You’ve been saving up the cash, you’ve been saving up the PTO, and you’ve been doing plenty of day-dreaming. But it’s time to stop dreaming and start actually planning, because you’re closer to adventure than you realize: When you fly Norwegian from the US, cities like Paris, Rome, Athens, and Oslo are a short-and-sweet nonstop flight away.
For the same amount of time it takes to be a season deep into Netflix (and a season deep into your couch), you could be sipping espresso next to the Colosseum, sailing the Thames, or going eye-to-eye with Van Gogh. And not only is it closer than you think, it’s simpler than you think, too. Here’s how to begin.
Start at Norwegian.com.
Photo: Norwegian Air
If Benjamin Franklin really said “time is money,” he would’ve booked his tickets through Norwegian. The flights are always reasonable, sure, but it’s their website’s savvy interface that’ll make you a believer. Type in your home airport (if it doesn’t automatically show up), click “direct,” and up pop all your options for a quick zoom across the pond (and their prices by month!). Time saved searching for flights, time saved in the air.
Leave the challenges for when you’re on the ground translating rail maps, calculating complicated currency exchanges in your head, or suffering through your own terrible accent. Booking your flight should be the easy part.
Don’t stop at the flight to Europe.
Photo: Shutterstock/Lals Stock
Cooking for two isn’t twice the work (or money!) of cooking for one, and the same goes for traveling. Now that you know how to get yourself to Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, or any other European hot spot, you’ve done most of the work. Don’t stop there! You’re just a quick flight away from dozens of other Norwegian Air destinations. For instance, from your first stop at London-Gatwick, you could be in Helsinki, Gothenburg, Bergen, or Alicante in a couple hours (and not much more than $100).
You’ve already put in the time and money to fly across the entire Atlantic — might as well take a second loop around Norwegian’s website to see where you can go from there. It’ll likely be cheaper and faster than you think.
Start a group chat with your friends and get planning — together.
Photo: Shutterstock/Wine Donuts
WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram — whatever your platform of choice, give that group chat a name and get to brainstorming. What’s a destination you can all fly direct to and that’s in everyone’s budget? Norwegian’s website can help you narrow it down.
There are two ways you can all be looking at the same information: 1) The destinations page, where the nearest Norwegian-serviced airport to you should automatically pop up, showing you all the options in list form, and 2) the route map, where a map of the planet lights up with accessible destinations and their prices. Unlike third-party websites, you won’t have to try and follow which flights your friends are seeing — you’ll all be looking at the same straightforward info.
Don’t write off your travel dreams because you can’t afford it.
If you time it right, you can fly from New York to Amsterdam for $140 on Norwegian. You can fly from Boston to London for $125. There are serious, serious deals on Norwegian’s site. Don’t let the travel budget woes get you down.
Even if you’re just in the “wondering” stage, get over to Norwegian.com and scope out their Low Fare Calendar. Once you enter your home airport and destination, you’ll be taken to a view that gives you one price per day, highlighting the lowest fares in red. You’ll know exactly when it’s cheapest to fly and exactly when it’s the most expensive — there’s no hiding what kind of fare you’re getting. Snaps for 100% transparency!
Know that you and your friends can budget independently.
Photo: Shutterstock/Kichigin
Maybe some of your friends are high-falutin’ stock-market gurus, and they need some bells and whistles for their flight experience. Tell them they can nab Premium fares and sit down to three-course meals, wine, and beer (and all the gate-to-gate WiFi their hearts desire). They’ll be absolutely taken care of on Norwegian.
If you’re more into saving your cash for better hotels and activities once you arrive, Norwegian’s low, no-frills fares can get you over the pond on the exact same flight — fewer three-course meals and definitely less wine, but you’ll still get all the free entertainment and WiFi you need.
Do your last-minute trip planning on board.
Photo: Norwegian Air
You read that right: gate-to-gate WiFi. If you wanted to go off-grid, now is not the time. It is the time, however, to snag those discounted, last-minute hotel reservations or tour coupons.
While you’re at it, be sure to check out city-wide passes for your destination, and if you’re going to any big-ticket stops (shout out to the Louvre), definitely buy your tickets online in advance. You’ll be extra grateful for the free in-flight WiFi when you look back at the “Buy Tickets” line and see it’s a city-block long.
Pro tip: Book your rental car, hotel, and tours with Norwegian partners — like Avis, Hotels.com, and GetYourGuide — and you’ll bank some serious Norwegian Rewards just for rounding out your itinerary, if you’re enrolled. Speaking of…
Sign up for Norwegian’s “Reward” program to start saving for your next trip.
Photo: Im Yanis
It’s basically free money, so why would you not? Every time you take a Norwegian flight, book partner hotels and rental cars, or shop online, you could be earning a discount toward your next trip with Norwegian. Here’s how it works:
- It’s a cash-back program. You receive CashPoints for every dollar spent, which then act as credit — no minimum spend required! — towards your next Norwegian flight.
- Fly six times with Norwegian, and you’ll get a capital-R “Reward,” good for fast-track access, free seat selection, or free checked baggage.
- The Norwegian Reward World Mastercard© comes with no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees**. If you fly across the pond a lot, this may be something to consider (but it’s certainly not required for enrollment in the Reward program).
It’s free to sign up — consider it the first step toward your next European adventure. 