I am planning a trip to Rome for my family of 5 for June 2006. I have found a few apartments that appear to fit our requirements, but airfare cost could blow our budget (thus the trip). On the otherhand, if I wait to first book a low airfare, than I may not be able to find these apartments available. What do you recommend?

Airfare first. I've done this for the past 2 summers for my family of 5. You have plenty of time to book an apt. Make sure to look through the vacation rental reviews here.

Steve, depending upon where you're flying from, June airfares could run you $800 - $1100; You may find something cheaper but it takes a lot of dilligence and luck. If those fares are going to blow your budget, you might consider 1) changing the time of year you travel; 2) be open to traveling to a different point of entry in Europe (e.g., flying into England, changing airlines to one of the low cost carriers). It's a bit of work and not something I'd want to do travelling with a group, b/c to me every connection you have is another opportunity for something to get fouled up.

If that range is within your budget, then go ahead and book an apartment now; eventually you should be able to find something within that range.

Ah - Gloria - totally opposite answers . Very Funny!

Kim,
The last 2 times I booked apts. first, I ended up cancelling because our traveling dates changed. But, it all worked out in the end.

See, that's my secret to extending two week trips to 17 - 18 days, because invariably, we have to fly out earlier or come home later than anticipated to get the flights we want .

Hi,

I would say that, as long as you keep in mind that most rentals are from saturday to Saturday, you can book your airfare first.

But consider that June is already highseason and it is usually booked up pretty early. Therefore, contact the vacation rental owner or agency as late as october if you want to be sure to have the week(s) you prefer.

I bet when you asked this question you thought we'd agree on the correct answer!

The simple fact is that you can book an apartment further ahead than you can airline tickets. In addition, airfare tends to "bottom out" later. For example, for June travel, you might well want to book your apartment in the fall or earlier (especially if your travel dates are restricted or you have a particular apartment you truly want), but airfare may be at its minimum in February. I have never seen bargain airfares advertised 8 months in advance.

I would book the air first. Once you book apartments/hotels you might have to put down a non refundable deposit or even pay in full now.

Well, I guess I did things backwards! I booked lodgings first then booked a flight based on my lodgings date. One reason is because I had to wait to book in Umbria to see if the dates I wanted were available and was advised to book early as it filled up fast. Once I confirmed the reservation, I scheduled a flight based on those dates.

quote:

Well, I guess I did things backwards! I booked lodgings first then booked a flight based on my lodgings date

Phew! I'm not alone

I book airfare first.

For example, on our fall trip we wanted to fly into Rome or Florence. We ended up flying into Pisa. And, our original flight into Pisa (we've been fortunate enough to clear a wait list for an earlier flight) did not arrive until 10:00 PM - so that basically made it imperative for us to spend our first night in Pisa.

So, I feel, that by booking air first you avoid the hassle of possibly having to change hotel reservations (not to mention that some do make you put down deposits).

Happy Planning!!!

Suzanne

I'm no expert on booking airfares or apartments, but I have learned one thing while chasing airfares, over the past three months, on 30+ travel sights. With fuel surcharges, competition between airlines and other factors constantly fluctuating, my search was a little bit like playing the numbers. In the end, it all came down to recognizing a pattern (i.e., the price had bottomed-out), or being lucky enough to be at a site when a very affordable fare made its appearance. I used Excel to create a database to keep track of my "Search" results, and checked sites several times throughout the day and night, including in the wee hours of the morning. In addition I queried eurotrip.com's "Cheap Flights Forum," where Don, and others, have proven helpful in locating lower airfares.

Well, I wouldn't say anyone is doing it "Backwards".
There are pros/cons for either way.
I usually know what airline I will be flying with to Europe ( we have seasonal charters with fairly reasonable Business class seats ) so I wait until their schedule is out and book the flight first, then hotels/apartments. I book early enough to get what I want here.
Now, if I could travel anytime...I would be looking for the seat sales and book the flight first, as well.
If a particular accommodation is extremely important to you, then book that first and be willing to pay the airfare price for that time.

One issue with getting air tickets too far in advance is that airlines can cancel or reschedule flights (making connections impossible). I found out the hard way that they don't feel any obligation to accomodate you when they make these changes. Also, some airlines won't ticket you very far in advance at all. Nothing you can do about this, but just be aware.

I would try to make reservations 6-9 mos in advance. You can hold your air reservations (at least on some airlines) for a few days while you finalize your rental arrangements, and then you can finalize your air. BTW, do not be intimidated by a web site that says you cannot ask about rental availability without booking. I've found that if I just write a polite e-mail explaining my interest and asking a few questions I can always find out about availability. I have also had some rentals offer to hold dates for me for a short period of time, so that offers another possiblity for coordinating air and rental.
---Marlene

Steve,

I'm planning a trip for June 06 as well. I just put a deposit on the apartment that I wanted because they are already booking up! My first choice of week was no longer available. There will be six of us, so well-located affordable apartments are few.(And I had my heart set on that particular apartment.)

Now I'll start monitoring airfares. I figure that I can be a bit flexible with my flights and spend a night or two at another place (hotel, b&b) if needed.

We'll see if this works!

CourtPeck

You can't book air more than 330 days out from your travel dates so that puts you into July....but you can familiarize with fares so you will have a good idea about reasonable fares.

I'd do it this way: depending on where you are flying from (your profile doesn't show where you live), know that June airfare will be broadly between $850 and $1150 per person, $ 1150 being 'worst case' assumed. If those figures mean the trip would be a go, then book an apartment you like if the cancellation penalty is something you can live with.

Italy continues to be wildly popular with Americans, and the airlines know it. If a trip must be dependent on 'bargain' travel for high season, it's best to wait a year, I'd say. Travel is back to pre 9/11 levels and people are traveling like crazy! The airlines have no reason to discount much at all.

Best wishes,

Also, look closely at you possible travel dates. For this year we were able to save about $200/ticket by leaving May 29 instead of June 1 and like Kim said, it's a good way to eek out a few more days of vacation.

jan

This year I booked my flight before I rented my Rome apartment, and I am very glad I did. I was planning on taking the first flight from Fairbanks to Frankfurt in May, as I had done last year. But, this year the first flight was sold out before I made it to the travel agents. If I had run on my last year's plan, I would have lost a fair amount of euro by arranging my accommodation first, as I did last year. Now I realize I probably had beginner's luck last year.

DMae

I have done it both ways. When I am renting a villa with a group, I book the villa first to be sure of availability, as desirable ones that meet all our groups's wishes book up far in advance. For hotels or apartments I find there are more choices so I usually book the flight first. This is especially true because I try to use FF miles and these seats are so scarce. From Boston to Italy, I find I need to book 330 days out to get a seat, especially May through September.

It appears no one way works best for everyone. It seems like either way, I risk a change and/or a penalty. While my first fear was the high cost of a 3 br apt. with a/c (bugeted $4000), it now appears that a $1100-1300 airfare during June may be the real issue. I guess I was hoping for about $800 max. Has anyone seen this type of pricing, in June/ July from PHL or Newark. Thanks for all the input.

I've seen $800 for June/July from both Philly and Newark - just becareful about taking US Air from Philly (you never know).

Just editing to say, be willing to fly mid-week to mid-week to get a better price on airfare. Oh and that $4000 for how many weeks is that? Seems high to me.