For those of you who like to travel, there have been a number of airfare sales to Europe over the past few weeks. Right now round-trips are available from Chicago, Washington, and New York to Amsterdam and Paris for around $440, and I’ve seen them offered through third-party sites for $380. This if for travel January through late March or early April, so good for many Spring Breaks.
Chicago seems to have become the place for the cheapest airfares of late. I took my son and a friend to Europe last year. We flew into Vienna and out of Prague, and since these really weren’t the cities we were going to see we did a lot of extra train travel. And our cost was $625 per person.
I don’t mind driving 10 or 12 hours to Chicago for a really cheap flight. From most airports the best one can do is about $1,300 round trip. Four people saving $800 each is $3,200, and I’m more than glad to do a little driving for $3,200.
Anyway, I thought I would pass this on. I’m thinking about taking my son and a couple of his friends. He’s a senior this year, so probably our last chance for a trip like this.
Emirates is offering some great rates to Italy. They recently just had another 2 for 1 sale. Their economy seats are very comfortable with good food (free alcohol) and entertainment on demand. Sometimes they offer business upgrade for 450/pp, and their business class seats are flat bed and bar lounge.
Amazingly cheap flights to Asia, too. $600 round trip from Denver to Bangkok.
I’m going to Nepal, which is close to exactly on the other side of the planet from Colorado - for $1000 round trip. Travelers, now’s the perfect time!!
Europe is great in the winter. No crowds in the cities & cheap hotels. And awesome (and much cheaper than US) skiing with ambience. Nothing like knocking down schnapps on the piste and belting out John Denver’s “Country Road” with the locals, sung in a Germany accent…
I sent an email to my cousin in New York, and she replied… from Berlin! Said she got a cheap fare and grabbed her daugher and off they went. I will have to ask her what that fare was. Those numbers quoted above are way cheaper than anything I have seen in recent memory! We just paid almost $600 to go to San Diego!
We used to ski in Austria every winter in the Tirol region. The two areas we visited repeatedly were Mayrhofen and the Stubai Valley. The Stubai valley is just south of Innsbruck. Fly into Munich.
We did it all wrong on our first ski trip; we stayed in a hotel in Innsbruck. The way the Europeans do it is to rent an apartment near the ski area. The normal practice is a one-week rental. Arrive Saturday; depart Saturday. You can rent an apartment ~1000 EUR/week that will comfortably accommodate a family. Compare that to the ridiculous prices charged for ski condos in the US. Lots of online booking services.
A one-day adult lift ticket runs ~50 EUR. Compare that to the rip-off lift ticket prices in the US. I hate skiing in the US.
You can easily rent equipment everywhere. But I’d bring your own boots if you have them. Europe is great, too, for buying stylish ski wear.
Thanks for the tips @PrimeMeridian ! I live and ski in Colorado, so I totally agree about the rip-off prices. Ski management companies are rapacious b****rds.
Anyone find cheap fares to Europe from LAX or SFO? Mid April or mid June. We flew to Copenhagen from LAX for $680 last June and I haven’t found a fare near that for next year.
As my screen name implies, yes, I have done a lot of skiing in Europe, mostly in the Arlberg area of Austria, and to a lesser extent, in the Spanish Pyrenees. I totally agree with @PrimeMeridian 's suggestion to rent an apartment/chalet to stay in the area.
@lilmom - have you looked at what Norwegian Air Shuttle has out of OAK? Mr. B loved his experience flying with them. They have Dreamliners assigned to those routes.