Travel tips - costs

[Richard Ferguson]

Jim and the group:

My suggestion on reducing airfare costs has a few parts:

1. Travel to Europe is most expensive in the summer, and cheapest in the dead of winter.  The
spring and fall are somewhere in between.

2. Airfares are so random that it is hard to predict how to get the best deal.  I suggest that you
keep an eye on airfares for the time that you want to go, and once you know what the going
rate is, pounce immediately on a fare when it goes down.  If you wait for the chance at the best
possible fare, you will miss a very good fare, and ultimately end up paying more.   The key is
to look frequently for a while so that you know what the going rate is likely to be, so you can
recognize a good deal once you see it.

3.  If you can use frequent flier miles, there is a hidden advantage in being able to change your
return date without charge, in most cases.  Most discount fares have a substantial penalty for
changing the return date.

4.  Most good fares require that you return within 30 days.

5.  Round trip fares are usually cheaper than those that go to one city and return from another.

Vaya con Dios,
Richard