Want to add a little pizazz to your next European vacation? SLS it.
Our Stopover Loophole Strategy (SLS) has the potential to “upgrade” a European visit in a big way.
Here’s how it works: For a small fee (or sometimes no fee at all) some airlines allow a stopover in their hub city on published Business Class fares.
We’ve written about this strategy a number of times over the last few months: British Airways with a London stopover and Germany and Switzerland with Lufthansa and SWISS; and for Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and SAS, to Vienna, Brussels, and Copenhagen.
The great thing is that most people have no idea it exists.
TAP TAP. Who’s there? Portugal (and Europe)
In this edition, we have a very exciting stopover opportunity for you: Portugal, via TAP Air Portugal.
With this strategy, you can book a stopover in Lisbon or Porto for up to five days for free, before traveling on to your other European destination. Or you can do it the other way and visit Portugal on your way back.
Here at FCF we like to call this kind of thinking the “Upgrade Mindset.” It’s a way to think outside of the travel booking box to score two destinations for the price of one. That’s an incredible upgrade no matter where you’re traveling from. Travel like this and you can have a bucket list twice the size–for little or no more cost.
Lisbon for $2.00
Two European cities for the price of one: Let’s say you want to travel from New York to Venice and the lowest Business Class fare is $1,999 round-trip with TAP. Now, for $2,001, just $2 more, you can fly New York to Venice and stop in Lisbon. Here’s the screenshot.
See FCF’s recent TAP fare alert for more low-cost Business Class routes from the U.S. and Canada.
How to Book
First, we recommend that you price the flight itinerary via Google Flight’s search engine. Filter by TAP only, so you can get an idea of what your trip cost would be without the stopover. For example, let’s say you’re traveling New York to Venice in August, currently the lowest fare starts at $1,999.
You then have 2 options:
#1. You could continue with Google Flights, select your travel dates and flights, and click on the “Book with TAP Air Portugal” under “Booking options.” This takes you to the TAP website, which will then show you the options of booking the flight with a stopover (in red) or without a stopover (in grey).
If you decide you want the stopover, you will have to consider the following questions:
- “Where do you want to stay?” Your choice is either Lisbon or Porto.
- “When do you want to stay” You can choose either on the departure or the return part of your trip.
- “How many nights do you want to stay in Portugal?” You have up to five nights.
Option #2: Or, you can book the stopover via TAP’s website. They even have a video to show you how to book the stopover titled, “How do I book a Stopover?” with step-by-step instructions.
Why Stop in Portugal?
Portugal is a bucket list destination waiting to happen, and it’s one of the cheapest destinations in the European Union. Portugal is known for great food and wine, clean beaches, cool calçada tiled pavements, colorful buildings, and beautiful sunsets over the Atlantic.
Lisbon features magnificent views all over the city from its seven hills overlooking the Tejo River. You can explore gorgeous old Lisbon with its narrow, curling streets and trundling trams. And Lisbon’s mild climate is perfect for a short stay, with beaches just 30 minutes away. There are tons of great restaurants and cafes and culture-seekers will find treasures at every turn including Bertrand, the world’s oldest bookshop.
Porto is Portugal’s second largest city, with a unique charm of its own. Located on the Douro River, Porto is a relaxed, pedestrian-friendly city that’s perfect for exploring on foot. Like Lisbon, the food and wine is great, and of course, a glass of Port – in Porto – is an absolute must.
TAP’s Business Class Seat
Stop over in comfort with TAP’s Business Class lie-flat seats, which are available on all U.S. and Canada flights. TAP’s new A330-900neo aircraft has its newest seat — with 34 seats that are configured in 1-2-1 layout.
