Hello! Forgive me if this post is long, I want to give you all the extra details you might need. Any help or opinions at all will be very helpful. n the long detailed question below I give you background info so if you think we should be doing a completely different plan vs what we have you have all the info to recommend. We really appreciate any opinions and help we can get, so thank you!
You'll save hundreds of dollars per ticket if you fly out of Chicago instead of Columbus. Buy an "open jaw" ticket -- flying in to one city and out of another. No sense in back-tracking. It'll save you time and money. Look at a map. Pick out the two cities you'd like to fly in and out of. Then use Web sites that can help ferret out the cheapest fares. My two favorites are Kayak.com and google.com/flights. Play around with the destinations. For example, flying into Munich and flying out of Prague. Weekday travel, such as Tuesdays and Wednesdays, can be cheaper. So play around with the dates, too. Once you get to Europe there are lots of transportation options. There are discount airlines such as Air Baltic, Transavia, EasyJet, etc. I've flown many of them. Some railroads, such as those in Germany and Austria, offer discounted fares. Check out their Web sites, bahn.com and oebb.at. For example, OBB's SparSchiene fare from Vienna to either Prague or Budapest is 19 euros, or about $21. I just bought one online from OBB using my U.S. credit card (I notified my bank first that was making the purchase). Some air destinations are cheaper than others. Flights to Russia, for example. One possible reason: A visa is required; and the visa isn't cheap; and applying takes time and effort. But some less-popular destinations, such as Belgrade, also have somewhat affordable fares as well. It pays to know airline routes. Your budget is OK. You'll be helped by the surging value of the U.S. greenback relative to most European currencies. One euro is now equivalent to about $1.10. It was $1.37 when I visited Europe last May. So you'll get about 20 percent more for your money this year than last. Generally, eastern Europe is cheaper than western Europe. If you're using debit and credit cards, make sure your banks know that you will be using your cards in Europe. Otherwise the transactions are likely to be blocked. Carry some cash (new currency if possible) in various denominations. You'll get better rates exchanging $50 and $100 bills. I'm headed to Europe next month before going to Asia. Enjoy your time in some of Europe's most-gorgeous cities.
Suggestion: OBB has a combination train/boat ticket for a day trip on the Danube to/from Vienna and Melk. It's a fantastic trip; and it's about 40 euros per person. Check out this Web link: http://kombitickets.railtours.at/combitickets-familyfun/austria/wachau/wachau-ticket.html?stichwortsuche=Wachau-Ticket. Don't forget cultural events. The Wiener Staatsoper often is sold out; and tickets are expensive. But standing room -- stehplatz -- sold 80 minutes before each performance at a "standing room" ticket office at Operngasse 2, can be had for a song (a few euros).
[ 08-Mar-2015, at 15:49 by berner256 ]
I suggest having a play at putting your different destination cities in Skyscanner - going to Prague seems cheaper than Amsterdam on those dates, Dublin cheaper still at $1000 per person. From there European flights can be had for peanuts if you're booking early.
Accepting some long flight connections often gives you lower prices but only you can decide if they're tolerable!
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