I miss Europe! It's been 3 years and I want to come back. We've been to most of the majors and live/love the Backdoor approach. Our typical pattern is 10-14 days, rental car most likely, B&B's usually for 2-3 nights as touring base and fine with flying in/out of different airports from the US East coast. We're way behind on our planning and would appreciate suggestions. We have talked about Ireland but are trying to stretch the budget as far as possible.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
You might check out USAir. They are launching a new direct flight from Charlotte direct to Dublin in May. They may have some discounted fares.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
Yes, Lisa, I do realize that, but it is accessable & inexpensive.
Posted by
Orlando, FL, USA
33 posts
Aer Lingus flies out of Orlando if your willing to make the drive down. They have some pretty good deals. I was able to get flights under $500 each way for August to Amsterdam and back from Paris (through Dublin).
Posted by
Des Moines, IA
2193 posts
Icelandair flies from Sanford in Orlando. I don't believe they fly to Dublin, but you didn't indicate that you're dead set on Ireland. Icelandair is competitive with Aer Lingus – both are usually less expensive than others.
Posted by
Gettysburg, PA
1589 posts
Best bargain might be Tunisia. They are nearly giving rooms away in an attempt to get back even a portion of their previous tourist trade. Order through a UK agency for the best deals.
Posted by
NY, USA
500 posts
Tunisia is in Africa, not Europe.
Posted by
Atlanta
1358 posts
And Budget Travel just did an article online about Dublin having the cheapest hotels of any European capital. Seems like the planets are aligning....
Posted by
OP
Jacksonville, FL, USA
15 posts
It would/does seem to us that Ireland is having a hard time economically which ought to mean bargains are available. We wish to avoid warm weather climates given our timeline. The other option is Peru, but I'm not crazy about that. Flying out of Orlando/Sanford is not out of the question - especially if it saves considerable dollars.
We are not beginners at bargain hunting, but haven't been able to retire as expected so are still limited by the school calendar. Thanks for the input. We welcome more thoughts!