Thursday, June 14, 2012
International student from MN, USA planning eurotrip?
International student from MN, USA planning eurotrip?
I'm an international student and I got the schengen visa last year/visited poland through a study abroad program from the University of Minnesota (they took care of most of the visa formalities for me). I want to travel to Western Europe on my own (France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Czech) between August 6 and September 7 with a total budget (Airfare+Europass+everything else) of $3000. I know where to get international travel insurance from. I have sufficient balance in my bank account. The cheapest airfare I'm getting is about $1000 roundtrip incl tax. Upon checking the italian/french consulate site, I realized they require applicants to their chicago office in person. I have a summer internship and its pretty tough for me to take a day off....is there anyway to work around it? The application also requires that I show where I'll be staying. My plan is to cut cost as much as possible by staying in hostels. Do you think I should book a random hostels for this purpose? Is there a chance that they will rip me off? Also, ARE THERE CHEAPER FLIGHTS? Should I wait till the last moment or buy now? Anything else I should be concerned about? Please let me know. Thanks!
Other - Europe - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Cheaper flights: you can try last-minute deals. Airlines don't like to fly with any empty seats. So at a certain point (typically 24 hours) they decide to cut their losses and declare the seat available for much cheaper. This means you have to have your bags packed in a wait-and-see mode, but can result in good deals. Look for this option on any travel website such as travelocity, etc. Also, if you're willing to travel with multiple connections this often cuts down on costs. I've noticed irish carrier Ryan Air gets you from Ireland to the continent pretty cheap if you can get to Ireland.... Good luck.
2 :
Maybe try changing your arrival destination: flights from Zurich to NY cost CHF 650, about $560, also, not flying directy might makle it cheaper.
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