Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
budget carriers emerging, and alliances forming (allowing you to earn points
on partner airlines). Investigate the program details of your favorite airlines
before you sink points into any one. Consider which airlines have hubs in
the airport nearest you, and, of those carriers, which have the most advanta-
geous alliances, given your most common routes. To play the frequent-flier
game to your best advantage, consult Randy Petersen's
Inside Flyer
(www.
insideflyer.com).
Petersen and friends review all the programs in detail and post
regular updates on changes in policies and trends. Petersen will also field direct
questions (via e-mail) if a partner airline refuses to redeem points, for instance,
or if you're still not sure after researching the various programs which one is
right for you. It's well worth the $12 online subscription fee, good for 1 year.
PACKAGES VS. INDEPENDENT TRAVEL
The major Italian cities, in particular Rome and Florence, are some of the top des-
tinations in the world for travel packages—by which I mean travel products that
bundle together airfare, hotel, and sometimes car at one reasonable price. Why?
Because these über-developed destinations have hundreds of hotel rooms that
need to be filled year-round. Though the cheapest of these packages traditionally
use mainstream, somewhat dull hotels, booking a travel package can result in big
savings, in some cases a $100-a-day or less vacation for airfare and hotel (not
including taxes or security fees). No, you won't have the choicest of lodgings, but
you will get a clean, convenient place to stay (always with private bathroom), per-
fect for those simply using their hotel as a place to crash after long days of view-
ing art and eating pasta.
Go-Today
(www.gotoday.com)
and
Virgin Vacations
(www.virgin-vacations.
com)
are the first two sites you should check, though in truth you need only
search one as they offer the same packages. Deals are phenomenal in the off sea-
son (as little as $400 round-trip air from New York to Venice or Florence plus
hotel for 4 nights) and still pretty good during summer ($1,400 for the same
deal). Both companies serve nearly every gateway in the United States, and offer
a number of well-priced options that include weeklong stays in one city, air/car
packages allowing you to tour the countryside, and deals allowing you to stay in
a couple of cities (Rome and Paris or Rome-Florence-Venice are two of their most
popular offerings). Be sure to total all the costs when you're shopping around.
Gate 1 Travel
(www.gate1travel.com)
is Go-Today's fiercest competitor and
often matches its rates (occasionally undercutting them). It, too, offers many per-
mutations on the standard air/hotel package: air/car, air/train, and hotel/tour guide/
bus, among others. Midsummer 6-day packages for a two-star hotel and airfare
have run a reasonable $1,200, which is quite good considering that's what many
tickets go for.
1
-
800-FLY-EUROPE
(www.1800flyeurope.com)
is the best place to go for airfare/
car-rental deals. I recently saw a stellar 7-day Rome airfare/car-rental package for
$448 (not including tax, or weekend and other surcharges).
Some other packagers to factor into the equation (though they rarely beat the
four above):
TourCrafters
(www.tourcrafters.com),
Italiatour
(www.italiatour.com),
and
Europe ASAP
(www.europeasap.com).
