Getting cheap flights

A world cruise is delightful, only unpack once, but we still need to get to the start of the cruise (San Francisco), and back from the end of the cruise (Southampton, England). With applications on the web like Expedia, one would think that comparison shopping for airline tickets would be easy. However, in looking for a cheap flight to San Francisco, Expedia missed half-cost fares offered by Virgin American. (A week later it found them, although I don't understand the time delay). Likewise, British Air one-way tickets were quite expensive, but a round trip (even if you don't use both legs) was cheaper than one-way. Perhaps it's time to rely on a good travel agent. 

A preview of the ship

We will be sailing on the Queen Elizabeth. We spent two weeks on this ship when we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in August 2011. That trip was a tour of the Baltic. As a result, we know our way around the ship. Here are some views of the central core which contains shops, a library, card room, a French restaurant, and lots of stairs.

By now we have our flights booked, and advanced reservations for the side trips we are taking. The most expensive trip will be an overland excursion off the ship to see the Taj Mahal. We'll fly from Mumbai to Delhi, and then drive to Agra for two nights.

It will be early April before we are in India. Lots to see and do before then. We'll keep you posted.

This February in 2012 we will sail from San Francisco - the start of a world cruise. We will share our adventures along with what we see and learn. But first we have to deal with the preparations - so that we can spend 90 days somewhat disconnected form family, friends, bills, and mail. At the moment we are selecting side-trips. We are trying to pace our trip so that we are not too exhaused to enjoy all that the the cruise has to offer. If you are interested, you can follow along with us.