European vacation doable with cheaper airfares, hotels

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By Gabriella Boston

Imagine London at Christmastime: carols in Trafalgar Square, the Oxford Street Christmas lights and the Christmas market at Hyde Park.

Sounds dreamy, doesn't it?

For most families with children, it probably will remain just that - a dream. With kids in tow and the economy as it is, it's just too expensive and complicated, right?

Not necessarily, says Cynthia Harriman, author of "Take Your Kids to Europe," which is in its eighth edition.

"There are so many good deals out there now. Airlines are dropping their prices, as are hotels," says Ms. Harriman, who recently came back from a business trip to central Paris where she noticed hotel prices as low as about $95 a night; just outside Paris they were as low as $40.

Couple that with airfares dropping about 25 percent in the past month and the dollar strengthening against the euro - the exchange rate Tuesday was $1.26 to 1 euro - and things might just seem a little less nightmarish.

"Internationally, there are a lot of signs of softening," says Rick Seaney, CEO of www. farecompare.com, a site that compares airline fares.

"Base prices are lower and fuel surcharges are starting to be trimmed back," Mr. Seaney says. Although, he adds, the fuel surcharges for Europe still are typically about $300 per ticket.

In addition, money sometimes can be saved on family tickets by booking tickets on European carriers such as Lufthansa and Air France, which often provide discounted tickets for children age 11 and younger, Mr. Seaney says. American carriers usually discount only tickets for children under age 2.

Mr. Seaney also recommends traveling off-season - primarily avoiding June, July and August - and always booking flights that include a Saturday night stay.