LashondaO

Hi all! Sorry if this should belong in a different section! I wasn't sure where would be just right- this is only my second post here in FlyerTalk.

Anyway! I've been toying with the idea of going to Brazil in June for the World Cup. I've been thinking about it for over a year, and I know a couple people who will be there as well. However, that is quite some time away and I'm not ready to plan something in stone this far ahead. I'm also a grad student, so I have to spend my time and money very carefully. The one major complicating factor is that for my program (Occupational Therapy) we have fieldwork (internships) starting June 30th, however I have not yet found out where I will be going. I'm not sure what airport would make the most sense. Anyway, wherever I fly in/out of, I plan to come back to the states around June 26th.

So I've had a price alert for WAS/BWI to various airports in Brazil. (Parents are in BWI, I'm in STL, who knows where I will end up - hoping for DEN). Usually it's between 1100-1500. Well, today, I found an ABSURDLY priced fare from BWI-SDU for $774 (Skyscanner). I was so tempted to buy it right then and there.

However, I just bought a much pricier ticket to Vietnam for December, which I was hoping to pay a little bit off before I buy the Brazil ticket. Also, how soon is too soon to buy a ticket? I've never purchased anything so huge that I won't be able to use for over 6 months. I'm hoping I can build up some mileage points between now and the spring to help with the ticket and was hoping to find a ticket around $1000-$1200 (what I was originally planning on spending).

Is this just the most amazing fare deal that I will likely not be able to take advantage of? Has anyone seen a fare this cheap to Brazil from the East Coast? I'm not sure of typical fares. I was looking into Rio or Sao Paolo, however right now I'm not yet quite sure which is the best airport to fly into, regarding plans and meeting up with friends.

Sorry for the long post- hope all those questions make sense. Thanks!

VidaNaPraia

Haven't really seen a fare that cheap from a northeast US city for a couple of years (but we are usually looking for a flight that does not involve many changes or days of endurance travel, and for a longer stay in Brazil, without both of which some cheaper fares can be found).

For the WC, expect fares of U$1400+.

M60_to_LGA

That fare does seem absurdly cheap to me, and if you're planning to go to Brazil anyway for those dates I'd jump on it.

Was the travel on US Air, by any chance? I've found that they tend to have extremely attractive fares to GIG. When I was living in DC, I managed to get an $800 r/t DCA-GIG via CLT.

There's no set rule as to when is the best time to buy travel. My personal experience suggests that there's a sweet spot sometime within the 6-8 weeks before range, but that doesn't take into account special events like the World Cup. For a major international sporting event, I'd tend to think it's best to get the ticket as soon as possible, because the closer you get to the date the more competition you'll face for those seats.

There may be a quiet sale to South America at the moment. I just bought a r/t fare from LGA-MVD for under $1000 for travel in mid-December - which I consider to be an unusually good price, particularly around the holidays.

galego

very very cheap... How many stopovers? I'd say jump on it, let the credit card take the strain

(funnily enough I too am going to Vietnam in January, then the World Cup in June)

Also worth bearing in mind that SDU is very central and convenient. I flew in to there last year and walked to my friend's office to meet him for lunch