Intercontinental Commuting!

Do you ever wonder how some people seem to fly around the world at will, always enjoying good deals? But whenever you check airfares for a dream trip, the price looks like a nightmare?. Are you among the fortunate few who actually have enough free time, (3 or 4 weeks a year) to make a couple of international trips? If you do, and you'd like to travel EVERY year, then it may be easier and more affordable than you think. You just have to start thinking backwards!

Let's say you live in North America and want to spend a few years visiting the various countries of Europe. Your preferred travel times are in the summer and at Christmas and/or New Year's, to enjoy the holiday season. You can then begin a cycle of round trips using European-based fares, which can save you quite a bit. In North America the fares drop in September, so you might want to begin with a low-cost one-way plane ticket to Munich to see the alps, castles, and attend the Oktoberfest (which begins in September!). Now your savings begin: you purchase a roundtrip ticket to return home, from anywhere in Germany (maybe you will also visit Berlin). Since you will be leaving Germany in September (or October), you will have an off-season fare, and you can return in time for the Christmas holiday season -- which would have been a high-season ticket if purchased with departure at that time from North America!

After you return in December, using the last leg of your Germany - North America - Germany ticket, you can spend a week or two skiing in the alps, or traveling to Rome or Paris by rail or by using the no-frills airlines within Europe which offer point-to-point travel.

Then you begin your next roundtrip, again departing from Europe, going home after only a week or two, and flying from Italy or France back to North America, departing in January -- LOW SEASON -- and returning in the summer. The logic applies equally between other continents.

You need not wait until you are in the foreign country to book these tickets, it can be done months in advance, either by using a European travel agent, or one of the online booking engines. For simple roundtrips (or so-called "open-jaws", which depart from one city and return to a different city in the same country, or region) the Web sites offer a myriad of fares, but there are always special fares reserved for the local markets, which can only be sold in the country of departure.

Nonstop flights are the most convenient and comfortable, but they are usually more costly than the indirect routes, and the national airline of each country often allows a free stop en route to your final destination. If you wanted to take a barge ride through the English countryside, and then attend the opera in Vienna, you should use a UK-based carrier, such as British Airlines, to fly to Vienna There are also some discounted fares to be used only in a tour package, so there must be at least one land arrangement, such as a hotel reservation, or airport transfer. These fares are best booked via a travel agent, who has millions of combinations at his/her fingertips, and is a specialist, much like a lawyer, tax consultant, or real estate agent, and can save you time and money while providing personalized service.

Flying reverse itineraries works best for people who can travel at least twice a year, and are able to plan well in advance. Be sure and know full well the terms and conditions of the airfares, and only book fares which are changeable (usually there will be a change fee, but that is better than forfeiting the airfare), and look for tickets which are valid for one year - the maximum term of validity. A ticket valid 180 days may cost a bit less, but if you ever have to rebook, it will have been worth the difference.

Always have trip cancellation insurance. The insurance company will generally reimburse any cancellation fees only in case of illness or death in family. Certain credit card companies also provide trip cancellation coverage as part of their package of services on the premium cards. It may make sense for "commuters" to upgrade their credit card status.



Intercontinental Commuting! - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Dickinson's Website.

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