The major cost of most trips to the tropics is the airfare. A good way to get the cheapest fares – on the best airlines – is to start searching several months before your trip. Flexibility also helps. We started planning our 2016 trip back in October 2015. We had several promising itineraries:
- The Caribbean, taking a relocation cruise back to Europe
- The Seychelles (from Rome returning to Paris)
- South Africa (via Dublin).
- South India (via Istanbul and Edinbugh).
We researched each of these primary destinations in search of the best flights on offer. By best, we don’t necessarily mean the cheapest: There are some good deals with Air Seychelles, but you’ll get what you pay for. Check out the The World’s Top 100 Airlines and you’ll find Air Seychelles way down below position 60. For long distances, we’re looking for an airline at least in the top 20, and ideally in the top 5.
This was how we stumbled upon what looked like a great deal with Turkish Airlines (currently No. 4 in the world, ahead of Emirates at No. 5).
After trying multiple dates and city combinations on their website, we assembled a rich itinerary for a visit to India, as follows:
- Rome – Istanbul
- Istanbul – Mumbai
- Mumbai – Edinburgh
This itinerary would span 31 days, primarily in India, but including 3 short city stays in Rome, Istanbul and Edinburgh. Not bad for just €457 per person… and with the No.3 airline in the world. We booked the flight in late 2015, 4 months before the departure date.
Once this flight was booked there was no going back: the trip became a reality. The flight schedule provided the framework for the rest of the trip: Everything else had to be planned and coordinated accordingly.
Canacona – Palolem Beach
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