samejia

Thinking of taking advantage of the strong dollar this summer in Europe. Just experienced sticker shock with airfare from the New York area to Paris. Did I miss the cheaper fares? Is there a preferred site that advertises the great deals for packages? There are so many sites to choose from! Anyone use European Destinations? I'd love to go through Disney Adventures for my 12 year old but that is insanely expensive!! Playing with the idea of Paris and Barcelona but have always wanted to go to Iceland

Bedar

Air fares have nothing to do with the exchange rate which is also going UP. Iceland? What for ? One goes there after seeing Europe. Better Paris and Barcelona. But, you could take Icelandic Airlines which is cheap and stop for a day to have a look around.

nytraveler

What are you looking to pay for airfares - are you thinking of winter rates versus high season?

Agree that Iceland is sort of specialized for a first trip to europe. I would start with London and Paris (we did with our teen/tween girls) but Paris and Barcelona also works.

Packages are typically much more expensive than independent travel.

If you provide more info - length of the trip, your interests and what your overall budget is and if it's just the two of you, people can make more useful info.

samejia

Thanks for your reply. This isn't my first trip to Europe. I actually lived in Germany for 3 years over 25 years ago. Have more recently been to London, Copenhagen, Bergen and to the ice hotel way up in northern Sweden. That was all spring travel on frequent flyer miles! Paris is a location because the 12yr old wants to go to Disney. My older daughter studied abroad and spent a few days in Paris and loved it. So, it would be a family of 4 with the tween and older daughter in her twenties and parents! I've only travelled when the exchange rate was awful so thought I should take advantage of the rate now. Was thinking Iceland would be a stopover on the way home to check it off our bucket list. The trip would only be for a week or so duirng the last week in August. BUT, just remembering that's when all the Europeans are off so that might not be a good idea.

mokka4

I use
matrix.itasoftware.com to compare airfare prices

Christina

I don't think there are any secret sites or consolidators with great fares to Europe much any more, or packages. I remember there were several decades ago. But I haven't seen cheap fares to Europe in teh summer in many years, dependign what you mean by cheap. I mean less than $1200 RT, and I do usually go to/from Paris, at least one direction. Once in a while you can find some deal about $1000 for a bit, usually never nonstop but some circular routing, and maybe in April-May . Fares do seem to drop about $100-200 after end of September. And since I often go to Paris, I have noticed that fares are often just a bit higher in August than in the beginning of July. Which always surprises me as I think it is less desirable.

Sometimes Icelandair or Aer Lingus or SAS have some good deals, it seems to me, but of course, wiht a connection.

I mainly use Kayak.com to compare. I just checked for end of August and saw RT flights to Paris from JFK for only about $1100 which is pretty good for summer, so I think you just may have unrealistic ideas if you expect to find something less than $1000. However, XL Airways is a budget airline to Paris from New York, so you can check it out, you can get fares on them for only about $1000 RT nonstop.

http://www.xl.com/en/

Kathie

If you only have a week, choose one city. If you opt for both Paris and Barcelona, you'll lose a day getting from one to the other.

samejia

Thanks for the additional replies. I may have a couple of more days depending on when school starts. I appreciate the info!

MaineGG

I just bought Icelandair tickets for late September, Boston-Paris round trip, with a 2-night stopover in Iceland on the return. They were $947 each. The best fares I found otherwise were much higher. Of course, we will spend the savings and more in Iceland, but thought it would be fun.

Some years ago, I did this with my 10-year-old granddaughter after spending a week in Paris. She enjoyed Paris, but to this day talks about walking through lava fields where steam was rising here and there, walking around Grindavik where we visited the Icelandic Salt Fish Museum, and soaking in the Blue Lagoon. This was all done during a 1-night stopover en route home.

So, if you have a couple of days extra, I highly recommend Icelandair to Paris (or another of its European destinations) with a stopover on the return.

kalnalcl

I used European Destinations 2 years ago for a package to Barcelona/Paris with my then 12 year old daughter. It was $1300 pp for airfare from Boston, hotel in each city and airfare Barcelona to Paris. We easily did Disney for a day. Also Gate 1 has had some decent prices lately that combine airfare and hotel.

samejia

Thanks everyone. Some very helpful information! I'll be checking everything out. We may decide to go next summer and save up AMEX points for free airfare.

Christina

Yes, Gate 1 has some good packages. You know, I had never heard of European Destinations so was checking it out and those prices seem very very good to me. For 10 days at the end of August including London, Paris and Barcelona (closest I could find), the fare was only about $2000 per person. And that including transatlantic airfare from JFK on American PLUS Eurostar from London to Pari, plus a flight from Paris to BCN, plus 9 nights hotels in those cities.

That is really very good as the transporation alone would be worth at least $1300-1400. so only $600 per person for 9 nights in a hotel? and the hotels were 3*, I knew some of them. Not deluxe, but I made sure they were in convenient locations.

Now I don't know if you can put together what you want, but those rates looked good to me.