air France to American Airlines, everything—meals, snacks, water and a seat reservation—is included. So if you don’t consider it acceptable to shell out $4 for a bottle of water, then you might not be ready for the low-cost air experience, where everything extra will cost you.

Want to bring a checked bag? Expect a steep fee. Want to choose your seat so you can grab a window view? Be prepared to have your credit card ready. These fees can quickly add $25, $50 or even $100 to a one-way ticket. On the flip side, if you don’t need many comfort amenities and are just looking for a seat, airlines like WOW and Norwegian could be just up your alley.

Is it worth it?

Yes. Well, probably—with two big caveats. First, research actual (as opposed to advertised) costs. What other add-ons (checked luggage, meals, reserved seats, seats with extra legroom) will be charged on top of your base fare? How heavily will these charges add up? Will they transform an apparent bargain into an average fare?

Secondly, do you want to end up in one of the destinations these airlines serve? If not, price out your connection onwards. Is the resultant fare less expensive than a direct fare on a conventional airline? Do your research and think seriously about your goals and intentions as a traveler.

WOW Air, Norwegian and WestJet’s routes provide new ways to chart out budget-friendly transportation to Europe. For most potential customers, the resultant bargain will be higher than the lowest advertised fare, though it will probably still be less expensive than a legacy carrier fare.

View these fares as tools. They might work swimmingly; they might not quite cut it. But they’re now part of your cost-cutting arsenal, budget warrior.

The post WOW, $99 to Europe? Yes, but the devil is in the details appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Travelers can choose to launch their journeys from one of six airports: Berlin, Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover and Stuttgart.

The airline has divided their mystery destinations into several categories. Cologne/Bonn offers seven summer season categories, all but one of them priced at €33 per leg: Culture, Gay-friendly, Metropolis, Nature, Trekking and Hiking, Party and Shopping. The seventh category, Sun and Beach, is priced at €49.99 per leg. Hamburg and Stuttgart offer four destination categories, Dusseldorf three and Berlin and Hannover one apiece.

The booking process

My mission was to yield to chance and to watch my pennies. Though quite pleasant to fly, Germanwings is a low-cost airline. Pinching pennies on a low-cost carrier means not paying extra for either a seat assignment or checked luggage. On the ground I prioritized supermarket meals and booked the very cheapest accommodation I could find.

I chose Dusseldorf for two reasons. One, it was easy and relatively inexpensive to reach from London, my home base. Secondly, the Dusseldorf “party” gathering of destinations appealed to me more than any other. The grouping included Leipzig, Dresden, Warsaw and Katowice, as well as Stockholm and Barcelona, cities where I have friends. (From the outset I found this category to be confusing. This group of cities didn’t really strike me to be particularly or relatively festive places. Marketing is hard!)

And the destination is…

I made my booking after dinner one evening. A receipt flashed on my screen and I discovered that I was destined for Milan Malpensa. Milan was one of two cities on the list I had hoped wouldn’t come up. I like Milan fine but had visited fairly recently. So my first reaction was disappointment. Here’s lesson one, perhaps the most obvious of all though worth repeating: Blind Booking is not an ideal holiday solution for anyone with a very fixed idea about where they want to travel.

That said, there are ways to game Blind Booking. For €5, customers can exclude a destination from the group list. Customers can also examine existing timetables to maximize their likelihood of flying to a particular destination.

Beyond these hacks, Blind Booking is about yielding to chance. Because the booking period extends to 45 days prior to departure, Blind Booking doesn’t have to be a fly-by-night endeavor. With over six weeks of lead time, there are plenty of opportunities to plan ahead.

I booked a two-night jaunt. Because my departing flight left too early to make it from London to Dusseldorf with a comfortable cushion for transfer time, I had to fly in the previous evening. And because my return flight from Milan to Dusseldorf arrived around 11 PM, I had to find a hotel in Dusseldorf for a night at the end of the jaunt.

These two additional details provided the second lesson of Blind Booking, equally as obvious as the first lesson, but worth articulating nonetheless: This cheap roundtrip ticket is essentially a clearance item. In exchange for €66, customers have to organize themselves around the itinerary on offer. My guess is that departures and returns in the early morning and late night hours are particularly common Blind Booking slots. Flexibility is key.

The trip

I headed for the mountains: Two nights in Lugano, followed by a scenic rail journey from Locarno to Domodossola.

I flew into Milan Malpensa, had a quick (and necessary) espresso at an airport café and took the Malpensa Express to Milano Centrale. Here I had about 15 minutes to buy my ticket on to Lugano, which was a snap.

Though EuroCheapo I booked two nights at Ristorante le bucce de Gandria, a small restaurant with several guestrooms in Gandria, a village on the edge of Lugano. My room was CHF130 ($145) for two nights, which around these parts is quite cheap. After arriving I made a beeline to the nearest gas station/convenience shop where I bought the holy grail of a simple supermarket dinner: salami, cheese, anchovies, yogurt, nuts and water. The damage: CHF20 ($22).

My two days were about reacquainting myself with Lugano, a city I’d last visited when I was 19. Supermarket lunches, long walks along the lake, two delightful swims, a pleasurable dinner on the balcony at Locanda Gandriese restaurant in Gandria, enjoyed with a local Ticinese wine and capped with a shot of house-made limoncello, wanders through Lugano’s hillside shopping streets, and a visit to the Museo Cantonale d’Arte, the cantonal art museum of Ticino.

Locarno is charming town just a short ride from Lugano. Photo: Luca G

On my third day I took the train to Locarno. Outside, Alpine vistas; inside, boisterous children set free on a field trip. In Locarno I caught a scenic train back into Italy, to regional hub Domodossola. This town, at the confluence of two rivers, features some noteworthy late medieval architecture and an attractive central square, Piazza del Mercato. Its stone and timber houses, arcades, and mountain peaks give Domodossola a rustic charm. I enjoyed risotto and steak for €13 at a quiet restaurant well off the central square and wandered for some time.

From Domodossola I caught a direct bus to Milan Malpensa for €15. This bus, which relies on government subsidy, runs on a demand-only basis and must be reserved in advance.

The Upshot

Germanwings’ Blind Booking is a little bit gimmicky but quite fun. It’s a good option for travelers with a broad interest in a great number of destinations; anyone with something very specific in mind should give it a pass. Anyone considering a Blind Booking break should take a look at their schedule and weigh the pros (surprise, cost) and cons (schedule, rigidity).

Note: Germanwings did not support this journey in any way.

The post Germanwings’ Blind Booking Deal appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Unfortunately, depending on where you’re coming from, a flight to Europe can be cost prohibitive for many travelers. Fear not! Unlock savings and explore these five simple tips to find your lowest airfare to Europe.

1. Buy your ticket in advance (but not too far)

It is intuitive that airline tickets are cheaper far in advance—when you as a consumer have flexibility—and increase steadily the closer you get to the date of the flight. This is true, but only partially.

According to an ARC Study, ticket prices tend to dip to their lowest levels six weeks in advance of a flight. Those who book their tickets at that time save an average of 6%. So be sure to plan your trip in advance… somewhat.

2. Fly mid-week to mid-week

Most people tend to think of a vacation in terms of a typical workweek. For example, flying on a Friday night and coming the back following weekend. Break this cycle or break the bank!

According to a FareCompare study, flying midweek—on a Tuesday or Wednesday—can save you up to 35% because of lower demand.

3. Book on a Tuesday afternoon

People tend to search for airline tickets when they have free time, which is most often in the evenings after school and work or on the weekends. As expected, ticket prices subsequently tend to rise at these times, especially over the weekend.

In fact, according to FareCompare, the cheapest time to buy a ticket is Tuesday afternoon when most airlines release their deals.

4. Travel from hub to hub for cheaper rates

Another great way to unlock savings on your next trip to Europe is to know your airlines and hubs, recognizing that hub to hub travel is often associated with steep discounts.

For example, if you’re planning a trip from New York to Vienna, you could book a direct flight. However, one way to save money would be to book direct to an airline’s hub—like flying from New York to Lufthansa’s hub in Munich—and then buying a regional ticket on a budget airline to Vienna.

5. Think about ALL of your travel costs

Although not technically airfare, to really unlock travel savings to Europe, think beyond just a flight to all of your travel. Many travelers, for instance, forget to research ground transportation when they land and end up spending large sums on cabs and other travel versus inexpensive and available bus and metro systems.

About the Author

David D. Chait is a travel enthusiast and Co-Founder of Travefy, a free group travel planning app.

The post 5 simple tips for finding the lowest airfare to Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

However, there are a few key ways that flying low-cost carrier differ from your legacy airlines. To avoid “first time” shock, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Navigating the extra fees when booking

Be ready to click through a number of “no thanks” extras before finally checking out. Websites will try to hook you on phone plans, car rentals, priority booking and just about anything else you can think of. Additional costs can add up fast. On some sites you must click on the “no” button to change it from a “yes” default. If your ticket is more than advertised at the end, go through the boxes again to make sure you didn’t buy something extra. And don’t forget to print out your PDF-ready ticket after you purchase it.

2. Keep small and carry on

All low-cost airlines have a one cabin luggage limit, and the staff are very strict on keeping within the size dimensions of around 20in x 15in x 8in (and 20 pounds). Passengers might even go through a “does your bag fit into this basket” test before boarding. Being sneaky rarely works, so if your luggage is too big, then get ready to pay about as much as the flight ticket to check it. Here’s a guide

3. Get ready to land in the boonies

Not all destinations land in the city advertised. Many budget airlines can only afford to land in smaller towns just on the outskirts, like El Prat instead of Barcelona, and Beauvais instead of Paris. So when you walk off the plane and find yourself in the boonies, don’t panic. Public buses and private coaches offer direct connections to the closest major city. It could cost as much as the flight in the end to get there, but chances are it’s still less than a train ticket.

4. BYOB everything

Forget complimentary anything (except toilets), on board it’s a “Sell! Sell! Sell!” attitude. From tax-free shopping to “two-for-one” cocktails, scratch cards, raffle tickets and cigarettes–it’s like a casino flying through the sky. The good news is you can bring on board any drinks and snacks purchased after airport security, although the in-flight deals can be a better buy sometimes.

5. Welcome to general admission seating

Love a window seat? So do I, and so does the guy waiting to board in front of you. It’s general admission on these flights. If you’re picky about seating, either show up early to be among the first to board, or be ready to fight for a good spot. Solo travelers can easily mosey in and sit alone, but couples and families might want to plan an early arrival at the gate (or pay extra for priority boarding).

6. Prepare for ungodly hours

The cheapest flights that go for practically nothing are known for departing as early as 6 AM and as late as 11 PM. It might not seem so bad at first, but an early flight can mean waking up as early as 3 AM, or even sleeping at the airport the night before due to a lack of public transport. When picking out-of-the-ordinary departure times, research your options first about getting there. And make sure you’re an early bird that catches its worm before it wiggles off the tarmac!

Share your tips with fellow flyers
Are you an experienced low-cost airline traveler and have your own tips or secrets to share with Cheapos that are new to flying the budget skies? Feel free to post away in our comments section. You can also check out our “Pros and cons of budget airlines” and our “Tips to finding cheap flights around Europe” for more information.

The post New to Europe’s budget airlines? Here are 6 tips for taking off appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Matthew Kepnes, author of the Nomadic Matt travel blog, has recently published a new ebook, The Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking, in which he demonstrates ways to “hack” your way to free or discounted international airline tickets.

We sat down with him recently to discuss his new book and glean some tips on finding cheaper tickets.

So, what, exactly is “travel hacking”?

A travel hacker is a person who uses loyalty rewards systems to gain hundreds of thousands of miles per year without traveling. It’s the art of using the airline or hotel programs to your favor by taking advantage of the loopholes and cracks in their program.

Travel hacking has saved me a ton of money from free hotel rooms to free flights. I’ve stayed at W hotels around the country for free, Hilton hotels, a week at a Courtyard Marriott in Hong Kong for free. With flights, I’ve flown first class to London, Hong Kong, and more with them. I have a lot of examples of using points for free travel.

When did you realize you were a travel hacker?

When I started spending Friday nights looking for flight deals and points.

Right… that’s pretty hardcore. You say you can remove money from the equation by using points. But don’t you really need money to rack up points?

Yes, but no more than you normally spend anyways. I use my everyday spending to meet the minimum spending requirements for the credit card bonuses. I time my sign-ups with big purchases. But there are a lot of ways to “fake” spending from using Amazon payments to Vanilla Reload cards. I explain it in detail in my book, but you can use these methods to fake the spending requirements.

Plus, airlines always have contest, promotions, and deals that allow you to earn miles.

This all sounds great, but won’t taking out more credit cards affect your credit score?

There is always a temporary ding in your credit whenever someone makes an inquiry, but the ding is only temporary and is gone after a few months. Having a lot of credit cards can help your credit score because it increases your debt to credit ratio. So, if you have $100,000 in available credit, but are only using 5% of that, that increases your score. I have a credit score of 791 despite constantly opening new cards.

I wouldn’t go open a bunch of new cards right before you apply for a mortgage, but if you aren’t doing that, why not use your credit score to your advantage?

Are there ways to be a travel hacker without using credit cards?

There are a few things you can do besides signing up for lots of credit cards: airlines have online shopping portals where you can earn up to 20 miles per dollar spent (on average, it’s 3-4) instead of just one when shopping in person; sign up for airline newsletters to watch for special promotions; and take part in every survey or contest, since companies give away miles a lot.

Have you ever taken a crazy mileage run?

I was going to take an overnight flight to Hawaii and then come right back, but Hurricane Sandy happened and cancelled that plan. I fly enough each year I don’t really need a “top up” for miles. I usually plan it out so I’m right over the wire for the highest level I need.

Can non-Americans “hack” their trip?

Yes, but it’s a lot harder. Canada is a good market and the UK is starting to have some really good deals and bonuses, but outside those two, there’s not a lot for people. What makes these countries good are the huge sign-up bonuses the credit cards offer, but you don’t get that in other countries because of tighter credit laws.

What’s the single most important piece of advice you’d offer to a reader in the process of booking a flight for an upcoming trip to Europe?

When it comes to booking flights to Europe on miles, I’d travel off-peak, because you can get rewards for as little as 40,000 miles. Plus, when you travel in the off season, every move on the ground is cheaper. It’s win-win.

Thanks for the tips, Matt.

Readers, what do you think? Is “travel hacking” for you? Do you use these methods to regularly score free or discounted flights to Europe? Do you recommend a particular loyalty program? Please leave a comment below.

The post Tips for hacking your way to free airline tickets from Nomadic Matt appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

U.S. carriers have already begun applying for safety dispensations, and the industry, along with electronics manufacturers, are pushing for action on the matter prior to the upcoming holiday travel season.

Checking Facebook on Norwegian. Photo: kkoukopoulos

What about European low-cost carriers?

These U.S. research findings are likely to influence carriers around the globe, including European airlines. While the continent lags behind its North American counterparts in offering in-flight Wi-Fi services for passengers, this change may provide just the boost needed for airlines to consider offering or upgrading on-board internet service. Currently the only European low-cost airline I am aware of offering broadband connections for mobile users in-flight is Norwegian – which it does for free!

The BBC reports that EU countries are in the process of legislating changes allowing for satellite access to faster internet service for airline passengers, which may improve on-board connectivity as soon as 2014.

The in-air use of cellular phones for calling, still largely an unpopular idea with air travelers, is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and will not be affected by the aforementioned change. EU fliers are already allowed to make mobile calls in-flight if their carrier has appropriately outfitted their planes for the service; one of the few airlines to have done so (and charging a premium for it) is Ryanair.

Yet if, as the BBC projects, internet streaming both increases in popularity and speeds up dramatically, the use of VoIP services such as Skype may circumvent current regulations and unleash across the friendly skies a new wave of anger over appropriate airborne telephone etiquette.

The post Will European budget airlines be affected by FAA changes on personal electronic devices? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.