Vayama Travel Blog

I love to travel in Europe in the fall:  the foliage starts to turn, leaves start to fall and airfares  begin to fall after peaking during the summer. Savvy travelers have known that in the fall you can get a lot of Air plus Rail deals to destinations in Europe for less,  with the added bonus of some quite spectacular views from the train into Europe’s “Legends of the fall” destinations like Provence & Occitania.

A Train to Provence:

My airfare spies have just informed me about a new hot airfare plus rail deal: Fly from New York to Paris on Continental Airlines plus the train from Paris to Avignon, the medieval heart of Provence.

The Fare includes the flight from New York to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Continental Airlines and the train from Charles de Gaulle to Avignon. The return is by train from Avignon to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and then Air on Continental Airlines from Paris Charles de Gaulle to New York, all from $555 plus tax including rail and air.

I had been dreaming of Provence since reading “A year in Provence” last summer, but was afraid to ask for the price, so when I heard that vayama.com was offering a discounted international airfare plus rail trip from New York to Provence I made up my mind to grab this dream European trip to admire the fall foliage among the Medieval Castles and Roman Ruins of Provence.

The Easier way to save this fall: connect from plane to train inside Charles de Gaulle Airport and ride to Medieval Avignon at TGV speeds while you sit back, relax and admire the fall foliage. Simply book New York to Avignon flight on the vayama.com website to see your air plus rail itinerary in seconds (The Train to Avignon does not run on Thursdays).

Now You try it: Use the vayama.com airfare to grab the falling fall airfares and combine them with speed trains within Europe for surprisingly low air plus rail trips in the fall.  You will be surprised at the territory you can cover for less: cities you can visit for around the same low air plus rail fares: Calais, Lille, Brussels, Amsterdam, Bruges, Disneyland Paris, Nantes, Nimes, Toulouse and many more.  And remember, you don’t see the real Europe by flying over it, get on the train & save.

Palais des Papes, Avignon.

Often voted the most expensive city in the world:  Tokyo can still be enjoyed on the cheap. We show you how to make the most out of your international travel deals.

Save on your Airfare to get there: Tokyo

I found a great international travel deal from San Francisco to Tokyo from $549 ($680 w tax) on vayama.com departing September 15 for one week.

Save once you get there: Tokyo, my  Top 5 saving tips.

1-Get a Tokyo Metro Card (cheapest way to get in from the airport and around Tokyo)

2- Stay at a budget traditional Ryokan Inn from $50 -$80 USD per night.

3- Visit the Tsukiji fish market (free) & hire a Free Tokyo Guide (free).

4- Eat and drink in traditional Yakitori restaurants with the locals,  cheap!

5- Tokyo’s Ginza District becomes pedestrian only on Sundays: visit the Sony building for the latest gadgets on display and get free tourist information and brochures for more free museums like the Toyota and the Panasonic showrooms from the Japanese tourist board, free! Ginza is 24 action and its great for people watching.

Go local for cheap & good eats.

Send us your Frugal Tokyo Travel Tips and we will post the best!

Next week: London, Paris, Rome & Moscow on the cheap.

Peak summer in Europe is upon us, this is the time of the year when most airlines are already sold out and all tickets to Europe will cost through the roof, right? Not if you are a savvy traveler and know the secrets of coping with high season: Avoid the main gateways,  and do what the locals do.

Fly to Europe Through the Side door:

If the queue to fly into Europe’s front door is crowded due to high season, then use the side door! We used the vayama.com booking engine to score some sweet peak summer airfare deals into all our favorite European countries, simply by avoiding the traditional main gateways.

Second Cities Try Harder:

I love flying into secondary cities, not only you avoid the mad rush of the main gateways, you are pleasantly surprised at the faster immigration times, friendlier locals and of course: lower airfares.

Second Cities are more fun:

Second cities make their living from tourism; they are, after all, where the local people go on vacation; you will find quaint villages, good rustic local restaurants and natural wonders galore, without the crazy bustle of a mayor Metropolis.

Side Doors of Europe: Cheapest flights to secondary cities.

Here are some hot airfares we scored for August into second cities that were at least half the price of the closest main gateway using the vayama.com booking engine.

Berlin: Washington to Berlin, Instead of Frankfurt or Munich, fares from $239 plus tax.

Venice: Chicago to Venice Instead of Milan or Rome, fares from $242 plus tax.

Hamburg: Chicago to Hamburg, instead of Frankfurt, fares from $248 plus tax.

Dusseldorf: New York to Dusseldorf, instead of Munich from $239 plus tax.

Marseille: New York to Marseille, instead of Paris from $313 plus tax.

Stuttgart: New York to Stuttgart instead of Munich from $316 plus tax.

Shannon: Newark to Shannon, instead of Dublin, from $550 plus tax.

Edinburgh: Newark to Edinburgh, instead of London, from $549 plus tax.

Now you try it: Play around with secondary cities and save a bundle this August.

Let us know how many side doors you could find. Happy Travels.

By Florin R. Ferrs

International Airfare Specialist.