One other thing. Another extremely important factor in picking an airline to buddy up with is making sure they fly where you want to go!

Tat, Lufthansa is a new travel partner w/US Airways. I have flown on several international US Airways flights and they were fine.

As someone who travels on USAirways frequently (not quite gold preferred this year) I will share this. I rarely have trouble & they are always available to help but it IS very difficult to cash in miles especially in the summer. You MUST plan ahead. That being said, it really depends on your locale. Since I reside in Charlotte, I have little choice unless I want to drive to Atlanta (Delta) or Raleigh (Southwest). They are also partnered w/United & now Lufthansa which is also a +.

I think USAirways are going everywhere unfortunatelly for me, so it'll be my cross to carry :)


ChatNoir dear, why is it so important where I am from ? I don't even know you, why are you getting so personal ?
Unless you want to make a pass at me why else ? But you can't ... I am happily married for years. So, butt out ! OK, I hope you keep smiling :)

Hey Tat,

It's me again. Just found a special on Travelocity that is running airfare from JFK to Frankfurt for $224 per person, plus taxes.

Not a bad deal. Travel is good from Dec 24 to Apr 4th.

Winnepeg, thanks !
I read your post. I was amazed, but then I remembered, mine were $278 or so.
Plus I go to Hamburg + $109 tax, so I payed $399 in April - June.
My friend just complained to me that everything IS expensive and Europe needs tourists to spend, so here we go !
Are you going ?
My friend had visitors last year and I asked her to ask them how much they paid for a ticket. So, it was $805 pp.
So, now I saved $1200 compare to last year, so I'll pay that dollar fall with this money, right ?

Hey Tat,

I'll be there next year for 2 months.

I am flying on the 23rd of May, Philly to Frankfurt. Returning on the 19th of July

Can't wait. Always wanted to do an extended period of time in Germany. This is my 30 or so trip to Germany. They were always 2 or 3 week trips. Never 2 months. First time taking my dog with me. that ought to be challenging at times. But, I just can't leave him in a kennel for 2 months.

All my relatives still live in Gemany.

There is so excellent readers of this forum that can help you out. I am thinking that Russ is now the king, replacing the late Wes Fowler. I have been there alot, I think I know alot, but my advice pales in comparison to the late Wes Fowler. Type in Wes Fowler in the search button, hit click and be prepared for some really good information.

Have a great time.

Winnepeg, you sure know how to find some good deals. I like the way you maximize your travel days at the least possible cost. We can all learn from you. Please keep posting.

Degas
If the worm business shrivels up perhaps I can interest you in a crawdad farm...one ton of crawdads sold=two nights in Paris.

Tat, you asked how many people worked full-time with small children and still travel a lot. We are in our late 20s and work full-time at rather demanding jobs. We manage our time off very carefully. Don't take a random day off here and there, we know in advance generally what trips we will make each year and we budget the days. Also use frequent flyer / membership rewards points to get free tickets, never pay for a flight overseas (unless it is very cheap)!!! Use a site like this for transportation / hotel ideas.

Honestly: and I hope no one takes offense at this. But we have some friends with kids, otherwise in the same boat as we are, who travel a lot (not as much as us though). We have other friends who use all their time off to visit family. 2-3 weeks to visit parents for Christmas? Or taking a week off to putz around the house? No thanks!! It is a matter of preference and my preference is to have the life experiences that come with travel.

I thought I'd throw in a different perspective on FF point credit cards.

First thing I don't like: the annual fee, especially if the card will be used by more than one person. Right off the top, one has to spend a certain amount just to break even.

Second thing: There are other buyer incentive programs which might save the consumer more money. Example: we belong to a furnace heating oil pool, cash payment only, which is much cheaper way to buy heating oil than if we paid by CC. The money we save can go to travel if we wish.

All car repairs, etc. go on a hardware store CC which earns its own points - not for airfare but redeemable in store merchandise, including essentials like batteries, car and household repair parts, etc. Relative cash value is higher, I think. Again, money saved can go to travel.

Third thing I don't like: Thanks to these CC programs, FF points are being minted faster than a banana republic's currency, but the available seat allocation is going down as airlines a) cut back on capacity and b) 'tinker' with their programs. Result: FF points can inflate pretty fast, much faster than the average rate of inflation on currency. And I dislike having to jockey for the available seats, not to mention lose the leverage we have in being able to choose from several airlines, including charter airlines.

Finally, these CC programs are an incentive to spend more on things other than travel, so I find them counterproductive.

Don't get me wrong, I understand they work very well for some, but they aren't necessarily the best answer for everyone.

My husband and I are both teachers, so we get the same vacation time. a few years back, I discovered the wonderful perk of leading student tours (using a reputable tour company, and NOT school sponsored)--so now, we go to Europe every other year at least virtually for free while we are with the students, and then--we send them home and stay behind on our own dime! Why didn't I discover this sooner? Add to that the fact that my husband and I both agree that travel is the wisest investment we can make. We'll never have nice furniture, but who cares? I've always been one of those people who, when asked "do you want to go..." I reply with "yes" and THEN I ask "where to?"

Thanks 4sammy.
I understand it IS possible, and to EVRYONE who cares - WE ARE GOING TO GERMANy on April,1 for 12 days with Paris and Amsterdam probably.
So, you talked me into it. I hope I can do it with my fear to fly ... O, My!
I hope they serve liquor on LUFT airbus.
But how do you knock down 9 y/old.
She has inherrited fear of flying I guess. When she was 5 we flew to Orlando, so she said "Mom, I don't feel safe here" sitting on the plain before take off. So, we going to need all courage and right now I HAVE IT ! Not that I can swear to it...

Christina,
I am probably THE one FF will not work for me. Thanks for info.

Thanks you all and please, continue.

I am a single mother of a 14 yr old daughter and work FT make around $55K per year which for Boston is NOT a lot.
Traveling to Europe is no more expensive than say Florida. My daughter and I travel to Europe at least 3x a year
To go to FL airfare and hotel is probably about $1000 for the 2 of us at least I can go to Paris for that cost maybe even less depending........its just what you make a priority
Start traveling!!! Have fun!!!

Sorry, I'm having a problem here, Patrick cashed in two business class tickets but only took one flight last year ? So, a business class ticket is what ?? 80,000 or so, maybe 100,000 at peak. So, he spent $150k-$200k on his VISA card last year or a average of $12k-15k a month ? I know there are deals out there because I take advantage of them all the time + I'm on the verge of Gold preferred & have the VISA card, etc. I'm sitting @ about 100k miles for the year. Me thinks Patrick is blowin' some smoke...

Tat:

Give your daughter Dramamine. Consult your doctor as to how much. Mine are used to flying now, but when younger they often got airsick and didn't like to fly. Dramamine knocked them out as soon as the plane took off and they often didn't wake up until landing. Wish it worked for me!

ccarroga
I am in needs to learn from people like you on how to save, as my income appears to be close then yours and I can't figure my traveling possibilities yet.
I've already spent $1200 on tickets for 3. My friend almost got us a Hotel in Paris + METRO passes for $700 for 3.
Now I need to put aside some $1000 for food for a week, right ?
And I also need to buy some presents, spend on taxi or parking at airport.
I am sure $4000,00 will be just enough for my trip (I mean min enough).
So, to save during the year for 1 trip is $350.00 TO PUT ASIDE.
Duable ? O, yeas ! But more then one trip per year ?..
I am back to my question ...
How Do You Travel SO MUCH ??? :)


StCirq
Thanks for idea of how to knock child out !!!

Tat,

Don't be itimidated by, or impressed by that woman that claims to earning $55,000 a year, claims to be single,wiyth a 14 year old daughter, living in Boston and goes to Europe 3x's a year.

Is she single because she is divorced and her husband pays her big support payments, or could we assume that she may, unfortunately, be a widow whose husband left her well off with life insurance or a business maybe.

Or, is she part of old money from Boston.

As a financial planner, I have seen plenty of people set up financially because mom and dad did so very well for themselves.

There is always the possibility that she is using her credit cards more frequently than alot of us out here, or maybe her family is still there and living in a part of Eastern Europe that is still very cheap to travel to.
It seems to me that by going three times a year, she would have to travelling during the high season at least once a year. Just that trip alone, must be costing her $3,000 to $3,500 a year for her and her daughter, unless there is plenty of family to stay with and eat with.

If I am wrong and she is doing it on what she claims, then more power to her. If it is indeed true that she is such a financial guru, then there is a definite future working with the Suze Ormans of this world.

It seems to me that there is something she is not telling us.

Simple math tells you that after income taxes, she can't be bringing home more than $38,500 a year.

Feeding themselves and Living in Boston with a mortgage and property taxes must cost her another $20,000 a year. Add in the costs of raising a 14 year old, and there simply can't be enough left to be going to Europe three times a year.

Forget about alot that is written in this forum. People aren't always the most honest. Kind of like on line personal ads.

Have a great time. watch your Euros. Try to keep this trip to a minimum. It's been my experience that if you go to Europe and find that you have spent too much, you may hesitate going back.
Souvenirs, post cards, and pictures will cost you a fortune. Just say NO. Make some difficult decisions. Have a great time. Study some of the money saving ideas that other Fodorites write about,implement them, and you'll have such a great time that you want to be back again next year.

Mark

As always - Winnepeg to the resque !!!
Thanks and "watching" will be my cross.
But I have no choice, tickets are purchased. Must go. Want to go bad !

I agree with the souvenir/postcard thing. I sent postcards from France a couple of weeks ago. 90 euro cents for postage and I shopped to find postcards at 50 euro cents. At a 1.40 euro per card I sent cards to 10 people twice. That's 28 euro or about 33 USD for me to send 20 postcards.

Lifelong best friend or not, if I don't receive a comment from a friend about getting the postcard I'm cutting them from my list next time. :-)