While many Americans are talking about staycations this summer, the down economy has actually made it more affordable (if you have the money) to consider taking a trip overseas. That’s why this recent tipsheet from Airfarewatchdog, an airfare deal site that lists hand-picked low airfares from online travel agencies and airline sites, on booking airfare to Europe caught my eye.

“There are five countries that are especially cheap to fly into from North America right now,” Airfarewatchdog founder George Hobica says.” They are Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Switzerland. And we’ve been finding non-stops from New York to Zurich for around $440 round-trip including tax, which is amazing!”

Here are some highlights from 4 Timely Tips & Strategies for Buying Summer Airfare to Europe:

1. Use a flexible date search on Orbitz, Cheaptickets or Hotwire. A fare from New York to Rome can be $500 with taxes on one set of dates in August, $800 on another set, and $1,000 on still another.
2. Don’t “blinder” yourself into one set destination. Get to know alternative airports, Ryanair (a super cheap airline in Europe), the rail system, and even cheap inter-city buses in Europe. For example, it may be cheaper to fly into Dublin and then grab a low-fare flight to your ultimate European destination in order to save money on the airfare. As far as alternate airports go, everyone knows Heathrow in London, and many are familiar with Gatwick. But Luton, which is about 40 minutes outside the city, often has the best rates for getting to and from Britain’s capital city.
3. Check fares every day. International fares typically only change once a day, and they do change, sometimes by hundreds of dollars up or down. Sign up for all the alert systems like Airfarewatchdog, Yapta, Orbitz, Travelocity, Kayak, Farecast and Farecompare.
4. Click over to the airline’s site to double-check the fare. Once you find a fare you like using an online booking site, check the actual airline site to compare the fares. Many international airlines don’t share their best deals with these online sties, consumers can save substantially by purchasing their tickets directly through the airline’s site. But that works in reverse sometimes, too.

Bon voyage!