Hello,
If I'm looking for a flight from Boston to either Venice or Rome (not sure yet)....for next June or July in 2011...when is a good time to begin the search?

Also, what is average prices for that time of year?
This will be my first time travelling overseas!
Thank you!

Begin looking now, but don't buy until much later. After watching prices for a few months, you'll know when you see a price that you can live with.

You'll probably find more choices for Rome than Venice, but if you want to visit both cities look for open jaw or multi-city itineraries (fly into one, train between cities, fly home from the second). Kayak, Travelocity, etc. will all show you the airlines, schedules, and prices between your preferred airports. Sign up for the email alerts from these companies and from the airlines that you might use (BA via London, Air France via Paris, KLM via Amsterdam, etc). Good luck.

Thanks!!!!

We're looking for either city as a cruise we want to go on either beings in Rome/Venice and ends in the other!

Thanks again

I agree with kayd except for the part of "but don't buy until much later." Sometimes a deal can come up far out from a travel date. Once I know the price range for a destination, if I see a low air fare, I buy it right then & there. This past year I caught a sale on UA and got an air fare for $600 to Spain, well under the going rate or the price as the date got closer.
Have a great trip!

The big different is that you cannot get a direct flight to Venice which means a plane change somewhere in Europe and more expensive. Could consider a direct flight to Milan and train to Venice.

I would tyr to avoid flying out of Venice as the flights to the US leave very early in the am making logisitics of getting to the airport more difficult.

We flew earlier this year from IAD through CDG to Venice and decided that we would do whatever we could not to have to change planes in the future. Even when flights are on time, it is stressful. Even when flights are on time, bags can disappear (particularly at CDG). Definitely look into flying nonstop to Milan and taking the train.

From Boston it seems a lot easier to connect online in New York to nonstops to both Rome and Venice. That connection is a lot easier than flying to Milan and, after a tiring night, negotiating a train to Venice.

And if you return from Venice, the nonstop to NY leaves at noon so logistics are nothing unusual.

I agree to avoid changing planes when possible. But I think flying into MXP and then taking the train into Venice is timecosuming and can be confusing after an overnight flight. U have to get tixs for the the shuttle to the train station and then negotiate the Milan train station. Unless u want to take a taxi which is expensive.
Flying from Boston to NYC airports might work. My only problem with JFK and Newark are the flight delays esp during the summer months with thunderstorms.