In the beginning, last July, we cleared our possible April dates with the dog sitter. ( dog paw emoji)
Business airfare to anywhere in Europe from our smaller San Diego market was outrageous, $3500-$4000 each RT, consistently high post-Covid. I followed Google Flight Alerts for the past 12 months, & the data was clear. Painfully, the decision was made to search for fares from LAX. On a perfect day, one-way was 90 minutes- but there are no perfect days on LA freeways.
In July, I set up Google Flight Alerts from LAX to several large European airports, on several different dates, for the following April. I avoided the March Easter weeks, having learned that lesson. My husband is loyal to British Airways. And if time is money, I also searched for fares for weeks. One day, I came up with about $2200 RT business class fares to Zurich- only...Hmmmm...then Frankfurt.... then a few days later, Amsterdam, our target! Driving to LAX was going to be worth the hassle! We stacked discounts on top of this, starting with the long-running AARP discount (any age can join), going into their website, which then connects directly to the British Airways site, so one is buying directly from the airline. We used a British Airways Visa, with an additional 10% discount- our RT Business Class fares totaled $1850 each! I posted the find here on the Forum. None of the various travel tips sites reported this. And interestingly, I checked the economy fare, which was the SAME as our business class, &the premium economy price was higher! This great fare lasted a few days, then disappeared. We were going!
We are two 70-ish seniors ,active, not foodies, flying with a carry-on suitcase , along with backpack, traveling for two weeks. I don't carry a purse, I have a Bandolier neck strap phone case that I use as a wallet. The phone case has a snap pocket, and includes a portable battery that easily plugs into my phone while still in the pocket. I then carry one credit card and about €40. I learned from last year's Italy trip that all I need is my Apple Wallet & to Tap. I carried additional money, credit cards, & a debit card with my passport, under my clothes. Some brilliant OP suggested the Eagle Creek silk neck passport holder, & I found it amazingly more comfortable than what I had; the adjustment ring was small. I found a full-length Gortex rain jacket on sale at Sierra Trading, with inside zipper pockets. I felt secure!
The flights all went smoothly & were on time. The Amsterdam airport has great signage, in English, & Passport Control took about ten minutes. English was spoken everywhere. The train station is downstairs under the airport. TAP on the column BEFORE you get on the escalator down to the trains- no turnstile to remind you.
The Netherlands transportation systems are all TAP . We used a credit card in our Apple Wallet. Everyone needs their own mode to tap. However, the same credit can be used: one person can tap from the Apple Watch, another can tap from the Apple phone, & another can tap from the actual credit card. But- each person must use the exact same mode to tap off the train, bus, tram. There are constant reminders. (Cameron Hewitt just posted on this topic on Facebook. He was in the NL the exact time as we were.) Train routes/schedules were easy to find on the NS app.
Because of reported business closures on Sundays/Mondays, we flew in/out on Sundays, with only one weekend in country.
THE ITINERARY
This is the first trip we took in which all of our destinations were completely new. I researched throughout last August, & thanks to everyone here, decided on, & BOOKED in July/ August for the following April.
Leiden -4 nights ( Leiden, Keukenhof, and Delft)
A day at Kinderdijk on the way to Bruges
Bruges - 4 nights ( Bruges, Ghent, rain, & slowing down)
Haarlem - 5 nights ( Amsterdam & Haarlem & more rain)