We'll be travelling in Europe (predominantly Italy) for about a month, in the mid-July to mid-August time frame. Bottom line, have to be in Venice by July 17. Travel window overall is pretty flexible, though. Flights departing from Portland, Oregon (PDX) could be anything between July 7 and July 14. Don't mind if we fly into France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Nederlands, Belgium or Slovenia, whichever is lowest cost? Return would be about 30 days following departure. Any ideas?
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9109 posts
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
Trisha,
When you go to the Kayak website you can click on the "Buzz" feature. Then, click on "Top 25" from Portland to "Europe" leaving "July." That should give you the lowest cost flights to Europe during that time frame.
Posted by
Boulder, CO, USA
780 posts
Let me just say from experience and other postings on a similar subject, its always best to check directly with an airline to see prices there before using a consolidator. Im going to London in November and the lowest price I found for round trip, non stop British Air to Heathrow from Denver was $712 and booking fees through Expedia. I decided to check British Air directly before booking through Expedia and guess what... Got the same flight for $641 directly through British Airways. Also booking through the airline gives you more leeway in case of cancellations, delays, etc since you dont also have to buy the flight insurance that consolidators insist on.
Posted by
Atlanta
3262 posts
Kayak.com for example isn't a consolidator--it's a travel search engine website that many times takes you directly to the airline website.
You can use it as a way to track airfare trends and then purchase when you see a good deal!
Posted by
Chicago, IL, United States
120 posts
I get weekly e-mails from www.travelzoo.com. From their Top 25 deals e-mail, in late March, I found a roundtrip ticket from Chicago to Pisa (Rome was $200 more expensive) for $387. I went in early May & flew Alitalia. That deal has long since expired, but you may be able to find a similar deal through from the site. Good luck.
Posted by
OP
West Linn, OR
2 posts
Thanks to all of you who replied! I'm pleased to report we're booked and have saved $400 over the options we'd previously looked at.
The Kayak Buzz icon worked like a charm (it helps when your itinerary can be super flexible like ours), inputting Europe, July 2009 and Top 25. I'll use that in the future, without a doubt!
Back in 1999, we journeyed eastern and western Europe and northern Africa for 4 months, and Rick was "with us" all the way. Now, 10 years later, we're buying his latest books and garnering valuable advice from this Graffiti Wall feature! Hats off to Rick, his staff and all of you! Thanks and happy travels.