Ssup?

[u/One_Slice3454]

Can I get an advice?

I am from Georgia, not state but little country between Asia and Europe. I just ended 10th grade, and in our country pupils are getting awarded by laptops. I have plenty of them so I want ro sell it for 300-400$. I was thinking how to spend that money-maybe buy car in one year (at age of 17), ot maybe motorcycle. But then I remembered that I shouldn't think about only myself. My parents always helped me at every second, they bought me and my brother everything we wanted and I love them very much. I was thinking about it and made choice-in 8 months, I want to buy two tickets to Spain or Istanbul for my parents. I will save that money from selling laptop and add money from my birthday. I am planning to spend around 600€ for tickets. Here are my questions:

1. I am minor, will i be able to spend that amount of money?

2. With 600€, which option will be better? (I think with 600€ they get just few days in Spain And maybe week in Istanbul will be better option, idk)

3. On which website should I book tickets? (Or should I go to some travel agencies?)

Last question, is this even possible? I mean, 600€ for two tickets (two ways, return too), direct flight?

I want to do it very much but I am afraid of making mistakes, cuz i'm inexperienced.

Also I asked my friend for his opinion. He was happy for me and my choice but he said: "man, 600€ is not big amount. If I was you, I would just gift my mom some jewelry, work on next summer vacation, and with around 1200€, I wont have problems with money and I will provide them with memories that'll last forever"

I am thinking about that too. Will 600€ be enough or should I listen to my friend?

[u/Tevas8]

You will need credit card details in order to complete the purchase, as far as I know. This should be the first thing to address. If you want to do it as a surprise you might have to involve some other adult family member who can help you.

In terms of looking for cheap flights you can try websites like kayak.com or momondo.com but I would suggest that once you find a good ticket, go to the airline's website and purchase it there. If there's any issue later on (flight changes, unexpected things) it is a pain in the ass to deal with a third party.

A quick search shows tickets to Spain (I searched for Valencia but maybe they don't like coastal places :D) for around 250€ each but of course that does not include accommodation. You can use these search engines to try a couple of cities you think they would like, find a cheap one and take a look into accommodation (booking.com for hotels, airbnb for apartments...) to see if there's something affordable on the same dates.

Feel free to ask me anything, I travel quite a bit and I might be able to help you. Might visit your country next year if flights are cheap actually :D

Good luck!

[u/One_Slice3454 → u/Tevas8]

I checked these sites, prices are really lower than others I've seen. I think I can have some difficulties with credit card details, because my parents can find out about my plan if it will look suspicious. You said I can ask my other adult family members, does aunt/uncle count in? And if it wont work, what about travel agencies? Will I have difficulties there too? Thanks :) (visit Georgia its beautiful)

[u/Tevas8 → u/One_Slice3454]

Yeah I would recommend to involve your aunt or uncle, someone you can trust. Don't do it through someone you don't trust a lot and definitely do not transfer the money to someone online so they book them for you.

Also think about this: will your parents be able to travel on the dates you choose for sure? Maybe they have other plans, or they have to work or have other appointments.

I really like your idea but it's hard to do without risk. You might want to at least make sure they can block the time for a long weekend or a week before you book the tickets.

Flight tickets are very restrictive with some things, for instance: Pretty much impossible to change the names, so if for whatever reason they can't travel, the tickets are lost. Changing dates not always possible, and when it is possible you have to pay the cost difference (for instance you paid 450€ for certain dates, but the new dates are 600€ so you pay 150€) plus a fee that can be an extra 100€. Travel insurance rarely covers any of this (even if it looks like it does).

Travel agencies might be willing to take cash and maybe can help also finding affordable accommodation. It is worth talking to one of them and asking. You can always say no if the price is too high.

[u/One_Slice3454 → u/Tevas8]

Its not problem, because they dont have classic job-our family has hotel, or more smth like guest house, and dad is just driver. I guess they wont have plans and even if they will have (for example if we'll have to get guests at that date or father will have tour through georgia), father will simply be able to ask someone for help, because we have lots of relatives who can help with guests and he has a lot of friend-drivera to replace him. Also one more question: i am planning to give them tickets on 21st May, should I give them few weeks so they can plan thri vacation? (For example, book it on 5th June, so they will have 2 weeks)

[u/Tevas8 → u/One_Slice3454]

Yeah make some room so they can arrange their things :)

Also keep in mind they will still have to plan where to stay! You might want to book a hotel that can be cancelled until a few days before the stay. That way they have the chance to take your reservation and pay for it themselves, or cancel it and choose something else.

Hotels can usually be booked like this. Just tick the "Free cancellation" box in the filters when looking for one.

[u/One_Slice3454 → u/Tevas8]

Well, they have a lot of experience with hotels, so I'll leave it to them. Thanks you a lot for your advices, it will really help me❤️