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Its been a hundred years since I traveled overseas. I would like to take a trip
to Germany to visit relatives I've never met. At 60 I have almost no close family
and most of whats left is in Germany. I do have a passport.
I have heard of shoulder season and then I heard there is an inbetween shoulder season
and high season. Retired I can theoretically go anytime in order to get good ticket prices I have to
travel off high season, when does that end? And how far in advance does it make a difference
to buy airline tickets? (I live in SW Ohio). Someday I would love to see the lavender fields in France but they bloom "Jun to Aug" so basically July and that is high season right?
I would like some sort of train pass even if its a bit more expensive than individual tickets
because its just so much easier. Not sure if there are places or times when you have to
book ahead? Theoretically I could stay for a long time and do lots of stuff but I have cats
so I wouldn't leave them for more than 3 weeks.
Probably more to consider but it hasn't come to me yet.
Its been a hundred years since I traveled overseas. I would like to take a trip
to Germany to visit relatives I've never met. At 60 I have almost no close family
and most of whats left is in Germany. I do have a passport.
I have heard of shoulder season and then I heard there is an inbetween shoulder season
and high season. Retired I can theoretically go anytime in order to get good ticket prices I have to
travel off high season, when does that end? And how far in advance does it make a difference
to buy airline tickets? (I live in SW Ohio). Someday I would love to see the lavender fields in France but they bloom "Jun to Aug" so basically July and that is high season right?
I would like some sort of train pass even if its a bit more expensive than individual tickets
because its just so much easier. Not sure if there are places or times when you have to
book ahead? Theoretically I could stay for a long time and do lots of stuff but I have cats
so I wouldn't leave them for more than 3 weeks.
Probably more to consider but it hasn't come to me yet.
First off, any plane ticket to a European destination will cost the most money between Memorial Day and Labor or during the summer months. It would not be unusual to pay $800 to $1000 for such a ticket. I'm figuring this fare out of a major city like New York, Washington, or Chicago.
Second, DW and I decided long ago that the summer crowds in Europe were something to be avoided. So, we generally travel in late September. This has been perfect for us. Most importantly, the weather is good, but the crowds are far less than what they would. After summer is over, airfares start to drop. We bought tickets to Munich out of Boston for $395 a piece round trip. If you want to search for a good air fare and your dates are flexible, I recommend you go to skyscanner.com. If you are willing to search and be flexible there are some deals to be had.
Third, rail is a pretty good way to get around Germany. You can get a rail pass through this website and others. Rail passes are not cheap and I would seriously consider exactly how many times you will probably be riding on the train. Sometimes, point to point tickets are cheaper.
By all means, ask any other questions that come to your mind. You might also try going to Ricksteves.com. Click on the button that says "travel forums". Than select Germany as your country. Many people post questions about travel to Germany and many answers are provided. The volume is much higher and much more specific than this forum on CDF is.
I would suggest doing point to point individual rail tickets, too. I don't think the passes are as simple as get on and get off and go wherever you want whenever you want; I think they have limits and I KNOW they're more expensive than individual tickets. The German train system is easy. I wouldn't worry much about figuring it out.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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In Germany, train travel... you are better off Point To Point and watch your dates and times (IIRC weekends / nights are cheaper).
Travel, eat, sleep like a local. (much cheaper)
Consider joining a guest hospitality club. (very safe for single gals) Stays in Germany are terrific and plentiful ($free to $20 / night) Hosts are generous, informative, interesting, helpful. Hospitality exchange - Wikitravel
What is your objective? Cities, rural, rivers, history, Mtns, ecology?
Although ticket prices may be higher in the summer there are often some great deals to be has. Last summer my ticket from New York to Milan was about $625 on Emirates. Since you have some flexibility, I would start looking for deals now. I've seen sales from as low as the mid $300s. My general advice to people about Europe is just try to get to the continent as cheaply as possible, then use a local carrier to get to your final destination.
Before you start looking I would make a list of the airports that you could potentially depart from, you can save hundreds by leaving from an airport that is not as convenient as your usual airport. But be sure to look into the costs of getting you to the alternative airport,
Also don't be afraid of the high season if you are planning on not being in the popular tourist areas.
Like the ATMs (aka 'cashpoints') self-serve automated kiosks for train & local subway trams typically have an English language option- just click on the Union Jack flag when you see one.
Germany is great- very clean and safe, and while it's not a case of 'everyone speaks English', most in the old West Germany footprint do remember enough of it from school years lessons to answer the polite questions of a puzzled tourist. (You'll hit more of a language issue in the old DDR footprint once you get very far from Berlin) It's also one of the more budget-friendly richer European countries.
Do splurge on one first class leg on an ICE train- typically not that much more than second class if booked advance purchase, and it's fun to get to use the lounge at the station.
We also went to Belgium/Germany in September, the last two weeks. I think it's a good time---less crowds (except in Munich), prices aren't bad (except in Munich) and most days you could get away with wearing a light jacket/sweatshirt rather than a heavy coat.
I wish I could find a search site that allowed open ended dates - like - anytime in the next 6 months.
I an go anytime just need cheap. Trying to search week by week is beyond aggravating and makes me
just throw up my hands.
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