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Tagged With "spain"

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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Former Member ·
Wow ! That is a good deal. I need to drill down through those redeem mileage programs and see what I can learn. Thanks for this valuable lesson.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Paul Heymont ·
Thanks for pointing this out! By the way, it is also possible to take a free stopover on the international end. For example, a couple of years ago, we flew from NYC to Copenhagen (the routing) but with a week stopover in Stockholm along the way. We've used that kind of routing a number of times. Adding to your point about Britain: Many of AA's European cities are actually served by their closely-tied partners, British Air and Iberia. With a little persistence, you can find flights that don't...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

PortMoresby ·
So, PHeymont, when you stopped for the week in Stockholm which airline was it and what fees were you charged for the stopover? You mention Madrid. Presumably that was a different trip, so same questions on that one. Also, can these stopovers be scheduled on the AA website or must you speak to an AAdvantage customer service person and pay the ($25?) fee?
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

WorkerBee ·
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: .... can these stopovers be scheduled on the AA website or must you speak to an AAdvantage customer service person and pay the ($25?) fee? I scheduled my flights using the website. When you go to the AAdvantage booking site there are three choices: round-trip, one-way and multi-city. When you choose your flights you see boxes showing the number of miles per leg. The leg between Dallas and San Francisco showed no miles. There was also some kind of comment to...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Paul Heymont ·
Similar to WorkerBee's experience, I've done these bookings using the Multi-City function, which allows you to specify a date for each segment. It didn't require assistance. Actually I've never had to pay a fee for help when booking something that could not be done on line, but who knows these days. I've done these stopover trips a number of times (NY-Budapest/open jaw/Prague-London w/stopover and then back to NY, etc.) The AAdvantage desk agents, by the way, are some of their best and can...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

PortMoresby ·
All potentially very useful information. Many thanks, Gurus.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Paul Heymont ·
All things to be watched closely, by the way; by January the new AA will start rolling out updated program rules and procedures for what will be a merged program. We'll need to watch closely to see what changes!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Paul Heymont ·
WorkerBee, how long will you be in Spain, and when? We're going for 8 days (not counting the travel days) in February. We'll be in Seville, Cordoba and Granada. Gumbo fans would love to hear how your trip is going and to see pictures along the way!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

WorkerBee ·
I will be there about a month, from February 12 to March 12. I will be in Madrid for a few days after I arrive and then off to Girona and environs for a few weeks. I may wander into southeast France for a few days as well before I return to Madrid for a couple of days before I fly out.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Paul Heymont ·
I envy your trip! We'll overlap in time, but not in place. If you do add France to the itinerary, you might want to look into the new TGV service from Barcelona to Paris that starts this month. I'm not sure of its route as it leaves Spain, but it might go where you want to!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

WorkerBee ·
Originally Posted by PHeymont: I envy your trip! We'll overlap in time, but not in place. If you do add France to the itinerary, you might want to look into the new TGV service from Barcelona to Paris that starts this month. I'm not sure of its route as it leaves Spain, but it might go where you want to! For some time the AVE has run from Madrid to Figueres which is north of Barcelona and Girona. The TGV has been running from Figueres to Paris for some time as well. I'm told that it takes...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

WorkerBee ·
It required 40,000 miles for a round-trip economy ticket. All were in-seat miles and all were from a few years ago.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

DrFumblefinger ·
Now I know why your handle is WorkerBee. Persistence and hard work get the job done! Well Done!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Paul Heymont ·
Originally Posted by WorkerBee: It required 40,000 miles for a round-trip economy ticket. All were in-seat miles and all were from a few years ago. That's one of the things I like about AA...aside from the one-way awards. When everyone else was 50K to Europe, they were 40K offpeak and 60 peak. Now everyone else is 60K peak, and AA still has the winter bargains. Hope it lasts!
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

GarryRF ·
Wonderful piece of planning WorkerBee ! Missing off London to avoid the $18 Departure Tax for Spain seems a bit severe. I presume your return journey is more direct.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Former Member ·
$ 18 ? I am puzzled by this. When I have taken flights from London to the US, the tax has been more like $ 150 - $ 200. It was worth it to spend time in London, of course. Still, it was not a small amount.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

GarryRF ·
The UK departure tax is "Banded" into distances and economy / regular / 1st class. London - Spain is only a short distance.
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Paul Heymont ·
Well, but if Spain is the destination, passing up UK makes sense. On the other hand, APD leads to calculations such as Flying NYC-LON-Continental Europe: No problem; as long as your time in UK is less than 24 hours, you are a transit passenger and don't pay APD. Flying Continential Europe-LON-NYC: Not so good; you pay the APD on the trans-Atlantic leg, and that's high. The other issue with this is not APD at all; flying to the Continent through Madrid or Barcelona tends to be cheaper because...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Former Member ·
Garry RF and PHeymont - Thank you very much for the information. In this case, APD is not incurred - Flying NYC-LON-Continental Europe: No problem; as long as your time in UK is less than 24 hours, you are a transit passenger and don't pay APD. In this case, there is an APD, even if the transit is less than 24 hours ? - Flying Continential Europe-LON-NYC: Not so good; you pay the APD on the trans-Atlantic leg, and that's high. Concerning the third item, this explains why Worker Bee had a...
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Re: I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

Paul Heymont ·
I'm not sure on your question about WB's trip, because it depends on routing. From NY, AA most often uses their own seats for the ocean hop, but does use some BA seats from Newark. Other cities...not sure how many BA seats used in that direction. And sometimes it's a matter of class. For instance, last year flying home from Paris, there were AA seats in business class available non-stop, but economy was only available on BA Orly-London-Newark.
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Paul Heymont ·
Your budget will take you WAY farther in Portugal than in Spain, although with care you can do well in Spain as well. Portugal, and especially Lisbon, is the home of filling delicious meals in every neighborhood for 5-7€ which lets you spend a bit more on frills and excitement. You might think of something like a week or so based in Lisbon, a few days in Porto and then...if the budget stretches...a budget flight to a last few days in Barcelona (or other city of your choice with US-bound flights.
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Travel Luver ·
Thank you, PHeymont, that's helpful. I've always wanted to see Lisbon and Barcelona, and your plan makes sense. Is there a specific guidebook you'd recommend?
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Paul Heymont ·
Usually these days I put together a "trip book" with articles and information from a lot of sources, but I also usually take along one full-scale guidebook as well. I'd be hard-put to make a recommendation for Portugal, because for that one I decided to overcome my feelings and give Rick Steves a try...and it was nearly useless. No special information, a smug tone, and maps that were too sketchy to be useful. In general, I've liked the Frommer guides (and I'm excited that the new ones will...
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Travel Luver ·
That's very helpful. I'll give them a look and see what I find that suites me. Also, for getting around Portugal and spain, should I take the train? Bus? local planes? Any idea which works best (cost and efficiency both matter, but so does easy connections)
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Paul Heymont ·
Portugal's rail system feels a bit worn in places, and some trains look terrible from outside...but the interiors are clean and the system seems to work. Not a terribly large country, so that time between the two largest cities (Lisbon and Porto) is about 3.5 hours. If you add in getting to the airport early and getting in from the airport at the other end, it's probably faster than flying. Other significant points in Portugal also have reasonable rail service, including Coimbra, the...
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Travel Luver ·
I just visited www.seat61.com and it seems a fabulous website for travelers wanting to catch trains in Europe! So many tips and price comparisons!! And thanks for your info on trains. I think I'll take them even if they're a little beat up looking, LOL You been wonderful with all your help, PHeymont! I might have more questions later. Do you keep an eye on these posts? How does that work? What's the best way for me to get in touch with you if I have more questions?
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Re: Spain or Portugal?

Paul Heymont ·
Right here on Travel Gumbo is a great way to keep in touch. The Gumbo Gurus keep a close eye on our site, and asking here also involves the whole community and all their knowledge.
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Spain or Portugal?

Travel Luver ·
Hi!  I've got a two week vacation coming up in a few months, and have always wanted to visit Spain and Portugal.  How might I get the best out my time?  Should I do Spain only?  Portugal only?  A combination of the two? ...
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I get to Boomerang to Spain ! Cheap !

WorkerBee ·
I am traveling Spring 2014 from the US to Spain. I wanted to use my American Airlines frequent flier (AAdvantage) miles to best advantage, so to speak. I learned that it is possible to incorporate free domestic layovers into my journey. As I have family in Dallas, that intrigued me. AA's website showed available flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Madrid (MAD) that connect through Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, New York or Miami. AAdvantage rules require that the layover stops must be on...
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Are you up for Spain's most deadly hike!?

DrFumblefinger ·
I enjoy a nice hike, but I don't like hikes that scare me.... so this one isn't for me. I recently read about Spain's most dangerous hike . High in the Andalusian Mountains, el Caminito del Rey. The path zigzags over the Garganta del Chorro gorge, hugging the precipitous cliff face 350-feet above the Guadalhorce River that carved out the narrow stone corridor. What's the hike like? Check out these sample images, courtesy iExplore.com. Click on the above link to see and learn more, in case...
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Free Guides for Spain & SW France

PortMoresby ·
I've just become aware of a series of regional & city guides for Spain & SW France, called Maribel's Guides for the Sophisticated Traveler. They're available free online in PDF format, 16 of them, and look very interesting. And by the way, the thumbnail for the Bilbao guide is, guess what, the Frank Gehry-designed museum which, I have no doubt, Gumbo will be visiting. See another here .
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Traveling to Spain as a tourist

Rupu RC ·
You plan to travel to Spain as a tourist, you have spent time informing yourself with friends, reading on the Internet, you have heard so many things that you do not know what to believe, while some comments give you confidence and you think you are prepared, others make you doubt. If even the officials themselves argue and travelers with similar stories give you different opinions, how do you know who is right? For you to clarify, I will return to 15 points that lend themselves to...
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