By Sally French, NerdWallet

A European getaway doesn’t have to come with sky-high airfare. With many budget and legacy airlines offering expanded transatlantic route schedules, competition on pricing is intense. For frugal travelers, that means both more options for flights — and more opportunities for deals.

According to data provided to NerdWallet by Dollar Flight Club, an airfare deals website, certain routes offer consistently low fares. That makes cities like Reykjavík, Iceland; Lisbon, Portugal; and Barcelona, Spain, some of the most affordable European destinations to fly to from the U.S.

The cheapest average routes between the U.S. and Europe in 2025

Using airfare data from the 10 largest U.S. airports based on number of passengers, Dollar Flight Club identified 14 routes where average fares were less than $1,000 round trip.

Those 14 routes (sorted by average fare) are:

Average fares were based on an analysis of 50,000 fares pulled on Jan. 27, 2025 for trips from January through September 2025. The data included fares from a mix of legacy and budget carriers.

Fares will vary depending on your specific airport or travel date. But in general, knowing these routes can be useful in narrowing down where in Europe to go. Iceland is one of the cheapest destinations to fly into, making it a great opportunity to book that bucket-list trip to see the northern lights or visit the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa famous for its ethereal milky-blue waters.

The cheapest flights to Europe in 2025

Average fares between Atlanta and Reykjavík, Iceland run just $800 during the period surveyed — and that’s just the average. Actual prices can vary by day. For example, Dollar Flight Club found flights on that same route as low as $400.

Of the 50,000 fares that Dollar Flight Club analyzed, here were some other notable deals, broken out by the 10 largest airports in the U.S.:

Atlanta (ATL) → Reykjavík (KEF) from $400, London (LON) from $480, Helsinki (HEL) from $545.
Charlotte (CLT) → Rome (FCO) from $483, Dublin (DUB) from $545, Madrid (MAD) from $560.
Chicago (ORD) → Frankfurt (FRA) from $435, Rome (FCO) from $450, Dublin (DUB) from $510.
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) → Amsterdam (AMS) from $525, Frankfurt (FRA) from $540, Rome (FCO) from $555.
Denver (DEN) → Paris (CDG) from $480, Amsterdam (AMS) from $525, Frankfurt (FRA) from $540.
Las Vegas (LAS) → Dublin (DUB) from $520, Madrid (MAD) from $535, Paris (CDG) from $550.
Los Angeles (LAX) → Paris (CDG) from $430, Barcelona (BCN) from $499, Dublin (DUB) from $515.
Miami (MIA) → Barcelona (BCN) from $410, Munich (MUC) from $412, Rome (FCO) from $420.
New York (JFK) → Lisbon (LIS) from $405, Milan (MXP) from $440, Berlin (BER) from $480.
Orlando (MCO) → Madrid (MAD) from $435, London (LHR) from $520, Rome (FCO) from $545.

Tricks for traveling cheaply in Europe

Be open-minded to long layovers, stopovers and multi-city trips

You don’t necessarily have to spend your European vacation at the city where your transatlantic flight arrives or departs. Those cities might simply be starting and ending points for your trip.

Georgia Fowkes, an avid traveler and self-described “flight deal hunter” says she once flew from her home in Pittsburgh to São Miguel Island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. A day-long stopover in Boston helped her get there for less money.

“It was a well-planned route with a built-in side trip to Boston,” she says. “I was able to squeeze in a mini-reunion with an old high-school pal… and eat clam chowder.”

She paid $387 for the round-trip flight. Had she not been willing to spend a day in Boston, her flight would have cost nearly $700.

Go during shoulder season

Summer is generally a busy time to go to Europe because kids are out of school. Shoulder season, which is the period between the high season and offseason, can offer the best of both worlds, with mild weather and seasonal activities still open.

Consider a late spring or early fall trip to Europe if you’re looking for lower prices — and smaller crowds.

Save on lodging

Instead of staying at a hotel, consider a hostel. These are low-cost lodging options, which typically have massive rooms, bunkbeds and shared amenities, though many also offer private rooms. Some hostels offer stays as low as 12 euros a night.

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Big-name hotels are also adding more properties in Europe. Though they’re generally not the cheapest form of lodging, they can offer opportunities to spend points and miles, often earned through credit card spending. Hilton Hotels & Resorts opened 10 resorts last summer in Greece, Ibiza and Malta. And in January 2025, Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced it would open hotels in more European markets, including Estonia, Iceland and Romania. The hotel brand has also expanded its presence in Spain from just four hotels in 2020 to 55 hotels as of the end of 2024.

And then there’s an ultra-affordable option.

“Couchsurfing is still alive and well too,” Fowkes said. With couchsurfing, travelers stay (typically for free) in locals’ homes, often brokered through services like Couchsurfing.com.

Travel by train through Europe

Besides being a bit unconventional with your lodging, transit doesn’t need to be simply traveling by air. Train travel within Europe is more accessible than it is within the U.S. For example, it takes less than two hours to go from Munich to Salzburg, Austria, and you can often find fares for less than $20. You can also ride in sleeper cars, for overnight trips, which could trim your hotel costs.

Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia.

The article Cheapest European Cities to Fly to in 2025 originally appeared on NerdWallet.

Minnesota United vs. Real Salt Lake

When: 7:41 p.m. Saturday
Where: Allianz Field
Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: KSTP-AM, 1500
Weather: 39 degrees, rain, 15 mph south wind
Betting line: MNUFC minus-130; draw plus-280; RSL plus-340

Form: Loons (2-1-2, 8 points) have coughed up late leads for draws the past two matches. RSL (2-3-0, 6 points) is coming off a 1-0 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday; they have alternated wins and losses all season.

Recent matchups: MNUFC swept RSL 2-0 in their first-round MLS Cup Playoffs series last fall; the Loons needed penalty kick shootouts to break ties in both matches. MNUFC is 5-3-11 against Salt Lake in regular-season matches.

Quote: Head coach Eric Ramsay said the preseason exhibition match between the teams in February was less than friendly. “This is the game that has the real edge to it,” Ramsay said Friday. “… You could tell there was a spillover from last year, for sure. I think our players thrive in those situations.”

Update: Most of the Loons five international players are coming off strong windows. Center back Michael Boxall scored the winning goal to qualify New Zealand for the 2026 World Cup. Center back Carlos Harvey helped Panama beat the U.S. in the CONCACAF Nations League. Goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair and forward Tani Oluwaseyi contributed to Canada beating Team USA, with Oluwaseyi scoring a goal.

Context: Ramsay is no longer going to immediately thrust players into the starting XI straight from international duty if he doesn’t have to. He pointed Friday to a flat 2-0 loss at Philadelphia last March as a lesson learned.

Absences: Hassani Dotson (knee) is expected to be out months after suffering a knee injury in the 2-2 draw with Galaxy last weekend. Kipp Keller (hamstring) is projected to be out months. Boxall (international duty) returned to training Friday and doubtful to start Saturday.

Scouting report: Cristian “Chicho” Arango has left for San Jose, leaving a goal-scoring void with RSL. They have scored four goals in five matches; no one has more than one. Diego Luna, a U.S. national team member, is the most threatening attacker.

Stats: United has the highest expected goal differential in the Western Conference (plus-5.5) through five matches, but those back-to-back draws have them tied for fourth in the standings.

Prediction: Last year’s playoff matchup did not come with MNUFC using two forwards. On Saturday, the in-form duo of Kelvin Yeboah and Tani Oluwaseyi are the difference. Loons win 2-1.

By CORA LEWIS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — If you know or suspect you can’t pay the taxes you owe this tax season, you should still file a return with that information or file for an extension. That’s the top piece of advice that tax professionals want you to know.

“The IRS wants to work with you,” said Tom O’Saben, director of tax content and government relations at the National Association of Tax Professionals. “But if you’re asking the IRS for some help, they have to know something about you. So the first thing is to have that return filed. The number one takeaway is that owing money is not a reason not to file.”

If you don’t file a return or ask for an extension, then interest and penalties begin to accrue immediately. Those costs are largely avoidable if you share the information about your circumstances with the IRS in a timely way. Filing a return without paying taxes owed in full is preferable to not filing.

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To be clear, if you don’t pay all the taxes you owe by the April 15 filing deadline, interest will accrue even if you’ve been granted an extension to October, but that interest will be more manageable than fees that add up when you pay no taxes at all.

“The worst case scenario is that you don’t file and end up being liable for penalties later on,” said Emily DiVito, senior advisor for economic policy at the nonprofit Groundwork Collaborative and former U.S. Treasury advisor. “That’s not good for anyone. But there are opportunities to ask for extensions and to go on payment plans.”

Here’s what to know:

What happens if I don’t pay my taxes?

In addition to tacking on interest and penalties, the IRS can eventually garnish your wages, place a lien on your property, or even place a hold on your passport. But if you file for an extension, or if you file your return with your financial information, you can avoid these consequences. Even if you don’t have the money to pay what you owe in full by April 15, paying just a small part when you file.

Are there free tools to help me manage filing for an extension or making a payment plan?

Yes. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites across the country are staffed with volunteers who will help you file a return or arrange for an extension for free. These volunteers can help you set up an installment payment plan of as many as 72 months to pay off any owed taxes. The IRS Direct File program is also free to use.

“While the question mark when you go to click the button to pay can be intimidating, we want to make sure that taxpayers get the money you’re owed, too,” said DiVito. “Most taxpayers — certainly most working taxpayers — get money back. But the way that a lot of the tax credits function, you only get that refund if you file your taxes in the first place.”

Are there other possible outcomes?

If you’ve experienced unusual hardship, and you share that with the IRS, the IRS can sometimes put your account in “currently-not-collectible” status. To do that, you share information about your income and living expenses, and the IRS determines if you qualify.

“Let’s say you’ve been ill, and you lost your job from illness, and you have serious medical bills. You’ve had all the bad luck, and things happened outside of your control, and you need some relief,” said O’Saben. “Then the IRS can place you in uncollectable status. But all of this requires conversation and communication. No one wants to admit they’re having economic problems, but the IRS will work with you if you do.”

There are also rare circumstances in which the IRS will settle your tax debt for less than the amount owed, called an “offer in compromise.” VITA tax professionals can also help you see if you’re eligible, or you can use a free IRS tool online.

I didn’t file my taxes last year. What now?

That’s OK. Start now.

“I’ve been doing taxes for more than 35 years,” said O’Saben. “The number one reason people don’t file is that they have a feeling they may owe — which could be wrong — and they don’t want to face it. But it’s not a problem that’s going to go away. So tell the IRS the truth of the situation. And they will work with you.”

Miklos Ringbauer, a CPA and tax professional in California, echoed this.

“It’s perfectly okay,” he said. “The IRS deals with every single taxpayer. They have dealt with this before. There’s nothing they haven’t seen.”

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

There were many times this season that Afton native Jessie Diggins felt like her foot was ripping apart. She was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis a couple of months ago, and also suffered a partially torn ligament to boot.

Though she was forced to miss a couple of races as a result, Diggins has long been known for her ability to push through pain, and she displayed that grit on the way to winning the World Cup overall title in cross country skiing for the third time in her career.

As she reflected on this season, Diggins noted how this was the first time in her career that she has gotten to hoist the Crystal Globe while feeling healthy. Not necessarily from a physical health standpoint, but from a mental health standpoint.

“It was such a joy to be able to prove to myself that I could win the overall Crystal Globe in a place of being really happy,” Diggins said. “There was so much more joy in the process and less stress overall.”

After famously teaming up with her childhood idol Kikkan Randall and winning a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Diggins has established her dominance on the international circuit.

That doesn’t mean there haven’t been struggles for Diggins along the way.

She won the World Cup overall title for the first time during the peak of the pandemic, saying, “There was a massive asterisk because it was incredibly stressful and it didn’t feel all that fun at times.”

She won the World Cup overall title for the second time last season on the heels of a relapse into an eating disorder, saying, “I was fiercely dedicated to my mental health and recovery, and that took a lot of my time and energy.”

That’s why Diggins is so grateful for the way this season played out.

Never mind that she had to battle through injuries. She managed to approach each race with a positive mindset, winning six races in total and remaining atop of the standings from start to finish.

The fact that she felt joy at pretty much every turn this season is important to Diggins as she contemplates her future with the sport.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have achieved a lot of the big hopes and dreams,” she said. “I’m still here doing this because I genuinely do love it.”

That keeps her coming back for more, and as of right now, Diggins has every intention on participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. She already is excited about the process of getting ready for it.

How will that impact her schedule next season as she attempts to defend her World Cup overall title?

“I’m not going to be laying down a concrete plan,” Diggins said. “I want to be able to be flexible and adapt to what I need in that moment.”

That goes for both her physical health and her mental health.

Women’s cross country skiing World Cup overall winner Jessie Diggins of USA after the women’s cross country skiing classic style 50 km mass start at the FIS Nordic World Cup Lahti Ski Games in Lahti, Finland, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (Emmi Korhonen/Lehtikuva via AP)

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