Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ifyoucanbuyyourticketsinadvanceanddon'tneedflexibility,youcangettoLondonfor
US$1100/1450 (low/high season), to Paris for US$1250/1575, to Frankfurt for US$1300/
1675, to Madrid for US$1130/1400, or to Athens for US$1050/1500.
From Canada
Most of the big airlines fly to the major European hubs from Montreal and Toronto at
least once daily (three times a week for smaller airlines). From Toronto, London is your
cheapestoption,withthelowestdirectround-tripfarearoundCan$930/1230.Foraflexible
economy-class ticket on the same route, you're looking at around Can$2200. Fares from
MontrealtoParisstartatCan$880/950.VancouverandCalgaryhavedailyflightstoseveral
European cities, with round-trip fares to London from around Can$1200/1475, depending
on the season.
From Australia and New Zealand
ThereareflightsfromMelbourne, Sydney,Adelaide, Brisbane andPerthtomostEuropean
capitals, with not a great deal of difference in the fares to the busiest destinations: a return
from Sydney to London, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Athens or Frankfurt should be available
through travel agents for around Aus$1650 in low season (Australia's summer, Europe's
winter) and slightly higher in high season (though you can sometimes get great deals). A
one-way ticket costs slightly more than half that, while a return flight from Auckland to
Europe is approximately NZ$2100 in low season and from around NZ$2800 in high sea-
son.Asianairlinesoftenworkoutcheapest,andmaythrowinastopover.Someagentsmay
also offer “open jaw” tickets, flying you into one city and out from another, which needn't
even be in the same country. For RTW deals and other low-price tickets, the most reliable
operator is
STA Travel
, which also supply packages with companies such as Contiki and
Busabout, can issue rail passes, and advise on visa regulations - for a fee they'll even do
all the paperwork for you.
From South Africa
ManymajorairlinesflyfromJohannesburgandCapeTowntoanumberofEuropeanhubs.
Flights from Johannesburg cost about ZAR6700/7000 to Frankfurt in low season/high sea-
son, around ZAR7050/7820 to Paris, and slightly more from Cape Town. BA fly direct
to London from Johannesburg or Cape Town for around ZAR3000 more. Many of the
cheapest deals involve flying via the Middle East with firms such as Turkish or Emirates.
