Planning a family trip to Lisbon is exhilarating because it’s such an amazing place to experience. But before you get there, you’ll have to go through the process of booking the flights, which can seem overwhelming and complex, especially for first-timers. But don’t worry, we have tips for booking flights to Lisbon for a family that will simplify the process and help you save time and money!
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MAKE RESERVATIONS IN ADVANCE
When planning a trip to Lisbon, the sooner you book your flight, the better. You’re not going to find many last-minute deals and if you need multiple tickets for your family, it’ll be even more difficult. We often start looking for flights to Lisbon 9 to 10 months in advance. This allows us to track the prices and get an idea of how much the average ticket will cost. Once we know how the ticket should cost, we can easily spot a great deal and jump on it immediately!
SHOP FARE COMPARISON SITES
To get the best deal on your flight to Lisbon, you’ll want to compare the fares of several airlines at once. Booking.com is a great tool to comparison shop for flights. You can pick specific airlines that you like, and filter by time of departure among many other options that will help you sort your options. It’s great to be able to shop several flights in one spot.
FLEXIBLE DATES AND DAYS
Family travel usually means that you have a more restricted time frame to work with. Many families like traveling in the summer since the kids are out of school and the weather is nice and warm. This also makes summer one of the busiest times to travel.
Our family solved this problem by traveling to Lisbon in June. The weather was excellent and the crowds were manageable throughout our trip.
If you decide to travel in June, make sure that you look at your options a few days before or after your original date. You could quite a bit of money just by changing your plans by a day or two.
SET PRICE ALERTS
You don’t want to miss any deals for your Lisbon flight, so set price alerts on Google Flights. When the price changes you’ll get an email alerting you of the new price. The good thing is that you can have several alerts for the same location or different locations. You still will want to check manually at times because some deals come and go before you even get the alert!
USE NEARBY AIRPORTS
If you live in or near a major city, you’re probably used to getting great flight deals. But for those of us that aren’t that privileged we still have options. Consider airports in cities that are near you. Even if you have to drive for a bit to reach the airport, you could potentially save thousands in airfare.
Our family lives in Cleveland, Ohio, but we have family in Toronto, so we always fly out of Toronto. For our trip to Lisbon, we saved thousands of dollars by doing this.
FLY INTO PORTO
Both Lisbon and Porto have great deals for flights, so make sure you don’t limit your search to Lisbon. Once you arrive in Porto, the you can take a high speed train to Lisbon. The trip is a relatively short at two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours.
CHECK THE AIRLINE’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Using comparison sites to find great deals works a lot of time, but it’s not always the lowest price. Sometimes you’ll find that going directly to the airlines via their website will provide you the best option.
TAP Portugal is a great place to start as they are Portugal’s national airline and always have great deals. They’re considered a budget airline but a great option to have.
LOYALTY PROGRAMS
If you have an airline that you particularly like, why not sign up for their loyalty or rewards program? This is a great way to get massive discounts on your flight or even to eventually get free flights!
There are also credit cards that specialize in helping travelers save, such as Capital One, American Express, and Chase Bank. These companies offer several excellent cards that will help you rack up points in no time!
CHECK PORTUGAL VISA AND PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS
Verify the visa and passport requirements for entering Portugal. For citizens of the United States, Canada, and the UK, you can stay without a visa for up to 90 days.
Portugal does require that your passport be valid for at least three months past your planned departure date, so check the date on your passport in case you need to renew it.
ENJOY YOUR FLIGHT AND TRIP TO LISBON
Planning your family trip to Lisbon does not need to be a complicated experience. Just follow the tips in our guide and you can confidently plan your family vacation. With some planning and preparation, you will have a wonderful flight and trip to Lisbon. Once your flight is booked, make sure to start planning what to do and what to bring. Check out the itinerary that our family used for our awesome trip to Lisbon our amazing packing list for your family as well as our essential guide to the best areas to stay in Lisbon. Safe travels!
