THE CHEAPEST TIME TO TRAVEL TO GERMANY
HOW TO GET THE CHEAPEST AIRFARE TO GERMANY

Consider different Airports. Often changing your departure or arrival airport can save you great percentages on fares. Smaller airports are less busy, and can have more smaller , competitive rates. Also a large convention or festival in a city around your travel dates, can greatly increase rates in that city, but not others.

Consider driving to a HUB city of a major airline. For example USairways has a HUB in Charlotte and can fly directly to Munich from there. If you fly out of Roanoke, you may pay more for the Roanoke charlotte flight than the Charlotte Munich portion, due to seat availability.

Book in advance. The cheapest seats go first. Try to purchase your ticket at least 21 days in advance. Your chance of getting a cheap ticket is better the sooner you purchase it.

Shop Around and be flexible.. You can save tons of money by shopping around and being flexible with your dates. Try leaving a day after or before you had planned, You may have just picked a popular day, or there may be a convention in the city you are arriving in.

Plan your stay. Have at least one Saturday night stay and only stay for 30 days or less. You will pay more if you come back within one week, or if you stay longer than 30 days, and even more if you stay longer than 60 days.

BOOK ONLINE. Almost all airline web sites now offer 5(US air)-15%(Delta) discounts just for booking online. This is on top of whatever the cheapest airfare is. This does not mean you can’t call and speak to a real agent who can guide you through

These emails are free and offer drastically reduced last minute travel, or Seasonal deals.
Sign up for them all.
USAIRWAYS has E-SAVERS INTERNATIONAL, and E-SAVERS DOMESTIC. Email comes out on Wednesday and good for travel the upcoming Saturday through Tuesday.

NORTHWEST CyberSavers email. Email comes out on Wednesday and travel dates vary. Mostly Asian and European. Most flights leave from Minneapolis, Detroit, Memphis.

DELTA Skymiles email. Email comes out on Wednesday and travel dates vary. Travel is to MANY cities in Europe including Frankfurt, Zurich, Stuttgart, Munich, Stockholm and London Gatwick.

AMERICAN AIRLINES Net SAAvers email. Email comes out on Wednesday and travels dates vary

USE AN AIRLINE MILE CREDIT CARD TO BUY EVERYTHING. If you write a check for it each month, or pay cash for it each month, you are throwing away airline miles. Charge your Verizon bill, groceries, gas, movie tickets, clothes. You have to remember to pay the balance in full at the end of the month, or you wont gain anything. You can gain enough miles in purchases alone to go anywhere for free in 1-2 years.

Don’t use your frequent flier miles to get a ticket that is cheap anyway. Why use 35.000 miles to fly to Germany in the off season when it is only $300 roundtrip anyway. Use your miles when it is last minute, or during the peak season.

Enroll in ALL the US frequent flier programs. If you travel on business or pleasure, make sure you get points on some airline for your trip. Ask when you check in which airline partners the airline has, and try to give them the top 2 airlines you are likely to fly. Your boarding pass should have the frequent flier number printed on it. If it doesn’t, you probably are not getting miles.
If you fly and don’t get Miles.

USE AN AIRLINE BIDDING SYSTEM. Priceline.com is a web site that allows you to set the dollar amount, in exchange for the web site picking the airline, time, and sometimes the airport, you will fly on. You can save hundreds of dollars this way if you are flexible, and don’t mind getting up a 2 AM to make your 5:30 flight out of Dulles, in exchange for flying for less. Expedia also offers this service. Be aware, you will be considered last if there is a problem with the flight and they are limiting people.

HOSTELS, HOSTELS, HOSTELS!

Get an International Student ID Card (or International Teacher Id Card.) The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is the internationally recognized proof of student status. It will get you into hostel, cheap movie tickets, bus tickets, museum admissions, cheap long distance, and cheap money exchanges. To get one of these cards, you will need

• Proof of student/teacher status (Student ID or Faculty ID)
• One Photo (Passport Sized)
• Card Fee $20.00 (Credit/Check/NO CASH)
• ISIC/ITIC Information Sheet (Available in the Study Abroad Office)

To stay in Hostel at cheap rates, you must join the Hostelling International - American Youth Hostels. This costs $25 a year for students aged 18-54, and free if you are under 18. You can join online at the web address below or print and mail in an application.
This card allows you to stay at 4,500 hostel in 70 countries. Worlwide discounts at restaurants and retailers ., rental car discounts, savings on long distance calls from Europe.

If arriving in London, and you have a Eurail pass, you can travel to Germany via the EUROSTAR. This would cost $75 one way for a student. Normal fare is in the hundreds. Once is Paris, your Eurail pass would take over.
You can also purchase a German Rail Youth Pass . This pass will get you on any train in German to any other city where there is regional train service. The prices are as follows.
Any 4 days for $138
Up to any 9 days for $198

You can also purchase all Eurail passes at CIT tours. They are a very reputable tour company operating out of the US and offering trips and services all over the world.

https://webx25.nwa.com/cgi-bin/wp_empin.pro To sign up for Northwest’s weekly email
https://webx25.nwa.com/freqfly/direct/enrol/ To enroll in Nortwest’s World Perks program.
https://www.delta.com/skymiles/enrollment/enroll_main.jsp To enroll in Delta Skymiles.
https://www.delta.com/components/skymiles_login.jsp?startIn=/skymiles/sm_admin/email_signup/email_main.jsp To enroll in the Delta weekly email.

www.travelocity.com Large reservation network run by Sabre, the travel agent computer company.

www.expedia.com Large reservation network owned by Microsoft
www.cheapseats.com
www.studenttravel.com
www.lastminutetravel.com
BIDDING ON A TICKET
www.priceline.com (you can name your price)

http://www.isic.org/  the International Student ID Card home page
www.eurail.com
http://www.usembassy.de/  (American embassy in Germany)
http://www.iyhf.org http://www.hiayh.org/
https://secure.podi.com/hiayh/form.cfm – to join Hosteling International online.

American Youth Hostels Inc
733 15th Street N W
Suite 840
Washington DC 20005
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Tel: (1) (202) 7836161
Fax: (1) (202) 7836171
Email: hiayhserv@hiayh.org

Have your spouse or Parents got a valid passport? They should incase they need to travel.
Use VISA instead of cash. ATMS are everywhere also.
Emergency ATM locations are Casinos.
Make sure you don’t need a VISA to visit.
Make sure you obey and know the laws. Ignorance is not an excuse.
Stay away from drugs unless in Amsterdam.
Know the phone numbers and street addresses of the embassy or consulate in your cities.
Don’t bring anything that would greatly upset you if lost.
SHUT UP! Americans are loud. Lower your voice when moving around a city, or better yet, just listen.

Reduced Rate ID cards.

Who can issue these?