Planning a trip to Europe

[albaker]

Why not fly to Cork with KLM & Aer Lingus change planes in Amsterdam , then book your European regional flights on low cost airlines , such as Ryan Air , Easy Jet etc. returning to Amsterdam which is a stopover from Bangkok on your main flight to pickup your homeward flight .
The advantage of this arrangement is that sometimes one way fares are offered at a low rate but returning on same route can be 3/4 times of outward leg , see this a lot here in UK " special fares only X amount " check for a return fare and it blows your mind ( being polite )
Be aware as some have already posted that Ryan Air lists arrival airports as cities but they are some way from the city listed !

[barrys]

... I wouldn't book seven months in advance as many airlines will just quote the standard fare at that point, I normally find that between two and six weeks ahead to be the best time for discounts ...

Thanks for that SteveG - sounds logical but I'm sure I'll have to have tickets before that or at least reservations so as my gf can get her visas.

@ albaker - thanks a lot for the tip about Amsterdam! Makes sense except that the last stop on our holiday is half-way between Stuttgart and Munich, so to get to Amsterdam from there would swallow up any savings we'd make, plus we'd lose time.

I was looking at booking through Bravolfly, who offer about the cheapest fairs.
For 2000 baht per ticket extra, they say they also offer the following "insurance"



Would you like to guarantee the complete refund of your tickets in case you cannot leave?

Purchase NOPROBLEM now, an exclusive and preferential assistance, which includes:

- Fast Lane preferential assistance, which means:

You can either contact us on a special number at the cost of a standard local call or email us at a special address in order to get top priority. This service is available 7 days a week.
No agency fees in case you want to change your reservation.

- EuropAssistance insurance policy:

Ticket refund if you need to cancel your flight because of illness or injury (you are only required to send your medical certificate).
Protection for your baggage and personal belongings if they are stolen, lost or damaged.
Transfer assured to and from the airport; you are covered in the case you must fly back home or extend your stay because of medical reasons; medical assistance.


Does that sound like a good deal?

[Big Boy]

Barry,

Don't look at what the insurance offers - please check the exclusions. I've fallen foul of what I thought was a very good deal because I only looked at the benefits. The exclusions basically offered incredible health insurance unless you were ill. I was lucky, and had to pay Thai prices for my wife - Europe may be a different proposition.

[bsdk1960]

We know a thai lady and her girl who just come back from UK to visit the boyfriend and father,and they had to change their flight 3 times because the visa was not ready,not sure about they have to get the ticket before they applied for the visa but will try find out.If you have to change the ticket some of the cheap ticket can end up very expensive,so I would check with the embassy.
I know you live here so maybee its more difficult.
In Dk they advice you not to buy ticket before you get the visa,which is not easy at all if you come from thailand, better claim youre a refugee and we wellcome you with open arms

[barrys]

..... The thing I remember most is the huge blond haired Helga constantly walking up and down the aisle offering freeflow wine....

Thanks for that BB:


Now that sounds just like my kinda airline

[barrys]

An update on progress so far:

I've now checked all the flight offers online and once you get past skyscanner and they direct you to the seller, e.g. bravo, the prices rise by over 10o0 baht/ticket generally, plus there's no guarantee of refunds etc. and it's not possible to talk to anyone.

So I went to Western Tours in HH and checked with them.
They found me the FinnAir flight from BKK to Munich on the Internet and came up with a price lower than I've seen anywhere on the Web and with no extra costs. The price was 27,650 baht p.p.
I've paid for the tickets and I can cancel up to 2 weeks before the light at a cost of 500 baht per ticket.
They also printed out a reservation confirmation for my gf to present to the Germany Embassy to support her visa application.

So far, so good..................... but

We've been informed by the German Embassy that she can apply for a visa at the earliest 3 months before the planned date of departure......

....but the Irish Consulate tells me that she has to have the Schengen Visa first and that the processing of the Irish Visa takes around 8 weeks (has to go to the Irish Embassy in Malaysia)...

... this could make it very tight timewise!!!

Any more tips out there of how get around this?