With low-cost airlines now dominating the skies and dictating destinations, what is the best way to take advantage at the least cost?

With a little time and effort trawling airline websites, the world is your oyster- Caroline Crutchley

Malta is now a hub for Ryanair, Air Malta and Easyjet. That means planes are based here, departing early in the morning and flying until late.

How does that affect the traveller? If you fly to another hub airport such as Bari or Pisa, you can do more than one destination, and one country, and even one continent in one trip.

I recently flew to Pisa and then on to Sardinia for a great price – so I got to explore a new destination with the added treat of a Tuscan pit stop.

I am now adept at finding the best schedule, price and destination that may actually mean using several different airlines and countries. Mind you, a 40-minute changeover in Rome last summer was a little nerve-racking, but I made it and saved big bucks, not only on the flight but also on the cost of a stopover.

With a little time and effort trawling airline websites, the world really is your oyster.

If the flight arrival time is in the late evening slot, a stopover is necessary. Some airports stay open all night so sleeping there will save money, but many now close between midnight and 4 a.m. For the night owls, a late night bar or club may be the answer.

The other option is a budget room within walking distance of the terminal for those dreaded early check- ins. Expect little or no service or facilities other than a clean bed and a bathroom (sometimes shared). With luck, there will be a kettle to make a cuppa.

And what if you arrive at a hub in the morning? Enjoy the destination. Put your luggage into storage and get a map. On my recent five-hour stopover in sunny Pisa – a city I have visited many times before – I headed for the south-east of the city, an area I was unfamiliar with.

I bought a picnic from a local shop and ate it near the old fort in Scotto Gardens on Lungarno Fibonacci. After my lunch I lay back on the grass. With toilets and water fountains at hand, I had all my needs.

Eventually I dusted myself down and started my walk back to the airport; to the mayhem of searches, bleeping scanners and the noisy departure lounge that was far too small for all the full flights departing.

Where next? Time to play the computer roulette wheel of airline websites. Within three hours of returning home, I had booked a return flight to Sicily.

Travellers have become like migratory birds – landing just to rest, refuel and move on. But while in a place for a few hours, these visitors spend money and may well come back for a bigger bite.