Europe: 9-day fly + drive trip in Italy

It seems like everybody I’ve talked to recently wants to vent about the high price of travel. Many friends are traveling within California this summer, but certainly not using the word “staycation.” So, what should you do if you don’t want to give up a trip to Europe? If Susan Spano’s Postcards From Rome have you day dreaming about good ol’ Italia, consider a package with Central Holidays. Their nine-day fly-and-drive vacation in Italy is a deal starting at $839 per person from Los Angeles. Is it too good to be true? I had to test it to find out.

Deal or no deal? The “Central Holidays Tuscany Fly and Drive Hot Deal” includes round-trip airfare to Florence or Pisa and a one-week Hertz rental car (Category C) starting at $839 from Los Angeles, and $889 from Chicago or $615 from New York. Prices are per person, pre-tax, based on two people traveling. The question was, how much would taxes jack up the price?

Tested: I used the Central Holidays website and found the package for $1,895 for two people traveling Sept. 23–Oct. 1. After taxes and a $10 shipping fee the price came to $2,818 for two people (Note: I had to subtract the $300 Travel Protection Plan). There was a stop in Frankfurt, Germany, on the way over and two stops (Munich, Germany, and Chicago) on the return trip.

Next, I tested the Orbitz flexible search and found that the flight alone on those dates would be $1,394 per person. I checked Farecast to double check and their rates were $1,211 per person for the airfare alone or $2,423 for two people including tax.

Finally I tested Hertz to see how much it would be to rent a car in Florence. The price came to €291 or $457. The result was that it came out nearly even whether you booked your fly-and-drive holiday with Central Holidays or on your own.

When: For travel Mondays through Thursdays Sept. 5 through Oct. 29, 2008, and Dec. 12-24, 2008.

Contact: Central Holidays, (800) 935-5000

— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal blogger

[Photo: Brilliant Sunset in Florence, Dana Pepper Bouton; Best of Your Scene Europe / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 6:18 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under Deals, Europe, Italy, Tours & Cruises. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.