artnbarb
1000+ Posts
I have EIGHT flights to book for our travels this summer, and making everything work together is like putting a puzzle together! Not surprisingly, I've booked the last flight first - but only because I was using FF miles. Routes and mileage requirements change daily, so once I found an Itinerary I liked, I (reluctantly) chose a date to fly home from Italy. This year I've decided to break our return flight into two legs: Rome to the states, going through London, an overnight in Charlotte, then a mid-morning flight to Tampa the next day. The alternative was flying all day, returning to Tampa at night. I'm hoping this layover makes the day less stressful.
Now all I need to do is book the other 5 flights. First up will be a round-trip to Louisville - my daughter has selected Saturday, July 25 as a wedding date, so I'm guessing we'll fly in on Wednesday or Thursday, then return home on Monday, July 27.
Just a few days later. on Saturday, we'll fly to DC to visit our granddaughters. I'm not sure if they'll be able to come to the wedding, so this will be our only chance to spend some time with them. . I booked this flight on SWA and if I need to change the date there won't be a penalty.
Next up is probably the trickiest flight - from either DC or Philly to Dublin. United/Aer Lingus codeshare has a direct flight from Dulles to Dublin, one arriving at 5:10 a.m. - NO THANKS! - and one arriving at 9 or 10, which is more palatable. American has a direct flight to Dublin from Philly, or we can also fly from DCA to Dublin. We'll see how the prices compare.
The last flight I need to book is Dublin to Rome FCO. Aer Lingus has a direct flight, so now all I have to do is watch the prices. I'm signed up on Hopper for price alerts, and I'm really hoping i remember to book everything. I'm going to make a big paper calendar to hang on my bulletin board to check off things as they're booked. I really need a hard copy to feel in control!
Juggling all these dates and trying to get the best prices is really challenging!
Now all I need to do is book the other 5 flights. First up will be a round-trip to Louisville - my daughter has selected Saturday, July 25 as a wedding date, so I'm guessing we'll fly in on Wednesday or Thursday, then return home on Monday, July 27.
Just a few days later. on Saturday, we'll fly to DC to visit our granddaughters. I'm not sure if they'll be able to come to the wedding, so this will be our only chance to spend some time with them. . I booked this flight on SWA and if I need to change the date there won't be a penalty.
Next up is probably the trickiest flight - from either DC or Philly to Dublin. United/Aer Lingus codeshare has a direct flight from Dulles to Dublin, one arriving at 5:10 a.m. - NO THANKS! - and one arriving at 9 or 10, which is more palatable. American has a direct flight to Dublin from Philly, or we can also fly from DCA to Dublin. We'll see how the prices compare.
The last flight I need to book is Dublin to Rome FCO. Aer Lingus has a direct flight, so now all I have to do is watch the prices. I'm signed up on Hopper for price alerts, and I'm really hoping i remember to book everything. I'm going to make a big paper calendar to hang on my bulletin board to check off things as they're booked. I really need a hard copy to feel in control!
Juggling all these dates and trying to get the best prices is really challenging!