Help me get to Italy!

OK. I'm taking my passport photo this weekend (photography related) and I need to get to Italy by the end of this year.

My Friend's 2X birthday is August 21st. She's been all over the world since she was little, but never been to Italy. I wanted to take her for her birthday but just as of browsing tickets yesterday, $3000?!?!?! FOR TWO TICKETS?

That's redonkulous.

I did look for a later date from October 31 to November 7 and it was $898 These were flights from BWI to Venice or Rome. I'm going to start reading about Venice and the Tuscany region as those are the places she wants to visit.

Is there a cheaper way to get tickets? Should I pick a different date? Should I tell her to shove it and just go to Ocean City, MD? Heh...I wouldn't do that, I'd be liable to get smacked.

Anyways, any help is appreciated. I've never traveled internationally and the only plane I've ever been in is a C130.

Remember, it's not only the flights that are going to cost, it's all the other stuff, as well. I.e. Room/board, food, travelling within Italy, etc. Maybe find a Eurorail Package, that will allow you to get a Eurorail pass, and travel fairly cheaply by train, etc.

Good luck, though, I had fun when I went to Germany, years ago. Of course, I was broke the whole time, cuase nothing out there is cheap. Didn't help to be a poor college student!

I know people that have told me of great places to stay. I'll have enough money for the trip, I just don't want to have more from spending less on tickets or at least get some info on what I'm doing (because I'm fairly clueless right now).

I saw round trip to London is $318+ on Hotwire. Should I book single flights and hop there? Some one also said fly to London and take the train. London to Italy has to be several days. I have maybe two weeks at the most.

Well, I know from Munich to Amsterdam was about one night...we left in the evening, and were there the next morning. Same thing on the way back. That's why I'd say search for a Eurorail Package...cause it'll get you to somewhere in Europe, you hop on a train, and end up in Italy. Two weeks is 'plenty' of time! And the trains over there, they aren't slow...like Amtrak here, in the States! Those trains FLY!

Explore all the options including train from London. Remember this is Europe not the US. Train from one side to the other is not going to take several days. It's only 951 miles from London to Venice. The train ride would probably be very fun. Personally I would plan at least half of your time away from the tourist traps. The back country is more interesting to me.

eddarr wrote in post #7162456
Explore all the options including train from London. Remember this is Europe not the US. Train from one side to the other is not going to take several days. It's only 951 miles from London to Venice. The train ride would probably be very fun. Personally I would plan at least half of your time away from the tourist traps. The back country is more interesting to me.

I looked that up. 12 hours from London to Venice. 159 pounds round trip. Right now tickets to London are $326+ at hotwire. If I can manage more time, I'd stay in London for a night, catch the train to Paris and stay for a night or so, then head south. I don't want to be in Venice for that long.

Google showed about 150ish miles to the coast of the Tuscany region from Venice. She really wants to go there. I wouldn't mind finding some place that's cheap and fun. Me and my camera will be happy pretty much anywhere. I just go on vacation to get away from work.

There's only one place that I think I'd go ape**** over being at any certain destination and that's in Japan.

I think if you get a pass for the eurorail, it comes in cheaper, than takin' the round-trip route. So, look up some packages for the Eurorail! It's a pretty fun ride...I had a great time, even though I didn't know German. I learned the basics, while I was there, and people were content that I was at least trying.

Cost of airline tickets is only part of it... more pain to come when you exchange your dollars for euros.

Village_Idiot wrote in post #7162328
OK. I'm taking my passport photo this weekend (photography related) and I need to get to Italy by the end of this year.

My Friend's 2X birthday is August 21st. She's been all over the world since she was little, but never been to Italy. I wanted to take her for her birthday but just as of browsing tickets yesterday, $3000?!?!?! FOR TWO TICKETS?

I can get you tickets to *Italy for a lot less than that!

*Italy, Texas 76651

Village_Idiot wrote in post #7162328
OK. I'm taking my passport photo this weekend (photography related) and I need to get to Italy by the end of this year.

My Friend's 2X birthday is August 21st. She's been all over the world since she was little, but never been to Italy. I wanted to take her for her birthday but just as of browsing tickets yesterday, $3000?!?!?! FOR TWO TICKETS?

That's redonkulous.

I did look for a later date from October 31 to November 7 and it was $898 These were flights from BWI to Venice or Rome. I'm going to start reading about Venice and the Tuscany region as those are the places she wants to visit.

Is there a cheaper way to get tickets? Should I pick a different date? Should I tell her to shove it and just go to Ocean City, MD? Heh...I wouldn't do that, I'd be liable to get smacked.

Anyways, any help is appreciated. I've never traveled internationally and the only plane I've ever been in is a C130.

Cheap: http://www.rei.com/pro​duct/735412

Have fun!

For a ticket to London and a trip on the train, it sure beats paddling.

Try visiting a travel agent (I've been married to one for 11 years now ). They have a lot of good ideas on cheaper airfares, connections, baggage restrictions, Eurail travel, etc.

Italy is lovely in August BTW.

your not gonna believe the price of water, almost cheaper to drink wine.

For what it's worth, if you can get to London cheap, you're good. When I went back in college I was strapped for cash, so we got a decent ticket from Chicago to London (~$500/pp) then from London we used the dirt-cheap airlines called Ryan Air. Check their website, they fly from the London area (I say area because a lot of times they fly out of London-Stansted, which is a $30, 1 hour train ride from Heathrow) to Rome for today's current price of $41.16 GBP one-way. Seriously, that's not a typo. And what's better is currently tix are 50% off their lowest price, so half of that one-way per person.

SO, that's how I'd do it on the cheap to get to Italy if I were you and had a day to spend getting there.

Try flying to brussels or london using jet airways (high comfort! love those indians!), then look for train connection ( internationnal to milan, local after that) or low cost carrier like ryanair to venice (treviso) for 35€! (will require train connections from brussel to chaleroi in case of brussels and at arrival from treviso to milan)