Airfare down 40% since June – 24 month low.

$97 round-trip to Milan, Italy?! Just one of the crazy airfare sales so far in 2009.

Travelocity released figures today that might make you think twice about skipping a trip this year. According to research released today from the travel site, airfares across the board (yes, both domestically and internationally) are down on average a whopping 40 percent! This of course comes at a time when the economy is in utter turmoil worldwide. In the United States alone more than 2.6 million jobs were lost last year, the worst in more than six decades.

But this economic dark cloud has seen an odd silver lining for many Americans. While jobs were cut, the price of oil also dropped and with that came the resurgence of the U.S. dollar’s value. Yes I do not get it either. Take a look at the differences in exchange rates from one year ago and today involving America’s currency:

• 3/4/08: 1 British Pound=2.01 USD, 1 Euro=1.53 USD, 1 USD=2.32 Polish Zloty, 1 USD=1.01 Australian Dollar
• 3/4/09: 1 British Pound=1.42 USD, 1 Euro=1.26 USD, 1 USD=3.72 Polish Zloty, 1 USD=1.52Australian Dollar

Now on top of that news, comes the sales…oh the glorious sales! Yes since no one is spending money, the travel industry is hurting big time. Everything from air, hotel and cruises have gone down drastically in price and if you can afford to travel, now it most certainly the time. Airfares are at their lowest since post 9/11 days and when you see an airline advertise a sale, it is a sure-fire bet that the competition will match or beat it.  Here are a few examples of some fare differences between right now and a year ago. A round-trip NYC-San Francisco flight would put you back easily $350-$450 this time last year. Book it today and you will see fares throughout the spring for as low as $211-$250!

Same goes for international fares, last year if you were to fly round-trip from Newark to top European cities, it would cost roughly $500-$600. Now go online today and you will see pretty much all of Europe is on sale with jaw dropping prices. A few that stood out from my local airports in the New York area included Dublin ($315), Madrid ($370) and Berlin ($325). One fare out of Charlotte to London back in February was $250 round-trip with taxes and fees included!

I even reported on my site last month of an Insane Italy sale, in which the total round-trip fare was $387 from NYC to Rome or Milan (That was $97 for the tickets and $290 taxes/fees). Oh and let’s not forget Australia. The once super expensive destination is also on sale. Flights that were going for as much as $2,000 round-trip a year ago are now priced at $900!

Aer Lingus is offering great low fares to Nice, Krakow, Brussels & more.

Some of the best prices for European airfare currently is through Aer Lingus. They literally have all of the major European destinations at much lower prices than the competition. Even if you do not see your desired city, it is wise to book a flight to Dublin and then transfer on a low-cost European carrier. But be warned, these fares go up and down like yo-yos. I purchased round-trip tickets from NYC-Krakow for June 8th-June 30 at the unbelievably low price (as far as flying to Eastern Europe in the summer is concerned) of $730 with taxes/fees included. The competitors were all charging upwards of $1,200 for the same dates.

So I locked in my flight before the sale ended. Now in the past, before such odd economic times, I would have been safe and watched as my low fare crept slowly up and became much less affordable as my departure date approached. Well those days of book early and save seem to be long gone, for now at least. Because over this past weekend, one month after booking my flight, I saw my fare at $693! Say it isn’t so! Same goes for my April Toronto long weekend. I booked through American for $207, it is now $180. Ouch!

Now I never advise anyone looking to plan a big vacation to wait until the last second to book airline tickets, it is just too risky. But if you are looking at a long weekend in the summer, I would say wait it out and pay less later. If this recent trend in travel is any indicator, sales are going to get more extravagant and competition is going to get fierce.

Say it with me… “Good riddance Staycation!”

Movies that make you want to travel.

I am a travel junkie.

Seriously, I am.

I probably look at travel news, stories, deals and journals more than anything else during my weekly activities. It is an addiction and something that I may need to eventually get help for (is there a Traveler’s Anonymous?). In any event, while my travel bug is still active, let me say that one of the things that makes me want to log onto Kayak or Trip Advisor and book my next trip comes after watching certain movies.

If I see great scenery or a beautiful location, I then get online, check it out, research flight information, see if my airline miles can take me there and before you know it, I am walking the streets of Tuscany with a gelato in one hand and a limoncello in the other saying to myself, “Damn you Diane Lane, how am I going to afford this trip?!”

Here are some flicks you might want to add to your NetFlix or rent from your video store (do those still exist?):

In Bruges: This Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning 2008 film directed and written by Martin McDonagh stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two hit men hiding out in a small city in Belgium. Yes they are staying “In Bruges”, which is a small town outside of Brussels. The backdrop is perfect in my opinion yet Colin Farrell’s character hates this city. It is too cold, quiet and boring for him. His character prefers the excitement and energy of Paris and London. But his partner absolutely loves the quaint city and takes in a river cruise, snaps pics of his architecture and enjoys many of drinks at their local watering holes. If you can not have a good time in Belgium then something is seriously wrong with you. A place that is known for the best chocolate and beer on the planet? Perfect!

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Who wouldn’t want to spend a summer in Spain with the likes of Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson? This 2008 Golden Globe Award-winning/Academy Award-nominated film written and directed by Woody Allen is filmed in beautiful Barcelona and has not only a good storyline, but a lot of good looking people. I’m sold.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Based on the 1971 Hunter S. Thompson book, this film starring Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro is such a great flick. Depp and del Toro’s interaction throughout the film make for one hell of a ride to Sin City. A movie with so many desert scenes was never so entertaining. Highly recommend. But read the book first.

Under the Tuscan Sun: While this one is a “Uber-chick flick”, I could not turn away while my wife watched it. The Italian backdrop was perfetto. Definitely check it out with your wife or girlfriend. If you are a single male then rent it, lower the blinds and cuddle up on the couch with your kitty. It’s ok, you are confident in your masculinity.

A Good Year: Set in both London, England and stunningly romantic Provence, France. This 2006 romantic comedy starring Russell Crowe seriously was not the best movie I have seen in recent years, but the location of Provence was good enough to keep me watching through to the end.

Bourne Trilogy: Yes, all three of the Bourne movies, while fast paced and fun to watch in my opinion, also make you want to jaunt to Europe ASAP. Some of the locations used in these great movies include Prague, Paris, Imperia, Rome, Mykonos, Zürich, Tangier, London, Paris, Madrid (as itself and double for Turin) and Berlin (as double for Moscow). Even New York City is used in this movie. That is some serious traveling Mr. Damon.

Once: Set in Dublin, this drama stars musicians Glen Hansard (of popular Irish rock band The Frames) and Markéta Irglová as struggling musicians. I personally found this movie to be entertaining from beginning to end. Plus being Irish and visiting Dublin many times sure did give it extra credit. The soundtrack is equally good.

Into the Wild: Based on the 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer about the adventures of Christopher McCandless. This Sean Penn directed film stars Emile Hirsch, Jena Malone, Marcia Gay Harden, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, William Hurt and Catherine Keener. I loved the book and found the movie to be good, not great. Check out the soundtrack by Eddie Vedder, some pretty good tunes.

Other notable mentions:

Home Alone 2 (New York)
Sleepless in Seattle (duh)
National Lampoon’s European Vacation(England,France,Germany,and Italy)
The Da Vinci Code (Rome/Vatican City)
Lost in Translation (Tokyo)

Want to add to this list? Leave a comment!

Have a great holiday weekend!