Route notes
Why this routing works
This itinerary uses an open-jaw structure: fly from Saint Louis to Dubrovnik, make the overland move to Bucharest independently, then fly back to Saint Louis from Bucharest. That sequencing works well when the two European points are connected on the ground rather than by an added flight sector.
At three weeks in economy, the route is paced simply, with one arrival point in Europe and a different departure point. Keeping the itinerary to two European stops can help reduce backtracking and makes the ticketing logic straightforward: one transatlantic outbound into Croatia and one return from Romania.
With departure in September, this falls within the July to September season window provided for the fare range. The sold price band for this routing was USD 835 to USD 1,273 in economy, framing it as a relatively compact transatlantic multi-stop rather than a longer round-the-world build.