Europe - Travel Deals

Virgin Atlantic: Economy Fares to London

Feel Airphoria; Book a flight to London today!

It’s winter in London but that doesn’t mean you need to avoid this lovely city. Actually, it’s much cheaper to visit London during winter and you can even find some good bargains for flights, accommodation and stuff to get while you are there. That’s also valid for traveling in spring.

The flight part is cheap thanks to Virgin Atlantic Airways. They currently run a sale, valid until January 12, 2012 , for the following travel periods: (1) until April 1, 2012 (2) and April 2 to May 21, 2012.

You can choose the following flights to London:

  • from Boston, New York (JF and Newark); from $265 (1); from $286 (2)
  • from Las Vegas; from $369 (1); from $384 (2)
  • from Los Angles; from $318 (1); from $349 (2)
  • from Miami; from $318 (1); from $333 (2)
  • from Orlando; from $301 (1); from $327 (2)
  • from San Francisco; from $322 (1); from $387 (2)
  • from Washington D.C.; from $277 (1); from $301

Additional taxes and charges of up to $250 apply. Fares shown are for weekly departures – Monday to Wednesday – only. For other departures the fares may be higher each way. Minimum stay is Saturday night. Seven days in advance purchase is required.

Read more about the offer on the airline’s official website .

Read more Virgin Atlantic Flight Deals

10 most popular destinations in Europe, Summer 2011

For many travelers, a European vacation is synonymous with summer. Nevermind that it’s the time of year when much of Europe is at its most expensive and most crowded – these spots are popular for a reason. A quiet stroll by the Seine in Paris isn’t nearly as enjoyable or romantic if it’s cold and raining out, after all.

In other words, despite the fact that a trip to Europe this summer will cost you more than it would if you waited a few months, European trips remain extremely popular. Which ones are most popular is a different question – and one that could drive your vacation planning choices.

If you already know that you’ll be visiting Europe during the summer, which means you’re going to an expensive destination during its most expensive season, then one way to avoid the highest prices (and the biggest crowds) is to avoid the places that top the popularity list. Conversely, if the places on your must-see list are the most popular spots, you’ll know you’ve got to do research even further in advance of your trip to find the best deals.

Here, then, are the most popular European travel destinations for summer 2011, based on what people are actually searching for on our sites.

Where to Go This Summer

Summer’s almost here, and if you haven’t already planned your summer travels you’ve got some catching up to do. This is the time of year when people plan big trips – it’s usually when people take their longest blocks of holiday time – but summer is also a great time for lots of long weekend trips. You don’t have to let location or budget keep you from exploring a bit beyond your usual borders, and summer is an excellent time to get out in the world.

If you don’t need convincing to take a trip this summer but you’re stuck on the subject of where to go, then we’re here to help. Depending on the when you’d like to travel, we’ve got suggestions for each of the summer months below, as well as some ideas of the best spots to go in Europe and the United States during the summer months.

>> Note that when we say “summer” here, we are referring to the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. To find out where to go in the Southern Hemisphere’s summer, check out where to go in December, where to go in January, and where to go in February.

Best Places in Europe to Go This Summer

By this point most people have made their summer travel plans for the year – but if you’re one of the people for whom advance planning isn’t really in your genetic code, you might still be looking for a place to go this summer.

European travel always reaches its peak during the summer months, for a couple of good reasons – reliably warm weather through most of the continent and reliably long chunks of time off from school and work. Unfortunately, since so many other people flock to Europe during the summer you also run into extra large crowds and higher prices than usual.

Those things aren’t enough to stop people from going to Europe, however, so if Europe is on your radar for this summer – and you’d like to get the most bang for your buck – here are a few locations worth considering for a trip in the summer of 2011.

Queen’s Day Travel Deals

Whether or not you’ve ever heard specifically of Queen’s Day in the Netherlands, chances are good that if you hear it’s one of the nation’s biggest holidays and brings out the party-hearty spirit in Amsterdam, you’ll understand that it’s a holiday worth traveling for.

The Netherlands has been celebrating Queen’s Day to mark the birthday of the reigning queen every year since 1889, but it wasn’t until 1948 that the April date was set. Now, no matter when the queen’s birthday is, Queen’s Day is on April 30th. The only exception to this rule is when April 30th falls on a Sunday, in which case Queen’s Day is celebrated on the 29th to make it a Saturday holiday.

Amsterdam has some of the biggest Queen’s Day celebrations each year, although cities throughout the Netherlands also celebrate – it is one of the Netherlands national holidays. To find out more about visiting the Dutch capital, whether you’re traveling for Queen’s Day or not, be sure to check out this Amsterdam travel guide.

>> Queen’s Day in 2011 is on Saturday, April 30.

How to Find Cheap Airfare to Amsterdam for Queens Day

One of the biggest holidays in the Netherlands is Queen’s Day, celebrated each April 30th throughout the country. As it’s the capital of the country, however, Amsterdam is where you’ll find the biggest and most boistrous celebrations – so if you’re contemplating a trip to party with the Dutch on Queen’s Day, Amsterdam is the place to be.

Thankfully, Amsterdam is home to one of Europe’s big international gateway airports, Schiphol – and April isn’t technically part of the European high season yet, so airfare to Amsterdam prior to Queen’s Day isn’t typically as expensive as airfare to the Dutch capital can get in (for instance) June or July. Still, airfare is usually the biggest expense of any trip, so if you can start off with a cheap flight to Amsterdam you can stretch your travel budget that much further.

>> In 2011, Queen’s Day is on Saturday, April 30.

Champions League Travel Deals

For some people traveling to a major sporting event is only going to be fun if your team is playing in said event. For other people, the event itself is enough of a big deal that it’s worth the trip regardless of who’s playing.

The UEFA Champions League final is the kind of sporting event that draws both fans of the teams participating and general sports fans who just want to take in the spectacle – and since the game usually takes place in Europe’s biggest stadiums in some of the most interesting cities, it’s a good opportunity to combine a trip to a big game with a holiday.

Since tickets to the Champions League final alone are going to put a serious dent in your bank account, you’ve really got to plan well in order to save money on the trip to see the game. If you’re already in Europe, you’re one step ahead of things – but if not, then you’ll need to be even more savvy.

Here are some tips to help you find Champions League travel deals.

>> The 2012 Champions League final is on May 19 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

Travel Tips for London for the 2011 Champions League Final

The UEFA Champions League final is always in a cool European city, since they need to hold it in a place with a large-enough stadium, but some years are decidedly cooler than others. In 2011, we’re going to be treated to a Champions League final match in the legendary Wembley Stadium in London, England.

The old Wembley Stadium hosted five European Cup finals, but this will be the first held at the new Wembley. Of course, a city like London invites all kinds of interest from travelers, whether they’re die-hard soccer/footy fans or not. Unfortunately, it has a reputation for being an expensive city to reach and to visit – so here are some tips to help you travel to London for the 2011 Champions League final without breaking the bank.

>> The 2011 Champions League final is on May 28.

How to Find Cheap Airfare to the Champions League Final

Whether you’re a soccer/football fan or not, if you’re a sports fan who likes to travel you can probably appreciate the excitement of seeing the final game of a big tournament while you’re traveling. Of course if you’re so into the sport that you make a point of traveling just to attend the game, that’s a whole other level of commitment – and one we heartily support.

With the Champions League final, although the two teams who will play each year aren’t known until close to game day, the date and location of the game itself are set well in advance. This is important for Champions League organizers, but it’s equally as important for travelers who need to plan their trips to see the game.

Lucky for you, we’ve got some tips to help you find cheap airfare to see the Champions League final (or any of the other games leading up to it) no matter where it’s being played – especially since Champions League tickets will cost you a fair bit to start with.

>> Champions League final is May 19, 2012 – Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany

Travel Deals from Europe to South Africa for the World Cup

Not long ago, we published a series of articles here packed with information about getting you to the World Cup in South Africa this year for as little money as possible. But most of that information was aimed at people who might be traveling from the North America to South Africa – and as we all know, soccer football is really more popular in other parts of the world.

So this week, we published a similar series of articles aimed at travelers from across the pond, as they say – and we put them on our UK-based site. We didn’t want you to miss them, though, if you’re not in the US and you’ll be going to South Africa for the World Cup this summer, so here are the links you’ll need to get to all the posts about getting to South Africa from Europe:

>> And, just in case you missed them, here’s the link to all the World Cup travel deals articles we published on this site a couple weeks ago.