I am looking for some information on how to plan a vacation in the
summer of 2004. I would like to go to paris and london. I was hoping
to make a purchase with a tour group of some kind so I could get a
better package price, but I am having difficulties finding a site or
travel broker that can assist with planning and quoting of price. Does
anyone know of any websites or travel agents in the Seattle,
Washington area that might be a good place to start?

Thanks in advance for all the info
Bryan

I think it's a little early to book for summer, 2004.

"Bryan" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I am looking for some information on how to plan a vacation in the
    > summer of 2004. I would like to go to paris and london. I was hoping
    > to make a purchase with a tour group of some kind so I could get a
    > better package price, but I am having difficulties finding a site or
    > travel broker that can assist with planning and quoting of price. Does
    > anyone know of any websites or travel agents in the Seattle,
    > Washington area that might be a good place to start?
    > Thanks in advance for all the info
    > Bryan

How much do you plan to spend? What is your method of travel upon your
arrival? How long will you be staying? Do you have flexibility in
travel dates? Will you be traveling alone?

I did a 12 day trip to Europe for $650. Included: airfare R/T
Amsterdam, car, gas, accomodation and breakfast every day.

I started in Amsterdam (stay 2 days w/friends) drove to Germany (Kohn
and Rhein villages), Luxembourg, France (Paris), Belgium (Brugge) then
back to Amsterdam. For an extra $250 we could have taken the train to
London from Paris That would have crunched an already crunched
itinerary.

I will give you a hint to this great deal. Took a lot of research
indeed. First of all I travelled off season, Airfare found on
priceline.com. (I paid $300 from St. Louis to Amsterdam in April).
Summer, 2004 is a bit too early to plan; however you can save $$
planning a trip in late spring or early fall). That is, if you have the
flexibility. 2nd, I travelled with 2 other people and split the cost of
a car and gas (this was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than using the Eurorail.
3rd, We stayed in B&Bs. B&Bs are more reasonably and hospitable than
most hotels and even hostels-- especially if you are splitting cost
during off season. And your breakfast is included in the cost. Like
hostels and hotels, B&Bs offer cheaper rates off season.

If you have the opportunity to travel with others and drive I suggest
that. The autobon is quick, and easy. Car provides conveinent
storage for luggage, great way to see the countryside, and gives you
freedoms from train schedules. However, if you are flying into Paris,
and not venturing anywhere else outside of Paris, I discourage the use
of an automobile. Car is great if you are traveling to more than one
country.

I got loads of advice regarding Euro travel via Rick Steve's. You can
check out his website, buy his books or tapes. If you are going to
Paris, I would learn a litte french. Pick up an audio cassett from
your local library. They should have cassetts on easy-to-learn French
for the traveller.

Search websites for annual festivals and happening in your prospective
town/cities during your times you want to travel. You may find that
there are some good cultural events in spring and fall even.

Hope this information was helpful. If you can answer the above
questions, I may be able to give you more ideas.

Amy

"Bryan" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I am looking for some information on how to plan a vacation in the
    > summer of 2004. I would like to go to paris and london. I was hoping
    > to make a purchase with a tour group of some kind so I could get a
    > better package price, but I am having difficulties finding a site or
    > travel broker that can assist with planning and quoting of price. Does
    > anyone know of any websites or travel agents in the Seattle,
    > Washington area that might be a good place to start?
    > Thanks in advance for all the info
    > Bryan

Summer is high season, so prices will be higher. However, I'd be very
surprised if you could get a better deal through a tour than you'd be able
to manage yourself if you devote enough time to searching out good air fares
and hotel deals.

I'd really, really recommend that you consider doing these two cities on
your own, rather than with an organized tour. Both cities are very easy to
get around, with excellent and inexpensive public transportation. Both
cities are extraordinarily well documented in guide books. You simply won't
get the same experience if you're being shuttled around by bus from one
tourist site to the other. This is particularly true in Paris, which, as
I've written in another thread, is best appreciated on foot, and slowly.

To find airfare, log on to travelocity or orbitz and just watch the fares.

To find hotels, consult guidebooks, read this ng for a while (you have a
year and a half to identify hotels, which is more than enough time).

To get between Paris and London, the easiest way is to take the Eurostar
channel tunnel train. It is, however, not cheap. You can take a bus or
train Boulogne, take a ferry across the channel, and then pick up a train in
Dover that will take you up to London for less money. It's not as easy or
convenient, but it might be more fun if you're not in a hurry.