Doing the Logistics of a Back-to-Back-Home exchange Trip
AlteCocker has to tell you guys that the logistics of a complicated trip when home exchanges are involved can be daunting. She starts by hustling her home exchange deals and hoping none cancels. As many of you know, cancellations are a terrible problem because exchangers simply accept omitting to look at the price of airfare. Eventually, however, home exchange partners are found and the next steps are to book the outbound and intra European airfares--assuming AlteCocker is going to do her usual summer haj in Europe.
As of the date this piece is written, AlteCocker's itinerary is Krakow (3 nights home hospitality)-Warsaw (12 nights home exchange)-Brest (3 nights hotel with guide and driver arranged)-Minsk (3 nights on her own)-Istanbul (3 1/2 weeks home exchange)-Stockholm (2 1/2 weeks home exchange).
In February 2014, AlteCocker booked her outbound airfare to Krakow (her first stop on the 2014 summer European haj). Yes, just her outbound fare. Since she often does not know where she will be returning from, she no longer books round trip airfares. Often booking two separate airfares ends up being the same price--or only slightly more expensive--than booking a round trip to one location. Round trips often make no sense if you want to return from a different city than where you initially arrived. Saving $100-200 is simply not worth it to AlteCocker if she is going to waste time in airports with complicated changes of flights.
After making the outbound flight reservation, AlteCocker generally waits awhile before booking anything within Europe. Again, due to cancellations, she wants all her home exchangers to book their flights and "lock in" before she books hers. A post ticket buy cancellation is not something she wishes to contemplate. She did not book all her internal European flights until April--and it was all done within a few days. She does not, moreover, always take the cheapest flight. For example, from Minsk to Istanbul, AlteCocker has to change planes. Given the current political situation in Eastern Europe, would you want to book a change in Moscow to save money (putting aside the much longer layover time)? AlteCocker thnks not. She booked Lot, the Polish airline, and will return to Warsaw to make the change of flight. So, there can be politics involved as well as time.
It is also wise to investigate whether a discount airline is a possibility. Within Turkey she is using Pegasus Air--a very inexpensive ang good choice to fly within Turkey. However, Pegasus uses Sabitha Gochen Airport--way over on the Asian side and a huge distance from tourist Istanbul on the European side. So, sufficient time must be allowed to get back and forth to the airport to get the plane. AlteCocker did not book an early morning flight to Izmir (gateway to Selcuk and Ephesus), but booked one later in the day. She will stay an extra day in Selcuk rather than kill herself getting up an an obscene hour to get to the airport to make some flight too early in the morning. That is AlteCocker's relaxed style of travel. It might not be yours. Remember, AlteCocker will be abroad for a long time. You can't go flat out like gangbusters every day and expect to survive.
In addition to flights, there are trains, buses, etc. Those get booked last. With trains and buses--unless you plan traveling during major holidays (and that is for idiots)--there is not the same level of difficulty getting reservations. For research on Turkey, AlteCocker always uses turkeytravelplanner.com--a wonderful website run by Tom Brosnahan who has lived in Turkey. It is much better than any guidebook. She does, however, also use guidebooks for destinations. She leaves it up to you to choose one based upon the type of trip you plan to do and your personal preferences.
The last thing she does is heavily script the itinerary with advance purchases of day tours, etc. That is totally unnecessary. Suppose, moreover, you change your mind. Do you want to be locked into a tight itinerary? Well you might, but not AlteCocker.
Remember, if you choose to travel the AlteCocker way, it is a lot of work researching everything. It is not everyone's cup of tea, but it is AlteCocker's way. If something goes wrong (and it will), there is no tour manager to fix things. AlteCocker is her own tour manager and she picks what she wants to do--which is why she travels the way she does.
As of the date this piece is written, AlteCocker's itinerary is Krakow (3 nights home hospitality)-Warsaw (12 nights home exchange)-Brest (3 nights hotel with guide and driver arranged)-Minsk (3 nights on her own)-Istanbul (3 1/2 weeks home exchange)-Stockholm (2 1/2 weeks home exchange).
In February 2014, AlteCocker booked her outbound airfare to Krakow (her first stop on the 2014 summer European haj). Yes, just her outbound fare. Since she often does not know where she will be returning from, she no longer books round trip airfares. Often booking two separate airfares ends up being the same price--or only slightly more expensive--than booking a round trip to one location. Round trips often make no sense if you want to return from a different city than where you initially arrived. Saving $100-200 is simply not worth it to AlteCocker if she is going to waste time in airports with complicated changes of flights.
After making the outbound flight reservation, AlteCocker generally waits awhile before booking anything within Europe. Again, due to cancellations, she wants all her home exchangers to book their flights and "lock in" before she books hers. A post ticket buy cancellation is not something she wishes to contemplate. She did not book all her internal European flights until April--and it was all done within a few days. She does not, moreover, always take the cheapest flight. For example, from Minsk to Istanbul, AlteCocker has to change planes. Given the current political situation in Eastern Europe, would you want to book a change in Moscow to save money (putting aside the much longer layover time)? AlteCocker thnks not. She booked Lot, the Polish airline, and will return to Warsaw to make the change of flight. So, there can be politics involved as well as time.
It is also wise to investigate whether a discount airline is a possibility. Within Turkey she is using Pegasus Air--a very inexpensive ang good choice to fly within Turkey. However, Pegasus uses Sabitha Gochen Airport--way over on the Asian side and a huge distance from tourist Istanbul on the European side. So, sufficient time must be allowed to get back and forth to the airport to get the plane. AlteCocker did not book an early morning flight to Izmir (gateway to Selcuk and Ephesus), but booked one later in the day. She will stay an extra day in Selcuk rather than kill herself getting up an an obscene hour to get to the airport to make some flight too early in the morning. That is AlteCocker's relaxed style of travel. It might not be yours. Remember, AlteCocker will be abroad for a long time. You can't go flat out like gangbusters every day and expect to survive.
In addition to flights, there are trains, buses, etc. Those get booked last. With trains and buses--unless you plan traveling during major holidays (and that is for idiots)--there is not the same level of difficulty getting reservations. For research on Turkey, AlteCocker always uses turkeytravelplanner.com--a wonderful website run by Tom Brosnahan who has lived in Turkey. It is much better than any guidebook. She does, however, also use guidebooks for destinations. She leaves it up to you to choose one based upon the type of trip you plan to do and your personal preferences.
The last thing she does is heavily script the itinerary with advance purchases of day tours, etc. That is totally unnecessary. Suppose, moreover, you change your mind. Do you want to be locked into a tight itinerary? Well you might, but not AlteCocker.
Remember, if you choose to travel the AlteCocker way, it is a lot of work researching everything. It is not everyone's cup of tea, but it is AlteCocker's way. If something goes wrong (and it will), there is no tour manager to fix things. AlteCocker is her own tour manager and she picks what she wants to do--which is why she travels the way she does.