How to Find Cheap Airfare to the Women’s World Cup

The first order of business with just about any trip is finding a good price on airfare – and if you’re planning a trip for a big event, that task can be even harder. Add the complication of said event being during the high season and you’ve really got to do your homework to find cheap flights.

This is the perfect storm we find ourselves in for the 2011 Women’s World Cup. It may not be as big on the world stage as the Men’s World Cup, but it’s still a very big deal – made even more special because it only takes place every four years. It’s in Germany this year, and in the summer – which is Europe’s high season already. In other words, if you’re planning to go to any of the games and you don’t already have your plane tickets, you should probably get on that to-do item ASAP.

Here are some tips to help you find cheap airfare to Germany for the 2011 Women’s World Cup.

>> The Women’s World Cup runs from June 26-July 17, 2011.

Keep Plans Flexible

Perhaps the best way to make sure you don’t pay too much for a plane ticket, almost regardless of when you’re traveling or where you’re going, is to keep your travel plans flexible at the outset. The bigger the net that you cast when searching for flights, the better chance you’ll find the cheaper flights in a given week or on a given day.

Let the airfare search tool you’re using do the hard work for you by making sure the box that says “my dates are flexible” (or something like that) is checked. Then you’ll see fares for, usually, 2-3 days on either side of your target travel dates. This way you’ll see if there’s a big fare jump or drop close to your original travel dates and can decide if it’s enough savings to alter your plans.

Learn When Flights are Cheaper

Since the price of air tickets fluctuates throughout each week and each day, it would be helpful to know when the price dips usually are so you can start your searches there. Unfortunately, these dips aren’t set in stone – but there’s enough of a trend around them that you can at least get a little head start.

The cheaper days to fly tend to be Wednesdays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays – and the cheaper times of day to fly are typically the first flights each morning (yes, the super early ones) and the late-night departures (including red eyes). Start there and use the “my dates are flexible” box and you’re well on your way to finding the lowest prices on flights for the time period you want to travel.

Check Alternate Airports

Sometimes when planning a trip you don’t have many airport choices. With an event like the Women’s World Cup, taking place in several cities, you’ve got more options. And more options always mean more potential for saving money.

The host cities for the 2011 Women’s World Cup are: Berlin, Dresden, Wolfsburg, Bochum, Mönchengladbach, Leverkusen, Frankfurt, Sinsheim, and Augsburg. Not all of these cities have big international airports that will be convenient for people traveling from overseas, but you still have a few options you can consider. Frankfurt is home to Germany’s biggest airport (as well as one of Europe’s main hubs), Berlin has two international airports, and Augsburg is close enough to the city of Munich that you could also look at the Munich airport.

Look at Budget Carriers

Europe has a plethora of budget airlines with names that aren’t familiar to anyone who doesn’t live in Europe, but that can save you quite a bit on airfare once you’re on the continent. If you’re already looking at an itinerary with a layover in Europe before you get to Germany, why not look at an itinerary where you’d switch to a discount airline during that layover?

Assuming your only option to get to Europe in the first place is one of the big legacy carriers, check out your options for flying from your entry point to the city in Germany where you want to be on one of the many budget airlines that serves that route. You’re likely to need to book two separate tickets for your trip, so there are more logistical details you need to pay attention to, but this method can save you quite a bit – especially if you get lucky and hit one of those famous budget airline sales.

>> Here are some of the budget airlines in Europe.

Do the Math on Sports Vacation Packages

As with any special event, the Women’s World Cup has its share of sports vacation packages – and while it’s hard to argue with the convenience of booking everything you’ll need with one click, if you’re interested in saving money you need to do some math first.

Try to break down the package trip you’re considering to see what’s included. Then figure out how much you’d spend if you bought each part of the package separately. There may be extras included in the package that you wouldn’t buy otherwise, or that you can’t find prices for but would be great additions to your trip. Take those into consideration, and then see which method saves you more money.

photo by ExperienceLA