Author: Holly Johnson / Source: Wise Bread
If you dream of seeing Europe but your time and budget are limited, consider planning a cruise. Mediterranean and Adriatic cruises with stops in Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Greece are particularly popular, but you could also cruise through the Norwegian Fjords or through greater Scandinavia.
River trips with brands like Viking River Cruises are also well-liked since they let you traverse smaller waterways and get up close and personal with some of Europe’s most beautiful cities.But why cruising? Most cruises offer a lot of bang for your buck since they let you see more than one destination for a single price. Pay for flights to your departure city and your cruise fare, and you get to wake up in a new place for a unique adventure every day. Food, some drinks, and entertainment are also included on cruises, making them an especially good deal. (See also: 10 Little-Known Secrets to Saving Money On Your Next Cruise)
Still, the term “good deal” is relative since European cruises aren’t exactly cheap. Plus, you have to pay for international flights upfront, which could easily add thousands of dollars to the cost of your trip.
If your goal is seeing as much as you can for as little as possible, it’s wise to come up with a comprehensive plan to use travel rewards. With the right travel credit cards and some patience, you could even book this trip for $1,000 or less. Here’s how:
Pay for flights to your departure city with airline miles
For the purpose of this example, let’s say you’re a family of four. You need to cover transportation expenses for four people and a cruise cabin big enough to accommodate your family.
The first step to planning this trip is making sure you have the airline miles to cover your flights. Fortunately, there are several ways to get to Europe on the cheap — even if there are multiple people in your party.
One of the easiest rewards programs to pay for flights to Europe is Air France/Flying Blue. While this airline doesn’t have its own co-branded airline credit card, you can transfer points to this program from several other popular credit card rewards programs.
While Air France/Flying Blue no longer publishes an award chart, one-way economy flights to Europe are typically just 25,000 miles. This means that a family of four could fly round-trip for just 200,000 miles, plus airline taxes and fees.
Those fees usually amount to between $100 and $125 per person, though they can be higher, especially in London. For most destination airports, however, your family will pay $400-$500 in airline taxes in addition to your miles. Considering that round-trip economy flights can cost $1,500 each or more, this represents a huge savings.
To rack up the miles you need, you’ll want to sign up for flexible rewards cards that let you transfer points to airlines, and in particular, to this program. While 200,000 miles is a lot, you could earn these miles easily with some time and with both spouses earning their own signup bonuses.
You could also opt for airline-specific rewards, including the American AAdvantage program. This frequent flyer program is fairly easy to accumulate miles with, since several credit cards earn American AAdvantage miles. Off-peak MileSAAver flights to Europe, which can be booked from November through…
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