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| Apr 27, 2007 3:48 pm |
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re: re: My elder daughter is travelling to the USA in June - inputs needed |
Rahul Bhimjiani
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thanks friends for the warm offers of help.
since the moderator has not yet said no, let me share the questions on this forum itself, so that dialogue deepens the answers.
many of these questions are probably dumb, due to my ignorance about international travel. Here goes anyway:
Each of the following questions can be answered separately for both
international travel and local travel in the USA
a.. Is it easier to find travel deals on the internet or through agents or direct airlines?
b.. On the internet, should one be looking at aggregator sites (searching multi-airline) or individual airline sites?
c.. Is it better to deal with large, medium or small travel agents?
d.. Is it better to deal with an agent in the city one is based in/connected with (Delhi, Bangalore, Nagpur) - which of these may be better?
e.. Does it make a significant difference if tickets are booked a) in India b) in USA c) in Gulf?
f.. Does membership of any student/youth forum make a significant difference to the ticket price?
g.. Does the price of fares always go up as the date comes closer, or can there be fluctuations back and forth?
h.. What deadline should be imposed for buying tickets?
i.. Are there likely to be significant cost benefits in asking the international airline to patch through domestic travel at India and/or USA end?
j.. Can close links within travel agents, airlines, airport managers etc. lead to significantly better deals in terms of employee discounts?
These questions are for international travel only:
a.. Is a round the world ticket cheaper than a 2-way ticket in the same direction?
b.. Even if not, since Montana is in the far West, would returning via SE Asia be cheaper/faster (miles are less!)?
c.. If one is in the international lounge for a few hours layover is a transit visa needed in any 3rd country?
d.. Are there likely to be major cost differences in using any of the global transhipment hubs in Gulf, CIS, West Europe or S.E. Asia?
e.. If so, are there major qualitative reasons for not using any of them, especially the CIS ones?
f.. If the cost from various embarkation points in India is roughly similar, what should be the preferred airport?
These questions are for travel in the USA only:
a.. How much cost difference in the global fares will make it worth it to use Washington's other 2 international airports rather than Baltimore?
b.. If either of them are to be used, are there any safe, fast and reasonably priced airport shuttles, trains etc. to come closer to Baltimore?
c.. In general, is it better to try for a patch-through from the global carrier, or to buy and use VUSA coupons?
d.. In this case, since all routes from Washington to Bozeman have at least 1 stopover and sometimes two, does this change the answer?
e.. There is a 4 hour Greyhound bus ride from Missoula, Montana to Bozeman. What total economic saving would make it better to use flight to Missoula and then bus, rather than fly straight into Bozeman? Some smaller airports are there too within 1-1.5 hours drive.
f.. By writing to the seminar organisers in the USA, what possibilities of group travel can be checked out to reduce travel costs?
If it is easier to respond on mail, have enabled contacts for the purpose.
Rahul
Mob. + 91-93120 07005
IM: rbhimjiani (skype / yahoo / msn / googletalk)
rbhimjiani@hotmail.com
Private Reply to Rahul Bhimjiani (new win) |
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