A winter deal I see for the budget traveler is low WOW round trip fares LAX to Iceland $228 or SFO at $256. That is not particularly impressive, but a great deal combined with $33 WIZZ Airlines tickets from Iceland to Riga RIX Latvia, Vilnius VNO Lithuania or to Poland airports like Gdansk GDN, Warsaw WAW or Wroclaw WRO. Other Wizz Air options are Prague PRG or Budapest BUD for about $60 each way.
Flying California to Iceland, then to mainland Europe with at least three destination cities can be accomplished for about $300 to $350 round trip, if you are able to travel with just a 10kg under seat carry-on bag.
Unfortunately, these WOW fares are not available as one way tickets. LAX to Iceland one way is $190. Seems WOW has given up on its one way ticket pricing model of the initial two years for USA routes.
Los Angeles to Iceland, Latvia and Lithuania $293 round trip
$228 Feb 13-27 WOW Air Los Angeles – Reykjavik, Iceland – LAX
$32.50 Feb 14 WIZZ Air Reykjavik, Iceland KEF – Riga, Latvia RIX
$32.50 Feb 24 WIZZ Air Vilnius, Lithuania VNO – Reykjavik KEF
$293 round trip for 3 nights in Iceland and 10 nights in Latvia and Lithuania.
About $50 to fly between Riga with Air Baltic or $20 for a 5 hour bus ride. I have traveled by bus across Lithuania and Latvia and it was a pleasant enough experience.
WOW Air Los Angeles LAX-KEF Reykjavik
$227.98 round trip Tue Feb 13 – Tue Feb 27
WIZZ Air Reykjavik KEF – Riga RIX
WIZZ Air Vilnius VNO Lithuania – Reykjavik KEF
Tallinn, Estonia is a 5 hour bus ride or $70 flight from Riga as an alternative Baltic destination.
Poland has very inexpensive Ryanair flights and LOT Polish deals between cities. I flew Warsaw to Gdansk for $1.99 one way on Ryanair in Feb 2017.
Loyalty Traveler 2017 Trip Reports Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia
Trip Planning: I’m on a low budget to Iceland and Baltics
Travel Budget: Pale Blue Eyes Trip Overview: $327 SFO to Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Stockholm
Reykjavik, Iceland: WOW Air $70 SFO-KEF flight review, YMMV.
Reykjavik, Iceland: Budgeting 2 days in Reykjavik, (pr)Iceland
Reykjavik, Iceland: Luggage Storage in Reykjavik for tourists
Reykjavik, Iceland: Hotel Review Hilton Reykjavik Nordica
Reykjavik, Iceland: Iceland has tourism problems due to cheap flights
Reykjavik, Iceland: Flight Review Wizz Air Keflavik Iceland to Vilnius Lithuania whole lotta drinkin’ goin’ on
Vilnius, Lithuania: Ramada Vilnius Lithuania Hotel Review – notably luxurious for brand (Note: This hotel left Wyndham in 2017).
Vilnius, Lithuania: Make Everything Great Again – Trump murals in Vilnius, Lithuania
Lithuania: Images of Lithuania
Riga, Latvia: Days Hotel Riga VEF $60 stay earned 4,188 Wyndham Rewards points
Riga, Latvia: Park Inn Residence Riga Barona has kitchens
Riga, Latvia: Riga in Photo Detail
Of cause the fares are dirt cheap (except after adding in the fees for your carry-on and checked bag/s) But its for the dead of winter, both KEF and The Baltics are Freezing that time of year. Ive been to TLL but no way in the winter and no way taking a bus either. On top of that each acrrier will probably charge for the bags so its 2x both ways and little sunshine in Feb to boot.
Personally Id rather pay 2x the price and have a whole day of sun and not to have to take winter clothes along. Now it may workout for the polar bears among us but Id rather be elsewhere that time of year
Price isnt the only factor when going somewhere, especially if its gonna be freezing cold
Best views of Northern Lights I have seen happened on northern Europe trips in late December to February. Winter coats don’t count as additional carry-on.
I am a California coastal guy who would take hikes in the coldest weather I could during the five winters I lived in northern New England. Snowshoes and -35F, my dark idea of fun, yeah!!!
I flew WOW and Wizz to Iceland and Lithuania in early April 2017 with only an under seat backpack and no additional bag fees.
Early April thats doable, I dont believe that it can be done in Feb. I was a few yrs ago in Warsaw over Thanksgiving it was freezing, a good thing I tossed in my long johns, besides sweaters,scarf,gloves, ski parker etc etc. No way a under the seat in front of back pack would have been enough. That snot to mention the rain and snow clothes just in case and it did rain, a freezing rain
Im sure some folks will beable to manage but few at that, and Im not sure WOW will interline to the next carrier w/o having to repay for any bags.
Ive priced out extremely cheap Spirit fares where in the end AA/UA with higher fares were cheaper when all was said and done. I know numerous folks who missed their Spirit flight and ended up having to spend $100s more for a new tkt. Yet I know folks who spent $9 each way NJ-FLL and went back and forth the same day as they had a meeting to attend, probably the only 2 on that fare that didnt pay a penny extra over the fare with the taxes
I went to Copenhagen, Prague and Krakow in January 2017 on a $70 WOW ticket with only free carry-on. Winter parka held beanie, gloves, scarf and long underwear.
WOW flights arrive early morning and Wizz flights depart evening. Not much risk missing flight, unless storm comes through Reykjavik.
This is the kind of travel I can do solo, not with my wife. She can’t travel that light.
How I avoid low cost airline bag fees (June 22, 2017).
http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2017/06/22/how-i-avoid-low-cost-airline-bag-fees/