June 18, 2003 -- Most cheap airfare deals to Europe leave from the Northeast, so we're always thrilled when we see a special for natives of other parts of the US. During the summer, Miamians are in special need of escapes, as thermometers pop and residents huddle in air-conditioned shopping malls.
Get out of the sweltering heat and into a balmy northern European summer with packager IMTC's excellent car-and-hotel deal. Base-priced at $589 per person for two people traveling together, you get a nonstop flight to Amsterdam and six nights of economy-size, manual-transmission car rental from AVIS. That's at least $100 less than you'd pay for airfare alone on major travel-agency Web sites we checked.
The price includes unlimited mileage and tax on the car rental, but not taxes on the airfare or insurance fees for the car. The flight is on Martinair, an established and safe Dutch charter carrier.
There are a few catches: you must leave and return on Saturdays, between June 28 and August 30. But that's not much of a catch, as it fits perfectly in with taking a week off of work. Leaving on a Saturday is less stressful than leaving on a Friday, anyway; I always try to schedule my international trips for Saturdays so I'm not rushing out of work and have time to pack.
More annoying are a bunch of nickel-and-dime fees that IMTC has no business burying in the fine print of this deal. Solo travelers should beware the $129 supplement for traveling alone. And if the "additional airport surcharge" of €35 for the car rental is mandatory, why isn't it part of the advertised fare?
Also annoyingly, you can only have one designated driver per car, even though IMTC wants you to travel in groups of at least two, and the car they're renting doesn't have air conditioning. Fortunately, summers in northern Europe are pretty mild, with temperatures in the 70s and low 80s.
None of these gripes change the fact that this is still a good deal. Amsterdam is an excellent spot from which to base a driving trip. You're only two hours from Belgium, four hours from Normandy and seven hours from Denmark. We suggest using the car to explore rural areas poorly-served by trains: places like the northern Dutch provinces of Groningen andFriesland, the scenic drives of Germany -- especially the Mosel Valley wine route, which is relatively near the Dutch border and the Ardennes mountain region of Belgium.
Amsterdam may be Vice City, but you get enough of that at home in South Florida. Take advantage of this car rental deal to see a side of Northern Europe you hadn't thought of before, full of fairy-tale villages and shady spots where you'll feel thousands of miles from Miami's boiling heat.
To get this deal, go to www.imtc-travel.com or call 800/790-4682.