Cheap Flight Deals For Your Summer 2018 Vacation

Summer is a great time to break away from your daily routine and explore somewhere new. As college students, it can be a little tricky to figure out how to finance big trips, especially if you don’t make a ton of money from your job (or don’t even have one, to begin with). However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be done!

It is definitely possible to travel on a budget, and I’m here to help you out by sharing some great flight deals. Take a look at these rides, listed from least to most expensive, and then start planning your next getaway.

Fly to San Juan and back for $133

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFgiJ3hBOO/?tagged=sanjuan

If you fly Frontier Airlines, you can find flights from several major U.S. cities to San Juan, Puerto Rico and back home again for as little as $133. San Juan is a vibrant city that offers plenty of different activities for you to enjoy on your vacation. To appreciate the more historical aspects of Puerto Rico, take a look at the Spanish colonial architecture in San Juan Antiguo and visit the 16th-century citadel El Castillo San Felipe del Morro. You can also check out the Castle of San Cristóbal, the largest Spanish fort built in the Americas.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFQkCyn3Uw/?tagged=castillosanfelipe

When you’re ready to take a break from the historical sightseeing, you can unwind at one of the city’s fantastic beaches. Enjoy basking in the sun and going for a swim in the still aqua saltwater. If you’d like to have a drink on vacation, San Juan is the perfect place to do so–the Bacardi Rum Factory is located in this city, and they run tours!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFgLu-Fw1f/?tagged=sanjuan

Book your trip here.

Fly to Reykjavik for $99 (One-way)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BckTzImHBmu/?tagged=icelandnorthernlights

An Icelandic airline called WOW air is selling tickets from various U.S. locations to Reykjavik, Iceland for just $99. Iceland may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think “summer vacation,” but it’s pretty cool–both literally and figuratively. Reykjavik is a scenic city where you can enjoy views of both the sea and the mountains. You can go whale watching at the old harbor downtown, check out the many cafés and restaurants in the area and appreciate the art scene. There are also many inexpensive swimming pools and spas. To get around the city, you can buy a day or weekend bus pass, which is less expensive than paying for individual rides.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFqy4UnpIx/?taken-at=213216893

The city may be awesome, but you should explore outside the city’s boundaries as well. The natural beauty of Iceland is one of the major reasons that it draws tourists, and the Golden Circle, eight-hour day trip, will take you to the Gullfoss Waterfall and Thingvellir National Park. You can also unwind at the Blue Lagoon, an awesome geothermal spa that is a short drive from the city, and if you’re lucky, you may even get to see the northern lights. Just a warning: flights home from Iceland may be a bit more expensive than $99. But this is still a pretty good deal, I’d say.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjAtcBJHHA3/?tagged=thingvellirnationalpark

Sound like fun? Book your flight here.

Fly to Paris and back for $320

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFtIN6jB75/?tagged=eiffeltower

Justfly.com offers comparatively cheap flights to and from Paris. They take off from several major U.S. cities, and as of right now, they range from $320-$371 round-trip. Paris is the fashion capital of the world, the City of Love, and home to some of the most exceptional food I have ever eaten. As far as tourist attractions go, there are a plethora of museums–be sure to check out the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay–and some other brilliant structures. Check out Notre-Dame Cathedral and of course look at the city from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjF1B72Hnl6/?tagged=louvre

If you want a lovely view of the Seine River, there are a variety of riverboat cruises that will allow you to have some delicious wine and cheese (and dinner) on the water. If you are looking for something a little less conventional, visit the Catacombs of Paris, where you can enter an underground tunnel to see the remains of more than six million people. (There’s usually a bit of a line, but it is worth the wait!)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiHf3UkAzrn/?tagged=catacombsofparis

Ready to go? Ticket sales are here.

Fly to London and back for $400

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjAzWzOnU-R/?tagged=bigben

Primera Air is currently offering flights to London from Newark and Boston starting at $179 and return flights that start at $200, so you can get to England and back for just $400 this June. There are plenty of things to see and do in London; you can visit the Tower of London, drive across the London Bridge and check the time on Big Ben. For a spectacular view of the entire city, take a ride on the London Eye, a massive Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFlPd_np1x/?tagged=londoneye

Feel like a queen standing next to Buckingham Palace, and feel even more like a queen by shopping your heart out at Harrods, the world’s most famous department store. And don’t forget to take Insta-worthy pics in front of red vintage telephone booths! If you want to hit a bunch of attractions at once, you can use a bus tour to get around.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFlpbBh1M0/?tagged=harrods

Check out flights here.

Fly to Shanghai and back starting at $402

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjCwebSnzZz/?tagged=yugarden

On justfly.com, you can find inexpensive round-trip flights to Shanghai from several cities on the West Coast. These flights range from $402 to $515 depending on where you take off, and the airline also depends on which city you depart from. China’s largest city offers travelers the opportunity to experience both the “old” and the “new” because it is divided by the Huang Pu River into two sections. On the Puxi side, you can experience “Old Shanghai.” The Pudong side, on the other hand, looks like something you would see in a movie about the future with its modern skyline and Oriental Pearl TV and Radio Tower.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQxKrotgjr_/?tagged=orientalpearltvtower

There are plenty of things to do in this active city. There are a variety of museums within the city; you should make a trip to the Shanghai Museum if you have any interest in classical Chinese Art, or if science is more your speed, then try out the Shanghai Natural History Museum. To the northeast of the old town is the Yu Garden, or Garden of Happiness, which has existed since 1559 and contains more than 20,000 square meters of nature and architecture.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjFTYJFgCS2/?tagged=yugarden