JustineG

I would like to go from LAX to FCO for up to 2 weeks however, my dates of travel aren't the most flexible. The earliest I could board a flight would be June 16. I would definitely need to be back on a plane by July 4. The earlier in June the better.


I'm trying to do Rome for 4 nights (I always throw in 1 extra night because no matter how much water I drink, sleep I get, forcing myself to go outside, my first arriving date in most places seems to be a blah day) and Naples for 4 nights (I know Naples is near Rome but due to most of the things I want to see and do are near Naples, thought that made more sense plus I really liked the grit of Naples).

I've used Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Skiplagged. The cheapest I have found a flight is around $1000 (coach, I don't even look at business or 1st class lol). I know the summer is a more expensive month. I played around a bit flying to England, Iceland, Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels, to then take some cheap flight to Rome (or Naples) but it ends up costing more that way once you factor in everything. I also looked into flying on WOW, but once I add in the price for luggage (whether I check in or not) and seat assignment it ends up not being cheaper.

I like the idea of my 8 nights in Rome/Naples, and then 1-2 nights in "other" (stop over) but the 1-2 "other" nights thing isn't a must if the flight itself ends up costing more. Other for me is pretty much anywhere in Europe or on the east coast of the US. This ends up breaking up some of the time for me, feels like 2 trips, and more importantly, I get some good eating done (preferably in Philly or NY lol).


Thanks in advance. I know I'm a high maintenance, frugal girl. Apologizes. I just know you guys are traveling experts.

TravelingNomads

Check out secretflying on twitter and hacktheflight.net. Keep them up or set them to auto refresh so that you get notices of new flights. These deals usually only last a few hours, but you should be able to get a flight for $300 - $400 this way. If the flight is via British Airways, be sure to sign up for AARP to save an additional $65 off the flight. (They don't ask for proof of age.)

Also, look into taxi fees, city fees, etc. We just booked a trip to FCO and you'll be surprised how things seem to add up over there. Still very excited about the upcoming trip though!

Editing to add that you may also have better luck if you look to fly to NYC, Boston, etc and then fly to FCO from there.

JustineG

Thank you!! Never knew that about the AARP!

TravelingNomads

Yep, I also saw that UA gives a 5% discount for veterans.

RustyC

Theflightdeal also presents a selective daily buffet of found deals and flags the summer fares if they turn up. There's one here but it looks like August. When those come up they're often "hub attacks" and very short-lived, so have the gameplan pre-loaded.

I'm fortunate to be date-flexible generally, and have found the very best "holidays" of the entire year are Halloween and Cinco de Mayo. The week before and after will have the best award availability and some of the lowest paid fares. The first 2 weeks of December and the last 2 in January plus a little of February also are good hunting grounds. Airlines can be mean to the time-inflexible.

TravelingNomads

I saw an alert go through yesterday or the day before from LAX. Also one to Venice a few minutes ago from ATL. You would then have to find a flight to Rome in that scenario, but if you're flying one of the budget carriers, they're usually very inexpensive.

EmailKid

As long as you book in advance. Waited till I got to Europe as was not sure where I will be when, and even rail tickets are not necessarily cheap at last minute - at least not at the beginning of summer

Thankfully found something reasonable by traveling in coach (bus).

But the weather is just lovely in Prague right now, though it got to freezing one night about a week ago

TravelingNomads

Good to know. We were finding flights for 5 - 25 euros/pounds fairly frequently, but we did book months in advance.

Romelle

Justine,

I hope you've booked your air by now? You are into the area where things start going up. That $1k is better than anything I see now, at least originating in the LA area.

Lots of ways to cut costs when you are there. Youth hostels have the double advantage of meeting others (especially if you are traveling by yourself). AirBNB can be good, although you have to really check the reviews. Priceline bidding.

For feeding yourself, places that include breakfast are always a good start. Grocery stores and "picnics" can even be more healthy, as well as economical and letting you see more of the culture. I'm always amazed at the length of the pasta aisle in an Italian supermarket. Actually pretty good wine is easily found for one Euro a liter in grocery stores. My theory about shopping in Italian grocery stores is they care more about their food than we do, so nasty things like waxy chocolate simply won't sell. You can trust "house brands" of supermarkets.

Check for those "all you can ride" bus/subway passes in Rome. Besides the potential savings, you won't find yourself fumbling with foreign coins on the bus or hunting for a Tobacco store to buy tickets ahead of time. And it is no big deal if you inevitably take the wrong bus or the right bus in the wrong direction.

EmailKid

Do not find Euros all that foreign anymore.

Adding Poland, Czech Republic and leaving next day from Budapest adds Zloty, Koruny and now Forints.

The only time I go for a day pass is when I know I will be doing a lot of public tranportation and-or lots of on an off. Othewise even three tickets are generally cheaper than full day IME.

BTW, many now take debit cards, and in Katowice are even credit cards. Of course Europe is going contactless, so sometimes the old (new to US) chip cards are out of luck.

Romelle

I can't argue with you on the above. OP - you just need to do the math from below for your particular plans, carefully noting the terms. The 100 minutes term for buses can be useful, as opposed to some cities where a new ticket is required for every leg.

Rome Bus, Tram & Metro Ticket Prices
Ticket options are:
B.I.T. Standard ticket, valid for one Metro ride or 100 minutes on all buses allowing transfers. € 1.50
24 Hour Ticket - valid for unlimited metro, bus, and train travel within Rome for 24 hours from validation. € 7.00
48 Hour Ticket - valid for unlimited metro, bus, and train travel within Rome for 48 hours from validation. € 12.50
72 Hour Ticket - valid for unlimited metro, bus, and train travel within Rome for 72 hours from validation. € 18.00
C.I.S. €24.00. Weekly ticket - valid for 7 calendar days

Also not a bad idea to think it through while you still are at home. I've found my brain doesn't work as well under jet-lag in a noisy terminal with busy people waiting behind me.

And, yes EmailKid, Euros are sort of comfortable with the exchange rate so close to 1:1. The old Greek Drachma required knocking off 4 zeros and dividing by 11 to get an approximation to the US Dollar IIRC.

EmailKid

Roger that

Now for that 4:08 a.m. Blue Line metro toward BUD in the morning .....

Romelle

Ouch. I'll write something separately, but my adventure with the sleeping pod in Helsinki airport worked well for a 7am flight departure. I'd do it again. Too bad that metro doesn't have the pods yet.

EmailKid

Ouch indeed, especially since someone at Metro department did not get the memo that there is supposed to be Line 3 going to 200 bus and door was LOCKED

And UA flight from MUC delayed now by two hours

Ya, should be used to that with United @:-)

Romelle

I know we are highjacking this thread, but did you happen to look at Flixbus? They have some odd hard-to-find points for pick-up, but they were my friend last spring when rail had both a strike and a couple outages for track work. Really nice buses, and indeed budget fares.