The budget airline Ryanair is known for saving travelers big bucks, but a lot of frequent flyers complain that Ryanair's network of remote airports can leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere if you book without paying attention.

However, those with their eyes open and a map close at hand may find that a cheap flight to one of the airline's obscure bases might actually be an advantage. Even when you combine the cost of your flight to the outlying location with the price of the additional ground travel, Ryanair can still offer an affordable alternative to direct flights on major carriers.
 
With that in mind, we did a little research for getting to Eastern Europe for as cheap as possible. Many times Ryanair might fly into a different country than your final destination in these alternatives. But don't let that stop you.

It may seem out of the way, but in these cases, the ground transportation makes them all very accessible. Here are a few examples of Ryanair-inspired routings to points further eastward if you're going to:
 
St. Petersburg, Russia
 
Alternative: Lapeenranta, Finland
From Dusseldorf Weeze, Barcelona Girona or Milan Bergamo, you can fly to this smaller airport in Finland.
 
Ground transport
From Lapeenranta, catch the train or bus to St. Petersburg.
 
Lvov, Ukraine
 
Alternative 1: Rzeszow, Poland
From Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, Eastern Midlands, Barcelona Girona, Glasgow, Luton, London Stansted, Manchester, Oslo Rygge or Trapani you can fly direct to Rzeszow.
 
Alternative 2: Lublin, Poland
You can fly to Lublin from Dublin, Liverpool or London Stansted.
 
Ground transport
From either destination you can catch a train or bus to Lvov.
 
Moldova or the Black Sea
 
Alternative: Constanta, Romania
You can fly here from Milan Bergamo or Pisa.
 
Ground transport
Travelers can take a bus, train or even a ferry northward or southward to their final destination.
 
Locations in the Balkans
 
Alternative 1: Osijek, Croatia
From London Stansted you can reach this small Croatian city. Then you can easily connect onwards to points in southern Hungary, Serbia or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
Alternative 2: Podgorica, Montenegro
You can fly from Brussels Charleroi or London Stansted and then connect via bus to Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia or even southern Croatia.
 
Budget Airline Tips
 
Do you have any shortcuts you use when flying budget airlines? Let us know! And for more information on cheap airline travel, we have a plenty of handy articles including an introduction to low-cost carriers, a budget airline FAQ and the pros and cons of flying cheap.

About the author

An academic by training, a writer by day, and a Cheapo by heritage, Hilary Bown's meagre means and insatiable travel appetite have helped her sharpen her "no-budget travel" skills across the European continent over the past decade. At home in Berlin or on an adventure abroad, you'll find her in sandals, riding the bus, reading novels while walking, drinking the local wine, writing out postcards with a felt-tip pen, and browsing the shelves of the supermarket and hardware store. Find her unique blend of travel adventure and tested advice at Less Than a Shoestring.

This article also appeared in: www.eurocheapo.com