I'm holding my butt-cheeks as I know somebody out there is going to kick my a** for asking an "unanswerable" question, but here goes - In your experience in what month will I find the most reasonable airfares to Paris from Houston, Texas. And how far in advance should I begin looking. I'm thinking about traveling to Paris in Spring 2004 or Fall 2004. The months I'm interested in are March - May and Sept - Nov. Also, I've checked the climate information for Paris, but in your experience what is the weather like in early spring or late fall. It seems a bit chilly to me, but then I'm from Houston, so...

I'm not familiar with Houston, but I have found with European travel, that the 3-month mark seems to be the best deal time. Is close enough that the airlines start to worry, but not so close that all the fares are gone. Be flexible. Also, try some of the foreign travel search services. I like OPODO.<BR><BR>I've done early May in Paris and the weather was perfect if not a little hot for walking and sightseeing a lot. The Metro can get especially warm. I think April sounds perfect.

From Houston your best bet is Continental's direct flights from Bush &quot;Intergalactic&quot; (IAH). They fly the wonderful 777 craft. Sale prices are best, of course, in the off season (late fall- winter - very early spring) but keep an eye on CO's website www.continental.com and/or sign up for their e-mail specials.

belinda,<BR>I would worry more about people noticing how crude you are rather than asking an Unanswerable question.&quot;butt cheeks&quot;???

Sorry to offend. I was trying to be cute. However, &quot;tacky&quot; is one of my finer traits.

Thank you to Charlene and Rocco (funny email address) for the helpful responses.

Belinda, you're a good sport and have a good sense of humor. Hope you find a reasonable fare to Paris.<BR><BR>If you're looking for airline tickets for a November departure, my experience is that you should see prices start to drop in July and August. You might still be able to get cheap fares for March right now, as long as you're flexible with the dates. Sign up for the fare trackers through Expedia and Travelocity. You'll receive automatic email messages when the fares drop. Also track the fares to London, as you might be able to find a cheap hopper flight from London to Paris, in case the non-stop flight fares to Paris don't drop low enough.

Flying from Houston to CDG in May '02 - we got an almost unbelievable airfare; booked about 3 1/2 weeks prior to travel dates and was at the American Airlines site.<BR>I don't remember the exact temperature, just that it was comfortable for walking.We had no rain.

don't know about airfares, but October is a great time to be in Paris

I've been to Paris the last two years (unfortunately, looks like I won't be able to go this year) in April. Wonderful time to be there, flowers blooming, not too crowded yet. But weather! In 2001, it was cold (I think 40's) and drizzly a lot -- I experienced sleet when I went up on the Eiffel tower. In 2002, the weather was gorgeous -- shirt sleeve weather for part of the day each day, sunny, beautiful, 60's. But, from the Eiffel Tower (I went back hoping to get good photos since it was so clear), the smog was highly visable. Sigh. Even paradise has it's reality.<BR><BR>BTW, I'm from San Antnonio so know that when someone tells me the weather is &quot;warm&quot; or &quot;cold&quot; is only relative.<BR><BR>Also, April may not be the absolute cheapest but prices seem to increase in May for hotels as well as airfare. March is probably a bit less expensive than April...I've noticed in the past a lot of cheaper airfares only go through end of March. But more likely to experience cooler weather in March than April.

Hi Belinda,<BR> I've been to Paris in both mid April and mid September. At both times, the city is wonderful. The weather is generally cool, but unpredictable.<BR><BR> Bring a raincoat with a zip-out lining.

Belinda, I've been to Paris three times in March. Usually it's cool enough for a medium-weight coat (but I'm used to Boston winters) but once I was absolutely freezing for 3 days of our 10 there (low 30s). I'd say layer.<BR><BR>This year I booked on Air France in September for a March trip. I got airfare for $379 from Boston, but that goes to Florence with just a transfer in Paris, so I assume Bos-Paris would've been cheaper; I just couldn't pass that up. Don't rule out looking far ahead, you'll never know what you get.

Thanks to all for the good information. I've taken the advice about signing up for email notification on lower fares. I think my delimma is the same as it is for many. I want to strike while the iron is hot, but how to know when the iron is as hot as it's going to get. And I definitely don't want to wait until the iron goes cold again, because it may not heat up before I absolutely have to strike. I think I should just decide what I'm willing to pay and when I see a fare for that amount, buy it. Then stop watching the fares so I don't get on Fodor's and whine when I see a lower fare.

That's ok belinda. You didn't offend me, I was just commenting on your crudity. Or what you call &quot;cute&quot;. It is good that you recognise your finer traits.<BR>Leslie, you of all people would never be recognised for being a good sport or having a sense of humor!

Dear Belinda:<BR><BR>I went from Houston International to Charles de Gaulle in Paris in March 2001 for $360 per person (including tax). There was one stop in Chicago. It was an incredible deal as far as I was concerned. I booked it about 5 weeks before though I scouted for a long time.<BR><BR>It was through American Airlines. I think prices now are definately more (perhaps closer to $500pp). We were very happy with the service esp. in light that we missed our return flight (our fault) and were place on the next international flight four hours later.<BR><BR>hope this helps.<BR><BR>ps: weather in Paris in March 50's. We had a couple colder days and a couple warmer days. Be prepared for rain. I took a thick coat and a thinner rain coat.

Thanks again for all the input. I think I'll shoot for May or October, although I'm sure Paris in any month is just fine.

Thanks again for all the input. I think I'll shoot for May or October, although I'm sure Paris in any month is just fine.