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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,042,598 times
Reputation: 46172
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Quote:
Originally Posted by in_newengland
I've always had the travel bug but not the finances to match.
...
Then no money, no travel for a long time. Now in retirement, I save each year to go to England, the place I love the most. I have given up on places like China and Japan. Will never have the funds for that. But England--airfare is down, car rental is cheap, can stay at low budget motels or old fashioned English hotels cheap, food is excellent in the pubs or on the motorway at W.H. Smith. We also load up on sandwiches from the grocery store and, if the place we stay offers full English breakfast, that will hold us all day!
I like to stay off the beaten path and I enjoy traveling around in Cornwall, especially on the gorgeous coastline. ...
No longer do I care to visit other places in the US and anyway the airfare is just too expensive. I'd love to stay in Florida during the winter but airfare is high from here and then you have to stay somewhere--cheaper and much more interesting to go to England.
We have had wonderful hosts in UK (for last 30 yrs). The last trip we stayed with a few retired profs who had become authors / travel guides, and they had guest cottages for us. We really had a great time together and learning about their communities and participating in events and community volunteer tasks. Of course the National Heritage pass is the best bargain (Royal Oak if coming from USA). 400+ FREE places to visit. Seldom go into the cities (maybe on a Sunday afternoon). Our Hosts in Cornwall insist they take us Pub hopping to their favorite little communities. We had a family (5 young boys) from Falmouth stay with us in USA about 10 yrs ago, andd they wanted to make sure we got a FULL tour! of their homeland.
There are plenty of $20 / night places in UK (guest homes) and in FL! (We were in 3 FL (coastal) places last week), also lots of FREE places in UK (Servas... since 1947). Probably 50% + of the homes we stay in have completely separate qtrs for us, often a guest cottage, or they just give us the keys to their beach house. Most refuse the $20, but I always give it with instructions to pass it on to someone in need. (I'm not in need of anything except HC for a sick spouse... My $35 car is fine (as it has been for 40 yrs, and for the next 40)). Off to Asia this weekend (Singapore) on a <$800 flt. They really know how to throw a GREAT Christmas in Singapore. Of course you can get Air Asia and Scoot and Tiger flights outta there for <$50.
Try over $1k for a lot of places around the world and that's out of a big city and not my smaller metro area.
Exactly! Those are the prices flying out of places like NYC or Wash DC. I was warned by a colleague who goes to the UK every summer that the cheapest overseas flight is out of Dulles. So I flew out of Dulles via Icelandic Air. I did everything that you're told to do: flew out of the right city, scoured ticket prices, bought my ticket months in advance, and the "sale" price I purchased my ticket for was about $1,200. If there are cities where you can fly abroad for $500 or less, I sure have had bad luck in finding them to places like London or Edinburgh.
When we vacation in the US we tend to road trip, we got tired of US airlines with their awful service, late flights and ridiculous prices.
Traveling overseas we fly with a big carrier to get there then use smaller airlines (Ryan air, Easy Jet) to get around once there, can't beat a $9.99 flight from London (Stanstead) to Dublin or many other European destinations. and yes they charge extra for baggage but its still a ways short of the $3-400 it costs to fly from our regional airport to Chicago or Detroit, both only an hours flight away.
US Airlines was horrible and United Airlines was as well. Horrible flights as far as the ride, horrible flight attendants, and horrible ticket agents customer service. I once had what should have been a uncomplicated early afternoon flight from Burbank to NYC LaGuardia or JFK, I can't remember which, via a connecting flight at SFO. It became a 24 hour nightmare thanks to US Airways incompetence and horrible customer service. I ended up spending the night in a chair not far from the ticket counter at the airport in San Francisco since US Airways ticket agents grabbed their belongings and bolted out of there like Cinderella trying to beat the clock striking midnight. I said never again will I fly this incompetent airline. I got the same feeling when I flew Spirit Airlines for the first time earlier this year (never again) as I did when I flew US Airways. I wonder if the same misguided souls from US Airways are behind the creation of Spirit Airlines?
Exactly! Those are the prices flying out of places like NYC or Wash DC. I was warned by a colleague who goes to the UK every summer that the cheapest overseas flight is out of Dulles. So I flew out of Dulles via Icelandic Air. I did everything that you're told to do: flew out of the right city, scoured ticket prices, bought my ticket months in advance, and the "sale" price I purchased my ticket for was about $1,200. If there are cities where you can fly abroad for $500 or less, I sure have had bad luck in finding them to places like London or Edinburgh.
If you do some search, there are plenty of bargain. For example, I randomly choose flying out of Newark to Heathrow with round trip departing on 4/19 and returning on 5/9: https://www.kayak.com/flights/EWR-LH...t=bestflight_a
The cheapest fare for direct flight is $464 by Air India.
There are so many international carriers doing excellent deals from USA
some I have never heard of.. but my spouse took one to the German markets and it made the round trip (well under $800)
Icelandic and Iberia have been offering sweet deals.
Check Wego.com for consolidator fares (But I prefer to book direct with the main carriers)
We just get to a Euro Hub and take Ryan or similar from there, often for <20 Euro.
Just avoid weekends (tho Saturday afternoons can have cheap and empty flights)
Thanks for the tip on Wego, I've bookmarked the site. It appears to be basically geared for travel to Middle Eastern countries. I found a flight from JFK to Turkey for $594. Turkey is definitely on my broader travel wish list but it will have to remain on hold for now.
If you do some search, there are plenty of bargain. For example, I randomly choose flying out of Newark to Heathrow with round trip departing on 4/19 and returning on 5/9: https://www.kayak.com/flights/EWR-LH...t=bestflight_a
The cheapest fare for direct flight is $464 by Air India.
On the same departure and return date, the round trip ticket from Newark to Singapore by United is only $469.
This is the longest flight in the world. Flight distance is almost 10,000 miles. For such price, you may not even be able to fly one way to Hawaii!
Why travel in US when international airfare is so cheap?
Thanks! Kayak is one of my go to sites. Those prices were not the same as last year when I was researching to buy my ticket. Following your link, I've just found a NYC - London ticket in Aug. 2018, when I'd possibly have time in my work schedule for a trip abroad, for $694 which is fantastic. Perhaps I can again visit the UK as soon as 2018; that would be nice!
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,042,598 times
Reputation: 46172
Bored with international and want domestic?
SWA (Flight search WN)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Klassyhk
Yes, all except Southwest Airlines. They don't charge to check bags.
^^^
AND they don't charge for changes!!! (I keep 50+ flights booked at all times (bought during 'Early Bird' sales and I might take them, or maybe not! if not... I have a yr to use the proceeds (no fees).
They will be adding HI this yr, and do have several international destinations in the Gulf / Central AMER, and... those are cheap to buy ($59 on sale dates from FLL and HOU), but the fees (taxes) for my 'free' companion are very high on their international. (~$40 - $80). I hope they add Canada!
Usually Customer Service is VERY good on SWA (They credited some past flights in 'moments' when I requested yesterday).
The 'points' required for travel SWA are very reasonable (as low as 4,000 one way) and they add up FAST. Tho a 'legacy' member for 30 yrs... and flying 20,000mi trips monthly... my SWA acct (<10 yrs) now has a higher point accumulation.
I really appreciate their boarding process (no assigned seats).
1) get on, find an empty seat, and GO!!!
They turn planes 2x faster than the competition (which has been GREAT for my SWA Stock investments!)
Yes, all except Southwest Airlines. They don't charge to check bags.
Southwest out of one of my semi-local airports will often cost more than one of the legacy airlines even after you add bag fees back into the total cost of the legacy ticket.
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Exactly
