**Best Travel Deals of All Time**
 

We all love a good deal, right?<BR><BR>I thought it would be neat to discuss the best deals we've all had when traveling.<BR><BR>It could be a plane ticket, hotel deal, package or whatever. If it's been a while since you got this deal, give us some sort of benchmark so we know just how good it was.<BR><BR>Let the discussion begin...

Great topic!<BR><BR>The best deal I have gotten is using my FF miles for a trip to Italy. I realized that it is very easy to collect the miles but a completely different story when you want to actually use them. After atleast 3 hours on the phone trying to find a complete flight there and back I consider it a "great deal" to actually make it happen!

<BR>2000 - RT from Texas to London on American for $260 on their netsaver last minute deals.

I just booked Chicago to Rome for $550 roundtrip for October.

My best deal ever was so good I posted an entire thread about it a little over a year ago.<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=1286793<BR><BR>excerpted in part here:<BR><BR>$899 roundtrip, business class, Indiana/Michigan to Rome<BR><BR>Author: Rex ([email protected])<BR>Date: 04/02/2001, 05:36 pm<BR><BR>Message: Northwest has an incredible sale on business class seats for their nonstop flight from Detroit to Rome (minimum two seats) for departures through May 15.<BR><BR>A search on Expedia for these same seats, same dates, a price of $6195.62, as of today.<BR><BR>Now that I've grabbed my six at the sale price, (May 3-11), I wanted the entire rest of the Fodorite community to take a next shot at these seats. Maybe we'll see some blue ribbons across the aisle, huh?<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>============================ =========<BR><BR>And I have acknowledged more than once since then (but not at that time), that I have Don to thank on the cheap flights forum of www.eurotrip.com - - I think that Don has forgotten more about bargain air travel than most of us will ever know!<BR>

1997 - $78 CA to MA<BR>1999 - $390 CA to Paris<BR><BR>Both were during fare wars....gosh I miss those!

December 1985, $99 each way San Francisco to/from Brussels in a Peoples' Express 747 with more than 500 passengers. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

NO - Paris, $37 each for two tickets.. can't beat that! Actually, I won two tickets anywhere Delta flies at a fundraiser, and only had to pay the fees. Can't wait!!!

Two free tickets direct from RDU to London Gatwick in 1997. We had been bumped from a flight back from Montreal to Raleigh, but lacked $17 on each ticket having enough to cover us on a trip to London. I was putting that on my charge card when the agent told us to forget the $34 and sent the tickets!

Oops! I forgot the most important thing. On the way back when we got to the airport, we were upgraded to 1st class, for unknown reasons.

$350.00 Tampa-Dallas-London RT, and on the way back got a courtesy upgrade to business class. Miles galore since I have Plat status (100% bonus on base miles) 5700 x 4 + 1000 web booking bonus (total-23800 miles, 25000 needed for free ticket within North America, so basically flew for free). All this last February, yes 2002.

A last minute deal for $300 round trip Boston, Copenhagen plu bus to Stockholm and Oslo, plus hotels for two weeks. Four of us bought the tickets on a friday and the following Wed. we were on our way to Scandinavia.

I had 100,000 points on my Hilton Honors card and called to book 3 nights at CDG Airport Hilton Hotel (using all the points). But the young lady who answered the phone informed me, much to my great joy, that a then-current special made the points good for a full week.<BR><BR>YES!! <BR><BR>Gerry K

<BR> Taking a voluntary bump on a early <BR> flight out of Ft,lauderdale.<BR> $1500 to fly later in the afternoon.<BR> Loved it.

northwest strike right before long planned trip to Bangok - itself a bargain @ $800 for airfare, five nights in a beautiful hotel, buffet breakfast, full day sightseeing tour, airport transfers... 1998. Anyway, due to strike, all kinds of hassles to get seats on other airlines. i wrote to NW cust svc AND World Vacations, got double miles -like 20,000 - credited on both my NW FF AND my us Air FF - throwing me into silver elite status which meant free upgrades several times - first class on domestic flights AND 2 free trips to Europe plus a few miles left for domestic flying...

Great topic.<BR><BR>The best deals I've had while traveling are:<BR><BR>1) Feb 1999 - SFO-CDG (Paris) r/t for $424 - got a free upgrade on the outbound flight to Business Class<BR><BR>2) Christmas 2001 - SJO-TPA (San Jose, CA to Tampa, FL) - Christmas eve outbound and New Year's eve return for $197 [booked on United's web site; Orbitz and other travel sites had the same exact flights for roughly $400 -- pays to check multiple sites]<BR><BR>3) 1990 - United-British Airways Round-the-world business class fare of roughly $4500; but, for $800 more, got an upgrade to the Concorde on the London-NY leg (usual one-way London-NYalone costs roughly $6000, I believe)<BR><BR>4) The very best deal, however, was my stay in London in October-December 1981. I was doing my undergraduate thesis research in England. A member of the Board of Trustees of my college was the founder and CEO of one of the largest companies in England and gave me 8 weeks of free lodging in one of their corporate apartments in the Mayfair district of London! Spoiled me rotten -- I can never look at London quite the same.<BR><BR>Thanks for bringing back some great travel memories.<BR><BR>John H.<BR>

A 10-day cruise, air from LA included, in Tahiti on Renaissance Cruse Line. $1299/pp for a balcony suite. We had a wonderful time cruising Moorea, Raitea, Huaini, Tahiti, and Bora Bora. This, of course, was 2 years ago, just before they went under!<BR><BR>This year we had free air and a free week to Cap d'Ail Marriott. Can't beat that!

Dear Cathy,<BR> Your comments bring back good memories for me too with Renaissance. Last summer I also took the Tahiti itinerary (as a single) got the balcony cabin for $1300. So I booked it as a back-to-back. Very relaxing two weeks. A native on Raiatea asked me the 2nd week if I worked on the cruise ship---she had remembered me from the week before!! Also the first time on a cruise that I was asked to join the Captain for dinner. I'm going to miss Renaissance Cruise Lines!!

ttt

A RCI (timeshare) resort rental for $234.00 for seven days all over the world all you need to do is know somebody who is in the military or works for the DOD to Take advantage of the RCI units worldwide they can get you a gift certificate for the units So go to www.afvclub.com its threw the MWR check it out I used it for seven days in Cost Del Sol Spain and seven days in Malta all five star resorts. PS&gt; no you are not buying a time share. it is resort space that your tax dollars are paying for ! and yes the gov"t owns timeshares!