So when planning your next trip to Europe, visit the countries with the highest taxes first or in the middle of your trip. Finish your vacation in one of the cheaper countries.

The European countries charging the highest taxes include the U.K., Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy. Conversely, flying out of countries like Ireland, Spain, Greece, Turkey and Portugal is cheaper.

It's also worth noting that two of the U.K.'s largest airlines (British Airways and Virgin Atlantic) impose notoriously high carrier-imposed surcharges on flights and the APD. As a result, award flights on these carriers (even if only connecting thru London) will still have high out-of-pocket costs.

This is because of the U.K.'s Air Passenger Duty, or APD, which varies based on two factors:
-The length of your flight
-The class of service