Cheapest way to get to Europe from America?
Posted by dollartoast4@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 11 comments
So a little background info, I am a 19M flying for the first time this summer going to Kosovo for a wedding. The wedding is the weekend of July 23 but I want to arrive about a week earlier. I checked back in march and the tickets costed around 900 USD. Now though its upwards near 1100 USD. I felt the need to ask this sub if they got any advice on how to get there the cheapest way. Also if anyone has any websites they use or other things that help them travel I would greatly appreciate it.
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
Dude, going to Kosovo? Talk about having your first transoceanic voyage be on hard mode. Best of luck!
Pristine10887@reddit
What about going to Kosovo is 'hard mode'?
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
London, Barcelona, Rome. Those are usually the cheapest airports from US in my experience. Then use European budget airlines to get where you need to go.
Roundaboutsix@reddit
In Rome now. $650 RT American Airlines from JFK...
delightful_caprese@reddit
I consider that expensive. I rarely pay more than $350 RT to Barcelona from NYC
NiagaraThistle@reddit
WHen do you typically travel to Barcelona?
I fly from Toronto to London and have only been able to get, at best, average of $550 RT which i think is great. That's typically may-ish though. SOMETIMES pushing beginning of June...but for $350 RT, I'd drive to NYC instead.
delightful_caprese@reddit
I go once or twice a year at different times of the year, but I do try to book far in advance. I'm flying JFK to BCN on Tap Air this coming May 31 which was about $400 RT. I think Level Air is coming back... they were $120 each way when I took it in November/December one year.
aligibson09@reddit
I’m late to the discussion, but how far in advance did you book for your late May trip to BCN? I’m looking now for late May-early June and the price skyrockets starting mid-late May.
Intelligent_Sky283@reddit
Skyscanner and Hopper are great sites to find cheap airfare to Europe. I also subscribe to a few email subscription services that save me money. This article helped me find a flight to France for my family this summer: https://www.myglobalviewpoint.com/the-cheapest-way-to-get-to-europe/
NomiTheNomad@reddit
Former travel agent and current airline employee here.
The fuller the flight becomes on a particular route, the more expensive the remaining seats become. So the best way to save money is to book in advance, well in advance. The longer you wait, the more you can expect to see that fare go up. Especially with fuel prices rising and airlines adjusting for other inflationary costs.
I often use kayak.com to determine the best pricing and routing possibilities. Even though I can fly for free, I prefer to travel on a confirmed ticket because there is too much risk involved in flying standby. You can set up alerts and see a myriad of options.
Once I find the fare and routing that works for me, I always contact the airline directly. Most will meet or beat online fares (and some will even agree to adjust your fare down if they have a fire sale after you book) and you will have a confirmed ticket directly with them, in the event of any mishaps to your flight/booking. Dealing with a third party intermediary (besides a human travel agent, which I always recommend, they work for free) can be an absolute nightmare.
Additionally, make sure you make room in your budget for travel insurance, even if the credit card you are using has some sort of travel insurance protection.
I won’t even tell you the nightmare stories of people I know who ended up spending ten to twenty times the amount they paid for their travel, because they wouldn’t spring for a $100 travel insurance policy.
I don’t sell travel insurance, I just know the value from first hand experience.
You have a war in Europe going on, supply chain issues, rocketing fuel prices and a lingering pandemic/epidemic which has caused several airlines to go bust and left passengers stranded.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to a travel agent who specializes in travel to Kosovo, even though they don’t typically sell just airfare alone, they will have connections with tour operators who may have purchased blocks of seats on the flight you wish to take, and the cost of the tour and flight together might be worth it (and no one says you have to take the tour).
A simple internet search of “Kosovo travel expert” based in the US should turn up some results for you.
All the best for your exciting trip!
tanchitwoo@reddit
This was some of the best advice I’ve seen online! Thank you