Mn55

Okay so I am a college student from California and this will be my first time traveling out of the U.S. I will be going to Barcelona in July for 2 weeks (July 6-20) to study abroad. A couple of us want to leave early and stay later. I had purchased a round trip ticket from July 3- July 27 but one of the airlines is no loner operating so basically I will have to start from scratch.
Some of the places I wanted to visit where Paris, London, and Rome.

I had originally purchased the round trip ticket from California to Barcelona and back because our group decided to just see what other students are doing and just buy tickets in Europe as we go. I know one person who bought a one way ticket from California to London (July 3-4) then from there they will go to Barcelona (July 6) because we all have to be in Barcelona by July 6 to check in at the University.

I need advice on the what would basically be the smartest route to take I know ticket prices go up the closer you get to the dates but i am wondering if I should just purchase another round trip ticket from California to Barcelona and just see how many places I am able fit (and afford) while I am there or should I buy a one way ticket from California to London then head to Barcelona in time for classes (July 6) and purchase my return ticket while i'm over there because then I won't have to worry about making it back to Barcelona because let's say I am in Paris I can just buy it from Paris to California. ( I know the price will be high but I'm worried that the price might double or triple) HELP!!

July 3- Leave
July 4- ?? London?? Which will be about only a full day
July 5-??
July 6- Have to be in Barcelona for Classes
July 7 - 20 Classes in Barcelona
July 20- leave to Paris? Rome?
July 20 - 27 ??

Gordon_R

Two quick comments from me (others will chime in later I'm sure):-

Going to London first doesn't make much sense. You will arrive on an overnight flight on 4th July but this will NOT give you a full day in LOndon as it takes a long time to get out of the airport and into town - and you will probably be in a jetlagged haze. You have to be in Barcelona by 6th July, so that means you have to leave London after just over 24 hours... Come back another time when you have more time.

Your comments about 1-way tickets fail to take into account one very important factor. European immigration officials are looking out for students without limited funds and return tickets who may try to illegally overstay. Not having proof of a paid-for return flight to the USA could well result in you being denied entry and sent right back to where you came from.

bdsbeautyblog

^^^This.

Plus, you will need to plan your travels within Europe in advance and purchase those tickets ASAP rather than just buying train/plane tickets etc as you go along, as it's expensive to just walk up and buy these on the day (although saying this, you have left it rather late for any cheap deals anyway, to be honest).

adrienne

The London for 1 day is not a smart move. What do you hope to see in only 1 day?

Why not buy a ticket to Barcelona and home from Paris and forget about one-way tickets which are very expensive. If you really want to visit London you can get an intra-European flight from Barcelona to London, stay for 3 days and then take the Eurostar train from London to Paris; fly home from Paris.

Good luck to anyone trying to visit England with a one-way ticket and no outbound ticket. Your friend will need a back up plan when he/she gets sent home and has to start over again.

sparkchaser

I will chime in and agree with what has been posted. One day in London in a jet lagged haze isn't wise. You're better off flying straight into Barcelona and recovering in the heat and sun.

Tulips

Buy your tickets to and from the USA now!
And if possible, book your other flights as well - it will get more expensive. I was trying to book a fairly last-minute flight last summer for my daughter to Ibiza, and fares were ridiculous.

Have a look at Ryanair; lots of cheap flight out of Barcelona, and other destinations in Europe. Do be aware that they usually do not fly from the main airport, so check which airport it is, and they are strict about luggage; they will charge you a lot for extras. But having said that, they are very cheap and lots of students use Ryanair in summer. But even so; book as soon as possible.

skatedancer

Note, too, that when you fly on Ryanair or EasyJet, that the arrivals are often quite late and the departures very early, so you have to think in advance how you will get to and from the airport -- this can require either a taxi or an extra overnight you hadn't intended.

I agree with flying into Barcelona and then just making a decision about which city to leave from now.

I understand the desire to stay flexible. But you can still have options open to you even with a departure from Paris. Most destinations will have a low-cost flight to Paris (or "lower cost" because even the cheaper airlines prices can get up there) and if you end up seeing Paris for a few days on your own, by then you will be a seasoned enough traveler to feel confident doing so!

I don't know how many you are traveling with, but my D has had great success in her wanderings with a combination of hostels, airbnb and couchsurfing!

Another city to consider is Berlin. I can't tell you how many people in their 20's (including my D) go there and decide it is one of their favorite cities -- I don't think it is the sites per se, but the lifestyle and the people they meet.

bilboburgler

One of the good things about London as it is sort of Europe lite for the North American with limited language skills. Since you are going to Barcelona and the short duration of the London visit makes no sense, drop it.

If I had a few odd days at the start I might go to Madrid then catch the train to Barcelona. Madrid is a very different place to Barcelona (they even speak a slightly different language there).

Afterwards I'd look at the cheepo flights out of Barcelona and book the cheepest that ties up with your flights home, where ever you go should be fun for just a few days.

As a general note don't bring too much stuff. Stuff is stuff you think you need but you don't. Europe has sheds loads of shops and virtually everything you can get in the US has a similar product in every country. So travel light.

Mimar

Just to clarify some of the proceeding: buy open jaws tickets into Barcelona, out of Paris or London or wherever. This is the multi-city option on airline websites. It should cost about the same as a round-trip ticket and save you the time and expense of backtracking to Barcelona.

Train travel in Europe can be quite inexpensive if you buy your tickets early. In particular, the Eurostar train which goes under the channel between Paris and London (or Brussels and London) is quite reasonable bought 3 months ahead of your date of travel.

Re: Ryanair. The airports Ryanair uses are at some distance from the cities served, with limited transportation options into town. Also there's a charge for bags -- and practically everything else.

Christina

I also agree you should buy a round-trip ticket, one-way tickets are extremely expensive, I think sometimes almost as much as the round-trip. But not necessarily coming back from Barcelona, although that would be possible. If you can figure out where you would likely be last, it would obviously make sense to buy a ticket returning from that city (Paris or Rome or wherever). This is called an "open jaw" ticket sometimes (going into one city, leaving from another), but is much less expensive than buying two one-way tickets. If you are leaving from somewhere other than Barcelona, it would make the most sense to not leave from Barcelona as you are going to spend a lot of time and money to get back there if you aren't near it.

BigAleinstein

I agree with the herd. Fly into Barcelona. You will need time to recover from jet lag. On the free day visit something outside of Barcelone such as Monserrat or Girona. You will be in Barcelona for two weeks and I am sure you will much of the city in your free time then.

There are good low cost carriers that such Spain as it base including Vueling. Since London, Paris, and Rome are each much more than a week, I would advise you to pick one. You are young and once you get a taste of Europe you will go back.

Do not worry about friends and relatives railing about why you did not see this or that. Enjoy what you do see and tell them you will return often, politely.

nytraveler

If yo try to enter europe without a return ticket to the US it is quite likely that yuo will be denies entrance - since it will appear that you are planning on staying illegally. Immigration officials often look for this with young people traveling.

So be prepared to show your return ticket, the name of the place you will be staying (at least for the first few nights) and that you have sufficient funds to support yourself (credit card, debit card and/or cash).

Agree that going to London first makes no sense. Head straight to Barcelona to see a few things there before your classes start - and then move on from there to wherever you have time for.

Do NOT even consider waiting to buy a return ticket to the US. Even if you somehow manage to get past immigration - the cost is likely to be almost as much as a round trip ticket - and more if you buy it at the last minute.

Mn55

Thanks everyone your advice really helps. I think I will head straight to Barcelona and try to make a decision by the end of the week where i will come back from and go with the multi-way purchase. I had purchased my ticket round way in February but the airline I was flying with is no longer operating so they told me this week that I am going to be refunded. I think I am just excited about actually being able to go to Europe and I want to fit in as much cities as possible. I will also look into the Eurostar train. I know that during the weeks in Spain some of my classmates wanted to travel within Spain so if you know any cheap ways to travel (that take the least amount of time besides planes) I would appreciate your advice.

One more question What credit cards are best to use? I only have one credit card and I have a debit card but I know this would not be the cheapest thing to use. I've been researching and Capital One cards seem to be a good one to use while traveling. I do have the funds to pay the card back as soon as I get back from traveling. I'm just wondering what would be cheapest in regards to exchange rates, fees per transactions etc.

sparkchaser

What airline is that?

Always use a debit card to get cash from an ATM.

With regards to credit cards, Flyertalk has extensive threads on that very subject.

janisj

>>With regards to credit cards, Flyertalk has extensive threads on that very subject.<<

There are extensive threads right here about credit cards, ATM/debit cards, foreign exchange.

"<i>I only have one credit card and I have a debit card but I know this would not be the cheapest thing to use. </i>"

Debit cards and credit cards both have their place. By FAR the best way to get cash is w/ an ATM/debit card.

Credit cards vary a little w/ their fees and add ons. Capitol One is one of the better options.

Christina

Capital One is a perfectly fine card to get if you can get one, I wouldn't spend my time researching endless credit card options when that one already doesn't have any foreign transaction fee.

I don't know what you mean about the credit and debit cards not being the cheapest thing to use, what does that mean. If you have some bank debit card with high fees for ATM use, especially in Europe, you might find a new bank, but we can't know what your fees are right now.

As for travel in Spain, you basically have 2 options -- train or bus. They have a lot of good, cheap bus travel in Spain and the buses can be very nice and sometimes more convenient than the train. Beyond that, it depends where you are and what routes you want, but I would definitely look into possible buses.

sparkchaser

If you take cash out with a credit card, you are hit with a cash withdrawal fee, FOREX fees, plus subject to a higher interest rate because it's a cash advance. With a debit card, you get charged the ATM usage fee (my credit union charges me $1) and that's about it. OP is American and so his bank probably is too so even if his bank charges $5 to use a non-partner ATM, it's still cheaper to use the debit card for cash than a credit card.

OP, see if you bank has a partnership with any banks in your destination countries and if so, try to use those to reduce fees.

longhorn55

And don't forget to contact the bank(s) that issued your credit cards/debit cards before you leave to inform them of your travel plans. Otherwise, when these foreign transactions start coming in, the bank may flag your account for possible fraudulent use. (They don't know you are overseas if you don't tell them.) That will cause you to be unable to use your cards until you straighten it out with the bank.