Eurotravel Planner

Section: Flights To/From Europe

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This is one of the strangest and toughest parts of traveling, as there are a million ways to do it. Below I'll discuss some considerations in cost-effectively booking tickets, with the least frustration.

Book tickets: online or travel agent?
Most people have a preference, and I won't try to change your mind. I have recently wavered between the two options and now suggest using both.

First, I strongly urge you to consider a quick search online to get baseline prices of what the low-end costs are for getting to Europe for the dates you want. When you do the check, make sure to check for departures on Thurdays and returns on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, which often yield lower prices (generally $20-50 lower, can be much lower on certain routes).

Then, use this information to call a travel agent and have them do a search for you. Use their experience in trying to develop a good itinerary for you and getting better pricing options.

I've booked almost all my European flights directly online, but I'm switching back to travel agents because, at this time, there's no direct cost of doing so. If they start charging higher fees, I may re-consider. During an online booking (especially if you are playing games with maximizing frequent flier miles and best routes and prices) you can literally spend hours and hours of your time. Travel agents usually take about a half hour of your time.

Furthermore, travel agents usually get better prices for open-jaw tickets (arriving in Europe in one city, departing Europe from another).

Online Web Flight Searches
For going online, use the drop-down menus on the left-hand side of this site for many direct links to websites.

When preparing for online travel booking, I have a tendency to do a quick check (say, Denver DEN to Brussels BRU) on a few sites such as Expedia, Lowestfare.com, and Orbitz (links at left). This gives me a quick sense of the lowest fares for the season I'm considering.

Check major online travel sites such as Expedia.com, Lowestfare.com or Orbitz.com and airline sites such as Continental.com, United.com, or country-specific airline sites such as Alitalia.com for Italy or Lufthansa.com for Germany. See more airline links on the left-hand navigation bar on this site.

NOTE:
· Use a travel agent if you don't have a lot of time - they can usually get deals equivalent to online, and it's a lot faster, and rarely costs you more. Use online sites as a check to keep them looking in the right price range.

· Use a travel agent for open-jaw tickets. "Open-jaw" tickets are when you fly into one place in Europe (i.e. Rome), and then return from another (i.e. London). These are great for not forcing you into doing a round-trip back to your starting point, which saves travel time and money. Travel agents can get them at good rates - online I've had trouble ending up with anything but multiple one-way rates, which are outrageously expensive.

· Sometimes when I book open jaw tix, I'll call the airline directly if I want to stay with one carrier — this is what I did for a recent trip to Germany via Continental Airlines. Expect your roundtrip price to range from $600-$1000 per person.

General Flying Tips & Info
There are many useful flying tips, to the point that entire books are written about it. I've gathered here a few practical suggestions for real-world travel planning.

Airport options: Don't simply consider Frankfurt, Rome, London and Paris. Look at your possible itinerary and look at alternative airports that may not be as busy, such as Zurich during a weekend, or Brussels. These options give you more opportunity to get closer to where you want to be, may not be as busy on any give day, and could be less expensive.

Paper tickets: Time and again I have needed the security of a paper ticket — and haven't had it! Please use paper tickets. Electronic tickets are convenient, and I always use(d) them when flying domestically. For International travel, you'll want paper. Why? When your flight is delayed/canceled/modified, you'll need other options, and electronic tickets are rarely recognized as valid by other carries.

Travel Days: Consider days you'll travel. Mon-Thursday departures save money over Friday/Sat, and heck, why not take Friday off and arrive in Europe to get a head start on the weekend?

Open-jaw tickets: "Open-jaw" tickets are when you fly into one place in Europe (i.e. Rome), and then return to the U.S. from another (i.e. London). These are great for not forcing you into doing a round-trip back to your starting point, which saves travel time in Europe and can save money. Travel agents can get them at good rates - online I've had trouble ending up with anything but multiple one-way rates, which are expensive. You can also get them directly through the airlines, but this may be more expensive than travel agent options.

Travel agents: Especially use when you don't have a lot of time - they can usually get deals equivalent to online, and it's a lot faster, and rarely costs you more. Use online sites as a check to keep them looking in the right price range.

Book Online: If you have time and want to play games to get minimum costs and maximum frequent flier bonuses, you'll probably need to do it yourself.

 

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