Traveling internationally has never been easier, nut you've probably found that international airfares are not cheap. You may have also spent some time going through the search engines for discount international airfares only to become totally overwhelmed. So to start you off on your search here are some of the hottest deals on the web to help you quickly and easily find the best deal.

Traveling to Europe

You may be surprised to hear that there are search engines that deal specifically with people who offer discount international airfares. They are worth looking into as everyone uses different sources for their deals so that they have different discounts on international airfares. There are three search engines that deal with companies offering flights to Europe:

- Goo Flight . This search engine covers 35 countries which serve over 230 cities including the most popular destinations to England, Ireland, France, Italy and Spain. They currently have offerings from 16 airlines. - Sky Scanner . This search engine operates on a slightly different premise. You first enter specific dates, trips or locations and it will undertake a complete search of it's databaseto match your criteria. Most of the other sites just list the availabilities . - Apple Fares . This search engine was recently bought out by CheapFlights.com. Their main focus is on cheap airfares across Europe so if you plan on travelling around Europe once you arrive there, this is an excellent site to help you find cheap airfares as you travel around Europe.

Traveling Intercontinental or Within the USA

The following sites are great resources for intercontinental airfares or for travel within the US:

- Fare Chase (farechase.yahoo.com). This site is simple, easy to navigate and use. It's so good that Yahoo just bought them out! - Qixo (www.qixo.com). This site clains to be the biggest cheap airfare search engine of them all. It may well be true as it has a staggering amount of airfares and options available. - Opodo (www.opodo.co.uk/). Although it's a UK site it allows you to search its database with a combination of factors, such as airlines, different fares,traveling partners and ages.

Need a List of Cheap International Airfares?

There are alternatives to the pure search engine style cheap airline sites. There are also websites that list the best and cheapest airfares currently available. Take a look at some of the best:

- LowCostAirlines.org (www.etntelephone.com/lcostair.htm). This site carries a lot of information including lists of the budget and discount airlines, cheap airfare deals, a search engine and also a forum for you to search and discuss where to get the cheapest airfare. You can find out where the discount airlines are based so that you can get the best deals for traveling to a particular destination. - Attitude Travel (http://www.attitudetravel.com/lowcostairlines.html). This is an extensive site that includes details of the cheap international airlines that fly to and from Europe.

Why not try Being an Air Courier

One of the most effective ways to get cheap, or often free, airfares is to travel as an air courier. My sister used this method to fly for free to attend my wedding. While it's not suitable for everyone as you give up some of your luggage space to courier the goods, you don't really have to do anything with the goods themselves. It may not be ideal but for really deep discounts it's well worth considering. To find out more try these sites:

- The Air Courier Association
- The International Association of Air Couriers
- Air Hitch (www.air-hitch.org)

Wherever you're going have a safe and enjoyable trip!