Many people dream about a European holiday, but such a journey may seem out of reach for budget travelers. It can be done on a tight budget, however, with careful planning and an extra effort to reduce transportation costs as much as possible.
Instructions

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* STEP 1: Consider flying into London and then getting a separate flight to your European destination on one of the low-cost airlines. This may save you a lot of money because there are often excellent seat sales between North America and London.
* STEP 2: Check out the numerous low-cost airlines that are now operating out of England. Many North American travel agents may not know much about these relatively new options, so use the power of the Internet to help you hunt for good fares to various European destinations.
* STEP 3: Do lots of price-checking online, as well as by phone or through a travel agent. Some airlines offer special discounts just for their online customers, while you may get the best deal on other airlines if you call and discuss fare options with a customer service representative.
* STEP 4: Check on flights leaving from airports other than London Heathrow. Many of the cheaper airlines depart from Gatwick, Stansted or Luton. When using an online search engine, try typing in "LON" for the airport code instead of "LHR" - this is more likely to produce results from all of London's airports, not just Heathrow.
* STEP 5: Compare fares between various destinations before making your final decision. You may find that it is a lot cheaper to fly into Bologna and take a train to Venice than it would be to fly directly into Venice, for example.

Tips & Warnings

* Try to be flexible in your travel planning, and remember that there are many different ways to reach your destination. The European rail and ferry network is a viable alternative to flying if you have a little extra time, and you can also take buses (often called "coaches" in Europe) to get to most destinations.
* Sign up for the e-mail newsletters that are offered by many airlines. They'll provide you with regular updates about seat sales, last-minute specials and service changes.
* Start comparing prices just a few months in advance of the time you plan to travel if possible; if you book too far in advance, you may miss out on seat sales, but if you book too late, you may have to pay a much higher fare.
* Remember that many of the online travel search engines will not produce results from the smaller airlines; you may need to visit a number of different Web sites to find a wider variety of travel options.