Flexible Dates and Multi Stop searching - Chile and Argentina

gillbee

Hi,

I'm planning my first trip to South America (Chile and Argentina) for around end of August / September. Is there an easy way of comparing prices for a multi stop journey? I want to fly into one country from Glasgow and return home from the other and I'm not fussed about which one we arrive / depart from.

So far Travelocity gives the best comparison for dates - however that is only for flying in and out of the same airport. Has anyone found a shortcut to searching in this way or is it just trial and error.

So far I’ve found £770 from Glasgow - Santiago returning from Buenos Aires. Anyone know if this is a decent price? Trailfinders quoted me £830 for similar flights.

Thanks for any help and advise,
Gill

nickbennison

I booked a multi stop trip to the USA with Opodo
Virgin then changed times (substantially) making things very inconvenient. Opodo worked very hard on my behalf and finally got flights at a reasonable time. They were great to talk to and I would definitely recommend them (unlike Virgin!)
Beware of the Flowers
Nick

gillbee

I thought I'd checked Opodo - but I've just re-done my dates I've found and they come out about £20 per person cheaper! Thanks for the tip.

Party_Animal

Did the trip last year. Great trip. we flew Air France in and out of BAS and crosssed the Andes from Bariloche to Puerto Montt and back from Santiago to Mendoza. Awesome both ways.

alison74

The price seems about right, I am just back from there (Nov - Jan) and it was pretty much height of the season and cost me about £800 which involved flying via America from Edinburgh (rather than over nighting in Madrid if I flew with Iberia) That was with Continental and got 2 free stop overs in New York on the way out and way back.

FYI, if you are planning to go anywhere South of Santiago and into Patagonia etc, the time of year you are planning to go will be FREEZING. It wasn't exactly warm when I was there (Spring / Summer), but that Patagonian wind goes right through you. I permanently lived in thermals and hat / gloves etc.

Shimrod

I did the similar flights last Jan/Feb, although in reverse. When I was checking, Opodo seemed cheaper, but right at the end of the ticket buying process, extra charges appeared for printed tickets etc. that made them more expensive than Expedia.

On a separate note, I'm surprised at how much flights have gone up - ours cost £542 return from Manchester with Air France, although we did also book 11 months in advance.

Another thing you could check is flights from some airports that Easyjet etc. fly to. Some of the BA code share flights were significantly cheaper if you started your trip in another country - e.g. Frankfurt to Heathrow to Santiago. You may not want the hassle of the extra flight though!

Shim

gillbee

Cheers for all the info folks.

We're planning on trying to get a spot of snowboarding in Bariloche - and maybe Chillean as well and then heading south after that - it's not the first weather warning we've had. Thankfully I've got all the thermals from previous snow excursions so I'll be well wrapped up!!! I must check exactly how cold it gets.

I'll look into other airport options and see what I come up with, I hadn't realised Madrid was an overnight.

Oh- and thanks for the opodo note Shim - I did see something about extra paper ticket charges, but I'd totally dismissed it.

lily_the_pink

Make sure you book in Bariloche as it can be packed with Argentinians on Winter Holidays. There are loads of B&Bs around though but it is definately one of the more expensive places to stay in Argentina.

It is possible to go skiing for the day from Santiago as well, if you happen to be there.

Wont be artic conditions, but if the mountain cold in Santiago begins to get to you, head for Valparaiso or Vina del Mar as is usually a few degrees warmer. Or go North.