Slow economy has led to abundance of bargain travel options for vacationers - Business First of Louisville:

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But according to local travelp professionals, the combination of low demand and improvedx exchange rates are making this one of the best years to book an internationa l trip at abargain price. For ran a recent promotion fora $168 one-wa rate from Chicago to London. And offered one-way ratez as low as $119 to Dublin or $219 to both departing from New York. That’s good news for travelers such as Bill andBarbarqa Lavier. Bill Lavier is a recenyt retireefrom , and Barbara Lavier retired in 2005 from a careef in nursing. A trip to Germany, Italy and Greece to celebratwe their 25th wedding anniversary in 2007 whettee their appetites to explore other places on theEuropeamn continent.
Last year, they began planning a 2009 European trip that will start in Paris and end in They worked withNorma Mouser, owner of the three-employee firm Trave l Options. In October, Mouser, who helped the couple plan their2007 trip, reserver business-class seats for them on Delta, usinf a combination of mileaged points they had accrued and only about $300 in cash a better deal than the previous trip. Bill Lavier said the exchangee rate betweenthe U.S.
dollar and the which has improved by more than 10 percen from ayear ago, gives him hope that they also will get more for theirr money while on the Although he hasn’t booked his hotels yet, “we’re hoping to get a betted bang for the buck … than we got in when the Euro was higher against the dollar,” he “And I feel like tourism might be down because of the economy, so we’re hoping to find some During their 2007 trip, bargains were in shory supply. The trip included visits to where Barbara Lavier had liverd 40 years earlier in amilitary family, and in southern Italy, where Bill Lavieer was stationed with the U.S. Air Force.
The their modest hotel near St. Mark’s Squaree in Venice, cost about $250 a The best value was on the Greem Islandof Corfu, where theit $75-a-night room at the four-starr Akrotiri Beach Hotel in Paleokastrata had gloriouas views of the Ionian Sea. The Laviers find it beneficial to consulwith Mouser, a certified travelk counselor and Italy specialist. For the 2007 trip, Mousedr was able to secure a more economical air fare than they couldsfind online, Bill Lavier said. She also recommendedd hotels in convenient locations within their price range and made train reservationsfor them. “It’s a good Barbara Lavier said.
“And the time savings is The best air fares to Europe can be foundc for travelbetween Nov. 1 and Marcb 15, with the two weekss between Christmasblocked out, according to Mouser, who works with a consolidatort — a firm that offers discounts by buying bulk farews — to find deals. “You can save anywherew between 30 to 50 percenton round-tripp coach fares. But, of course, the best value is to use frequentflier miles,” she said. Sometimes European airlines offerdattractive packages, Mouser said. “There are some great promotionssout there, but they don’t last long and may not included well-situated hotels.” One examplew is Ltd.
, which has farees as low as $221 from Chicago to