Travel Europe

Question:

I have a friend flying Munich/Hamburg, return, 15-17 December. He’s been quoted 247 DM by Lufthansa. Are there any carriers like Easy Jet that can offer a lower price? Appreciate replies from those in the know on the Continent. I am speaking to a large Elvis convention 16 December in Hamburg. 007 Bill E. Burk Publisher, Elvis World magazine

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> I have a friend flying Munich/Hamburg, return, 15-17 December. > He’s been quoted 247 DM by Lufthansa. > Are there any carriers like Easy Jet that can offer a lower price? > Appreciate replies from those in the know on the Continent. > I am speaking to a large Elvis convention 16 December in Hamburg. > 007

He might try Deutsche BA, a subsidery of BA, which is only competitor (besides railways) on that route. AFAIK, they still have their 198 DM rt-fares on all domestic flights. http://www.deutsche-ba.de Thorsten

Response:

Thorsten Bayer schrieb: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I have a friend flying Munich/Hamburg, return, 15-17 December. > He’s been quoted 247 DM by Lufthansa. > Are there any carriers like Easy Jet that can offer a lower price? > Appreciate replies from those in the know on the Continent. > I am speaking to a large Elvis convention 16 December in Hamburg. > 007 > He might try Deutsche BA, a subsidery of BA, which is only competitor > (besides railways) on that route. AFAIK, they still have their 198 DM > rt-fares on all domestic flights. > http://www.deutsche-ba.de > Thorsten

Both LH and DI (Deutsche BA) have virtually identical fares in this market. There’s a special of DM 184/DM 185 plus tax for weekend travel (valid Fri/Sat for the outbound and Sun for the inbound flight, max stay 2 days, must be issued in Germany with 14 day advance purchase requirement) and a fare of DM 208/DM 209 on DI/LH for less restricted travel on your dates. Add tax to that and you’ll end up with something like DM 247. I have found that there is no conceivable difference in service or reliability between the two carriers on that route. (BTW- DI’s website is in German only, which I find absolutely unprofessional). Consider this fare an absolute bargain for German domestic routes and book it as long as it is available. And no, the train will not be cheaper. Matthias

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Question:

Okay, before anyone tells me to study up on my geography, Iasi is in the northeast part of the country not the northwest as I said in the previous post. Sorry. Tom Hudson Elkhart, Indiana

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Has anyone gone to Rumania the past year?  How was it?  Any special things to see?  Or any comments on Bucharest?  Thanks!

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We were there in June. Romania is not your typical European travel destination. I’ve been there a few times to visit friends and it’s quite an adventure every time. There is still a lot of poverty and filth in the cities. Daily life for the traveler does not seem to be the major chore that it was several years ago as more and more things become available in the stores. The problem is that 75% of the Romanian citizens can’t afford these things. The center area of Bucharest is interesting to have a look around but after half a day or so you’ve pretty much seen it. Other parts of Bucharest are like a war zone. Take a taxi ride from the train station to the airport and you feel like you’re riding through some bombed out part of Yugoslavia.  Iasi, in the northwest part of the country is worth a look around. Lots of old churches and an old palace that has been made into a museum, parks and a botanical garden and nice boulevards for walking. The cities are becoming more modernized but if you will be traveling through the countryside be prepared for ox-carts, livestock and drunks staggering in the road and roads that drop off into swimming pool size pot holes.

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Has anyone gone to Rumania the past year?  How was it?  Any special things to see?  Or any comments on Bucharest?  Thanks!

Response:

We were there in June. Romania is not your typical European travel destination. I’ve been there a few times to visit friends and it’s quite an adventure every time. There is still a lot of poverty and filth in the cities. Daily life for the traveler does not seem to be the major chore that it was several years ago as more and more things become available in the stores. The problem is that 75% of the Romanian citizens can’t afford these things. The center area of Bucharest is interesting to have a look around but after half a day or so you’ve pretty much seen it. Other parts of Bucharest are like a war zone. Take a taxi ride from the train station to the airport and you feel like you’re riding through some bombed out part of Yugoslavia.  Iasi, in the northwest part of the country is worth a look around. Lots of old churches and an old palace that has been made into a museum, parks and a botanical garden and nice boulevards for walking. The cities are becoming more modernized but if you will be traveling through the countryside be prepared for ox-carts, livestock and drunks staggering in the road and roads that drop off into swimming pool size pot holes.

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Okay, before anyone tells me to study up on my geography, Iasi is in the northeast part of the country not the northwest as I said in the previous post. Sorry. Tom Hudson Elkhart, Indiana

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Question:

Correction:  Chicago is ORD, not OHR. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I’ve found several consolidator one-way fares from DFW to ARLANDA-STOCKHO, >SWE(ARN) between $424 & $ 526 per person, including taxes. The $424 fare is >on >Sabena and seats are available. In addition, they have flights on American >Airlines for $526 — Seats are also available. The American intinerary is >Dallas (DFW)– Chicago(OHR) — Arlanda-Stockholm, SWE (ARN) >The Sabena intinerary is DFW- Brussels (BRU)- Arlanda-Stockholm (ARN). >Valid for departures between:  September 01, 2000    until:  October 31, 2000 >Change Fee:  $125.00     Cancel Fee:  $175.00       >These fares are offered through a major consolidator highly recommended by >travel writer Arthur Frommer. The name of the company is TRAVAC Tours, and >their Web address is http://www.thetravelsite.com.               >I hope you find this information helpful. If you have any questions, just >send >me an e-mail. Remove "no-junk" from my address.   >–Tom >To e-mail me, remove no-junk from address.

–Tom To e-mail me, remove no-junk from address.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->The reason that a one way is cheaper than a roundtrip between Dallas and >Houston has nothing to do with the length of the flight, but rather that >there is low fare competition on the route, namely Southwest Airlines, whose >advance purchase one-way fares are less expensive than their roundtrip >fares.  Continental, Delta and American match Southwest’s fares on that >route until those three airlines are at near capacity on a particular >flight, at which time I’ve seen one ways in excess of $300, but that’s very >rare, and never the case at a date as far in advance as you are searching. >But even an advance purchase roundtrip on that route is nowhere near $200, >so I don’t know where you were searching. >That makes sense! (The one-way thing…) >The $200.00 quote I was getting was on travelocity.com a few weeks >ago. I think the total was $167.00 a ticket, with tax close to >$200.00. And that was searching for departure around Sept 5th. Maybe >the dates were what was causing the increase, since it’s the labor-day >time? >I suggested Priceline to you in my original response and you did not comment >on that.  Is that not an option for you?   >Sorry I hadn’t been able to respond yet. I did check out priceline, >and I had a few questions. >1. How soon on an advance ticket do you usually know if you had been >accepted or not? >2. Do they tack on a fuel surcharge? >I’d really like to consider priceline, but if I purchased the majority >of the trip through them for both my husband and myself, I don’t think >I’d be able to use them without maxing out the available credit on my >credit card. I’ve got a pile of cash we’d been saving, but in no way >do we have that much credit, and I’m fairly sure PL doesn’t take >anything but credit cards. I could wire the money, but I’d be >surprised if they handled those sort of transactions. =/ *sigh* >Have you checked airfare >consolidators like http://www.tiss.com?  I have no experience with them but >they are highly regarded by several regulars on this group. >I sure haven’t…in fact, I’d never even heard of them. I will check >it out soon as I’m done posting. >I’m not sure who mentioned traveling to Baltimore and taking Icelandic >Air, (I do remember someone mentioning Southwest, and other posters >said SW doesn’t do DFW to Baltimore..). I did look into that, and >found another carrier to Baltimore. That idea alone would save me >about $200.00 from what I’ve found so far, we’d get to STO for about >$820.00 each, not bad from what I’ve seen. I’ve been busy trying to >look at all options and suggestions from the group to see what would >be the most economical. And hey, $200.00 cheaper in just a day from >ya’lls advice…I’m happy so far! Glad I found this group. =) >Val

Val, I’ve found several consolidator one-way fares from DFW to ARLANDA-STOCKHO, SWE(ARN) between $424 & $ 526 per person, including taxes. The $424 fare is on Sabena and seats are available. In addition, they have flights on American Airlines for $526 — Seats are also available. The American intinerary is Dallas (DFW)– Chicago(OHR) — Arlanda-Stockholm, SWE (ARN) The Sabena intinerary is DFW- Brussels (BRU)- Arlanda-Stockholm (ARN). Valid for departures between:  September 01, 2000    until:  October 31, 2000 Change Fee:  $125.00     Cancel Fee:  $175.00       These fares are offered through a major consolidator highly recommended by travel writer Arthur Frommer. The name of the company is TRAVAC Tours, and their Web address is http://www.thetravelsite.com.               I hope you find this information helpful. If you have any questions, just send me an e-mail. Remove "no-junk" from my address.   –Tom To e-mail me, remove no-junk from address.

Response:

>The reason that a one way is cheaper than a roundtrip between Dallas and >Houston has nothing to do with the length of the flight, but rather that >there is low fare competition on the route, namely Southwest Airlines, whose >advance purchase one-way fares are less expensive than their roundtrip >fares.  Continental, Delta and American match Southwest’s fares on that >route until those three airlines are at near capacity on a particular >flight, at which time I’ve seen one ways in excess of $300, but that’s very >rare, and never the case at a date as far in advance as you are searching. >But even an advance purchase roundtrip on that route is nowhere near $200, >so I don’t know where you were searching.

That makes sense! (The one-way thing…) The $200.00 quote I was getting was on travelocity.com a few weeks ago. I think the total was $167.00 a ticket, with tax close to $200.00. And that was searching for departure around Sept 5th. Maybe the dates were what was causing the increase, since it’s the labor-day time? >I suggested Priceline to you in my original response and you did not comment >on that.  Is that not an option for you?  

Sorry I hadn’t been able to respond yet. I did check out priceline, and I had a few questions. 1. How soon on an advance ticket do you usually know if you had been accepted or not? 2. Do they tack on a fuel surcharge? I’d really like to consider priceline, but if I purchased the majority of the trip through them for both my husband and myself, I don’t think I’d be able to use them without maxing out the available credit on my credit card. I’ve got a pile of cash we’d been saving, but in no way do we have that much credit, and I’m fairly sure PL doesn’t take anything but credit cards. I could wire the money, but I’d be surprised if they handled those sort of transactions. =/ *sigh* >Have you checked airfare >consolidators like http://www.tiss.com?  I have no experience with them but >they are highly regarded by several regulars on this group.

I sure haven’t…in fact, I’d never even heard of them. I will check it out soon as I’m done posting. I’m not sure who mentioned traveling to Baltimore and taking Icelandic Air, (I do remember someone mentioning Southwest, and other posters said SW doesn’t do DFW to Baltimore..). I did look into that, and found another carrier to Baltimore. That idea alone would save me about $200.00 from what I’ve found so far, we’d get to STO for about $820.00 each, not bad from what I’ve seen. I’ve been busy trying to look at all options and suggestions from the group to see what would be the most economical. And hey, $200.00 cheaper in just a day from ya’lls advice…I’m happy so far! Glad I found this group. =) Val

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> Secondly, I did think about flying out of Houston. I found a good fare >> (I think it was on Icelandic, but I can’t remember now..) that was >> bound out of Houston. After checking the prices from DFW to HOU, I >> found out it was a total waste. (I couldn’t believe how high such a >> short hop was!) In fact, with the addition of 2 tickets to HOU, the >> price would have been a deal higher than if I would have paid more to >> leave out of DFW. =( >What do you consider high for DFW-HOU?  An advance purchase one-way on that >route is about $70 and flying out of Dallas Love Field is a few dollars >less. > Maybe that was my problem. I was coming up with near $200. per person, > with both of us that slammed the total to $400.00 for the hop. I was > searching for ROUND-TRIP, not the one-way that you mentioned.  Is this > a case where one-way is actually cheaper? After trying to find one-way > trips to STO or LLA, I found round-trip was waaaaaay cheaper than > one-way…(Why? I don’t know…sucks…) I had just figured that > round-trip was cheaper. Is a short hop a exception to the rule? Like I > said, I really need help, and i don’t travel often. I’m just a dumb > "average joe". =) > Thanks for helping Sheryl! I appreciate your advice! I sure need it! > Yours, > Val

The reason that a one way is cheaper than a roundtrip between Dallas and Houston has nothing to do with the length of the flight, but rather that there is low fare competition on the route, namely Southwest Airlines, whose advance purchase one-way fares are less expensive than their roundtrip fares.  Continental, Delta and American match Southwest’s fares on that route until those three airlines are at near capacity on a particular flight, at which time I’ve seen one ways in excess of $300, but that’s very rare, and never the case at a date as far in advance as you are searching. But even an advance purchase roundtrip on that route is nowhere near $200, so I don’t know where you were searching. I suggested Priceline to you in my original response and you did not comment on that.  Is that not an option for you?  Have you checked airfare consolidators like http://www.tiss.com?  I have no experience with them but they are highly regarded by several regulars on this group.

Response:

> Secondly, I did think about flying out of Houston. I found a good fare > (I think it was on Icelandic, but I can’t remember now..) that was > bound out of Houston. After checking the prices from DFW to HOU, I > found out it was a total waste. (I couldn’t believe how high such a > short hop was!) In fact, with the addition of 2 tickets to HOU, the > price would have been a deal higher than if I would have paid more to > leave out of DFW. =(

What do you consider high for DFW-HOU?  An advance purchase one-way on that route is about $70 and flying out of Dallas Love Field is a few dollars less.

Response:

>> Secondly, I did think about flying out of Houston. I found a good fare > (I think it was on Icelandic, but I can’t remember now..) that was > bound out of Houston. After checking the prices from DFW to HOU, I > found out it was a total waste. (I couldn’t believe how high such a > short hop was!) In fact, with the addition of 2 tickets to HOU, the > price would have been a deal higher than if I would have paid more to > leave out of DFW. =( >What do you consider high for DFW-HOU?  An advance purchase one-way on that >route is about $70 and flying out of Dallas Love Field is a few dollars >less.

Maybe that was my problem. I was coming up with near $200. per person, with both of us that slammed the total to $400.00 for the hop. I was searching for ROUND-TRIP, not the one-way that you mentioned.  Is this a case where one-way is actually cheaper? After trying to find one-way trips to STO or LLA, I found round-trip was waaaaaay cheaper than one-way…(Why? I don’t know…sucks…) I had just figured that round-trip was cheaper. Is a short hop a exception to the rule? Like I said, I really need help, and i don’t travel often. I’m just a dumb "average joe". =) Thanks for helping Sheryl! I appreciate your advice! I sure need it! Yours, Val

Response:

>Check the subject of this thread.  How does the information in your post >provide a viable alternative to saving money for someone flying from Dallas >to Sweden?  It doesn’t.  When I said you are not a seasoned traveler with >regard to the route you were commenting on, it was the route that is the >subject of this thread to which I was referring. >And since you’ve obviously lost the subject post which began this thread, if >you are able to locate it, what would you say is the likelihood that these >travelers would NOT be checking luggage?  Hint:  the key word in the >original post is in all capital letters.

She’s right….since this is a permanant move, we’ve basically sold all our things we can’t take. We’re going to be carrying the max amount of luggage. (Which will consist of clothes for us, some sentimental things, and baby stuff we got as gifts.) It’s a LOT of luggage, and when I’m that far along in pregnancy, I really don’t want to have to lug the stuff around. (Happened to me before on a previous trip to Sweden, I got stuck at Arlanda airport FAR, FAR away from the only baggage check that was open..,that was just a trip though, and I sure wasn’t preganant….but it was tough nonetheless! (There were lots of baggage checks…but only ONE in the whole damn place was open that day…uggh!) Secondly, I did think about flying out of Houston. I found a good fare (I think it was on Icelandic, but I can’t remember now..) that was bound out of Houston. After checking the prices from DFW to HOU, I found out it was a total waste. (I couldn’t believe how high such a short hop was!) In fact, with the addition of 2 tickets to HOU, the price would have been a deal higher than if I would have paid more to leave out of DFW. =( I thought about driving to Houston, but then again, that was too tough to negotiate with having to sell my cars and everything. I certainly wouldn’t dream of bothering friends or family to take my husband, me, and a crapload of cargo on some road trip either. Greyhound would have been an option, but the fear of losing my luggage and not getting it to the plane in time is frightful, especially since the contents of our bags will be our only possesions. Don’t get me wrong though, I do appreciate Bob trying to join in the discussion and help me out, I’m very appreciative of any advice I can get, and knowing all my options. Many thanks, Val

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > SNIP > > > > Nope.  Southwest doesn’t sell travel from Dallas to Baltimore. > > > SOUTHWEST DOES FLY FROM DALLAS TO BWI.  BUT BECAUSE OF THE WRIGHT > > > AMENDMENT YOU MUST BUY TWO TICKETS. FLIGHTS FROM DALLAS LOVE > FIELD CAN > > > OLNY BE SOLD TO STATES THAT BORDER TEXAS.  YOU WOULD PURCAHSE A > TICKET > > > TO HOUSTON AND THEN A SEPERATE TICKET FROM HOUSTON TO BWI (SWA > HAS NON- > > > STOPS FROM HOU TO BWI) > > No need to yell, there.  Getting from DAL to BWI is not as easy as > simply > > buying two tickets.  IIRC, you have to pick up your bags from the > baggage > > claim at Houston, and then re-check in again. > > Rich > This is correct, not to mention the fact that purchasing two one-way > tickets > (DAL-HOU and HOU-BWI; about $250 if purchased 14 days in advance) > would > likely negate any savings of flying out of BWI.  Poor advice from > someone > who is clearly not a seasoned traveler at least with regard to the > route he > is commenting on. > Thanks for being so friendly and welcoming to this board Sheryl. > Obviously if you are the GOD of this board and have all the answers > let’s rename it the "hail Sheryl board!" > I am a seasoned traveler and just last week flew DAL to BWI on SWA.  So > yes you can purchase a ticket to BWI which is what I was commenting on. > If you check bags it would be a pain. I live and Dallas and have had to > learn to get around the wright amendement. > It is nice to know if you are not a regular here the attitude is please > do not post!

Check the subject of this thread.  How does the information in your post provide a viable alternative to saving money for someone flying from Dallas to Sweden?  It doesn’t.  When I said you are not a seasoned traveler with regard to the route you were commenting on, it was the route that is the subject of this thread to which I was referring. And since you’ve obviously lost the subject post which began this thread, if you are able to locate it, what would you say is the likelihood that these travelers would NOT be checking luggage?  Hint:  the key word in the original post is in all capital letters.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> SNIP > > > Nope.  Southwest doesn’t sell travel from Dallas to Baltimore. > > SOUTHWEST DOES FLY FROM DALLAS TO BWI.  BUT BECAUSE OF THE WRIGHT > > AMENDMENT YOU MUST BUY TWO TICKETS. FLIGHTS FROM DALLAS LOVE FIELD CAN > > OLNY BE SOLD TO STATES THAT BORDER TEXAS.  YOU WOULD PURCAHSE A TICKET > > TO HOUSTON AND THEN A SEPERATE TICKET FROM HOUSTON TO BWI (SWA HAS NON- > > STOPS FROM HOU TO BWI) > No need to yell, there.  Getting from DAL to BWI is not as easy as simply > buying two tickets.  IIRC, you have to pick up your bags from the baggage > claim at Houston, and then re-check in again. > Rich > This is correct, not to mention the fact that purchasing two one-way tickets > (DAL-HOU and HOU-BWI; about $250 if purchased 14 days in advance) would > likely negate any savings of flying out of BWI.  Poor advice from someone > who is clearly not a seasoned traveler at least with regard to the route he > is commenting on.

Thanks for being so friendly and welcoming to this board Sheryl. Obviously if you are the GOD of this board and have all the answers let’s rename it the "hail Sheryl board!" I am a seasoned traveler and just last week flew DAL to BWI on SWA.  So yes you can purchase a ticket to BWI which is what I was commenting on. If you check bags it would be a pain. I live and Dallas and have had to learn to get around the wright amendement. It is nice to know if you are not a regular here the attitude is please do not post! Bob Before you buy.

Response:

SNIP > Nope.  Southwest doesn’t sell travel from Dallas to Baltimore. > SOUTHWEST DOES FLY FROM DALLAS TO BWI.  BUT BECAUSE OF THE WRIGHT > AMENDMENT YOU MUST BUY TWO TICKETS. FLIGHTS FROM DALLAS LOVE FIELD CAN > OLNY BE SOLD TO STATES THAT BORDER TEXAS.  YOU WOULD PURCAHSE A TICKET > TO HOUSTON AND THEN A SEPERATE TICKET FROM HOUSTON TO BWI (SWA HAS NON- > STOPS FROM HOU TO BWI)

No need to yell, there.  Getting from DAL to BWI is not as easy as simply buying two tickets.  IIRC, you have to pick up your bags from the baggage claim at Houston, and then re-check in again. Rich

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > SNIP > > Nope.  Southwest doesn’t sell travel from Dallas to Baltimore. > SOUTHWEST DOES FLY FROM DALLAS TO BWI.  BUT BECAUSE OF THE WRIGHT > AMENDMENT YOU MUST BUY TWO TICKETS. FLIGHTS FROM DALLAS LOVE FIELD CAN > OLNY BE SOLD TO STATES THAT BORDER TEXAS.  YOU WOULD PURCAHSE A TICKET > TO HOUSTON AND THEN A SEPERATE TICKET FROM HOUSTON TO BWI (SWA HAS NON- > STOPS FROM HOU TO BWI) > No need to yell, there.  Getting from DAL to BWI is not as easy as simply > buying two tickets.  IIRC, you have to pick up your bags from the baggage > claim at Houston, and then re-check in again. > Rich

This is correct, not to mention the fact that purchasing two one-way tickets (DAL-HOU and HOU-BWI; about $250 if purchased 14 days in advance) would likely negate any savings of flying out of BWI.  Poor advice from someone who is clearly not a seasoned traveler at least with regard to the route he is commenting on.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Thinking about getting good fares to Stockholm, think about starting > somewhere other than Dallas. > You might get a cheap flight to London and then take Ryanair. They run > very cheap flights from London (Stansted) to Stockholm (Skavsta) about > three times a day. Their website is http://www.ryanair.com/ and take > web bookings on credit cards. > Good idea once the fall U.S.-Europe fare sales are announced. > Then you might take Southwest to Baltimore, and then Icelandair which > flies to Stockholm via Iceland, http://www.icelandair.com/ > Nope.  Southwest doesn’t sell travel from Dallas to Baltimore.

SOUTHWEST DOES FLY FROM DALLAS TO BWI.  BUT BECAUSE OF THE WRIGHT AMENDMENT YOU MUST BUY TWO TICKETS. FLIGHTS FROM DALLAS LOVE FIELD CAN OLNY BE SOLD TO STATES THAT BORDER TEXAS.  YOU WOULD PURCAHSE A TICKET TO HOUSTON AND THEN A SEPERATE TICKET FROM HOUSTON TO BWI (SWA HAS NON- STOPS FROM HOU TO BWI) THE RESERVATION AGENT WILL DO THIS FOR YOU IF YOU JUST ACKNOWLEDGE TO THEM THAT YOU KNOW BECAUSE OF THE WRIGHT AMENDEMENT THE DO NOT HAVE THROUGH FLIGHTS FROM DALLAS.  YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM OR ASK THEM WHAT CITIES CAN YOU CONNECT THROUGH. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hope this helps, > Robin > >Okay, I’ve spent the last couple hours online trying to find a good > >fare from Dallas to Sweden, so far, I’ve come up with dead-ends. > >Little background: > >1. Myself and my husband will be flying, I’ll need 2 tickets. > >2. We will be moving PERMANANTLY to Sweden, so a return flight isn’t > >*really* necessary, but if a round-trip is cheaper, I’d be happy to > >take it and ditch the return flight. > >3. I’m pregnant. (The reason we are moving.) I am now 4 months > >pregnant. We are looking for dates in September for departure, since > >hopefully my visa will be complete by then. > >4. We need either to get to STO (Stockholm) or LLA (Lulea). Lulea is > >preferred, but if the fare to STO is much cheaper, we can always hang > >around and get a standby flight to LLA via the vending machine. If we > >have to stay overnight, no problem. We have plenty of pals in the big > >city. > >Any advice on where to look for cheap fares? Layovers aren’t a > >problem, we’re flexible on any date in Sept., and stops are no problem > >either. (You can’t get to STO from DFW non-stop from Dallas anyway…) > >I’d really like to find a good deal since we have a new baby on the > >way, plus the cash saved would be a huge benefit due to the move > >itself. I’d really, really, appreciate any advice or tips you seasoned > >travellers can give! I’m running out of time, and  I haven’t found > >anything worthwhile yet. =( > >Many thanks, > >Val

Before you buy.

Response:

>Thinking about getting good fares to Stockholm, think about starting >somewhere other than Dallas. >You might get a cheap flight to London and then take Ryanair. They run >very cheap flights from London (Stansted) to Stockholm (Skavsta) about >three times a day. Their website is http://www.ryanair.com/ and take >web bookings on credit cards.   >Then you might take Southwest to Baltimore, and then Icelandair which >flies to Stockholm via Iceland, http://www.icelandair.com/

Or Orlando or Minneapolis-St.Paul (but no WN)

Response:

> Thinking about getting good fares to Stockholm, think about starting > somewhere other than Dallas. > You might get a cheap flight to London and then take Ryanair. They run > very cheap flights from London (Stansted) to Stockholm (Skavsta) about > three times a day. Their website is http://www.ryanair.com/ and take > web bookings on credit cards.

Good idea once the fall U.S.-Europe fare sales are announced. > Then you might take Southwest to Baltimore, and then Icelandair which > flies to Stockholm via Iceland, http://www.icelandair.com/

Nope.  Southwest doesn’t sell travel from Dallas to Baltimore. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hope this helps, > Robin >Okay, I’ve spent the last couple hours online trying to find a good >fare from Dallas to Sweden, so far, I’ve come up with dead-ends. >Little background: >1. Myself and my husband will be flying, I’ll need 2 tickets. >2. We will be moving PERMANANTLY to Sweden, so a return flight isn’t >*really* necessary, but if a round-trip is cheaper, I’d be happy to >take it and ditch the return flight. >3. I’m pregnant. (The reason we are moving.) I am now 4 months >pregnant. We are looking for dates in September for departure, since >hopefully my visa will be complete by then. >4. We need either to get to STO (Stockholm) or LLA (Lulea). Lulea is >preferred, but if the fare to STO is much cheaper, we can always hang >around and get a standby flight to LLA via the vending machine. If we >have to stay overnight, no problem. We have plenty of pals in the big >city. >Any advice on where to look for cheap fares? Layovers aren’t a >problem, we’re flexible on any date in Sept., and stops are no problem >either. (You can’t get to STO from DFW non-stop from Dallas anyway…) >I’d really like to find a good deal since we have a new baby on the >way, plus the cash saved would be a huge benefit due to the move >itself. I’d really, really, appreciate any advice or tips you seasoned >travellers can give! I’m running out of time, and  I haven’t found >anything worthwhile yet. =( >Many thanks, >Val

Response:

Okay, I’ve spent the last couple hours online trying to find a good fare from Dallas to Sweden, so far, I’ve come up with dead-ends. Little background: 1. Myself and my husband will be flying, I’ll need 2 tickets. 2. We will be moving PERMANANTLY to Sweden, so a return flight isn’t *really* necessary, but if a round-trip is cheaper, I’d be happy to take it and ditch the return flight. 3. I’m pregnant. (The reason we are moving.) I am now 4 months pregnant. We are looking for dates in September for departure, since hopefully my visa will be complete by then. 4. We need either to get to STO (Stockholm) or LLA (Lulea). Lulea is preferred, but if the fare to STO is much cheaper, we can always hang around and get a standby flight to LLA via the vending machine. If we have to stay overnight, no problem. We have plenty of pals in the big city. Any advice on where to look for cheap fares? Layovers aren’t a problem, we’re flexible on any date in Sept., and stops are no problem either. (You can’t get to STO from DFW non-stop from Dallas anyway…) I’d really like to find a good deal since we have a new baby on the way, plus the cash saved would be a huge benefit due to the move itself. I’d really, really, appreciate any advice or tips you seasoned travellers can give! I’m running out of time, and  I haven’t found anything worthwhile yet. =( Many thanks, Val

Response:

Due to your flexibility, Priceline could be a very viable option for you, but if your visa hasn’t come through by your departure date, they will not allow you to change your ticket. If you are interested in bidding on Priceline (be sure you fully review their website so you’ll know how restrictive it is), I host a forum to discuss bidding at http://pub4.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Okay, I’ve spent the last couple hours online trying to find a good > fare from Dallas to Sweden, so far, I’ve come up with dead-ends. > Little background: > 1. Myself and my husband will be flying, I’ll need 2 tickets. > 2. We will be moving PERMANANTLY to Sweden, so a return flight isn’t > *really* necessary, but if a round-trip is cheaper, I’d be happy to > take it and ditch the return flight. > 3. I’m pregnant. (The reason we are moving.) I am now 4 months > pregnant. We are looking for dates in September for departure, since > hopefully my visa will be complete by then. > 4. We need either to get to STO (Stockholm) or LLA (Lulea). Lulea is > preferred, but if the fare to STO is much cheaper, we can always hang > around and get a standby flight to LLA via the vending machine. If we > have to stay overnight, no problem. We have plenty of pals in the big > city. > Any advice on where to look for cheap fares? Layovers aren’t a > problem, we’re flexible on any date in Sept., and stops are no problem > either. (You can’t get to STO from DFW non-stop from Dallas anyway…) > I’d really like to find a good deal since we have a new baby on the > way, plus the cash saved would be a huge benefit due to the move > itself. I’d really, really, appreciate any advice or tips you seasoned > travellers can give! I’m running out of time, and  I haven’t found > anything worthwhile yet. =( > Many thanks, > Val

Response:

Thinking about getting good fares to Stockholm, think about starting somewhere other than Dallas. You might get a cheap flight to London and then take Ryanair. They run very cheap flights from London (Stansted) to Stockholm (Skavsta) about three times a day. Their website is http://www.ryanair.com/ and take web bookings on credit cards.   Then you might take Southwest to Baltimore, and then Icelandair which flies to Stockholm via Iceland, http://www.icelandair.com/ Hope this helps, Robin – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Okay, I’ve spent the last couple hours online trying to find a good >fare from Dallas to Sweden, so far, I’ve come up with dead-ends. >Little background: >1. Myself and my husband will be flying, I’ll need 2 tickets. >2. We will be moving PERMANANTLY to Sweden, so a return flight isn’t >*really* necessary, but if a round-trip is cheaper, I’d be happy to >take it and ditch the return flight. >3. I’m pregnant. (The reason we are moving.) I am now 4 months >pregnant. We are looking for dates in September for departure, since >hopefully my visa will be complete by then. >4. We need either to get to STO (Stockholm) or LLA (Lulea). Lulea is >preferred, but if the fare to STO is much cheaper, we can always hang >around and get a standby flight to LLA via the vending machine. If we >have to stay overnight, no problem. We have plenty of pals in the big >city. >Any advice on where to look for cheap fares? Layovers aren’t a >problem, we’re flexible on any date in Sept., and stops are no problem >either. (You can’t get to STO from DFW non-stop from Dallas anyway…) >I’d really like to find a good deal since we have a new baby on the >way, plus the cash saved would be a huge benefit due to the move >itself. I’d really, really, appreciate any advice or tips you seasoned >travellers can give! I’m running out of time, and  I haven’t found >anything worthwhile yet. =( >Many thanks, >Val

Response:

Question:

>  Star Alliance pass > Devil….. I went to the link and read about this.  It seems a little > confusing. > I could not find where you get these passes and more information on this > program.  Please assist.  This seems like maybe a good deal. > Mark

if you are travelling to Europe on aoneworld airline (most likely AA or BA from where you are), the OneWorld pass is another option. www.oneworld.com  in news releases

Response:

> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens.

If Athens is not a must and could be replaced by another city located not so far in southern Europe (like Budapest) an open jaw ticket like (example, should run with United Airlines) LAX – LHR – ARN / BUD – FRA – LAX which allows stopovers and the airports where a plane change is required could be useful and economic. From Stockholm you go on to Copenhagen – Amsterdam – Prag and end in Budapest by using night trains for each leg which allows to save hotel costs and travel-time. The final stopover in Frankfurt can be used for example for a trip to Heidelberg (less than 1 hour by train from FRA). Oliver Schnell

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance > Some legs (e.g. London-Amsterdam) might be even cheaper with > no-thrill-airlines.

I suppose I would rather stay away from thrill airlines.

Response:

> > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance

Some legs (e.g. London-Amsterdam) might be even cheaper with no-thrill-airlines. Gunter

Response:

I booked a multi-city trip last winter, using the American Express web-site.  (I also live in California.)  Although there were several airlines involved, departure and return were on American Airlines, so technically the ticket was theirs.  (Amex also books hotel accommodations as part of the deal.)  I think you can use Expedia.com for a similar set-up, but when I tried last year, their on-line booking setup didn’t allow quite as many stops as I had planned. If you don’t want to go to a travel agent, I think your best alternative is one of the sites like Expedia or Amex which allow you to plan your own tour, rather than dealing directly with an airline. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > Thank you

Response:

Have a look at Europe-by-Air: http://www.europebyair.com/ They offer a pass program for $99. per leg.  Usually a minimum of 3 passes must be purchased but last March they waived the minimum for a few weeks.  I don’t know if they will have a similar deal this year. Paul – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >…I am wondering if any airlines offer >3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. >Thank you

Response:

> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > Thank you

If either of you is a teacher, you might find good fares for this sort of thing through Council or STA which offer teacher as well as student fares.  Just as they allow longer stays than most typical tourist fares, they may also offer the kind of thing you describe — worth a try.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->  Star Alliance pass > Devil….. I went to the link and read about this.  It seems a little confusing. > I could not find where you get these passes and more information on this > program.  Please assist.  This seems like maybe a good deal. > Mark > > > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > > > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > > > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > > > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > > > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > > > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > > > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > > > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance > > pass.  For details, see for instance: > > http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/November2000/01/c0327.html/13213-0 > OK.  I think have used the LH "pass" and I know someone who used the > newer Star Alliance "Pass."  Although they call this a pass, I guess > it’s more like a set of specific fares. > The best thing to do is probably to talk to a (knowledgeable) TA or to > one of the airlines involved, mention it (and possibly get the TA to > investigate it); this is available only in conjuction with a round trip > to Europe on a Star Alliance airline, and I believe they’ll only sell it > to you together with it. > And in the end, if this works like my LH pass, you’ll just end up with > another ticket for the various segments that you get through it.  I had > ordered my tickets directly with LH. BTW. > Incidentally, this is also described at: > http://www.star-alliance.com/isroot/SA/htmen/0_2-10-24-2000a.htm > http://cms.lufthansa.com/us/fly/en/spc/0,1758,0-0-66323,00.html > http://svc.ana.co.jp/eng/whatsnew/campaigns/pass/main_e.html > http://www.airfares.com.sg/airfares/sk/7_at_sk_european_airpass.htm

Response:

> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > Thank you

SAS "Get around Europe"  have been available in the summer the last 5 years. Starting from a Scandinavian point there’s access to about 200 European cities with 18 airlines.   You pay for each leg,minimum 3 legs,at very affordable prices.            L.P

Response:

> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe?

There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance pass.  For details, see for instance: http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/November2000/01/c0327.html/13213-0

Response:

 Star Alliance pass Devil….. I went to the link and read about this.  It seems a little confusing. I could not find where you get these passes and more information on this program.  Please assist.  This seems like maybe a good deal. Mark – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance > pass.  For details, see for instance: > http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/November2000/01/c0327.html/13213-0

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >  Star Alliance pass > Devil….. I went to the link and read about this.  It seems a little confusing. > I could not find where you get these passes and more information on this > program.  Please assist.  This seems like maybe a good deal. > Mark > > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance > pass.  For details, see for instance: > http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/November2000/01/c0327.html/13213-0

OK.  I think have used the LH "pass" and I know someone who used the newer Star Alliance "Pass."  Although they call this a pass, I guess it’s more like a set of specific fares. The best thing to do is probably to talk to a (knowledgeable) TA or to one of the airlines involved, mention it (and possibly get the TA to investigate it); this is available only in conjuction with a round trip to Europe on a Star Alliance airline, and I believe they’ll only sell it to you together with it.   And in the end, if this works like my LH pass, you’ll just end up with another ticket for the various segments that you get through it.  I had ordered my tickets directly with LH. BTW. Incidentally, this is also described at: http://www.star-alliance.com/isroot/SA/htmen/0_2-10-24-2000a.htm http://cms.lufthansa.com/us/fly/en/spc/0,1758,0-0-66323,00.html http://svc.ana.co.jp/eng/whatsnew/campaigns/pass/main_e.html http://www.airfares.com.sg/airfares/sk/7_at_sk_european_airpass.htm

Response:

We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? Thank you

Response:

We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? Thank you

Response:

> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe?

There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance pass.  For details, see for instance: http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/November2000/01/c0327.html/13213-0

Response:

 Star Alliance pass Devil….. I went to the link and read about this.  It seems a little confusing. I could not find where you get these passes and more information on this program.  Please assist.  This seems like maybe a good deal. Mark – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance > pass.  For details, see for instance: > http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/November2000/01/c0327.html/13213-0

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >  Star Alliance pass > Devil….. I went to the link and read about this.  It seems a little confusing. > I could not find where you get these passes and more information on this > program.  Please assist.  This seems like maybe a good deal. > Mark > > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance > pass.  For details, see for instance: > http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/November2000/01/c0327.html/13213-0

OK.  I think have used the LH "pass" and I know someone who used the newer Star Alliance "Pass."  Although they call this a pass, I guess it’s more like a set of specific fares. The best thing to do is probably to talk to a (knowledgeable) TA or to one of the airlines involved, mention it (and possibly get the TA to investigate it); this is available only in conjuction with a round trip to Europe on a Star Alliance airline, and I believe they’ll only sell it to you together with it.   And in the end, if this works like my LH pass, you’ll just end up with another ticket for the various segments that you get through it.  I had ordered my tickets directly with LH. BTW. Incidentally, this is also described at: http://www.star-alliance.com/isroot/SA/htmen/0_2-10-24-2000a.htm http://cms.lufthansa.com/us/fly/en/spc/0,1758,0-0-66323,00.html http://svc.ana.co.jp/eng/whatsnew/campaigns/pass/main_e.html http://www.airfares.com.sg/airfares/sk/7_at_sk_european_airpass.htm

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->  Star Alliance pass > Devil….. I went to the link and read about this.  It seems a little confusing. > I could not find where you get these passes and more information on this > program.  Please assist.  This seems like maybe a good deal. > Mark > > > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > > > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > > > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > > > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > > > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > > > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > > > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > > > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance > > pass.  For details, see for instance: > > http://micro.newswire.ca/releases/November2000/01/c0327.html/13213-0 > OK.  I think have used the LH "pass" and I know someone who used the > newer Star Alliance "Pass."  Although they call this a pass, I guess > it’s more like a set of specific fares. > The best thing to do is probably to talk to a (knowledgeable) TA or to > one of the airlines involved, mention it (and possibly get the TA to > investigate it); this is available only in conjuction with a round trip > to Europe on a Star Alliance airline, and I believe they’ll only sell it > to you together with it. > And in the end, if this works like my LH pass, you’ll just end up with > another ticket for the various segments that you get through it.  I had > ordered my tickets directly with LH. BTW. > Incidentally, this is also described at: > http://www.star-alliance.com/isroot/SA/htmen/0_2-10-24-2000a.htm > http://cms.lufthansa.com/us/fly/en/spc/0,1758,0-0-66323,00.html > http://svc.ana.co.jp/eng/whatsnew/campaigns/pass/main_e.html > http://www.airfares.com.sg/airfares/sk/7_at_sk_european_airpass.htm

Response:

> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > Thank you

SAS "Get around Europe"  have been available in the summer the last 5 years. Starting from a Scandinavian point there’s access to about 200 European cities with 18 airlines.   You pay for each leg,minimum 3 legs,at very affordable prices.            L.P

Response:

Have a look at Europe-by-Air: http://www.europebyair.com/ They offer a pass program for $99. per leg.  Usually a minimum of 3 passes must be purchased but last March they waived the minimum for a few weeks.  I don’t know if they will have a similar deal this year. Paul – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >…I am wondering if any airlines offer >3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. >Thank you

Response:

> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > Thank you

If either of you is a teacher, you might find good fares for this sort of thing through Council or STA which offer teacher as well as student fares.  Just as they allow longer stays than most typical tourist fares, they may also offer the kind of thing you describe — worth a try.

Response:

> > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance

Some legs (e.g. London-Amsterdam) might be even cheaper with no-thrill-airlines. Gunter

Response:

I booked a multi-city trip last winter, using the American Express web-site.  (I also live in California.)  Although there were several airlines involved, departure and return were on American Airlines, so technically the ticket was theirs.  (Amex also books hotel accommodations as part of the deal.)  I think you can use Expedia.com for a similar set-up, but when I tried last year, their on-line booking setup didn’t allow quite as many stops as I had planned. If you don’t want to go to a travel agent, I think your best alternative is one of the sites like Expedia or Amex which allow you to plan your own tour, rather than dealing directly with an airline. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > Thank you

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > > Athens. Time and budget is limited and I am wondering if any airlines offer > > 3-5 flights/legs with a stay over in each city for a reasonable amount. > > Similar deals used to be available by SAS – and others – in the US for > > European residents. The typical schedule might be have been Stockholm, New > > York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Stockholm with the US portion costing about > > $300..OK that was a while back….Anything similar on offer in Europe? > There is/used to be a Lufthansa pass.  There now is a Star Alliance > Some legs (e.g. London-Amsterdam) might be even cheaper with > no-thrill-airlines.

I suppose I would rather stay away from thrill airlines.

Response:

> We are planning to fly from California to Europe and we need to go to > several European cities probably, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Prague and > Athens.

If Athens is not a must and could be replaced by another city located not so far in southern Europe (like Budapest) an open jaw ticket like (example, should run with United Airlines) LAX – LHR – ARN / BUD – FRA – LAX which allows stopovers and the airports where a plane change is required could be useful and economic. From Stockholm you go on to Copenhagen – Amsterdam – Prag and end in Budapest by using night trains for each leg which allows to save hotel costs and travel-time. The final stopover in Frankfurt can be used for example for a trip to Heidelberg (less than 1 hour by train from FRA). Oliver Schnell

Response:

>  Star Alliance pass > Devil….. I went to the link and read about this.  It seems a little > confusing. > I could not find where you get these passes and more information on this > program.  Please assist.  This seems like maybe a good deal. > Mark

if you are travelling to Europe on aoneworld airline (most likely AA or BA from where you are), the OneWorld pass is another option. www.oneworld.com  in news releases

Response:

Question:

Hi, I`ve tried to get some information about a tattoo-studio called No Hope No Fear situated in Chicago and Amsterdam. But they don`t seem to have a website or aren`t featured somewhere else. I`ve met a guy or the guy from the studio at a convention and we were talking about branding. He told me that if I want to get a branding, I could have it done by him in Amsterdam. And as I`m living in Germany, Amsterdam wouldn`t be that big deal to travel to. But I haven`t seen any brandings done by him or heard anything about him. So, if anyone has heard about the studio or has personal experiences with it, especially concerning branding, please let me know. Thanks, Mike

Response:

Mike, I’ve not seen any of david’s brandings, but he was a client of mine before he went "accross the water" . The guy your talking about I think is David Kotker, he is good people and did a fine job tattooing, the work i’ve seen of his was excellent. If you see him tell him that the short fat hairy insurance guy from Indy says "HI" good luck! — TATTOO =  stained glass on the temple of my soul CONTACT ME FOR YOUR TATTOO SHOP INSURANCE NEEDS – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Hi, > I`ve tried to get some information about a tattoo-studio called No Hope > No Fear situated in Chicago and Amsterdam. But they don`t seem to have a > website or aren`t featured somewhere else. > I`ve > So, if anyone has heard about the studio or has personal experiences > with it, especially concerning branding, please let me know. > Thanks, > Mike

Response:

Question:

Looking for restaurant recommendations in Cote d’Azur, especially in and around Vence area – modest to medium priced – good food and local character preferred

Response:

>Looking for restaurant recommendations in Cote d’Azur, especially in and around >Vence area – modest to medium priced – good food and local character preferred

You are looking excatly what’s described and recommended in m Vnce essay on the Cote d’Azur section of http://www.jack-travel.com/ On the cote d’azur page click on "From Nice to Marseille and then click on "Vence" Bon appetit ! Jack My Paris,daytrips from Paris, Provence, Cote d’Azur, valley of the Loire, Belgium and Holland posts are open again at http://www.jack-travel.com WITH pictures and at http://home.mminternet.com/~nowhere_man

Response:

Looking for restaurant recommendations in Cote d’Azur, especially in and around Vence area – modest to medium priced – good food and local character preferred

Response:

>Looking for restaurant recommendations in Cote d’Azur, especially in and around >Vence area – modest to medium priced – good food and local character preferred

You are looking excatly what’s described and recommended in m Vnce essay on the Cote d’Azur section of http://www.jack-travel.com/ On the cote d’azur page click on "From Nice to Marseille and then click on "Vence" Bon appetit ! Jack My Paris,daytrips from Paris, Provence, Cote d’Azur, valley of the Loire, Belgium and Holland posts are open again at http://www.jack-travel.com WITH pictures and at http://home.mminternet.com/~nowhere_man

Response:

Question:

Does the RCCL Grandeur of the Seas have outlets in the cabins for European plugs? Thanks, Lorrie

Response:

> Does the RCCL Grandeur of the Seas have outlets in the cabins for European > plugs?

I think they only had the two round plug type in the bath for shavers. If your device has a built in transformer that let it flip which type of power it uses (most hairdryers do these days, for instance) you can pick up a converter for the plug pretty inexpensively. Not a bad thing to have, whether or not you need it. I think they are under $5 US, and available at travel stores, so I imagine they’d be similarly priced in Europe? Otherwise I’m pretty certain they have the North American plug configuration and power type (110) – can’t recall if it is polarized or not.

Response:

> Otherwise I’m pretty certain they have the North American plug > configuration and power type (110) – can’t recall if it is polarized or > not.

Most ships I have been on have both kinds of outlets, 110 and 220. It’s been a while since I have been on Grandeur, I don’t recall, but I would guess it has both types. Last RCI ship I was on AOS, which is a different class had both, the phone that they issued for in cabin internet access pluged into the European outlet. The information on Grandeur should be available fron RCI. — Charles

Response:

Thanks! I’m an American, but have European hair dryer etc since we travel there so often, and the appliances are nice and small for packing! Lorrie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Otherwise I’m pretty certain they have the North American plug > configuration and power type (110) – can’t recall if it is polarized or > not. > Most ships I have been on have both kinds of outlets, 110 and 220. It’s > been a while since I have been on Grandeur, I don’t recall, but I would > guess it has both types. Last RCI ship I was on AOS, which is a > different class had both, the phone that they issued for in cabin > internet access pluged into the European outlet. The information on > Grandeur should be available fron RCI. > — > Charles

Response:

Does the RCCL Grandeur of the Seas have outlets in the cabins for European plugs? Thanks, Lorrie

Response:

> Does the RCCL Grandeur of the Seas have outlets in the cabins for European > plugs?

I think they only had the two round plug type in the bath for shavers. If your device has a built in transformer that let it flip which type of power it uses (most hairdryers do these days, for instance) you can pick up a converter for the plug pretty inexpensively. Not a bad thing to have, whether or not you need it. I think they are under $5 US, and available at travel stores, so I imagine they’d be similarly priced in Europe? Otherwise I’m pretty certain they have the North American plug configuration and power type (110) – can’t recall if it is polarized or not.

Response:

> Otherwise I’m pretty certain they have the North American plug > configuration and power type (110) – can’t recall if it is polarized or > not.

Most ships I have been on have both kinds of outlets, 110 and 220. It’s been a while since I have been on Grandeur, I don’t recall, but I would guess it has both types. Last RCI ship I was on AOS, which is a different class had both, the phone that they issued for in cabin internet access pluged into the European outlet. The information on Grandeur should be available fron RCI. — Charles

Response:

Thanks! I’m an American, but have European hair dryer etc since we travel there so often, and the appliances are nice and small for packing! Lorrie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Otherwise I’m pretty certain they have the North American plug > configuration and power type (110) – can’t recall if it is polarized or > not. > Most ships I have been on have both kinds of outlets, 110 and 220. It’s > been a while since I have been on Grandeur, I don’t recall, but I would > guess it has both types. Last RCI ship I was on AOS, which is a > different class had both, the phone that they issued for in cabin > internet access pluged into the European outlet. The information on > Grandeur should be available fron RCI. > — > Charles

Response:

Question:

I’m a little unclear about this site.  It tells me "Metatravel is a powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty.         Eileen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.

Response:

Good Question Eileen, I’ve made the agent search available to people who are not registered and haven’t signed in because I’ve gotten some feedback from people who don’t want to have to register to "evaluate" a site.  However, once you have registered, you get more tools.  One of them is the travel request area.  Try it out and tell me what you think.  I’m trying very hard to incorporate people’s ideas. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’m a little unclear about this site.  It tells me "Metatravel is a > powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests > and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country > and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific > travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. >    Eileen > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.

Response:

Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to look for for a customer than the database of available flights, cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at that also because agents often can find better fares than the online companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is looking for information about a destination or wants to do something more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know what you think.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on > metatravel.com.  You should be able to find it cheaper.  The problem I > have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their > options.  A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of > options.  The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is > that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy > regarding the type of travel that you are interested in.  Being able to > search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and > sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a > request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the > B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much > better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what > you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas.  Perhaps I can > parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see > what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a > number to beat…

I don’t get how this is supposed to work. The reason it’s cost-effective to run these large automated ticket engines like Travelocity is because they are able to spread out the (fairly small) cost of reservation database queries among all their users. Even if 90% of queries don’t turn into a sale they can still make it up on the few that do. However, having live travel agents look into a fare costs many orders of magnitude more money. And their answers can’t be cached like reservation database query results can. Either they get paid a reasonable amount for each and every little research project, or sooner or later, they stop doing it. So unless your results are so good that you’re selling about 100 times as many tickets per request (which strikes me as highly unlikely) then this seems like it will quickly implode on its costs, or on agent churn. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can still be better with good feedback and ideas Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas

easy peesy. If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. I *know* that I am not alone in this. tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any of it. I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out. It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > easy peesy. > If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this.

You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

> Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations

It was a good thing for the people that handle aa.com to eventually get this and permit checking the price for a booking before requiring you to login.

Response:

> Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any > of it.

It is not the giving of the information that I have a problem with. It is the inconvenience of doing it (when there is no real reason). (Bear in mind that if you like the site and want to make a booking later you will regret lying.) > I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out.

I once got rejected from a site because too many people > It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form > everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information.

But some types of site require ‘real’ information to be usable in other ways tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between >>travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best >>possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the >>online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want >>to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been >>working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let >>people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel >>agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can >>still be better with good feedback and ideas >easy peesy. >If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. >I *know* that I am not alone in this. > You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. > Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its > recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring > registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to > turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to > offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one > that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit > here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). > miguel

Hear! Hear! Well said, Miguel. Most of those holier than thou sites are not worth the time for a download. John Bermont —     * * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * *               http://www.enjoy-europe.com/

Response:

> Requiring > registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to > turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to > offer

yes > (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one > that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit > here…).

When I encounter this malarkey, I ask myself how interested I really am in the site. Did I go there for some purpose, or was I incidentally carried there by the surf? If the former, i.e., if I care at all, I will usually try to send the webmaster a note, quoting the following: "Anyone who slaps a ‘this page is best viewed with Browser X’ label on a Web page appears to be yearning for the bad old days, before the Web, when you had very little chance of reading a document written on another computer, another word processor, or another network."  -Tim Berners-Lee in Technology Review, July 1996 cheers, Henry (Of course, there wil be some–webmasters included–who say ‘Tim who?’)

Response:

Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. Mark

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Requiring >registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to >turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to >offer > yes >(up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one >that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit >here…). > When I encounter this malarkey, I ask myself how interested I really am > in the site. Did I go there for some purpose, or was I incidentally > carried there by the surf? If the former, i.e., if I care at all, I will > usually try to send the webmaster a note, quoting the following: > "Anyone who slaps a ‘this page is best viewed with Browser X’ label on a > Web page appears to be yearning for the bad old days, before the Web, > when you had very little chance of reading a document written on another > computer, another word processor, or another network." >  -Tim Berners-Lee in Technology Review, July 1996 > cheers, > Henry

And others who want to use and may need features that are not supported by antiques.

Response:

That’s an interesting point.  Instant gratification is worth alot.  I suppose Interesting point, you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on metatravel.com.  You should be able to find it cheaper.  The problem I have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their options.  A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of options.  The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy regarding the type of travel that you are interested in.  Being able to search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas.  Perhaps I can parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a number to beat… Thanks for the feedback – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing > and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then > waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales > tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like > expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know > uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for > hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m > not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing > is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. > Mark > I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can still be better with good feedback and ideas Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas

easy peesy. If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. I *know* that I am not alone in this. tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any of it. I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out. It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > easy peesy. > If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this.

You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

> Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations

It was a good thing for the people that handle aa.com to eventually get this and permit checking the price for a booking before requiring you to login.

Response:

> Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any > of it.

It is not the giving of the information that I have a problem with. It is the inconvenience of doing it (when there is no real reason). (Bear in mind that if you like the site and want to make a booking later you will regret lying.) > I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out.

I once got rejected from a site because too many people > It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form > everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information.

But some types of site require ‘real’ information to be usable in other ways tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between >>travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best >>possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the >>online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want >>to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been >>working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let >>people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel >>agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can >>still be better with good feedback and ideas >easy peesy. >If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. >I *know* that I am not alone in this. > You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. > Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its > recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring > registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to > turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to > offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one > that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit > here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). > miguel

Hear! Hear! Well said, Miguel. Most of those holier than thou sites are not worth the time for a download. John Bermont —     * * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * *               http://www.enjoy-europe.com/

Response:

Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. Mark

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

That’s an interesting point.  Instant gratification is worth alot.  I suppose Interesting point, you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on metatravel.com.  You should be able to find it cheaper.  The problem I have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their options.  A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of options.  The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy regarding the type of travel that you are interested in.  Being able to search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas.  Perhaps I can parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a number to beat… Thanks for the feedback – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing > and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then > waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales > tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like > expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know > uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for > hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m > not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing > is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. > Mark > I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

I’m a little unclear about this site.  It tells me "Metatravel is a powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty.         Eileen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.

Response:

Good Question Eileen, I’ve made the agent search available to people who are not registered and haven’t signed in because I’ve gotten some feedback from people who don’t want to have to register to "evaluate" a site.  However, once you have registered, you get more tools.  One of them is the travel request area.  Try it out and tell me what you think.  I’m trying very hard to incorporate people’s ideas. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’m a little unclear about this site.  It tells me "Metatravel is a > powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests > and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country > and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific > travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. >    Eileen > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.

Response:

Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to look for for a customer than the database of available flights, cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at that also because agents often can find better fares than the online companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is looking for information about a destination or wants to do something more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know what you think.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on > metatravel.com.  You should be able to find it cheaper.  The problem I > have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their > options.  A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of > options.  The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is > that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy > regarding the type of travel that you are interested in.  Being able to > search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and > sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a > request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the > B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much > better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what > you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas.  Perhaps I can > parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see > what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a > number to beat…

I don’t get how this is supposed to work. The reason it’s cost-effective to run these large automated ticket engines like Travelocity is because they are able to spread out the (fairly small) cost of reservation database queries among all their users. Even if 90% of queries don’t turn into a sale they can still make it up on the few that do. However, having live travel agents look into a fare costs many orders of magnitude more money. And their answers can’t be cached like reservation database query results can. Either they get paid a reasonable amount for each and every little research project, or sooner or later, they stop doing it. So unless your results are so good that you’re selling about 100 times as many tickets per request (which strikes me as highly unlikely) then this seems like it will quickly implode on its costs, or on agent churn. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can still be better with good feedback and ideas Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas

easy peesy. If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. I *know* that I am not alone in this. tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any of it. I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out. It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > easy peesy. > If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this.

You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

> Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations

It was a good thing for the people that handle aa.com to eventually get this and permit checking the price for a booking before requiring you to login.

Response:

> Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any > of it.

It is not the giving of the information that I have a problem with. It is the inconvenience of doing it (when there is no real reason). (Bear in mind that if you like the site and want to make a booking later you will regret lying.) > I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out.

I once got rejected from a site because too many people > It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form > everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information.

But some types of site require ‘real’ information to be usable in other ways tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between >>travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best >>possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the >>online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want >>to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been >>working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let >>people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel >>agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can >>still be better with good feedback and ideas >easy peesy. >If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. >I *know* that I am not alone in this. > You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. > Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its > recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring > registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to > turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to > offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one > that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit > here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). > miguel

Hear! Hear! Well said, Miguel. Most of those holier than thou sites are not worth the time for a download. John Bermont —     * * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * *               http://www.enjoy-europe.com/

Response:

Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. Mark

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

That’s an interesting point.  Instant gratification is worth alot.  I suppose Interesting point, you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on metatravel.com.  You should be able to find it cheaper.  The problem I have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their options.  A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of options.  The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy regarding the type of travel that you are interested in.  Being able to search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas.  Perhaps I can parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a number to beat… Thanks for the feedback – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing > and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then > waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales > tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like > expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know > uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for > hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m > not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing > is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. > Mark > I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents.  The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible.  It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys."  Please look at it and send some feedback.  I want > to make the best service possible.  It’s free of course.  I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies.  I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com

Response:

I’m a little unclear about this site.  It tells me "Metatravel is a powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty.         Eileen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.

Response:

Good Question Eileen, I’ve made the agent search available to people who are not registered and haven’t signed in because I’ve gotten some feedback from people who don’t want to have to register to "evaluate" a site.  However, once you have registered, you get more tools.  One of them is the travel request area.  Try it out and tell me what you think.  I’m trying very hard to incorporate people’s ideas. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’m a little unclear about this site.  It tells me "Metatravel is a > powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests > and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country > and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific > travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. >    Eileen > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.

Response:

Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to look for for a customer than the database of available flights, cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at that also because agents often can find better fares than the online companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is looking for information about a destination or wants to do something more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know what you think.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on > metatravel.com.  You should be able to find it cheaper.  The problem I > have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their > options.  A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of > options.  The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is > that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy > regarding the type of travel that you are interested in.  Being able to > search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and > sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a > request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the > B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much > better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what > you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas.  Perhaps I can > parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see > what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a > number to beat…

I don’t get how this is supposed to work. The reason it’s cost-effective to run these large automated ticket engines like Travelocity is because they are able to spread out the (fairly small) cost of reservation database queries among all their users. Even if 90% of queries don’t turn into a sale they can still make it up on the few that do. However, having live travel agents look into a fare costs many orders of magnitude more money. And their answers can’t be cached like reservation database query results can. Either they get paid a reasonable amount for each and every little research project, or sooner or later, they stop doing it. So unless your results are so good that you’re selling about 100 times as many tickets per request (which strikes me as highly unlikely) then this seems like it will quickly implode on its costs, or on agent churn. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

Response:

Question:

> I was curious how Delta’s Business Elite service is compared to NW > World Business Class or CO’s Business First?

Can’t compare myself, but you might try and look over at FlyerTalk http://www.flyertalk.com/milesfr.shtml at the various Airline topics. > Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on DL’s Business Elite service. > The product looks nice as displayed on their website at Delta.com, but > any first hand comments would be greatly appreciated.  I normally make > my trips across the pond in economy, so this will be a nice treat for > me

I’ve flown DL Business Elite several times and I have enjoyed it. > Thanks in advance for any comments, suggestions, etc.  Hopefully I’ll > get to use the BusinessElite lounge or Crown Room on this ticket, but > I’m not sure how DL operates in regards to what benefits they provide > to pax on award tix.

Yes, even on award tickets you get lounge access. > P.S. Does anyone know if DL 1997 between JFK-CVG is a standard 767-300 > with regular FC setup, or is it a Business Elite configured a/c which > continues onto CVG from a trans-Atlantic flight?

If it’s in the 1900 series on a 767-300 then it will be an internationally-configured plane with BizElite seats. > P.P.S. How is the Delta terminal at JFK?  Any comments would be > appreciated as I’m not familiar with the facility, let alone JFK > airport.  As much as I travel, I’ve never used JFK as I tend to > use airports in the midwest (usually DTW, MSP, MEM or ORD) as my > trans-Atlantic gateways when going to/from Europe.

Um. Let’s just say that JFK is not the crown in DL’s empire. It’s servicable but very dated. The lounges are nice (the lounge in Terminal 3 overlooks the ramp – big plus for me!), but the rest of the airport is a bit tatty. The gates themselves tend to be cramped and zoo-like. Good luck.

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> P.P.S. How is the Delta terminal at JFK?  Any comments would be appreciated > as I’m not familiar with the facility, let alone JFK airport.  As much as I > travel, I’ve never used JFK as I tend to use airports in the midwest > (usually DTW, MSP, MEM or ORD) as my trans-Atlantic gateways when going > to/from Europe.

JFK is a truly dreadful airport.  The place appears to have been a construction site for the last 3 decades and it is chaotic beyond belief. The 9 or so terminals are spread around the airport with a shuttle bus service that only travels in one direction around them all – when it’s working. The good news is that DL flights appear to arrive and depart Terminal 3 – so no terminal change required in either direction. You will get to use the appropriate lounges/clubs when travelling – once you get to the airport, you’re treated the same way as any other business class passenger regardless of the fact you’re on a free ticket. >P.S. Does anyone know if DL 1997 between JFK-CVG is a standard 767-300 with >regular FC setup, or is it a Business Elite configured a/c which continues >onto CVG from a trans-Atlantic flight?

Hmm.  According to https://www.delta.com/travel/maps_guides/aircraft/index.jsp there are two types of 767-300s in the Delta fleet – the 767-300ER is the internationally-configured a/c with 195 seats – and they have the BusinessElite seat with 60" pitch.  The 767-300 OTOH is domestic FC/econ config, with much shorter pitch. I have to say that the seat width in BE at 18.5 inches isn’t that impressive – compare CO at 22".  Possibly explained by the fact that DL put in 2-2-2 seating in BE whereas CO is 2-1-2 (IMO more appropriate for that a/c).  See www.seatguru.com to pick the best seats for your trips.

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Greetings – I was curious how Delta’s Business Elite service is compared to NW World Business Class or CO’s Business First? I just booked an award ticket using NW Miles and was able to get a confirmed Delta Business Elite award between MAD-JFK (767-300) and then FC JFK-CVG (767-300) and Comair CVG-SDF (CRJ). On my outbound, I’m flying World Business Class with NW on my trans-Atlantic and as I couldn’t find any BC seats with NW/KL/CO inventory, I decided to go with the DL Business Elite when they found availability for me.  I’m quite happy NW has teamed up with DL, as this provides more award opportunities & routes such as this. Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on DL’s Business Elite service.  The product looks nice as displayed on their website at Delta.com, but any first hand comments would be greatly appreciated.   I normally make my trips across the pond in economy, so this will be a nice treat for me Thanks in advance for any comments, suggestions, etc.  Hopefully I’ll get to use the BusinessElite lounge or Crown Room on this ticket, but I’m not sure how DL operates in regards to what benefits they provide to pax on award tix. Best, Steve P.S. Does anyone know if DL 1997 between JFK-CVG is a standard 767-300 with regular FC setup, or is it a Business Elite configured a/c which continues onto CVG from a trans-Atlantic flight? P.P.S. How is the Delta terminal at JFK?  Any comments would be appreciated as I’m not familiar with the facility, let alone JFK airport.  As much as I travel, I’ve never used JFK as I tend to use airports in the midwest (usually DTW, MSP, MEM or ORD) as my trans-Atlantic gateways when going to/from Europe.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Greetings – > I was curious how Delta’s Business Elite service is compared to NW World > Business Class or CO’s Business First? > I just booked an award ticket using NW Miles and was able to get a confirmed > Delta Business Elite award between MAD-JFK (767-300) and then FC JFK-CVG > (767-300) and Comair CVG-SDF (CRJ). > On my outbound, I’m flying World Business Class with NW on my trans-Atlantic > and as I couldn’t find any BC seats with NW/KL/CO inventory, I decided to go > with the DL Business Elite when they found availability for me.  I’m quite > happy NW has teamed up with DL, as this provides more award opportunities & > routes such as this. > Anyway, I would appreciate any comments on DL’s Business Elite service.  The > product looks nice as displayed on their website at Delta.com, but any first > hand comments would be greatly appreciated.   I normally make my trips > across the pond in economy, so this will be a nice treat for me > Thanks in advance for any comments, suggestions, etc.  Hopefully I’ll get to > use the BusinessElite lounge or Crown Room on this ticket, but I’m not sure > how DL operates in regards to what benefits they provide to pax on award > tix. > Best,

Hi – My personal opinion – all are very comfortable and beat the hell out of economy. You will have a great trip. That being said I’ve flown NW World Business (Memphis-Amsterdam twice), DL Business Elite (Atlanta-Rio), USAirway Business Class (Phil – Munich) (whatever they call it). These trips were in the space of 3 months about 1.5 years ago, before the industry wide retrenchment.  Of the three, I thought DL was the superior product by a fair margin, more attentive both on the ground and in flight. The particular NW aircraft I flew over and back on both times hadn’t had the Business Class cabin upgraded so the seats didn’t recline as far as USAIR and DL and didn’t have as sophisticated an entertainment system. I think this upgrade is complete now so the comfort level should be comparable. Next month I will again fly on business on both DL (Atlanta – Milan) and NW (Detroit – Amsterdam) so I can repeat the comparison. The new NW 330’s look nice but my flights are 747. And yes, DL will allow you to use the Business Elite lounge on an award ticket, and you can also use their partner lounges in the foreign airport should you arrive early. They will treat you just the same as if you had spent $8000 on the ticket .  Also, be on the lookout for the Business Class check in lines, they can save you significant aggravation.

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Question:

Does anyone have suggestions on the best and cheapest way to see Ireland. I would like to see the West Coast, travel at my own leisure (not on a tour), and stay in castles/B&Bs. Would a week be enough time to get a good vacation in there or is longer needed (10 days to 14 days)? The reason I am asking is because I saw the article (see link below) describing what seems to be some good package deals, and I  wanted to be sure it was a good deal. http://www.msnbc.com/news/878336.asp?0cv=CB20 Is Nov a good time of year to go there? Could I go cheaper by booking my own flight, rental car, and B&B/castle stays? Thanks, Brian

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> (not on a tour), and stay in castles/B&Bs. Would a week be enough time > to get a good vacation in there or is longer needed (10 days to 14 days)?

We took two weeks and only saw part of the southern half of the country – picture the part below a line drawn from Shannon to Dublin, mostly on major roads with a few excursions.

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> Does anyone have suggestions on the best and cheapest way to see > Ireland. > I would like to see the West Coast, travel at my own leisure > (not on a tour), and stay in castles/B&Bs. Would a week be enough time > to get a good vacation in there or is longer needed (10 days to 14 > days)?

You could see a lot in a week, but getting around in Ireland always takes longer than one expects — blame slow roads and a temptation to linger. I’d go for the fortnight if I were you. > Is Nov a good time of year to go there?

If you pack a raincoat.

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>Does anyone have suggestions on the best and cheapest way to see Ireland. >I would like to see the West Coast, travel at my own leisure >(not on a tour), and stay in castles/B&Bs. Would a week be enough time >to get a good vacation in there or is longer needed (10 days to 14 days)? >The reason I am asking is because I saw >the article (see link below) describing what seems to be >some good package deals, and I  wanted to be sure it was a good deal. >http://www.msnbc.com/news/878336.asp?0cv=CB20

Looks like a bargain! But you might not get all the flexibility that you would like. Of course, you are not obliged to use all your B&B vouchers. >Is Nov a good time of year to go there? Could I go cheaper by booking my >own flight, rental car, and B&B/castle stays?

The days are short in November, and the chances of rain are higher than spring, summer, or autumn. So outdoor activities will be curtailed, and enjoyment of scenery might be limited. But if pubs and restaurants are your thing, all will be fine. I suggest that you build an itinerary which includes large towns or cities, or the option of spending time in them if the weather is bad. If you choose the southwest, consider Galway and Cork as good options for bad weather conditions. If you wish to see this as an initial visit, a week is a good taster; if this is to be your "Ireland experience", give it longer. Your grouping of B&Bs with castles is odd; the standard B&B is relatively inexpensive, whereas accommodation in castles is usually not. Have a look at http://www.sawdays.co.uk/ , follow the Ireland link, and consider buying the book. PB

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You would definitely save money if you book everything yourself.  I used the Internet for rental car booking, airline reservations, B&B reservations, even travel insurance.  However, plan on booking a B&B that overlooks a castle if you want to save money. Staying in a castle would be nice but it is very expensive. Nan

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When I travel outside Ireland I would usually make all my own arrangements but I have looked at the link and I think $399 is a good deal for everything.  Did I get it right, it includes flights, car and accommodation. Check if the B&B’s are approved by the Irish Tourist Board.  As you only have a week I would stick to a particular area.  I think you said you were interested in the West of Ireland.  You could visit Connemara, Galway, maybe the Arran Islands and possibly Clare. If I was to pick a time to visit outside of the main tourist season it would be September.  We often get good weather and everywhere is less crowded.  When in Ireland it’s important not to try to do too many things because you have no time to enjoy the chance meeting or out of the way places.  Go with the flow. Have a wonderful journey. Mary

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We would like to make a trip to Ireland this summer.Can anybody recommend bed and breakfast accomodations and a car rental company there. Web-pages are also welcome Thank you in advance! Marieta

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We rented a car from Dan Dooley and were very pleased with both the rate and the service.  I know of 2 other couples that had equally good experiences with them.  They do have a web site but I can’t find the URL. On the topic of B&Bs, we booked the first couple of nights in advance in Dublin and then just sought a recommendation from our host when we moved on and called ahead (phonecard is a good thing to get when you land in the airport).  We also picked up a green book (Town & Country B&B Association) or something like that from the tourist office.  Very useful source.  Even in high season we didn’t have much trouble finding a good place to stay on relatively short notice. This gave us the freedom to move on when we wanted to rather than being tied to a set itenerary and allowed us to take advantage of local advice on where to stay.

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Dan Dooley’s website is www.dan-dooley.ie .  You can reach them in New Jersey on 1-800-331-9301.  They’re the best. Pete Schermerhorn, in the glorious Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts Remove nojunk.

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You can check irish internet directories http://www.doras.ie/doras or http://local.ireland.ie When I want to book a car for one or 2 days, I usually go through Windsor-rent-a-car or Maloney, they gave me the best deals (for small car). I am sure you can find information on the above irish directories or else irish phone directory is http://www.eircom.ie/other/GoldenPages/GoldenPages.html Town and Country association has a website http://www.townandcountry.ie/, I usually use their book and have always been very happy with the B& B I found there. you might try also http://www.family-homes.ie/ I hope you will have a nice stay. Cead Mile Failte.

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> We would like to make a trip to Ireland this summer.Can anybody recommend > bed and breakfast accomodations and a car rental company there. Web-pages > are also welcome > Thank you in advance! > Marieta

  From my 30 years of traveling to Ireland, here is my best advice:  For a wealth of information to plan your trip, see Ask Ireland <www.askireland.com>,  the Irish Tourist Board < www.ireland.travel.ie>, and Northern Ireland Tourist Board <http://www.interknowledge.com/northern-ireland/>.  For air from the US you should start with Aer Lingus at <www.aerlingus.ie>  (they fly to Shannon, Belfast, & Dublin from NY/JFK, Newark, Chicago, & LA).  Also check Delta at <www.delta-air.com> (to Shannon & Dublin from Atlanta and  JFK), and Continental at <www.flycontinental.com/> (from Newark to Shannon &  Dublin) if you need domestic connections as well as an Ireland flight.  Fares  are nearly identical on all three but look for specials.  Then contact Attracta 1-800-331- 9301, for best cars and service at  best price.  For hotels see the Irish Hotels Federation at <www.iol.ie/be-our-guest> . For B&Bs see Town & Country Homes Association  <www.commerce.ie/towns_and_country/> and Family Homes of Ireland  <www.family-homes.ie/> and Northern Ireland Farm & Country Holidays  Association <www.nifcha.com>. Before you buy.

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Have you checked out the newly built self catering holiday suites at Harvey’s Dock in Youghal Co.Cork on www.foundmark.com/Ireland/Accom/harvey/index.html

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We would like to make a trip to Ireland this summer.Can anybody recommend > bed and breakfast accomodations and a car rental company there. Web-pages > are also welcome > Thank you in advance! > Marieta

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Try Stay in ireland web site for luxury bed and breakfasts http://www.stayinireland.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >You can check irish internet directories http://www.doras.ie/doras or >http://local.ireland.ie >When I want to book a car for one or 2 days, I usually go through >Windsor-rent-a-car or Maloney, they gave me the best deals (for small car). >I am sure you can find information on the above irish directories or else >irish phone directory is >http://www.eircom.ie/other/GoldenPages/GoldenPages.html >Town and Country association has a website http://www.townandcountry.ie/, I >usually use their book and have always been very happy with the B& B I found >there. >you might try also http://www.family-homes.ie/ >I hope you will have a nice stay. >Cead Mile Failte.

Regards Leslie Brown — Bed and Breakfast                 web site http://www.brownstownhouse.com 29 South Parade,                  tel 051-870594 Waterford                         fax 051-871923 Ireland. Select accomodation in the beautiful Viking/Norman city of Waterford, Ireland We can also recommend the following accommodations in the following locations. Wexford    Troon Lodge          http://www.troonlodge.com Kinsale    The Old Presbytery   http://www.oldpres.com Mallow     Cortigan House       http://www.cortiganhouse.com Kilkenny   Norebridge House     http://www.norebridgehouse.com Cavan      Irish Log Cabins     http://www.irishlogcabins.com

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Check out the following if you plan to go down to South West Kerry www.skellig.com Regards Marc

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We would like to make a trip to Ireland this summer.Can anybody recommend > bed and breakfast accomodations and a car rental company there. Web-pages > are also welcome > Thank you in advance! > Marieta

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We’re visiting Ireland the end of this month (March 28) and would like to know if anyone could recommend the single best tour book and the single best Bed & Breakfast guide.      We plan to tour the south part of Ireland as we only have 11 days and any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Marc Albert Before you buy.

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I think the tour book recommendation would depend on what sort of sights you’re interested in seeing.  As regards B&Bs, this will be such as off-season time of year that I wouldn’t worry about planning.  Just drive around until you’re ready to stop, look for a place, if it’s open for the season (most should be) and you like it – you’re all set.  I do this each Fall and never plan in advance…..and rarely have I had to go for a second or third choice because the first one was full, or some other problem. Pete Schermerhorn, in the glorious Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts Remove nojunk.

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> We’re visiting Ireland the end of this month (March 28) and would like to > know if anyone could recommend the single best tour book and the single best > Bed & Breakfast guide. . . .

  From my 30 years of traveling to Ireland, here is my best advice:  For a wealth of information to plan your trip, see Ask Ireland <www.askireland.com>,  the Irish Tourist Board < www.ireland.travel.ie>, and Northern Ireland Tourist Board <http://www.interknowledge.com/northern-ireland/>.   Then contact Attracta Lyndon at Dan Dooley Rent-A-Car, by email  best price.   For B&Bs see Town & Country Homes Association <www.commerce.ie/towns_and_country/>  and Family Homes of Ireland <www.family-homes.ie/>    and Northern Ireland Farm & Country Holidays Association <www.nifcha.com>. Before you buy.

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>We’re visiting Ireland the end of this month (March 28) and would like to >know if anyone could recommend the single best tour book and the single best >Bed & Breakfast guide.  We plan to tour the south part of Ireland as we only >have 11 days and any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. >Thanks, Marc Albert

Hello Marc Albert, by far the best B&B guide you can get is the directory of  the Town and Country Homes Association.  It is available on the Web, where its URL is         http://www.townandcountry.ie The printed book is also available.   It is called the Bed and Breakfast Guide to Ireland 2000 and it is published by the Town and Country Homes Association, ISBN 0-9526141-4-6, price IR:3-00, about USD:4-00 The fax numbers for the T&CH are +353 72 22224 and +353 72 51207 if you want to order the book directly from them. You can find out about the B&B system in Ireland, about car hire and driving here, and much more about matters of importance to tourists to Ireland at our own website – the URL is below our signature. Best regards, Evelyn & Tom Moore,         See our Web site URL below Avondoyle Country Home B&B, Limerick, Ireland For more about B&B holidays in Ireland see our Web pages at             http://www.iol.ie/~avondoyl/avondoyl.htm          or http://www.welcome.to/avondoyle or email us at the corrected address (NB…. Note that you must change "nonsense" to "avondoyl" in our mail address .

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Hi Hopefully this isn’t too late.  If you are in Co. Clare you might like to stay at The Barn.  Visit our website at http://come.to/feakle and see for yourself. Nicki > We’re visiting Ireland the end of this month (March 28) and would like to > know if anyone could recommend the single best tour book and the single best > Bed & Breakfast guide. We plan to tour the south part of Ireland as we only > have 11 days and any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. > Thanks, Marc Albert > Before you buy.

Before you buy.

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