How To Find And Book Cheap Flights In Europe, According To Rick Steves

Whether young or old, budget-minded travelers have long opted to hop around Europe via its vast network of buses and trains. But what if you could save valuable vacation time by actually flying to destinations instead for the same price — or less — than ground transportation? According to travel guru Rick Steves, you sometimes can. And Steves should know. The well-known purveyor of travel guidebooks, tours, and accessories has consistently spent about 100 days per year on the European continent every year since the 1970s.

Following the deregulation of European airlines in the 1990s, low-cost carriers started emerging. Perhaps the most famous of these no-frills airlines is Ryanair, but there's also Wizz Air, easyJet, and many others to choose from. Better still, these low-cost carriers have challenged mainstream airlines to lower prices to remain competitive. In fact, some major airlines now have their own low-cost subsidiaries. For example, Spanish carrier Iberia has Vueling, while Germany's Lufthansa operates Eurowings.

You might be wondering just how cheap some of these budget flights are? At the time of writing, Ryanair lists one-way flights from the United Kingdom to Bergamo, Italy, for £14.25 (about $17.85 or ~€17.14) with no additional mandatory taxes or fees. Similarly, you can jet one-way from London to Hungary's gorgeous capital city of Budapest for £14.99 (~$18.75 or ~€18.03). That's less than the cost of an entrée in many restaurants. With that said, as Steves notes, there are certain deal-killing pitfalls you'll want to be aware of.

To begin, Rick Steves explains that budget airlines don't make a lot of profit on the airfare itself. Therefore, they'll typically charge extra fees for everything from seat assignments to refreshments to luggage. Especially luggage. Not knowing your airline's luggage rules is one of the most major money mistakes you can make when traveling.

Indeed, you can most certainly expect to pay for checking a large suitcase; however, many discount carriers also charge for carry-on bags that are stored in the airplane cabin's overhead bins. Frequently, only very small items that can fit under the seat in front of you are free to bring on board, such as a purse, laptop bag, or modest-sized backpack. Another luggage "gotcha" is that, even when paying for a carry-on or a checked bag, that bag will also be subject to weight limits, which may be lower than domestic carriers and/or mainstream international carriers. Exceeding that limit, external dimensions of the bag notwithstanding, can result in significant fees from the airline at the time of check-in or boarding.

For this reason, savvy travelers may opt to invest in a compact portable scale for weighing luggage, such as this Travel Inspira luggage scale with a 110-pound capacity (and a 4.7 rating from over 29K reviews at Amazon). These scales frequently cost less than $10 and are available for purchase online and in some big-box stores. Armed with a handheld luggage scale, you can perhaps omit unnecessary items of clothing or redistribute the weight to another bag instead. Now, if you do foresee the need to add luggage (or extra weight) to your bargain-basement plane ticket, Steves warns, "Don't wait until you get to the airport." Instead, do so at the same time you buy your ticket, as it'll be cheaper.

Many seasoned travelers have their own personal favorite site or app for searching for the lowest fares. But if you're new to travel, some perennially popular players in that space include Kayak (does Kayak really get you a better deal?); SkyScanner, which Rick Steves says is his "first stop;" Kiwi; and Google Flights. When searching for airfare bargains, you'll likely need to broaden your search to include airports that are nearby to your destination, not just the primary airport. For instance, cheap flights to and from London often operate from London's Stansted (STN) airport as opposed to the more well-known London-Heathrow (LHR). Ditto for Rome's Ciampino airport (CIA) instead of the larger Fiumicino (FCO) facility.

Also, be aware that the least expensive fares displayed frequently don't permit changes or cancellations. However, the corresponding airline will be more than happy to sell you an upgraded fare class that does permit modification. Often, flyers can bundle together luggage, assigned seats, early boarding, and the ability to change a reservation for an additional fee.

If you need these additional perks, Money Digest recommends doing due diligence versus flying mainstream carriers that offer some of these "extras" for free to determine if the budget airline is still a good value. And of course, there's always that right of passage of taking a bus or train instead. (For more wisdom from Rick Steves, you can also check out why Steves recommends avoiding certain types of ATMs in Europe.)