for my fellow wanderlusters

[helen]

there are some amazing flight deals to europe right now from houston. i get a kayak fare alert anytime a flight to a major euro city comes in under $500 r/t. here is the list, with dates:

$294^...London, United Kingdom (LON)...Feb 14 - 21
$409^... Paris, France (PAR)...Mar 14 - 22
$319^...London, United Kingdom (LHR)...Feb 14 - 20
$371^...Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS)...Feb 17 - 21
$347^...Madrid, Spain (MAD)...Mar 14 - 23
$409^...Paris, France (CDG)...Mar 14 - 22
$411^...Barcelona, Spain (BCN)...Mar 14 - 22
$500^...Frankfurt am Main, Germany (FRA)...Feb 17 - 24
$335^...Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH)...Mar 15 - 21
$417^...Milan, Italy (MIL)...Mar 16 - 22
$492^...Florence, Italy (FLR)...May 16 - 24
$408^...Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH)...Mar 13 - 21
$450^...Geneva, Switzerland (GVA)...Mar 7 - 13
$490^...Prague, Czech Republic (PRG)...Mar 12 - 16
$478^...Moscow, Russia (MOW)...Mar 23 - Apr 4
$479^...Marseille, France (MRS)...Mar 31 - Apr 3
$403^...Stockholm, Sweden (STO)...Mar 15 - 21
$476^...Pisa, Italy (PSA)...Mar 16 - 23

i think i just might have to consider a vacation now!

[notnewtome]

The dollar does not go as far as it use to against the Euro. I go to Europe for work occasionally. I gasp at the lodging and meals after the monetary conversions are done. The trains and electric cars make touring around easy and cheap.

Wanna share hotel and food?

[Wayward]

Helen great thread, if you have never been to Spain you really should think about it. Of all the places we have been, trying to follow some of the American expats of the 30s like Hemingway though Spain was one of the very best adventures. The people are like a novel come to life and the places, food and drink some of the very best. Nothing beats Paris in the spring, even the Parisians can't screw that up and if you speak enough French to not piss them off it really doesn't suck.

Wanderlust this time of year as winter leaves and the promise of future blooms is in the air, becomes some kind of wonderful, watching someone actually try and help folks out is beautiful.

[Sisyphus]

Nice post, Helen! I've been getting fare alerts like that on the regular for quite a while now. Even if I'm not free to go somewhere at that particular point in time, it's nice to know the realm of the possible! Gives me an idea of what kind of fare to look for when I do have the time.

I especially like getting them for an airline where I have a bunch of miles banked from work travel. Grab the fare...use the miles to upgrade...sweet!

I didn't see a "dog" destination in the bunch! Moscow still liable to be butt cold at that time but would still be fascinating.

Originally Posted by notnewtome

The dollar does not go as far as it use to against the Euro. I go to Europe for work occasionally. I gasp at the lodging and meals after the monetary conversions are done. The trains and electric cars make touring around easy and cheap.

Wanna share hotel and food?

Unless you plan on doing the hostel thing, notnew has a valid point. Check the costs of the lodging you want before you book. If it's the "high season" at your destination, that can eat up more than the $$$ you saved on your plane ticket.

Buddying up with Helen?? Not a bad idea, either!!

Originally Posted by Wayward

Helen great thread, if you have never been to Spain you really should think about it. Of all the places we have been, trying to follow some of the American expats of the 30s like Hemingway though Spain was one of the very best adventures. The people are like a novel come to life and the places, food and drink some of the very best. Nothing beats Paris in the spring, even the Parisians can't screw that up and if you speak enough French to not piss them off it really doesn't suck.

Wanderlust this time of year as winter leaves and the promise of future blooms is in the air, becomes some kind of wonderful, watching someone actually try and help folks out is beautiful.

I'm partial to Spain as well, Padre. I don't think I've ever been to a "bad" European destination but there is something special about that place...for all the reasons the Padre mentions & I've just found them to be the warmest & most friendly.

[bbkid]

I've always wanted to go to the UK. If only my parole officer would release me.

[boardman]

I'm partial to Germany,
The Rhine valley is full of history. Munich is a great place to eat, drinck and be merry.
Berlin is a strange town still searching for it's identity but the museum district is amazing.

Lake Zurich is a beautiful destination but Switzerland can be terribly expensive.

[Dad]

What? No Asia deal?

I used to live in Europe for months at a time, don't care for France. The thing I missed the most --> Pubs' life, especially handcrafted beers and the unique glasses!

(boardman, one of my fondest memories of Germany --> Autobahn!)

[Wakeup]

Until they drop the roundtrip fare to Lincoln, Nebraska to below $100 I'm not interested...always wanted to visit Lincoln this time of year...

[Dad]

Originally Posted by Wakeuр

Until they drop the roundtrip fare to Lincoln, Nebraska to below $100 I'm not interested...always wanted to visit Lincoln this time of year...

If you want to stay in the states, try the Georgia's Cherry Blossom Festival in March!

(Kinda late for New Orleans' Mardi Gras)

[jasmin]

The only issue with cheap flights is you end up taking 2 days to get there...Time is money so shelling out a few more hundreds for extra days is so worth it. If you have the time, it is a great option.

[helen]

i loved spain, got caught up in BCN and lisbon much longer than expected and was not able to make it to andalucia like i had wanted. next time!

also, if i can swing it, i will bypass the hostels and couchsurf. have met some very cool people this way.

[jasmin]

The beaches in Spain are so close to perfect.....

[Sisyphus]

Originally Posted by boardman

I'm partial to Germany,
The Rhine valley is full of history. Munich is a great place to eat, drinck and be merry.
Berlin is a strange town still searching for it's identity but the museum district is amazing.

Lake Zurich is a beautiful destination but Switzerland can be terribly expensive.

I can't say I'm partial to Germany...but that may be that I was there during the worse months of the year, weather-wise. I did find places like Weimar, Meisen, Wittenburg (seeing the church where Luther nailed his document to the door alone made it worth it to me), & Rosenburg to be very charming.

Berlin is a VERY strange town...especially if you stay/work in what was East Berlin. It still shows many signs of Soviet domination. Many of the buildings still have bullet-holes in them from the war. The Ku-Damn in the West was fun. The zoo & the Tiergarten are very nice as well.

All that said, I would STILL highly recommend making a swing through to see a concentration camp (I saw Dachau, outside of Munich, but any will do) along with the "Topography of Terror" exhibit on the site of the old Gestapo building in Berlin. Two of the creepiest places I've ever been in my life.

[Sisyphus]

Originally Posted by helen

i loved spain, got caught up in BCN and lisbon much longer than expected and was not able to make it to andalucia like i had wanted. next time!

also, if i can swing it, i will bypass the hostels and couchsurf. have met some very cool people this way.

At some point, I'm going to devote several weeks just to Andalucia!

[Dad]

My first SO is Jewish. Anyway, I spend 1 month in Germany. I loved Bonn!

(Don't really care for Frankfurt.)