Europe on $85 a Day - Flight

David and I are planning a five-week trip to Italy, Spain, and (maybe) Morocco for $85 a day per person based on shared accommodations. This is the first in a series of articles telling you how to travel as cheaply--and comfortably--as we do.

I usually do not include airline ticket costs in my price calculations because there is one uncontrollable variable that no amount of frugality can overcome. If you live in New York City, rather than San Diego, your fare to Europe will undoubtedly be cheaper than mine no matter what cost-cutting measures I use. Location is the key to flight cost.

Still, having said that, I c a n make sure that my cost is the lowest possible by tracking my flight over a period of several months and buying when the price is right. If you use a tracking service like Kayak, you can receive a daily or weekly e-mail notifying you of the day's price for your flight.  (When you reach the website, click on "More" in the left-hand column to reach the "Flight Alert" or tracking tool.)

I used Kayak for the flight David and I will be taking this spring to Rome. Kayak sent us daily e-mails for three months until we discovered a $750 flight ($850 with tax) one morning in January.

Using ITA software, I just checked the same flight and discovered that our flight, today, would cost us $1384 plus tax. We saved at least $600 by planning ahead and taking advantage of a tracking system.

Of course, today, with the turmoil in the world raising the price of gasoline on a daily basis, it's difficult to know when to buy an airline ticket. It seems as though prices may never come down. While my advice about planning far ahead and using a tracking service to find the cheapest flight works under normal circumstances, if you are in quandary right now about whether to buy your ticket to Rome now or in June, here's the latest advice from the New York Times writer Michelle Higgins.