I’ve been to most of the 44 countries in Europe (yes, I counted, and no, I don’t recommend trying to tick them off all in one weekend… though budget airlines make you think that’s possible). Sometimes I’ve stayed for a week, sometimes just a long weekend. A couple of times, literally an overnight trip. Once? A same-day in-and-out situation, like Europe was my personal 7-Eleven.
Here’s the kicker: for the price of a nice dinner in a decent restaurant back home, I can fly across an entire continent. My last trip to Italy cost me a mere €20—about $23 (one way). That’s what you’d pay for bottomless mimosas at brunch in New York. Recently, I booked Helsinki to Paris—a three-hour flight—for €55 (around $65) return. That’s cheaper than an Uber surge ride from JFK to Manhattan.
No wonder Europeans treat international travel like Americans treat Costco runs. “Oh, just popping over to Spain this weekend. Need anything?”
Why It’s So Easy
The guilty party here: budget airlines. Love them, hate them, they’ve made travel so cheap and accessible that it’s honestly hard to find someone in Europe who hasn’t traveled abroad. Weekend in Prague? Sure. Summer in Greece? Obviously. Random Tuesday in Brussels? Why not. For many Europeans, traveling abroad multiple times a year is no more exotic than going to Target twice a week.
But Don’t Be Fooled
Of course, there’s still a little fine print. You have to:
- Hunt for flights like it’s your side hustle (because sometimes it feels like it).
- Find hotels that don’t charge you more than your flight (trickier than it sounds).
- Arrange pet-sitting or grandma-sitting (whichever applies).
Budget airlines are masters of the “gotcha” moment. Want to bring a suitcase? Pay up. Want to sit with your travel buddy? Cha-ching. Want oxygen? Well, almost. But if you’re clever and disciplined (read: travel light and resist the urge to buy that third croissant), you’ll walk away with an absolute bargain. (If you want to try, word of advice: https://europeexpedition.com/practical-travel-advice/cheap-flights-in-europe)
Why It’s Worth It
Cheap flights aren’t just a wallet win; they’re a soul win. Traveling opens your mind, forces you out of your bubble, and makes you see the world in fresh ways.
One day you’re sipping espresso at a Parisian bistro, trying to look effortlessly chic (but failing because your sneakers squeak on the cobblestones). The next day you’re staring at a statue in Rome that’s literally older than your entire country. Or maybe you’re baking on a Mediterranean beach, convincing yourself that a third gelato “counts as hydration.”
Every trip resets you. The stress leaks out of your shoulders. You see how other people live, eat, argue, and drink coffee, and suddenly your own life gets a little upgrade—new ideas, new flavors, new perspectives.
Are We Spoiled?
Honestly? Absolutely. Europeans are spoiled rotten. We live on a continent where €20 can catapult you to another culture, another cuisine, another language. Where history is measured in millennia, not centuries. Where “popping over” to another country is a casual Friday plan.
Are we too spoiled? Maybe. But when pizza in Naples costs less than the boarding fee for your budget flight, I say… let’s keep being spoiled.
Pro Tip: Next time you grumble about paying $9 for airport water in the US, remember—Europeans are out here buying entire flights for that price.
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