Lots of questions to consider about when to book air travel to the July 3-6 Civitan convention in Tallinn, Estonia. The gloomy news about problems in Greece and the Euro zone can be VERY GOOD news for North American travelers. Here's why; The dollar has strengthened significantly in the past several months now trading at 1.29 US to the Euro (a stronger dollar goes further). The Tallinn 4 star convention hotels are now about $94 per night with no additional taxes and you get 2 hot buffet breakfasts daily included with your room.
The international price of a barrel of oil has been down steadily for the past 2 months now at 96.45 per/bbl. Since fuel costs are a significant factor in air fares, declining crude means cheaper air fares.
Regarding airfares:
We are already seeing some reasonable deals on fares to Tallinn and other European gateway cities. Here are some found on www.Kayak.com. I use Atlanta as the example departure city but Birmingham only seems to add about $70 to the overall fare.
Using the "My dates are flexible" option allows you consider fares up to 3 days before or after your ideal dates.
Round trips options as of last night:
Atlanta to Tallinn July 1- July 9 $1145 including all taxes
Atlanta to Stockholm July 1- July 11 $1234 " "
Atlanta to Helsinki July 2- July 10 $1152 " "
Atlanta to Riga, Latvia July 1- July 10 $1145 "
Atlanta to Paris July 2 - July 11 $1133 " "
Now for multiple stop options: Once you have looked at several round trip options above using the "my dates are flexible" you can then begin to mix and match the best fares from above using the "multiple cities" option. Examples:
Atlanta to Paris on July 2 and back to Atlanta from Riga on July 10 $1320
Atlanta to Helsinki on June 30 and back to Atlanta from Riga on July 11 $1364
For multiple cities you will need to then determine how you will get between the cities in Europe. For example fly into Helsinki and overnight or proceed to the port (about $8 bus fare from the airport) and take the 2 hour ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn and then after the convention take the 4 hour ($20) motor coach to downtown Riga next to the old town. See earlier blogs about using the Helsinki ferry (Dec 30) and the bus to Riga old town (Feb 21).
What about leaving my car in Atlanta (or whatever your gateway city)? No problem. Go to http://www.parksleepfly.com/ and select one of several airport motels in your departure city that allows you to leave your car for free for up to 2 weeks with just a one night stay at either end of your trip. They also shuttle you to and from the airport at no extra cost.
Get started NOW planning your flights to the convention. Problems in Greece have been successfully managed for 3 thousand years.
The international price of a barrel of oil has been down steadily for the past 2 months now at 96.45 per/bbl. Since fuel costs are a significant factor in air fares, declining crude means cheaper air fares.
We are already seeing some reasonable deals on fares to Tallinn and other European gateway cities. Here are some found on www.Kayak.com. I use Atlanta as the example departure city but Birmingham only seems to add about $70 to the overall fare.
Using the "My dates are flexible" option allows you consider fares up to 3 days before or after your ideal dates.
Round trips options as of last night:
Atlanta to Tallinn July 1- July 9 $1145 including all taxes
Atlanta to Stockholm July 1- July 11 $1234 " "
Atlanta to Helsinki July 2- July 10 $1152 " "
Atlanta to Riga, Latvia July 1- July 10 $1145 "
Atlanta to Paris July 2 - July 11 $1133 " "
Now for multiple stop options: Once you have looked at several round trip options above using the "my dates are flexible" you can then begin to mix and match the best fares from above using the "multiple cities" option. Examples:
Atlanta to Paris on July 2 and back to Atlanta from Riga on July 10 $1320
Atlanta to Helsinki on June 30 and back to Atlanta from Riga on July 11 $1364
For multiple cities you will need to then determine how you will get between the cities in Europe. For example fly into Helsinki and overnight or proceed to the port (about $8 bus fare from the airport) and take the 2 hour ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn and then after the convention take the 4 hour ($20) motor coach to downtown Riga next to the old town. See earlier blogs about using the Helsinki ferry (Dec 30) and the bus to Riga old town (Feb 21).
What about leaving my car in Atlanta (or whatever your gateway city)? No problem. Go to http://www.parksleepfly.com/ and select one of several airport motels in your departure city that allows you to leave your car for free for up to 2 weeks with just a one night stay at either end of your trip. They also shuttle you to and from the airport at no extra cost.
Get started NOW planning your flights to the convention. Problems in Greece have been successfully managed for 3 thousand years. 
One main factor in the upward trend of animal life has been the power of wandering.
ReplyDelete