Flights to Portugal are Locked In!

Since the deposit for the tour of Portugal was made several weeks ago I have been "trolling" the Delta website checking out airfare prices.

For me, there is a fine line between getting a ticket for the price I want with the flight times I want and if I can get Premier Voyager seats on AirFrance (a Delta partner) that's an even bigger bonus.  Of course I also have to consider my Sky Miles annual accural too!

I was finding Savannah to Lisbon round trip regular economy seats on AirFrance flights around $1200 but when I searched for Premier Voyager seats I was looking at about $2000 per ticket.  Which is "do-able" but slightly less would be even better.  Now, you may be saying why would I even consider Premier Voyager over regular economy?  Well, let me say although it is not business class, Air France Premier Voyager class is far above the Delta Economy Comfort product and I'm willing to pay a few hundred dollars more for a wider seat with more leg room and the opportunity to not be in a middle seat.

On a Wednesday afternoon I took a few minutes to check availability and I was rewarded with Air France flight times I could "live with" on days I could "deal with" for less than $1700 in Premier Voyager class.  I knonw $1700 is nothing to sneeze at, but this itinerary includes 6 flights in total (3 there and 3 back) and if I was simply looking at the base price of just over $1000 (just over $600 for taxes and fees), I don't think I'd be able to find another airfare that would be considerably less.  Well, at least that is what I like to think, and I WILL NOT, look at the prices on this route again (I promise!), in case I'm proven wrong.  :-)

So now, flights are booked for our May 2013 trip to Portugal.  Now I need to peruse bookstore shelves to find the perfect guides for pre-trip planning and you know, by bookstore I don't just mean a "bricks & mortar" store...there is a wealth of information right at my fingertips through my computer keyboard!

I love planning for a new trip!

A Return to Portugal in 2013!

How could I possibly get more than half way through a year and not have a trip planned for the next year?  Well, that had to be rectified...STAT!

A visit to Portugal 24 years ago, when I was a fresh-faced college student, on spring break left me with wonderful memories of a beautiful and friendly country.  When mom suggested a visit to this often overlooked European country I did not hesitate to say "Hell Yes"!  How could I say no to a country that produces vino verde and port wine!

This trip will be a journey back to my wanderlust beginnings and what better way to see Portugal than on a Rick Steves 2 week tour ( http://tours.ricksteves.com/tours/spain-portugal/portugal ).  Afterall, it was an entry in the 1989 Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door guidebook that opened my eyes to Portugal.

As a study abroad college junior in Montreaux, Switzerland I got it into my head that I really wanted to spend spring break in Spain and Portugal.   My research began with the Rick Steves guidebook (I wish I still had that copy, heck, it might have been worth something now!) and when I got to the section on Portugal, Lisbon, Sintra and Evora really jumped out at me.  Who knows why, maybe I thought it was exotic.  After reading the book I could not get the town of Evora out of my mind and my quest to visit there began. 

I remember my college days adventure to Portugal fondly, from the train ride through Spain to the arrival at one of the Lisbon train stations (at the time I had no idea the city had 3 stations!  I guess my research back then wasn't as detailed as now!) to the pensione I stayed at and the wonderfully delicious and inexpensive food...ahhhhh the memories!

So, as I booked the mid-May 2013 tour dates with Rick Steves, I smiled happily and felt fortunate to be able to plan another travel adventure!