Save on Airfare

Although I just talked about the benefits of traveling by train, nothing gets you to your destination faster than an airplane. Train tickets generally don't exceed $500, (excluding first-class tickets) but plane tickets can cost thousands of dollars.

The faster you're able to get to your destination, the more time you'll have available for sightseeing, or even enough time to squeeze in a visit to another country. In order to purchase the plane tickets I needed at a price that wasn't going to empty my wallet, I booked flights months in advance on Ryanair. 

Tip #6

Book flights in advance on Ryanair

Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline which offers flights to destinations all across Europe. If you book your flights in advance on Ryanair, you can pay as little as $20 for your plane ticket. When I say in advance  however, I don't mean a few weeks, I'm talking about months, preferably 6 months. On Ryanair.com, the company advertises upcoming flights at cheap prices. Although it can be difficult to plan so far ahead, the money you'll save on your ticket is worth it. I booked all of my Ryanair tickets for my backpacking trips about 6 months in advance and never paid more than $30 for a ticket. If you book a Ryanair flight last minute, however, the prices can increase to thousands of euros. 

Ryanair is able to sell their tickets at such low prices because they are a "no-frill" airline. There are absolutely NO EXTRAS on Ryanair flights and they charge you fees for everything they possible can. Ryanair has been a very controversial airline because the airline generates so much money in ancillary revenue, money from sources other than tickets. 

One thing Ryanair is notorious for is charging extremely expensive fees for baggage that is over-sized or overweight. On one of my first Ryanair flights, my carry-on bag would not fit at the gate-check and I was forced to pay 30 euro (about $40). From then on, in order to get around the outrageous fees without have to sacrifice any of the items in my bags, I used to wear as many items of clothing as possible. Although it was extremely uncomfortable to fly wearing 6 or more shirts, 3 pairs of jeans or shorts, all my bras, and all my underwear, I was determined not to pay any fees. 

Although I was extremely sweaty and uncomfortable during 90% of my flights, I was able to purchase the plane tickets I needed for a fraction of what they usually cost. If you plan your trips in advance, and weasel your way out of Ryanair's extra fees, you can use this airline to save both time and money.