Independent Travel in Europe

Travelling independently entails booking your own flight, which means that you can research prices and schedules and choose what's best for you. Use websites that allow you to compare airline prices, but also check the airlines' websites themselves, as discounts are sometimes offered only on the airlines' sites.

Tips and resources for booking airfares

     Weekdays:
          It's usually cheaper to fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Compare prices using tools such as Expedia.ca's Fare Calendar, Orbitz, Flightnetwork and Travelocity. It's usually more expensive to fly Thursday - Monday.

     Airports:
         Choose to fly out of and to a major international airport; for example, Ottawa to Frankfurt, Montreal to Paris or Boston to London. 

      Season:
          Lowest airfares are offered during the low season (mid November to early April except for the holiday season. Airlines also sometimes offer deals for August vacation dates).

     When to book your flights:
          Flights are usually cheaper the further in advance you book - if possible, book about 7 - 8 months ahead. It'll probably cost you more to book 4 -6 months ahead - prices usually go down again 2 - 3 months ahead.

    Last-minute deals:
          If your departure date is flexible plus you also happen to be flexible regarding exactly where you'd like to go in Europe, researching last minute deals to various destinations could prove to result in significant savings.

      Flying Standby:
          Waiting until the day before you'd like to leave or the day itself can save you up to half the regular price; however, if you want to have concrete travel plans, this is definitely not an option.

     Combining international and domestic flights:
            If your destination is not part of the more popular flight routes, you may not be able to purchase tickets for a direct flight. Most often you will need to board a connecting flight in Europe. One way to save on airfare is to purchase a direct flight to a European destination which is part of a popular route and then purchase a ticket for a domestic flight on a budget European airline. Be aware, though, that although budget domestic aifares may be ridiculously low, budget domestic airlines may enforce very strict luggage requirements and charge exorbitant prices for check-in luggage. Also, you may need to travel to a different airport to board the flight to your destination.

     Youth/Student and Senior Air fares:
          Some airlines offer flight discounts for youth 18 and under. Seniors should check for discounts for people 65 and over, and sometimes even for those 55 and over. If you're not sure, call the airline's customer service.

         

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