International travel

[leebee]

My DD20 will be doing a 3 week program in Italy in June 2015. What is the best way to find airfare for her? How soon should I consider purchasing tickets? When is the best time to make a reservation- as soon as possible, or should I wait until closer to travel time? The information for the program lists Rome, Pisa, and Florence as possible airports, but they we need to find transportation to Livorno. I am starting to feel overwhelmed! Normally we do not use a travel agent, but we haven't ever flown to Europe before- would it make more sense to use a travel agent for the best prices?

If anyone can point me in a direction to start, I'd appreciate it!!

 

[cruisingkat]

Does the program offer air? Sometimes that is the cheaper route - especially on international flights. I know that when we sent our daughter for a semester abroad, it was cheaper using the group rate that the program had.

 

[rwdavis2]

Try some of the sites that show most of the airlines:

hipmonk.com, orbitz.com, travelocity, expedia. Some airlines don't list on those sites but the only one I can think of that flies to Europe is Vrigin Atlantic.

This way you can see all the prices in one place. There is no reliable way to time the purchase of tickets to get the best deal. Airlines changes prices in real time based on demand and they can change from one minute to the next. Once you see a price you can live with then buy it and stop looking.