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Update: I booked a flight to Lisbon for $200 by changing my search method | Budget Travel Hacks - Free To Speak

Update: I booked a flight to Lisbon for $200 by changing my search method

I was looking at flights for next month and everything was over $500. Instead of searching for a round trip, I looked at flying into one city and out of another. I found a cheap one-way to Lisbon on a budget airline, then a cheap one-way back home from Porto a week later. The total was $200, which saved me over $300. Has anyone else tried this multi-city trick in Europe?

4 comments

4 Comments

diana_jenkins656mo ago

Honestly, that sounds like a lot of extra hassle just to save a few hundred dollars. You have to get yourself between Lisbon and Porto now, and budget airlines nickel and dime you for every bag. By the time you add in a train ticket and luggage fees, you might as well have booked the simple round trip. Sometimes the easy way is worth the extra cost.

davidkim6mo ago

Yeah but that train ride is actually pretty nice, not some big hassle. Did it last year and you see the real country, way better than another airport. Pack light in a carry on, problem solved. For some folks that few hundred bucks is the difference between going and staying home.

jessej235mo ago

Maybe the simple round trip is the smarter move for most people. All that extra planning can eat up your time and add stress before you even leave. You end up with two different airports to figure out and a train ride in the middle of your vacation. Sometimes paying more upfront is the real way to save your own energy.

leehall6mo ago

Diana's point about the "extra hassle" is fair, but I read a travel blog recently that broke down the real math. The train from Lisbon to Porto is about 25 euros if you book ahead, and a single backpack fits under most budget seats. For some people, saving three hundred bucks is absolutely worth that bit of planning. It turns a trip from impossible to possible.