UK or France or elsewhere, July 2018, good price from west coast?
Aug 20th, 2017, 07:59 PM
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UK or France or elsewhere, July 2018, good price from west coast?
For those of you who have travelled during summer, what would you consider a good roundtrip price for west coast to London or Paris? Or is there another European hub that would be inexpensive?
I want to fly out of SEA, but I would be willing to do LAX, Oakland, or SFO if it saved me money. I could fly out of NYC too- I have JetBlue credit that I could use to get there. I had planned to use it this winter, but if the price is right for a Europe summer trip, I can put it towards that.
Right now, Norwegian has some one way tickets for $199, but the return of course is much more expensive- roundtrip is 700. My trouble is that I'm not sure what a good price for July would be, or how far in advance I should look. Most calendars don't seem to go into July quite yet. Buy now or later?
I am not set on destination quite yet. I can't decide if I'd like to see more of France or the UK, or something entirely different, like Prague or Croatia. I know I don't want anywhere really hot, and right now I'm not excited about heavy crowds, so I think that might cross out Italy or Spain. I'm considering focusing on just one region/country because it may need to be 2-3 weeks at most.
So...off the wall suggestions are entirely welcome. Or feel free to pimp your favorite summer TR- I'm currently working my way through those! Food, history, archaeology, architecture, and the outdoors are some of my favorite things. I love museums, but I found last trip that I enjoy wandering through old towns and in and out of churches even more. Nothing involving a rental car- transit access is a must!
(In case you didn't follow my trip last winter, I have been to London, Paris, various cities in Germany, Florence, Venice, Rome- so I'm aware of travel basics. This is specifically more for July and other locations, and in hopes of getting more off the beaten path).
I want to fly out of SEA, but I would be willing to do LAX, Oakland, or SFO if it saved me money. I could fly out of NYC too- I have JetBlue credit that I could use to get there. I had planned to use it this winter, but if the price is right for a Europe summer trip, I can put it towards that.
Right now, Norwegian has some one way tickets for $199, but the return of course is much more expensive- roundtrip is 700. My trouble is that I'm not sure what a good price for July would be, or how far in advance I should look. Most calendars don't seem to go into July quite yet. Buy now or later?
I am not set on destination quite yet. I can't decide if I'd like to see more of France or the UK, or something entirely different, like Prague or Croatia. I know I don't want anywhere really hot, and right now I'm not excited about heavy crowds, so I think that might cross out Italy or Spain. I'm considering focusing on just one region/country because it may need to be 2-3 weeks at most.
So...off the wall suggestions are entirely welcome. Or feel free to pimp your favorite summer TR- I'm currently working my way through those! Food, history, archaeology, architecture, and the outdoors are some of my favorite things. I love museums, but I found last trip that I enjoy wandering through old towns and in and out of churches even more. Nothing involving a rental car- transit access is a must!
(In case you didn't follow my trip last winter, I have been to London, Paris, various cities in Germany, Florence, Venice, Rome- so I'm aware of travel basics. This is specifically more for July and other locations, and in hopes of getting more off the beaten path).
Aug 20th, 2017, 09:53 PM
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Austrian and Italian Tyrol to Trieste and Ljubljana all easy by train from Trieste except for Ljubljana that connects through Venice.
Don't know what west coast flights would be. Until this year's cheaper fares I usually paid for a three month's stay, around $1200 for a non-stop round trip economy from Miami. But I'm not shopping for price just non-stop flights.
Don't know what west coast flights would be. Until this year's cheaper fares I usually paid for a three month's stay, around $1200 for a non-stop round trip economy from Miami. But I'm not shopping for price just non-stop flights.
Aug 20th, 2017, 11:19 PM
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From Florida always a non-stop to Paris with Air France. My other possible is American but after a couple of bad experiences with them, I'll stick with Air France. Air France flights this year are almost half of what they were before the cuts.
Aug 20th, 2017, 11:32 PM
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Quite a difference, then. That's crazy.
I think someone would have to pay me to fly with AA at this point. Every time I think they can't get worse, they do. It's impressive. How do you like Air France?
I think someone would have to pay me to fly with AA at this point. Every time I think they can't get worse, they do. It's impressive. How do you like Air France?
Aug 21st, 2017, 04:19 AM
#7
It certainly is too early to be looking for airfares. Not only do most airlines open their booking windows 11 or 12 months out max, but the arcane method the airlines use in setting fares often results in higher prices right when the booking window opens. Often these prices fall for a time before turning around and climbing as the flight date approaches. I honestly wouldn't be shopping for flights until the first of the year; don't worry, they're not going to sell out.
Midsummer is usually the most expensive period for transatlantic travel in economy; ironically it's usually the cheapest time for business class, as demand for those seats fall as actual "business" travel slows down.
The other thing I'd suggest - quite strongly, in fact - is to look at departures out of Vancouver. Quite often fares from YVR (after you do the currency conversion math) are cheaper than out of Seattle; the leisure travel market there is different.
Go to http://matrix.itasoftware.com and <i>learn to use it.</i> This is the "gold standard" in airfare search tools; you can do multi-carrier, multi-destination, and month-long searches; for example you could ask ITA to find fares from either Seattle or Vancouver to either London or Paris (or Amsterdam and Frankfurt, Zurich and Istanbul etc.) throughout the month of July.
As far as where's cheapest, it's a moving target. London is usually the cheapest because it has the most traffic; however the UK imposes high departure taxes that erase some of this advantage. From Seattle, you can fly nonstop to Iceland, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, and next summer to Manchester. And of course with a stop en route, pretty much anywhere in Europe. So where to go and when should be your first priority, and put together your air travel plans after that.
Do you have any frequent flyer miles besides JetBlue? That's another avenue to investigate, although there too getting available seats when the booking window opens is a crapshoot. In air travel, early birds don't always get worms; sometimes they get cats.
Midsummer is usually the most expensive period for transatlantic travel in economy; ironically it's usually the cheapest time for business class, as demand for those seats fall as actual "business" travel slows down.
The other thing I'd suggest - quite strongly, in fact - is to look at departures out of Vancouver. Quite often fares from YVR (after you do the currency conversion math) are cheaper than out of Seattle; the leisure travel market there is different.
Go to http://matrix.itasoftware.com and <i>learn to use it.</i> This is the "gold standard" in airfare search tools; you can do multi-carrier, multi-destination, and month-long searches; for example you could ask ITA to find fares from either Seattle or Vancouver to either London or Paris (or Amsterdam and Frankfurt, Zurich and Istanbul etc.) throughout the month of July.
As far as where's cheapest, it's a moving target. London is usually the cheapest because it has the most traffic; however the UK imposes high departure taxes that erase some of this advantage. From Seattle, you can fly nonstop to Iceland, London, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt, and next summer to Manchester. And of course with a stop en route, pretty much anywhere in Europe. So where to go and when should be your first priority, and put together your air travel plans after that.
Do you have any frequent flyer miles besides JetBlue? That's another avenue to investigate, although there too getting available seats when the booking window opens is a crapshoot. In air travel, early birds don't always get worms; sometimes they get cats.
Aug 21st, 2017, 05:04 AM
#8
Hi mm - England or northern France should be cooler than Japan in summer, lol.
Can't help much with airfare, I usually use FF miles. I have been thinking of paying to fly Icelandair, at least one-way, for the stop-over in Iceland. WOW also stops there. gardyloo's suggestion to look at flights out of Canada is good. When you're pricing fares make sure you include "extras" you actually want, like a checked bag or sear selection. JetBlue has a partnership with Aer Lingus, don't know whether you can use FF miles for that.
My UK TR for last year may give you some ideas:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-transport.cfm
Don't rule out Cornwall - a return there is high on my agenda, if I get to travel again. Especially the night train to Penzance and ferry to the Scilly isles.
Can't help much with airfare, I usually use FF miles. I have been thinking of paying to fly Icelandair, at least one-way, for the stop-over in Iceland. WOW also stops there. gardyloo's suggestion to look at flights out of Canada is good. When you're pricing fares make sure you include "extras" you actually want, like a checked bag or sear selection. JetBlue has a partnership with Aer Lingus, don't know whether you can use FF miles for that.
My UK TR for last year may give you some ideas:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-transport.cfm
Don't rule out Cornwall - a return there is high on my agenda, if I get to travel again. Especially the night train to Penzance and ferry to the Scilly isles.
Aug 21st, 2017, 06:29 AM
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Hi MM,
Check out Iceland Air. We often fly them from Seattle & have found that they are often the cheapest price. All their flights have a short layover in Iceland (with the option of adding a few days there if you are interested.) They also fly into several other countries in Europe.
I've looked at Norwegian, but they make me nervous because they have such a small number of flights. I don't know what happens if something cancels the flight that you are supposed to take.
Someone else mentioned Vancouver. We had friends who flew to Europe 2 times from there & saved quite a bit of money. They drove there & found that parking at the airport was surprisingly cheap.
Check out Iceland Air. We often fly them from Seattle & have found that they are often the cheapest price. All their flights have a short layover in Iceland (with the option of adding a few days there if you are interested.) They also fly into several other countries in Europe.
I've looked at Norwegian, but they make me nervous because they have such a small number of flights. I don't know what happens if something cancels the flight that you are supposed to take.
Someone else mentioned Vancouver. We had friends who flew to Europe 2 times from there & saved quite a bit of money. They drove there & found that parking at the airport was surprisingly cheap.
Aug 21st, 2017, 06:33 AM
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"England or northern France should be cooler than Japan in summer, lol."
It's like you read my mind or something
if you haven't been to Iceland, you should definitely do the stopover; I really enjoyed that! I would be going back except it definitely is not budget friendly. I hope you feel better. Thanks for the suggestion, haven't looked into Cornwall yet. I am definitely leaning towards the U.K., but that's probably the maitaitom influence. His photos tend to be persuasive and right now they're persuading me to go for haggis and afternoon tea! Thanks for the TR link, my first priority is figuring out what is accessible by transit, so very useful.
Gardyloo- I usually do shop around the first of the year. Wasn't worried about selling out, I was just wondering when I should buy- summer fares never seem bargains. I hadn't thought of YVR, thanks. And I'll play around with that software!
It's like you read my mind or something
if you haven't been to Iceland, you should definitely do the stopover; I really enjoyed that! I would be going back except it definitely is not budget friendly. I hope you feel better. Thanks for the suggestion, haven't looked into Cornwall yet. I am definitely leaning towards the U.K., but that's probably the maitaitom influence. His photos tend to be persuasive and right now they're persuading me to go for haggis and afternoon tea! Thanks for the TR link, my first priority is figuring out what is accessible by transit, so very useful.Gardyloo- I usually do shop around the first of the year. Wasn't worried about selling out, I was just wondering when I should buy- summer fares never seem bargains. I hadn't thought of YVR, thanks. And I'll play around with that software!
Aug 21st, 2017, 06:46 AM
#14
"persuading me to go for haggis and afternoon tea"
Would skip the haggis, basically large sausage including innards, but Cornwall and Devon are THE places for afternoon tea. Or at least scones and clotted cream, which to me is the whole point. Also scrumpy - rough, very alcoholic cider.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/haggis_66072
Would skip the haggis, basically large sausage including innards, but Cornwall and Devon are THE places for afternoon tea. Or at least scones and clotted cream, which to me is the whole point. Also scrumpy - rough, very alcoholic cider.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/haggis_66072
Aug 21st, 2017, 06:51 AM
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I am on an offal kick, and I love sausage, therefore, the attraction.
But scones and clotted cream are my true love, so it looks like I'll have to add Devon and Cornwall to my list. Is scrumpy dry or sweet?
But scones and clotted cream are my true love, so it looks like I'll have to add Devon and Cornwall to my list. Is scrumpy dry or sweet?
Aug 21st, 2017, 06:57 AM
#16
Should be dry. In UK pubs you can ask for dry or sweet cider. Drank a lot of it when I was student...
If you are in London the V&A does good scones and clotted cream at a reasonable price in gorgeous tea rooms.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/visit#cafe
If you are in London the V&A does good scones and clotted cream at a reasonable price in gorgeous tea rooms.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/visit#cafe
Aug 21st, 2017, 10:29 PM
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Okay, preliminary research thoughts:
I really think I'm leaning towards the U.K. I was wavering between more time in Paris or London, and I really love London. I also definitely want to visit Edinburgh.
So places I did not get to last time that I wanted to see this time:
Bath- how many nights?
Oxford/Cambridge- either or both? Thoughts? I'm leaning towards Oxford because I'm a Morse fan. But I would like to see King's College Chapel too. I enjoy gothic architecture.
Definitely some or several national trust properties. I really enjoy house museums and gardens. Any particular favorites? I've just started researching this. Uppark House is the first one that caught my attention- the servant quarters sound interesting and I would love to see the dollhouse. Not quite got a grasp on how Sussex fits in geography wise yet.
Cornwall is definitely on my list- how many days would you recommend?
I have a vague idea of seeing a bunch of the smaller villages and rural areas. I don't know how practical that is without a car. But I don't want the whole trip to be city. I gather the countryside is a large part of British identity. And I like the smaller places. Favorite areas for this? Places I should research? I researched the Cotswolds previously and I seem to remember that a car was a necessity.
And something on my bucket list is Hay on Wye- I have a lifelong love affair with books, and this has been on my list since I was a teen. So that puts Wales on the list as well. Which looks stunning, in general, so I'm wondering what else I should include there.
Dorky, I know, feel free to mock: but my favorite series as a kid was the Borrowers, and I'd love to visit at least one model village. Bekonscot? Or other recommendations?
And then I haven't even touched on Scotland, really. Where to focus there?
I only really saw London and Brighton last trip. No interest in going back to Brighton, although likely it's more interesting in July than January. I KNOW I want at least 5 nights in London. I was so exhausted at the end of my Christmas trip that I really don't feel like I did the museums justice.
And initially I had the vague idea to go to Galway for the Art festival and fly back from Shannon. My grandmother was Irish American, very proud of her heritage so Ireland is of interest. But I'm thinking the U.K. will be more than enough. Has anyone been to the art festival? Should I consider spending a few days in Northern Ireland? I was interested in seeing Giants Causeway mostly. Thoughts on Belfast? My relatives have all been to Ireland but Belfast hasn't got good associations for them, so no anecdotal information there.
So. Given 3-4 weeks (I thought 3 but my list is already long)- what would YOU prioritize? What places wowed you, where are you dying to return to?
Practical housekeeping:
Train passes- anyone bought these? I know from last time that last minute train tickets were really pricy, so I'm assuming a rail pass would pay off, but I'm not sure if consecutive or travel days would be the way to go. I suspect the latter- I don't travel fast enough for the former. Do they include buses and ferries too? Or just the rail system?
I had originally considered starting in London. However. I know London lodging is pricy, and when I'm jet lagged, I need a private room for the first one or two nights. Any idea on where/how to do that economically? I'll probably be doing hostels the rest of the trip, but that isn't a good idea for the first few nights.
Thanks! Appreciate any help you can give me!
I really think I'm leaning towards the U.K. I was wavering between more time in Paris or London, and I really love London. I also definitely want to visit Edinburgh.
So places I did not get to last time that I wanted to see this time:
Bath- how many nights?
Oxford/Cambridge- either or both? Thoughts? I'm leaning towards Oxford because I'm a Morse fan. But I would like to see King's College Chapel too. I enjoy gothic architecture.
Definitely some or several national trust properties. I really enjoy house museums and gardens. Any particular favorites? I've just started researching this. Uppark House is the first one that caught my attention- the servant quarters sound interesting and I would love to see the dollhouse. Not quite got a grasp on how Sussex fits in geography wise yet.
Cornwall is definitely on my list- how many days would you recommend?
I have a vague idea of seeing a bunch of the smaller villages and rural areas. I don't know how practical that is without a car. But I don't want the whole trip to be city. I gather the countryside is a large part of British identity. And I like the smaller places. Favorite areas for this? Places I should research? I researched the Cotswolds previously and I seem to remember that a car was a necessity.
And something on my bucket list is Hay on Wye- I have a lifelong love affair with books, and this has been on my list since I was a teen. So that puts Wales on the list as well. Which looks stunning, in general, so I'm wondering what else I should include there.
Dorky, I know, feel free to mock: but my favorite series as a kid was the Borrowers, and I'd love to visit at least one model village. Bekonscot? Or other recommendations?
And then I haven't even touched on Scotland, really. Where to focus there?
I only really saw London and Brighton last trip. No interest in going back to Brighton, although likely it's more interesting in July than January. I KNOW I want at least 5 nights in London. I was so exhausted at the end of my Christmas trip that I really don't feel like I did the museums justice.
And initially I had the vague idea to go to Galway for the Art festival and fly back from Shannon. My grandmother was Irish American, very proud of her heritage so Ireland is of interest. But I'm thinking the U.K. will be more than enough. Has anyone been to the art festival? Should I consider spending a few days in Northern Ireland? I was interested in seeing Giants Causeway mostly. Thoughts on Belfast? My relatives have all been to Ireland but Belfast hasn't got good associations for them, so no anecdotal information there.
So. Given 3-4 weeks (I thought 3 but my list is already long)- what would YOU prioritize? What places wowed you, where are you dying to return to?
Practical housekeeping:
Train passes- anyone bought these? I know from last time that last minute train tickets were really pricy, so I'm assuming a rail pass would pay off, but I'm not sure if consecutive or travel days would be the way to go. I suspect the latter- I don't travel fast enough for the former. Do they include buses and ferries too? Or just the rail system?
I had originally considered starting in London. However. I know London lodging is pricy, and when I'm jet lagged, I need a private room for the first one or two nights. Any idea on where/how to do that economically? I'll probably be doing hostels the rest of the trip, but that isn't a good idea for the first few nights.
Thanks! Appreciate any help you can give me!
Aug 21st, 2017, 11:11 PM
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Will it be cheaper to buy in CAD? I was looking at Vancouver flights yesterday in USD and it seemed more expensive than SEA. So I wasn't sure if conversion factored in (it came up automatically as usd)
