Slow economy has led to abundance of bargain travel options for vacationers - San Francisco Business Times:

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But according to local travel the combination of low demand and improvede exchange rates are making this one of the best years to book an international trip at abargai price. For instance, ran a recent promotion for a $168 one-way rate from Chicago to And offered one-way rates as low as $119 to Dublim or $219 to Rome, both departingy from New York. That’s good news for travelers such as Bill andBarbarqa Lavier. Bill Lavier is a recent retireefrom , and Barbarw Lavier retired in 2005 from a career in nursing. A trip to Italy and Greece to celebrate their 25th weddiny anniversary in 2007 whetted their appetitews to explore other places on theEuropean continent.
Last they began planning a 2009 European trip that will start in Paris and endin Rome. They workex with Norma Mouser, owner of the three-employee firm Travelk Options. In October, who helped the couple plan their 2007 reserved business-class seats for them on using a combination of mileage points they had accrued and only about $300 in cash a better deal than the previouw trip. Bill Lavier said the exchange rate betweenthe U.S. dollart and the Euro, which has improved by more than 10 percenrt from ayear ago, gives him hope that they also will get more for theif money while on the trip.
Although he hasn’t bookedf his hotels yet, “we’rer hoping to get a better bang for the buck than we gotin 2007, when the Euro was higheer against the dollar,” he said. “Ands I feel like tourism might be down because of the so we’re hoping to find some bargains.” During their 2007 bargains were in short supply. The trip included visits to where Barbara Lavier had lived 40 years earlier in amilitary family, and in southern Italy, where Bill Lavier was stationede with the U.S. Air Force. The their modest hotel near St. Mark’s Square in cost about $250 a night.
The best value was on the Gree k Islandof Corfu, where theitr $75-a-night room at the four-staf Akrotiri Beach Hotel in Paleokastrata had glorious views of the Ioniajn Sea. The Laviers find it beneficiakl to consultwith Mouser, a certifie d travel counselor and Italy specialist. For the 2007 trip, Mouseer was able to secure a more economica air fare than they couldfind online, Bill Lavier said. She also recommended hotels in convenientg locations within their price range and made trainm reservationsfor them. “It’s a good partnership,” Barbara Laviee said. “And the time savingd is important.” The best air faress to Europe can be found for travelobetween Nov.
1 and Marcjh 15, with the two weekes between Christmasblocked out, according to Mouser, who works with a consolidator — a firm that offersw discounts by buying bulk fares — to find deals. “Yoyu can save anywhere between 30 to 50 percenton round-trip coach But, of course, the best valur is to use frequent flier she said. Sometimes European airline offerattractive packages, Mouser “There are some great promotions out but they don’t last long and may not includd well-situated hotels.” One example is Ltd.
, which has farex as low as $221 from Chicago to