Job Discussion Forums

hanoialbinoi · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Brazil

Hello everyone.

Maybe you can help me. I need to be in Sao Paulo prior to July 4
and am currently making my travel arrangements.
I read the posts and responses to Flyguy's "Ticket Prices" post.
My situation is a bit different:

I can fly out of Nashville (preferable) or Atlanta (if price is drastically lower).
I will be in Sao Paulo/South America for more than 6 months (I have work).
Is it possible to get an open-ended ticket? Anyone ever done this?

Primarily my question is: Where can I find the cheapest flight to Sao Paulo?
The prices range from $1100-$1700 average!! And that is only for a 1 month return!

I have tried Brol.com (they had a $695 from Atlanta fare, but Sold Out now),
all major U.S. carriers, and Priceline. The $695 would have been ideal for me;
I am so broke.... Sad

Best $$$ I've found = $900 - catch.....3 week return ticket.

Should I wait to the end? What site has the magic fares?
Anyone doing any similar traveling/searching?
Know anyone who found a good fare recently?
To recap: I'm looking for a Southern U.S. flight to Sao Paulo around July 1, 2005
for a multiple month stay.

Thank you.

fragganika · Joined: 12 Dec 2004 Posts: 60 Location: North American

Atlanta is a hub that a ton of SP flights go through, so you should be able to get cheaper tix from there. Also, if you're 26 or under, STA travel will have a one year ticket for about 800 +/- a hundred dollars.

amandajoy99 · Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 63 Location: Brazil

what kind of visa do you have? if you happen to have a cultural visa (i guess that is unlikely), you don't have to have a roundtrip ticket, and can buy a one-way. sometimes you can get good deals, though be aware that the one-way back is likely to be more expensive.
think about doing your trip in stages. a lot of cheap flights fly from miami, on brazilian carriers like varig (which only flies out of miami, new york, and LA, and maybe boston, but nothing else down south). then get a cheapie ticket from nashville to miami on airtrain, or find a good deal at travelocity or another site.
that's what i did - RDU to miami on airtrain (70 bucks), then varig to sao paulo. the one way ticket cost me only $270.
most important is keep looking and try every possibility you can imagine. spend hours on the internet and you'll find something. good luck!

hanoialbinoi · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Brazil

Oh boy! Got my ticket today. Here are the specs....

I'm flying with STA Travel on United Airlines (www.statravel.com)
Nashville to Chicago. Chicago to Sao Paulo (GRU) on June 29
*I can return up to 1 year from arrival for a $25 change fee.
**Depending on the situation I was told I could even fly back
from a different city/country for a small change fee!
Total Ticket Price......$781 Shocked

Comrade F. Nika, bless you. No other site even came close to
this price and flexibility. I'm possibly even getting the health insurance through STA Travel.
It is half the price of everything else I have found.

I had the STA membership when I lived in France years ago, and
purchased train passes with it and cheap hostels, but never airline
tickets. For the under 26 crowd, this is a super deal.

Oh, and if anyone is interested when calling STA,
speak with Harper (girl) at 1-800-781-4040 (press 2).

Best.

fragganika · Joined: 12 Dec 2004 Posts: 60 Location: North American

Awesome...

Listen, if you really want to save money, go for the Brazilian health insurance once you're there. MediPlan is 70 Reals a month (I think it might be something like 25$ USD), which beats any American insurance prices I know about thusfar.

fragganika · Joined: 12 Dec 2004 Posts: 60 Location: North American

Amanda - Did you go through an agent for your tickets?

hanoialbinoi · Joined: 26 Mar 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Brazil

fragganika · Joined: 12 Dec 2004 Posts: 60 Location: North American

I don't even know if the clinics you'd be going to to see a doctor down there know how to process american insurance. The STA deal is good for emergencies, but if you have the flu, it might not be such a good idea to go with your American id card into a doctor's office. I'd get the emergency STA coverage and the local plan for your colds, sore throats, eye doctor visits, etc.

The way something like MediPlan (or any of the others) works is you sign up based on your age bracket, and pay a monthly fee which covers any and all general practitioner and specialist visits. There is no co-pay. Usually, the plan will have a clinic of their own with all these specialists on premises, and you're likely to get appointments that day or next day for general practitioners and a week in advance max for specialists. Unfortunately, a prescription plan is something that doesn't exist in Brazil. Fortunately, most meds are cheap due to the fact that Brazil takes a big stand on patent laws on drugs.

One other thing - Brazil has "universal health care" technically. But everyone agrees that the public hospitals, which you'd be going to to get that care, are extremely crappy. I tried it once out of desperation, in the middle of the night, for a stomach virus, and walked away with a prescription for four meds, two of which had warnings not to take one with the other!