First time abroad - is this too much?
 

I am applying for a fellowship to travel outside of the US. It's a large grant and for what I want, it's well within the budget. But - is it too much to comfortably accomplish?

Fly from Indianapolis to Dublin. Stay 13 nights. (traveling from Dublin to Galway to Cork and back up to Dublin - 2-3 nights each B & B)

From Dublin to Malaga, Spain. 7 nights in a villa.

From Malaga to Venice, Rome - 4 nights in a B & B.

Leave Venice back to Malaga for 1 night. From Malaga back to Dublin for 1 night and then Dublin back home.

It's all the flights back I am concerned about - but they're not particularly long, except for the flight home.

ALL opinions greatly appreciated!

Is there any reason an Open Jaw ticket could not be used? Fly into DFublin, home from Rome? Looks like you are backtracking.

Well, when looking, an open-jaw ticket seemed a bit more expensive. Is that something I can arrange myself - or do I need a travel agent? I have honestly NEVER been outside the US. I would much rather NOT back-track and spend a few more nights in Venice.

But why are you going back to Malaga for another night before returning to Dublin? And are you going to Rome or was that a typo (i.e. you meant Venice, Italy). I agree with Michael_Paris - an open jaw ticket (multi-city in airline terms) would allow you at least 1 - 2 days more in Italy, assuming you do not backtrack to Malaga.

Make sure you are looking at multi-city flight options and not one way fares. They usually are not much more in price, and in order to do a true cost comprison, you have to consider the cost of travel back to your original destination (i.e. Dublin). I suspect the open jaw ticket is definitely less once that is taken into account.

You are bouncing around like a ping pong ball. Gat a ticket into Dublin and out of eithre Rome or Venice (its not clear which you are going to - and in 4 days its certainly not both - esp after spending 7 days in Malaga). Then you simply get local flights from Dublin to Malaga - should be very cheap - and from their to either Venice or Rome. (Open jaw flights - may be called multi-city or multi-destination on the web sites) are no more expensive than RT tickets.)

Now - we all have different likes and dislikes - and I'm bored stiff by the beach - and would spend much more time in Venice or Rome - and in southern Spain would go to Seville, Cordoba and Granada rather than stay in Malaga.

Also- I;m interested in what sort of fellowship will pay for you to sit on a beach for a week - doesn't seem to be contributing to anything even potentially worthwhile.)

Plan looks fine except DO fly home from Venice (and enjoy your "extra" 2 nights there).

I want to apply for this fellowship! There's a villa near Orvieto that I am dying to go back to ------

You don't need a travel agent. Go online, and in the search box where you describe your trip, check the multi-city option. That allows you to put all the destinations on one ticket, and should not cost any more than several one-way tickets.

You can use whichbudget.com to see which airlines fly between Dublin (or Galway/Cork) and Malaga, and Malaga to your destination in Italy. You might save money doing that and booking only your US-Europe flights on the multi-city ticket. Just be aware that if you book with a budget airline like Ryanair or Easyjet, they have very, very strict luggage restrictions and fees, so you need to take all of that into account for the price of the ticket.

Any particular reason you're going to Cork? I've heard that it is not all that great for tourists, though haven't been myself. If your plans are flexible, you might at least research other destinations in the area and see which you might prefer. Kenmare and Dingle are both popular for very good reason.

Málaga city is fabulous. Vibrant Andalusian atmosphere, excellent tapas bars, cafés, shopping and perhaps the most easy-going people in all of Andalucía. Within three hundred metres in the center, you'll find the recently excavated Roman theater, the 8-11th century Moorish Alcazaba, the great 16th century Cathedral and both Picasso's birth-place and the new Picasso museum (2003).
"Málaga: Authentic charm of an overlooked treasure".
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ci...-treasure.html
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/malaga/home.htm

In Pedregalejo, just east of the city center, you'll find both beaches and affordable waterfront seafood restaurants that are very popular with locals.

Córdoba - with the Mezquita etc. - is 55 mins away by the high speed AVE train. Granada - with Alhambra etc - is 90 mins away by bus. Sevilla, the queen among the cities in the South, would be some 2h 30 mins away by train/bus. If you go here, I would recommend to stay at least one night.

Sunni - have you booked your tickets yet? If not, post your dates of travel.

1) -- Go into a site such as www.kayak.com, click on "multi-city" option, and plug in your proposed destinations/dates, i.e. 'IND' (Indianapolis) to 'DUB (Dublin) to Malaga to Venice to Indianapolis. This will give you idea which of major carriers (many, but not all airlines) will get you where you want to visit. And of course, an overview of cost. Even with "code-sharing" I suspect there may not be one single airline that'll book entire itinerary .... assuming you would like to purchase tix direct thru airline carrier itself (vs. buying thru Kayak or Expedia, etc.). Also, may try tweaking your itinerary, such as opting to fly from Dublin to Madrid and then taking train down to Malaga. AVE is high speed train taking 2 1/2 hrs travel time.

- or -

2) -- Alternatively, price out "open jaws" option .... again, using the multi-city option, but this time enter your 1st segment, Indianapolis to Dublin, and then your final segment, Venice back to Indianapolis. To continue your travels across the continent, research your options on Easy Jet or Ryanair or other European carriers. CAVEAT ..... as prior poster advised, these low cost airlines may be cheap on front end, yet can have a lot add'l costs if you incur overages on their extremely restrictive rules on luggage (size/weight).

I'd knock a few days off of Ireland and tack it on to Italy. Especially if you want to do Rome and Venice.

You seem to be confused concerning Italian geography. If you go to Venice, you are not in Rome. That requires travel. If you land in Venice from Malaga, it makes little sense to start your return journey from Venice if you intend to go to Rome. You'll have to choose in which order you want to visit these two cities and plan your trip accordingly. If you already have a RT to Dublin, look for a cheap flight from Rome or Venice back to Dublin; otherwise an open jaw returning from Italy probably makes more sense.