We are planning a 37 day trip starting April 2017 which will start in Gent, Belgium - move on to Germany by car - and then in to Italy, exploring everywhere from, Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre, Sienna, Florence, Rome and ending in Naples.
I am totally confused as to how I should book airfare. Do I do a RT to Brussels, RT to London, RT to Frankfurt or multi-city Sea to Brussels then Naples to Seattle? There are so many options out there. I am looking for the "cheapest" way to go (of course), but wouldn't dismiss paying alittle extra for the comfort of premium seating if it isn't a whole lot more. Alslo, how far in advance should I start looking at seriously booking my airfare. (I have been looking since June!) We are open to flying in and out of any airport if the fare is cheaper and then we can make our way to our destination from there via train, car or air,
We will be staying in Airbnb's to save cost of lodging. (I have terminal cancer and my yearly medical costs exceed $15k, so we need to do Europe on a budget)
Any help is appreciated.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7034 posts
I would definitely fly into Brussels and home from wherever in Italy you end up. Flight may cost a bit more but getting from Italy back to Brussels would involve both cost and time.
Posted by
Washington DC
27122 posts
That sounds like a great trip with a lot of variety. Is there a reason you want to start in Belgium and end in Italy? For a trip beginning in April, I would normally do the opposite because of the anticipated weather.
Your trip will be more relaxing if you look for a multi-city routing and fly into and out of different cities. Otherwise, you'll have the time and expense of flying back to the starting point the day before your flight home. Belgium-Italy or the reverse would be too long a train ride, and a one-way car rental (also too long) would likely come with an exorbitant drop-off fee. You could start shopping now for that single-hop repositioning flight; there are often great deals when intra-European flights are purchased so far in advance. But if you buy a separate flight from a budget airline and something goes wrong (such as flight cancellation), you are still responsible for getting to your departure airport at your expense--which would likely be very costly at the last minute. A lot of experienced travelers like to visit their departure city for a few days at the end of the trip, just so the don't have to worry about a last-minute transportation leg to the departure city.
I'm not sure whether there's typically a major difference in airfare to Brussels vs. Rome (if not, the multi-city option wouldn't cost extra), but others here probably will have some suggestions. Amsterdam or even Frankfurt might possibly be worth considering. I recall that earlier this year some folks found really good prices to Milan.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Thank you both for your input. We are flying to Belgium to visit an exchange student we had in 1988! Our only sure thing is April 28th-Jun 2nd. Not sure how the weather is that time of year in the different countries, but we are used to the heat, although I am most comfortable in sunny 75-80 degree weather. I don't like rain or cold! We plan to end in Naples. We could reverse out trip and do Naples up to Belgium if the weather is better doing it that way. I am open to any and all suggestions.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Brussels and Naples are not big gateway airports so may be more expensive. Do a comparison with Paris/Rome and Amsterdam/Rome.
If you started in southern Italy in April and journeyed north, the weather encountered would be more even - mild. Starting in Belgium in April and journeying south, the weather encountered would go from cool to warm. I would prefer to have some warmth, and don't mind some cool as well, so would leave as is. This option would also let you enjoy gardens with spring flowers in the north.
Belgium (4nts)
Cologne (2nts)
Rhine (3nts)
Wurzburg (3nts)
Munich (4nts)
Innsbruck/Tirol (3nts)
Venice (3nts)
Florence/Tuscany (5nts)
Rome (4nts)
Amalfi/Naples (5nts)
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15585 posts
David's given you pretty good advice. Also consider that you can get cheap flights within Europe (but don't forget to add all the extras - booking fees, checked luggage, etc). You may find a good RT to Brussels (or Amsterdam, not that far away), spend a few days in Ghent, then get a cheap flight from Brussels to Naples and work your way north back to Brussels. rome2rio.com is a pretty easy way to find flights between European cities.