Ok.
It’s done. My ticket to Europe is booked! Some of you may remember my pre-holiday plea for
assistance as I plotted the best and cheapest way to get myself over the Atlantic. Since my travel plans are somewhat
flexible, I was a bit overwhelmed at all the options (different cities, airlines, routes) that I could choose from. But
then I just got tired of waiting with my indecision and wanted this trip to have a solid departure date, so I made sure
to think things through and book it right before New Year’s Eve. I consulted with a travel agent, bounced some ideas
off of family and friends, and scoured the web for advice and deals. In the end it was Orbitz that helped me get the job done — not where I imagined that I’d end up
booking. I used the "multi-city" search and tried various options on several of the travel search engines but
Orbitz had the lowest fare so I booked it. I fly into one European city and five months later I’ll fly out of another on
direct flights from Newark, NJ in both directions. The open-jaw scenario worked
best for my pocketbook and peace of mind. Who wants to worry about getting a return flight out of Europe in the height
of summer? Not me…so I went with the open jaw return. I have paper tickets since it is a multiple city trip, but I’ll
safeguard them with my other valuable documentation while I travel, and I’ll of course have backup copies in multiple
locations. So….who wants to guess when and where I’m headed first? I’ll dish the destination soon…