best mode of travel Germany to Spain
 

My 16 year old daughter is planning to travel from Boston this summer to visit a friend in Hamburg, then travel on to visit a second friend in Madrid, returning to Boston. She has traveled quite a bit, but never alone and never to/from these cities. She will be unaccompanied only on the return trip from Madrid to Boston. I'm looking for advice on itinerary and best mode of travel between Hamburg and Madrid, then Madrid to Boston (via Paris?). I'm hoping to keep air/train travel under $1,000. So, all of you world travelers, please share your wisdom!

Well, for sure, a key in making your price target will be how much is spent from Boston to Gateway, and from gateway to Boston, as that could eat up 75 to 105% of your $1000 allotment.

Is Paris essential? To stay for a day or just to say hello to someone in the airport (which might or might not be possible).

What months? Could this occur between May 20 and June 15?

I don't find any low-cost flights direct from Hamburg to Madrid; the cheapest options are going to be:

1. via Cologne, on www.hlx.com from Hamburg and then onward to Madrid on either germanwings.com or HLX

2. via London, but from "Hamburg" (Luebeck) on Ryanair, and then transfer between airports to fly Gatwick or Luton on easyjet.com

3. from Hannover, there is theinteresting choice of via Venice (ooohhh! ought not to miss Vencie! maybe give up Paris to visit Venice?) on volareweb.com

Virtually all of this info comes from www.whichbudget.com and I have not even thought about looking up fares, timetables or realsitic connection options (especially without knowing which month).

You could find info on Spain-France choices at whichbudget.com also.

Best wishes,

Rex

Rex-No reason to stop in Paris, I just happened to notice a connection there on a travel site. She just needs to get from Madrid to Boston.

Rex-the trip is during the highest priced time--last week of July to mid-August.

Using published fares, this is as close as I can come, with putting about a half hour's work into it.

July 25 $750.80

BOS->DUB, on AA codeshare 7956, operated by Aer Lingus
dep 7 pm, arr 5:55 am

connect onward
DUB->HAM on HLX X3 7503 for 49.99 euro ($59.63)

train HAM-HAN ("from" 29.00 euro = $34.59 - - but maybe the friend/parents will take here since she needs to be at the flight so early?)

Aug 1

HAN-VCE on HLX X3 4820 for 59.99 euro = $71.57
dep 6:00 am, arr 7:25 am

connect onward (or stay and leave the next day?)

VCE-MAD on volareweb.com VA 8251 for 93.42 euro = $111.47
dep 15:10, arr 17:10

August 11

MAD-LGW on easyjet.com 5478 for 60.99 euro = $72.78
dep 16:20, ar 17:45

August 12

LGW-BOS on AA 173/4661 (via RDU)
dep 13:00 arr 19:20

Grand total $1100.84

plus, there is the problem of the ewarly morning flight from Hannover to get to Venice, and the overnight in Londin (if she has free lodging in Madrid, then this is a real cost; if she has to pay for a room in Madrid, then this is simply a "shifted" cost, but there is local airport/hotel cost at Gatwick).

It probably would be cheaper to travel via Cologne/Bonn, but the chance to visit Venice seems worth something in my mind (though a 16 year old girl alone, overnight - - well, that is up to you).

Consolidators might be able to do this more cheaply, but it is a very complicated triangle itinerary to put together.

If you simply put in BOS-HAM/HAM-MAD/MAD-BOS into Travelocity, they come up with a range from $1791 on Air France, to $1939 on Delta to $2524 on USAirways - - so I hope I have given you some ideas on how you can get it well below that.

Another option you could check out is Air Berlin, who flies between Hamburg and Madrid. They are a pretty well established low-cost airline, so pretty reliable, and generally cheaper than the larger ones.
www.airberlin.de

I just looked up fares from HAM to MAD, and they are around 120EUR for late July.

You can find discount airlines at lowcostairlines.org. Also, a site that handles multi-leg itineraries well is itasoftware.com

Thanks, Rex and everyone else. I've got some homework to do and these tips will help.

You're welcome. I am rather chagrined that I missed that airberlin.com connection - - that will knock off $600 at least and eliminate the early am transport from Hamburg to Hannover (haven't looked at the airberlin schedule, though).