plans for a trip next summer

I would start watching flights now, mirna. Get comfortable with who flies to Paris and Italy, how many flights there are and how the prices range. Watch how they go up and down. I've never been to Italy and am going to France for the first time this fall. Generally, I think of $1000 as the standard rate for the summer. However, with the economy, the rates seem to be much lower this year.

I usually get my tickets around 3-4 months ahead. I don't like to buy much earlier than that since the tickets are non-refundable. And a lot of times, i can't commit any earlier than that. I don't like to wait much longer than that because I want to make sure I get the flight I want.

One thing I would suggest is once you start looking seriously and pick a flight or flights you want to take -- when you check the prices check for seat assignments to see how full the plane is. If it's almost full, the price isn't likely to go down and you may want to book soon,. If there are lots of seats left, there's no rush. There may be a sale coming. I also keep an eye on oil prices since that's a major cost and influences the airline's pricing decisions.

You should also check what people are saying on sites like this. And read the travel section of the paper. Good luck!

End of June is actually still considered "shoulder season" in Europe because the schools don't get out until July. My sister booked tickets to Dublin this year from mid-June to July 1 and got them for around $560 including taxes. Start looking on the farewatcher sites like Kayak around the beginning of the year.

In June, anything under $700 would be a great deal.

Thank you so much for your great advice I now have something to go on.

Mirna,

To begin with, since this is your "first time" to Europe I'd highly recommend reading the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. That's an essential pre-read and will provide you with a lot of information to help in the planning of your trip.

As someone else mentioned, June is still somewhat at the end of the "spring shoulder season", however it will probably be getting busy then.

It's not likely that the airlines will have too many fares posted for June until early in the New Year. You can get a "rough idea" on fares by checking now, but it's very likely these will be slightly different by next year. Airline revenues are down, so they're responding by cutting routes, so that's a factor also. You might want to speak with a Travel Agent in your area to get a few ideas.

With such a short time frame, Paris and a few cities in Italy is a good idea. I'd suggest that open-jaw flights would be your best option, perhaps inbound to Paris/CDG and outbound from Rome/FCO.

Could you provide a bit of information on your interests and what sights you hope to see there. That will make it easier to offer suggestions.

Good luck with your planning!

Thanks again for all the help.
I'm excited for you guys that are traveling.

We would like to visit Paris, Rome, Florence, and Venice and we do want to see some of the major sites, Eiffel Tower,Louvre,Colosseum,etc. but we are much more interested in the feeling of being in these cities. We are interested in scenic views rather then the typical tourist sites, eating in local places rather then nice restaurants (which fits our budget better, anyway).

Like everyone else we are budget conscious, we were thinking of traveling by train form Paris to Italy to see more places (is there a lot to see?), or is it cheaper to fly from Paris to a city in Italy and then travel by train within Italy?

I've also heard that it's cheaper to fly into a neighboring country and then take a train to your destination, is it worth the trouble?

thanks,
Mirna