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Post by backpackerus on Jan 28, 2007 20:22:50 GMT -5
Hey!! We are looking for 2 tickets leaving from the DC area ending up in Madrid, or Paris to start our month long backpacking trip! Does anyone have any suggestions of where to find cheap tickets? We are leaving in Mid-to-end June. We are also students if that helps. Just let us know if you can provide us with any sort of help! Thanks!
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Post by madamtrashheap on Jan 28, 2007 22:00:41 GMT -5
Welcome to the boards, backpackerus. There are lots of different sites that people on these boards use for flights, and sometimes it's just a matter of keeping your eyes open for specials offered by individual airlines. Have a look at www.cheapflights.com, www.whichbudget.com and even the websites of the airlines that fly out of DC to Europe in case they have a special deal going. Also, members often post links to deals they've found in the Travel Articles & News section ( pretravel.proboards1.com/index.cgi?board=newsarticles ). I'm sure the others will chime in with other suggestions for sites to look at v soon. Hope you find your flight! |
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Post by pointofnoreturn on Jan 28, 2007 23:08:39 GMT -5
June is high season so your best bet is to buy tickets ASAP. It might go as high as 1200 per person for the time you're travelling which is why a lot of people buy months ahead. Sometimes STA Travel runs promotions although there's taxes to be covered on that.
Check out kayak, travelocity, expedia, etc to get a general idea of how much it would cost for a round trip ticket to Madrid or Paris.
IcelandAir is another option - cheap travel but requires a layover in the capital before heading onto mainland Europe.
Of course, you should keep in mind that all major airline carrier post their fare sales the end of Tuesday at 12:00 AM (which actually is Wednesday) and that's when prices are the lowest.
But the moral is... the sooner the better.
Check out FareCompare as well. Seems that general prices are 700-920 USD. Iberia looks like a good possibility. They fly D.C. to Madrid if that helps.
Air France doesn't seem too bad as an option if you want to fly to Paris.
You can also check out Zoom Airlines (Canadian charter airline) if you're willing to make the trek up to Montreal to fly to Paris.
But it really looks like it's going to be double what you expected to pay because everything's going to be booked and prices are extremely high. You'll be lucky to get a good deal.
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Post by WillTravel on Jan 29, 2007 0:51:39 GMT -5
Do you have to go to Paris or Madrid first? I looked at a few European destinations departing out of DC-area airports in mid-to-late June, and was shocked by the cost. Then I tried Dublin, and I got a much more reasonable rate of $692 leaving on various dates in mid to late June. From Dublin, there are numerous low-cost flights you could take to get to your other destinations. If you have no interest in Dublin, it's probably not worth it, but if you do, see it as a bonus.
Try ITASoftware.com .
I also read of someone who found a cheap fare to Dublin on Aer Lingus (the airline this $692 total fare is on), and phoned up and was able to add Aer Lingus legs to the trip to go to her final destination, Rome in that case, for not that much cost. That would be preferable to using another airline, if you could manage it.
It used to be, and is still somewhat the case, that London was a good spot for starting a trip with a cheap airfare. But with the higher fares to London plus the new taxes, it's not so much the case anymore.
If you do use two separate airlines, I would leave an overnight in Dublin on the way over and an overnight in Dublin on the way back (at least one).
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