I would like to find a less expensive european destination city and then take the train to our final destination, Aviano Italy. Beginning point is Louisville KY. I have been flying from here to Atlanta to Venice. The route is good, high season is around 1400. Any suggestions?? Thanks in advance.

Venice is only served by Delta and USAirways, and it's never cheap. Try Milan. Longer train ride, but potentially cheaper.

Sounds exciting, but do you have any tentative dates on mind, Kentucky Hiker?? When do you plan to travel?

Cheapoair is offering a trip @ $466 (inclusive of all taxes) one way on 14th March (I checked a random date), on the route Louisville-Chicago-Frankfurt-Venice. I think it's a very good deal.

Unfortunately we must travel during the high season because my wife is a teacher. June, July early August.

You're unlikely to make any significant saving with the strategy you have in mind: there are no intercontinental hubs within a few hours' train journey of Aviano except Milan, which usually has too few transatlantic flights for competition to bring prices down. Trains from cities with serious airports will take up to a day and cost as much as an intra-Europe flight.

But Treviso airport, near Aviano, is exceptionally well served by low cost carriers operating both from major intercontinental hubs (like Amsterdam or Gatwick) and from airports (like Stansted, Beauvais or Hahn) reasonably near major intercontinental hubs.

A routing like Chicago or Atlanta to Frankfurt, bus to Hahn, flight to Treviso might be a bit of a hike, but it's probably the most promising way to save money in high season. Start by looking at destinations served at the Treviso site (www.trevisoairport.it), then work your way backwards.

Do realise, though, that you're going to have to allow at least 6-8 hours for the connections that require an airport change, and that there are practically no airlines serving Treviso with interline through-booking at the intercontinental hubs.

From Atlanta you are in luck ... Delta starts Atlanta-Pisa flights on 31 May (or thereabouts) and there will probably be low "introductory" prices for a while so it may be a good alternative to Venice.