I'm having a hard time finding cheap airfare to Madrid for a 2 month backpacking trip this summer. I really don't want to pay $700+ for my plane tix, but it seems all the airlines are asking for that...any ideas where to search?

Going from where to where? 700+ in summer is about right. The only options are: bid for a ticket on priceline or expedia; try a consolidator; try a student organization like CIEE. Summer is the hardest time to get a good fare, for sure. A place like travelocity.com will show you the lowest fares possible. Another idea is to bum some frequent flier miles from your relatives!

I'm afraid the previous posting is right. Last year I flew from Los Angeles to Madrid for $562 r.t. This year I wanted to return but could not find anything cheaper than $900 from Los Angeles. I say take the $700 ticket and go for it. Spain is very affordable anyway. Good Luck.

Since you are a student, get an ISIC card. It costs $20 to get and then you are entitled to student fares found at www.counciltravel.com When I wanted to go to Madrid from Newark over the holidays, it would have been $475, and I think you can get a fare less than $700 even for the summer on this site.
Good luck!

[This message has been edited by Majesty318 (edited 01-23-2001).]