QUESTION: Three friends and I are planning a trip to Europe, starting mid-September, for three weeks !

o "ou ha#e an" thoughts as to how far in ad#an$e flight and $ar reser#ations should be made% Someone mentioned &' da"s for flights (" fear is ha#ing fewer options and getting stu$k with a long la"o#er in Newark or where#er )e will be dri#ing from *msterdam to +russels, ,aris, southern -erman", .ienna, +erlin, ba$k to *msterdam

-- /ud", (a"field 0eights

*NS)E1: Unfortunatel", "ou2re not likel" to find man" bargain fares to Europe this summer, a$$ording to tra#el e3perts 0igh-season fares to the $ontinent will easil" e3$eed 45,677 per ti$ket, espe$iall" to the most popular destinations 89ondon, ,aris, 1ome: +ut there are wa"s to s;uee<e some sa#ings out of the airfare portion of "our trip

=irst, be fle3ible about "our departure: The later "ou lea#e in the summer, the bigger "our sa#ings should be +" mid-September, the high fares of /ul" should be down b" a $ouple hundred dollars *lso, "ou2ll sa#e mone" if "ou fl" midweek, rather than on the weekend >onsider, too, fl"ing out of !etroit, a !elta hub, with se#eral dail" nonstops to *msterdam 8though when I $he$ked fares re$entl", the" were no $heaper than tra#el from >le#eland:

*s for when to book% *d#i$e is all a$ross the board That &'-da" figure "ou referen$e $ame from tra#el site >heap*ir $om, whi$h anal"<ed thousands of fares in 675? and $ame up with the best time to bu" +ut it applies onl" to domesti$ fares @ airfare to Europe is another matter entirel" Its anal"sis of fares to Europe last summer found that the lowest fares were snat$hed ?5A da"s ahead of departure *lmost a "ear aheadB 8See more here: http:CCwesthill$onsulting infoC :

In an" $ase, the best uni#ersal pie$e of ad#i$e seems to be: Start in#estigating fares as soon as "ou know "ou2re going, so "ou2ll know when "ou see a deal *nd when "ou do, be prepared to grab it In addition, sign up for email alerts and follow Twitter feeds from fa#orite airlines and websites 8airfarewat$hdog $om, fare$ompare $om, $heapair $om: to be alerted to pri$e drops when the" happen

1enting a $ar is less $ompli$ated be$ause "ou2re t"pi$all" able to $hange or $an$el "our reser#ation with no penalt", up to a few da"s before "our trip So shop around now @ and if the pri$e drops, $hange "our reser#ation

* $ouple of wa"s to keep "our rental pri$e down in Europe: +rush up on "our sti$k-shift skills and $hoose a manual transmission $ar, whi$h is almost alwa"s $heaper than an automati$ 84?7 a da" for an automati$ $ompa$t, at one rental site, #ersus 46? for the manual:

Dou $an also almost alwa"s sa#e mone" b" renting the $ar awa" from the airport ,i$king up a $ar in downtown *msterdam, howe#er, ma" not be the wisest mo#e @ and "ou probabl" don2t need it while "ou2re in the $it" * better bet might be to find an eas"-to-rea$h rental lo$ation awa" from the $entral $it", a$$essible #ia publi$ transportation and near a highwa" that2ll take "ou to "our ne3t destination

One final thought: Dour trip seems $ompli$ated enough that it might help to get the ad#i$e of a tra#el agent who spe$iali<es in Europe One wa" to find su$h an agent: >he$k out tra#elsense org, the $onsumer website for the *meri$an So$iet" of Tra#el *gents, whi$h allows "ou to sear$h for an agent b" spe$ialt"

Tips for the 1oad is a new ;uestion and answer $olumn b" ,lain !ealer tra#el writer Susan -laser Questions $an be emailed to sglaserEplaind $om or mailed to her at The ,lain !ealer, 5FF7 )est Se$ond St , Suite 677, >le#eland, ''55? ,lease note that >hristopher Elliott, who writes the weekl" Tra#el Troubleshooter $olumn in The ,lain !ealer, is the best sour$e for $onsumer-oriented problems with a tra#el pro#ider

1elated Sites: http:CCwww shelfari $omCgroupsC57?G7&Cdis$ussionsC'A6F7FC)esthill->onsulting-T1*.E9-TOU1S-IN>-/akartaIndonesia-Spe$ial-, http:CCwesthill$onsultingtra#el-tour blogspot $omC