Although I used to travel to France in the summer frequently as a child with my family, I have always known that trying to get a decent airfare to my favorite country in the high-season months of July and August is nearly impossible. In fact, high summer airfares to Europe have kept me from returning to France for the past few years as I navigate the post-college world of paying bills and making student loan payments each month. However, it seems that this summer, everything that we knew to be true about expensive airfare to Europe in the summer has apparently been chucked out of the window. I am now trying to wrap my head around the possibility of spending July in France without having to sell my car, couch or new baby cousin to get there.

In light of a struggling global economy and fewer people packing their suitcases and heading out on summer vacations this year, travel costs and airfares are way down no matter what you destination. In fact, this morning, I noticed some pretty fantastic summer webfares for June, July and August bargains on Air France. Living on the West coast, I’m pretty used to seeing cheap airfares from New York to European cities, but these deals also include prices like $275 one-way from Seattle to Malaga or $361 from Chicago to Milan.

Summer airfare to Europe for $500 or less? Looks like I’ll be packing my bags and starting a search for the best budget hotels in the Latin Quarter or Budget Hotels in the Marais or if I want to save a few more dollars, even Paris hostels in the Marais (these are a few of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris).