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It may be the dead of winter right now, but if you’re already daydreaming about a warm-weather vacation later this year, we’ve got good news for you.
The travel website Kayak.com recently released its annual Travel Hacker Guide and, after examining the data from more than 1.5 billion searches conducted on its site, the company confirmed that summer flights to Europe will be the cheapest they’ve been in three years. Kayak found that the average price of a round-trip ticket to Europe this summer will clock in at just less than $700. That’s about 5 percent cheaper than in summer 2017 and 15 percent less than in summer 2016.
Not every European destination will be a great deal, however. Kayak found that the biggest price drops were for cities like Lisbon, Portugal and Reykjavik, Iceland. Other cities like Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, may actually be more expensive to visit this summer. Still, if you’ve been dying to see bands like Pearl Jam and The National at the indie music festival NOS Alive or swim in Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon, then this summer may be the best time to make those travel dreams come true.
In case you’re curious why flight prices are so cheap this year, it’s because discount airlines have rolled out new routes to Europe in order to better compete with major carriers. That means that flying to Europe has never been easier and more affordable! It also helps that the U.S. dollar is strong right now. Currently, the exchange rate is $1 to every .82 Euros, which means that Italian espresso will be only slightly more expensive than your typical Starbucks one.
To nab these great deals, Kayak recommends that travelers should book their European flights six months ahead of time, so if you’re wanting to get to France for Bastille Day (and who wouldn’t want to catch the parade and fireworks display over Paris,) you should start planning your trip ASAP!