Europe on the Cheap

by: Noosh Bazargan 

Want to take on Europe but afraid you'll break the bank? Join the club of millions of Americans who want to fly across the Atlantic, but find the Euro not in the dollar's favor. Here's three easy steps to shave off the extra dollars on your European vacation:

The first step:
find a cheap flight. No one wants to spend a fortune on airfare. And if you have a computer and an internet connection you're halfway to Europe already!
Here's a secret you might not have known.: nearly every country or region has at least one budget airline also called "low cost carriers".
For example, companies like Easyjet and Ryanair offer incredible bargains for flights to the United Kingdom. You can score flights for less than $27.00(USD) on these types of carriers. If you think that's a bargin, flights can even dip as low as free!

These "low cost carriers" will offer the best price if you book early and search engines like Jet4you.com can help you streamline a deal. The airlines will make up that cost with a few fees and taxes (come on now, nothing is really free) but it's still your best bet for a cheap flight.

Step 2: find a cheap hotel. One site out there can show you the cheapest hotels and reviews as well as various guides to help you keep a low budget. That site, ironically, is called EuroCheapo.com. The website's blogs also show how you can score free entertainment tickets, cheap eats and alerts on discount airfare. And if you're set on traveling in style: Travel and Leisure magazine came up with a list of 20 hotels from Stockholm to Sevilla that won't break your bank.

And Step 3: and of course if you want a way to get around and the EuroRail is the way to go. If you're a student or a senior you have the best chance of scoring discounts. You can save up to 50 percent on RailEurope.com who is running a special on tickets. The site has eight different packages of senior discounts and the best part: you can buy them right online. With so many discounts at your fingertips, taking on Europe was never this easy.

 

Related Links:

FlyBaboo, www.flybaboo.com

SideStep, www.sidestep.com

Sterling, www.sterling.dk

Air Berlin, www.airberlin.com

RyanAir, www.ryanair.com

Jet4you, www.jet4you.com

Wizz Air, www.wizzair.com

EasyJet, www.easyjet.com