<p>Going to Rome in August. How does one know when to book the flight? Is there a rule of thumb as to when prices start going up? I realize summer flights to Europe aren’t cheap but prices do fluctuate. Any experience/words of wisdom?</p>
<p>Yesterday.</p>
<p>You start tracking prices and decide what is acceptable then buy.
Italians take their vacations the whole month of August.
Be aware Aug 14-15 is a big national holiday.
Restaurants, shops and attractions may be closed.
Rome is blazing hot in August, you do a lot of walking on the uneven cobblestones because it is easier to walk a few miles than get transportation for the same distance.
Unless you are on guided tours you wait in long queues for the main attractions.
Rome is awesome.</p>
<p>My husband and did an Italy trip in August many years ago. Yes, it’s a major vacation time for the Italians so a lot of small restaurant/shops close. Museums are pretty crowded too. Just plan accordingly. And Rome is blazing hot which for a Texan, really means something.</p>
<p>Timing of the trip isn’t optional and I do realize it’ll be hot in Rome during the month of August. The question is how long do we wait before assuming we’ve found the best deal on airline tickets? Some source indicate 3 months prior to departure is the optimal timing. Perhaps buying the tix now would be a mistake. Looking for the experience of others here. Thanks.</p>
<p>Heard Arthur Frommer (the travel expert) answer this question on his radio show last week - he said to wait a couple of months - they won’t be any higher than they are now and will most likely go down. The advice to keep monitoring every week or so is probably good.</p>
<p>I go to England every year to see my Mum. I start tracking ticket prices months in advance. Up to a couple of years ago, they did seem to go up as the dates got closer. The last couple of years they seem just as high months in advance as they do a few weeks in advance. I have ended up buying them just a few weeks in advance but this is partly because my Mum’s precarious health makes me a little reluctant to commit to a particular date too far in advance. One disadvantage of buying later is that the choices of routes and times narrow quite a bit (and I am a party of one traveling).</p>
<p>Prices have gone up a LOT the last couple of years. I got tickets when I went for the 2012 Olympics for around $900 for August travel (purchased very late as I could not commit due to my husband’s health here and my Mum’s over there - lots of juggling my time that year). Last year I think I paid around $1300. Started tracking months ago for this summer and it has been pretty consistently in the $1550+ range. And much less choice in flights than in the past. (this is from the mid west)</p>