Hi Wendy. You always have such great information, so I am hoping you can help me now. I need to visit my mom in Sydney and also my sister in Provence in summer of 2010. I work in education so have from June 8 thru August 25 to travel. I realize it is winter in Australia, but it is her birthday so have to make the trip. We depart out of Cleveland, Ohio, and would like to go to Sydney first, then back to France before returning home to the USA. Is there any way we can get a deal through one airline, so as to collect frequent-flier miles as well as save money? Would it be a good idea to look for a "round-the-world ticket"? Any suggestions for our family of 4 would be appreciated. Kids are ages 11 and 14.

Photo: virtualpilot / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

This may be the low-season business-class airfare sale to Europe that Condé Nast Traveler readers have been waiting for: $1,698 roundtrip to Dublin or Shannon from New York (JFK), Boston, or Chicago.

That fare includes a free roundtrip coach flight from Dublin to cities throughout Europe. From New York, for instance, you can fly via Ireland to: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Krakow, London, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, Vienna or Warsaw. You also get: use of Aer Lingus's business-class lounge, three free checked bags, priority check-in, and a personal on-demand in-flight entertainment system.

"What are the cheapest days of the week to travel to the Caribbean in November?" asks reader Robin.

United's business-class seats are easy on the legs but not on the walletunless you snag a deal
mab @ flickr on Flickr / CC BY 2.0

by Wendy Perrin

Yesterday I promised to answer this question from reader CathyB0820:

"Do you have any recommendations for great places to find business and first-class airfare sales?"

You can snorkel off St. Croix's Sandy Point Beach--and fly to and stay on the island--for less this fall.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

Even if an island resort is giving away free nights, the airfare to the island can put a vacation there out of reach . . . except when there are air-plus-hotel packages that can offer real savings on getting to your destination as well as staying there. An example: the "St. Croix Fantastic Flight" promotion, which offers a $150-per-person airfare credit and a fourth night free at any of 12 participating hotels on this U.S. Virgin Island.

Details--and a couple of recommendations--after the jump:

The wide, plush "Biz Seats" on transatlantic airline OpenSkies don't fully recline but do offer 51 inches of legroom.

by Wendy Perrin

If you're thinking about exploiting some of the bargains in Europe this fall or winter, you might also think about snapping up OpenSkies' $1,000 roundtrip Biz Seat fare (excluding taxes and fees) between New York and Paris from the start of November through the end of March. "I can't remember a time it's been this cheap to Paris in premium class," says eagle-eyed biz-class fare watcher Joe Brancatelli of JoeSentMe.com. He considers Biz Seat on British Airways-owned OpenSkies to be "the best value in the sky."

Keep in mind that this fare isn't just for people whose final destination is Paris. If you're willing to make airport connections in order to save money, it can work as the New York-Paris leg of an itinerary beyond Paris. (Just remember that OpenSkies flies you into Orly and not Charles de Gaulle.)

Book by: September 8

For travel from: November 1 - March 31

The catch: In testing this deal--by plugging fictitious travel dates into OpenSkies' booking system--I was not easily able to find the lowest advertised fare of $499 each way. But I did easily find one-way fares of $509. Once you add in all the taxes and fees, that total roundtrip fare is $1,136.

The 427 guest rooms at Rose Hall's Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort--a quarter of which face directly onto the sea--got a face-lift last year.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

Have you been daydreaming end-of-summer and fall travel deals?  I have. What often holds me back from booking, though, is the airfare. With my budget, even if a hotel is giving away free nights, getting there is still a problem.  But today's deal might just be the one that I turn into reality, as Air Jamaica has slashed airfares. You can travel from Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, or New York to Montego Bay for $287 round-trip (including all taxes and fees). The price point for these flights is often around $550. Act fast, though: Seats are filling up.

Book by: August 11.

For travel from: September 6 through October 31.

Once you get to Jamaica, there are a slew of affordable hotel and resort options. Check out our "More Sun for the Money" feature from Condé Nast Traveler's March issue. There's the Half Moon resort, for instance, which was on the magazine's Gold List every year from 1995 to 2007 and where you can get significant discounts from September 1 to October 31. For instance, you can stay three nights in a garden-view room for $564 (including taxes and fees). That translates to $188 per night in a room that normally costs $296 per night--a savings of 36%. Got kids under 12? They can stay for free. The rate includes unlimited use of the resort's tennis courts, gym, paddleboats, and kayaks. Note: You must stay for at least three nights to take advantage of this promotion. To book this deal, go to the resort's Web site and type in the promo code HMFB09.

There's also the Ritz-Carlton, Rose Hall, where you can stay for up to 43% less, thanks to its offer of three nights for the price of two; five nights for the price of three; or seven nights for the price of four, until September 30. This property was on our Gold List from 2003 to 2005. To book, go to the general Ritz-Carlton site, click on Summer Offers, and then select "Peace of Mind: Resort." You'll then have the option to choose the Rose Hall property in the appropriate field.

Thinking about a last-minute summer trip across the pond? Aer Lingus has a deal with the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt (shown here), outside Dublin, that's more affordable than you might imagine.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

In this month's issue of Condé Nast Traveler, on newsstands now, "Europe on Sale" details how the current economic downturn means there are bargains to be had in major European cities, destinations whose prices had until recently put them out of reach to some travelers. A sidebar, "Luxury for Less," lists deals at top European hotels. In the weeks to come, Deal of the Day will tip you off to a few more late-breaking European offers and promotions.

Summer-trip-planning procrastinators, rejoice! The current crop of Ireland travel packages on offer from Aer Lingus can get you to the Emerald Isle for less than you might think. Here's the lowdown on a couple of deals we like:

*Round-trip airfare to Ireland, plus six nights in a suite outside Dublin at the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt (an honoree on Condé Nast Traveler's 2008 Hot List), plus a rental car, for $1,174 per person, including taxes, when flying from New York. (You'll pay more for flights from Boston, Washington, Chicago, and San Francisco.)

*A fly-and-drive package, covering airfare from New York plus a week's car rental, for $664 per person including taxes. (Again, you'll pay more when flying from other cities.) Accommodations aren't included, so you can make your own arrangements, or Aer Lingus can help you out with room reservations for an additional fee.

For travel from: August 1 through August 22. These packages are also available in September and October for about $200 less, and in November through March for $300 less, but trust us: It's better to go in summer and avoid the off-season drizzle.

Book by: This Friday, July 31, at the Aer Lingus Vacation Store or by calling 800-495-1632.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

If you've been following Wendy on Twitter for the past few months, or if you've read the USA Today article "Stay alert and on Twitter to snag fast-moving travel deals," you know that Wendy's been using Twitter to alert people to the best transatlantic airfare sales as soon as they arise.

Now that July is here, the question from Condé Nast Traveler readers who've been thinking about Europe this summer but haven't quite made their plans yet is: Is it too late to snag a cheap summer fare? And the answer is:  No. According to FareCompare.com CEO Rick Seaney, another must-follow travel expert on Twitter, it's still very possible to get airfare to Europe this summer for half what you would have paid last summer.

A few examples of current fare deals, from Rick's must-read Travel Deals blog:

$523 roundtrip (including all taxes) from New York to Shannon, Ireland

$579 roundtrip (including all taxes) from Los Angeles to Dublin, Ireland

$548 roundtrip (including all taxes) from Chicago to Stockholm, Sweden

The four European countries that are cheapest to fly to right now, Rick says, are Ireland, Spain, Germany, and Switzerland. To find an affordable flight from the city where you live, go to farecompare.com/dealfinder, which does the hunting and pecking for you. Type in your city of residence and your destination, and the program does 180 searches--30 different departure days combined with 6 different lengths of stay--in less than a minute.

Bon voyage! And look out for our special section on European travel deals in the upcoming August issue of Conde Nast Traveler.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

An email from JetBlue just landed in my in-box promising airfare sales for flights going to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Mexico.

The site advertises $29 one-way flights from Ft. Lauderdale to Cancun, for example. I test-booked it and found that, with taxes and fees, it's $134 round-trip. More than $29 each way, but still a good deal. Another example: Ft. Lauderdale to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for $247 round-trip (including taxes and fees). Seats are going fast--I can't find any more cheap Boston-to-Bermuda flights--so act now if you are in need of some sand and sun.

Book by: June 26, 2009
For travel from: July 14 through October 6, 2009

Look at that legroom! And the fares in Open Skies' Biz Seat class are a steal.

by Katherine Hottinger on Travel Deals

It's a good thing we can always rely on business travel expert Joe Brancatelli of Joe Sent Me to keep us informed of late-breaking biz-class airfare sales. The column he'll be publishing tonight is no exception. In "Open Skies: A Year Later, Business-Class Bargains Keep Coming," Joe outlines how British Airways' current financial woes can work to your advantage. The airline lost half a billion dollars last year, and part of the company's belt tightening is limiting Open Skies, its year-old all-business-class boutique carrier, to just two routes: New York-Paris and New York-Amsterdam.

The prices on those routes, though, are the good news. Book by the end of this month and you could fly in Biz Seat--which offers wide, plush seats and 52 inches of legroom--from J.F.K. to Amsterdam for $1,045 round-trip or from J.F.K. to Paris for $1,213 round-trip (including taxes and fees).

Book by: June 30 on Open Skies Web page announcing the Special Birthday Fare.

To read Joe's full article, you must be a member of JoeSentMe.com. Wendy's told you before why the $49 annual fee is well worth it.

Yeah, we know the photo's a little cheesy, but we like it! Finnair crew members, pictured here at the site of the 1964 New York World's Fair, dressed in retro 1969 staff uniforms last Friday.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

To celebrate its 40th anniversary of uninterrupted service between the United States and Finland, Finnair is offering nonstop flights between New York and Helsinki for $477 round-trip (including all taxes and fees). Believe it or not, this is less than what you would have paid back in 1969.

We found limited availability of seats on sale in June, but there are still a good number open on flights from July through October. And here's a fun fact: When this flight launched on May 15, 1969, the aircraft touched down at JFK some 13 hours after leaving Helsinki. Today, you can get from the city by the Baltic Sea to JFK in just 8 hours and 40 minutes.

Book by: This Sunday, May 24.

For travel from: May 31 to October 31, 2009.

Condé Nast Traveler approved: Senior Aviation Correspondent Barbara S. Peterson says that this is such a steal, she might just book a flight herself.

A peek at the JoeSentMe.com landing page.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

If you want to take advantage of the phenomenal business-class airfare sales this summer, today's column by business travel expert Joe Brancatelli of Joe Sent Me is a must-read. In "Have I Got Some Sale Fares for You," Joe scrutinizes the various deals on offer, airline by airline, with prices and restrictions all mapped out.

"These sales make sense for us," Joe writes to his audience of road warriors. "Airlines slash--and by slash, I'm talking upwards of 80 percent--their business-class fares at the exact moment we want to take a holiday in style and comfort. And despite the drastically lower price, we almost always get the standard on-the-ground business-class perks: lounge access, bonus miles and lots of credit toward elite status. Summer business-class sales also work for airlines: They fill empty business-class seats with paying passengers on holiday who would otherwise be sitting in coach. That, in turn, frees up additional coach seats that they can sell at their inflated summer economy-class prices."

As Joe points out, however, some deals are much better than others: "Given the fact that business-class travel generally has tumbled about 20 percent since last year, some of the sale prices aren't quite as sharp as they could be. And the nascent Asia summer sales are, in some cases, wildly overpriced and borderline insulting in this economy."

Lucky for us, Joe separates the real deals from the raw deals. Among the better transatlantic offers:

* American Airlines: one-way from JFK to Zurich for $899; $999 from JFK to Paris or Rome; $1,099 from Boston to Frankfurt; and $1,399 from Los Angeles to Madrid.
* Open Skies: Two beds for the price of one from New York to Paris or Amsterdam. Which means two lie-flat seats between JFK and Amsterdam cost only $3,400 roundtrip.

And among the transpacific sales:

* Air New Zealand for as little as $5,380 roundtrip from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington or Queenstown.
* United Airlines to Sydney and Melbourne for $2,457 one-way from Los Angeles or San Francisco; $2,367 from Seattle; $2,444 from Chicago; and $2,457 from New York.

You need to be a member of JoeSentMe.com to read the full article. Wendy says the $49 annual membership fee is a bargain, considering the thousands of dollars you can save by booking just a single seat on one of these flights, not to mention all the "Steals and Deals" that Joe thoroughly vets each week. Wendy reads them religiously. Now I do, too.

A beach on Rangiroa, Tahiti. Image courtesy of concierge.com.

by Kathryn Maier on Travel Deals

We're seeing plenty of great Tahiti deals these days. The latest is an airfare sale from Air Tahiti Nui: Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Papeete, Tahiti, for $858 per person, including taxes. These flights would ordinarily cost upwards of $1,400. 

Book by: May 11
For travel between: August 12 and December 10, 2009
The catch: Seats are available, but the availability is limited, so it's best if you have some flexibility in your travel dates.

Tip: If you're booking flights only, book them through the airline. If you want an entire trip, hotels included, talk to Kleon Howe, the French Polynesia specialist in Wendy's Rolodex of the world's best travel agents. He can get the same airfare as above and incorporate the other great deals on offer from the islands' hotels and resorts.

by Julia Bainbridge on Travel Deals

We've had to put up with sky-high airfares to Asia for the past few years but now, lo and behold, it looks like this summer will bring some relief to transpacific premium-class fliers.

The welcome news came to Wendy via her favorite business travel guru, Joe Brancatelli of Joe Sent Me, who susses out the best business-class bargains for his site's Steals and Deals section. Joe says that Continental's BusinessFirst nonstop fare sale from its New York City hub (Newark) to four cities in Asia--Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo--is, on a cent-per-mile basis, every bit as good as the steep business-class fare sales to Europe we're seeing for this summer.

We did a little testing and found the following nonstop round-trip BusinessFirst fares on offer, all including tax:

Newark to Beijing: $3,096

Newark to Hong Kong: $3,288

Newark to Shanghai: $3,188

Newark to Tokyo: $3,296

These flights normally cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. And by the way, our readers ranked Continental's BusinessFirst one of the top ten business-class cabins on transpacific routes in Condé Nast Traveler's 2007 Business Travel Awards. (It did not rank in the top ten in our 2008 awards.)

For travel from: June 3 to August 16, 2009, with a maximum stay of 30 days and a minimum stay of 8 days.