By Jennifer O'Brien
11 March 2004

The keys to budget travel in Europe are planning and flexibility - with a little of both, you can save yourself thousands of dollars and have the adventure of a lifetime. Hands down, your plane ticket will be the most expensive part of the trip; fortunately, it’s also the part where you can, with a little effort, catch the biggest deals.

A 10-day vacation in Europe can be done comfortably for less than $1,000; a two-month adventure all told can be done for $4,000-$5,000. Be innovative and independent. Strike out on your own, liberate yourself from prepackaged tours, and create an adventure that’s truly yours.

Yes, it will be daunting at first, and even planning a trip might seem a huge undertaking, but you’ll see and experience - and save - so much more traveling by your own design than you would on a chartered tour. For more money-saving tips and general travel advice, check out any guidebook in the Let’s Go) series.

Choose your own adventure. Just because Mom and Dad always booked through Jane the Travel Agent doesn’t mean you should too. With the Internet brimming with discount resources and airlines increasingly desperate for passengers, it’s unlikely that you’ll get a better deal through an agent.

Travel agents often charge booking fees and are paid by commission. While they will help you save some cash, they probably won’t spend the time searching for the lowest possible fare. Not only will just a little effort save you a bundle, but booking your own flight and accommodations gives you both more flexibility and greater control over the trip.

Your goal is to enjoy the summer of a lifetime, rather than whatever the travel agency is pushing at the time. So while Ma and Pop blow $1,200 a piece roundtrip to Rome, you might catch the same ticket online for a cool $400… or decide that the real place to be is somewhere completely different.

Everyone’s doing it online these days. More often than not, the cheapest airfares will be found online. A friend and I decided to go to London for New Year’s - hey, it was warmer than sub-zero New England - and, searching for the best airfare, called around a bit in addition to scouring the Web. The lowest price an actual human would quote us was about $500 plus taxes; we found tickets online for $290 roundtrip, during the pricey holiday period to boot.

Check out the websites listed below, and skim the sites of the major airlines serving your destination (for links to almost every airline, see www.travelpage.com). Many airlines offer last-minute deals or try to undercut the competition.

Once you have your destination and dates relatively set, shop around for the lowest quotes but don’t drag your search out too long - airfares increase the closer you get to your departure date. Generally, reservations must be made seven to 21 days in advance (with the exception of last-minute fare deals) and often have 7- to 14-day minimum-stay and up to 90-day maximum stay restrictions. Before handing over any credit card info, make sure that any website you use has a secure server and that you receive and print out a confirmation of your purchase.

StudentUniverse and STA Travel offer student rates, while Orbitz gives both student and adult price quotes.

Priceline allows you to specify a price, but you’re obligated to buy any ticket that meets or beats it; be prepared for antisocial hours and odd routes. However, the website now also offers a standard airfare search engine in addition to the original price bidding feature.

SkyAuction lets you bid on both last-minute and advance-purchase tickets. Major European air carriers that may offer cheaper online prices include Air France , British Airways, Iceland Air, Lufthansa and SwissAir.

More ways to get abroad on a budget. If prices are still too hot for you, all is not lost. If summer is the only time you can travel, think beyond Europe; it’s the low season (read: less expensive) in much of the Southern Hemisphere.

If your heart’s set on Europe, the cheapest times to fly are November to mid-December and January to March (hotel and hostel prices dive down then, too). Or consider studying, working or volunteering for the summer instead - the Let’s Go international database lists thousands of tourism alternatives to choose from.