30+ flights for under £30 return – How to bag cheap European flights this January

By MoneySavingExpert's Coupon Kid, Jordon Cox

As everyone crawls back to their desks after Christmas, there is only one thing on many people’s minds – HOLIDAYS.

Luckily, January is one of the cheapest times of the year for flights, which means you could pick up a cheap getaway if you’re looking to escape the January blues. Here are some of the flights for under £30 return (including taxes but excluding baggage & other extras) that I found when I checked on Tue 3 Jan.

There are no guarantees you’ll find the same as I did, but this should give you an idea of what to look out for. All of the flights below are with Ryanair as I found them cheapest. Other budget airlines are available, but might not be this cheap.

Winter sun

London

• £23 London Stansted to Zaragoza return (17-24 Jan).
• £26 London Stansted to Reus return (17-24 Jan).
• £26 London Stansted to Santander return (30 Jan-6 Feb).
• £30 London Stansted to Alicante return (17-24 Jan).

Birmingham

• £20 Birmingham to Palma return (18-25 Jan).
• £26 Birmingham to Malaga return (18-25 Jan).
• £30 Birmingham to Alicante return (9-16 Jan).
• £30 Birmingham to Faro return (6-13 Jan).

Manchester

• £20 Manchester to Palma return (12-19 Jan).
• £24 Manchester to Faro return (9-16 Jan).
• £30 Manchester to Alicante return (29 Jan-5 Feb).

Glasgow

• £19 Glasgow to Faro return (14-21 Jan).
• £24 Glasgow to Malaga return (12-19 Jan).
• £26 Glasgow to Alicante return (12-19 Jan).

Bristol

• £25 Bristol to Faro return (10-17 Jan).
• £30 Bristol to Alicante return (16-23 Jan).
• £30 Bristol to Malaga return (14-21 Jan).

Leeds

• £25 Leeds to Faro return (13-21 Jan).
• £28 Leeds to Alicante return (11-18 Jan).
• £28 Leeds to Malaga return (11-18 Jan).

Newcastle

• £20 Newcastle to Malaga return (17-24 Jan).
• £30 Newcastle to Alicante return (15-22 Jan).

Bournemouth

• £20 Bournemouth to Faro return (18-25 Jan).
• £26 Bournemouth to Luqa, Malta return (12-19 Jan).

City breaks

London

• £15 London Stansted to Hamburg return (12-19 Jan).
• £16 London Stansted to Luxemburg return (12-19 Jan).
• £20 London Luton to Copenhagen return (18-25 Jan).
• £20 London Stansted to Cologne return (18-25 Jan).
• £20 London Stansted to Milan return (12-19 Jan).
• £24 London Stansted to Berlin return (15-22 Jan).
• £26 London Stansted to Frankfurt return (18-25 Jan).
• £28 London Stansted to Venice return (21-28 Jan).

Manchester

• £16 Manchester to Brussels return (18-25 Jan).
• £18 Manchester to Hamburg return (18-25 Jan).
• £20 Manchester to Paris return (18-25 Jan).

Glasgow

• £16 Glasgow to Brussels return (18-25 Jan).
• £20 Glasgow to Berlin return (18-25 Jan).
• £20 Glasgow to Barcelona return (19-26 Jan).

Most of these flights have alternative dates throughout January, February and March – so if the dates I’ve found don’t work for you – there might be alternatives.

Important: Ryanair calls itself a low-cost carrier, but you can only bag dirt-cheap deals if you know the tricks of the trade to avoid sky-high charges. See our Ryanair guide to ensure you aren’t hit with a raft of extra fees and charges.

How to find cheap flights

My personal method to find cheap flights is with flight comparison sites Google Flights and Skyscanner*. By using both of those sites, you can see which month is the cheapest to travel and see a range of prices across different dates and airlines.

For more information on cheap flights, see our cheap flights guide and if you need a hotel for a cheap price while you’re away, see our cheap hotels guide.

Have you found any travel bargains so far this year? I’d love to know what you’ve seen in the comments below, on Twitter @MSE_Deals or on Facebook.