got an advanced planning travel question...
 ). I want to start making plans, as this sort of trip is going to be spendy... and our budget would appreciate saving over a long period of time. When does it make sense to start saving and looking for packages, hotels, tickets etc? My sister and I will be paying for everything for ourselves and families, and the hotel, flight and opening ceremony tickets for my folks.
Any advice suggestions etc are appreciated!!!! |
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Wow! And I thought I was an early planner!! 
This is so cool! Your parents will be SO surprised! I have no suggestions for you that would work for 6 years out (!) but I'll be interested to read what others say. Your parents raised two wonderful daughters!!!  |
| Christina and I are SO excited about this. My mom has ALWAYS wanted to travel to England, but their monetary situation was never to the point where they really could afford to go. On top of it, both of them have always wanted to attend an olympics... when I heard them announce that London was having the summer olympics in 2012, there was no question in my mind, we HAD to do this!!! It's gonna be pretty $$ though, so hopefully somebody has good ideas for us
I did have the opportunity to visit London while I was in high school, and thoroughly enjoyed the city, can't wait to visit again! |
| I've never been to many places, but 6 yrs is too far to actually plan accommadations etc. Just set a separate account for it, and when you are one year away then start booking things, or looking into it. Because it's the olympics, I have no idea how fast things go.
I am sure some others here can help more. but alot can change in 6 yrs, I would just start saving, if it cost $100 today it could be $200 in 6 yrs for the same thing. Sounds like fun, your parents will love it. |
| What a great plan! The British Pound is stronger than the US $ so keep in mind that it's going to cost more for stuff. Definitely start looking around for packages and prices so you'll get a feeling for how much to save. I'll bet you can book hotel several years out but airfare will only be about a year out.
I'm sure this site will have more travel info someday: http://www.london2012.org/en/ |
| Wow - that's really cool. I would start saving now, but not planning much until the date gets closer. I hope someone else has better advice than this, but it will be a great trip! |
| What a wonderful idea, Karen! Your parents will be THRILLED!!
The best idea is to start a savings account now. What I'd do is price some packages now so you'll have a rough idea of what the costs will be. Of course, you know that hotels will be more just because of the olympics. So, you can probably safely add 20-30% to whatever the current rates are. Air fare can be booked roughly a year in advance. I was a travel agent in a former life and love planning trips. So, if I can assist you at all, I'll be happy to do so.  |
| My aunt is a stewardess ( my uncle is a pilot - they met while working on the plane.. aww) anyway... she told me that when it comes to purchasing airline tickets, the cheapest days to fly in and out are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.. fare jumps double on weekends.. just FYI...
I love to travel - backpacked in Australia for 6 months and Europe for 2 months.. a month in london. I love London.. summer is a popular time in London for backpackers so i sugggest you to make hotel reservations a year in advance (maybe 2 cuz of the olympics).. because when I made reservations to stay at a hostel in Feb to visit London one summer - it was all boooooked, then I tried making reservations to stay at a hotel - it was booked too. I had to stay at a hotel about 40 minutes outside of London. With the olympics coming up in 2012.. I think it is very wise that you are making plans now! London is expensive too - im sure fellow UK members can make suggestions on where to stay in London. |
| Ohhh I'm envious!! Love travelling!
I've been to something like 27 countries so far and best advice I can give is check out the web to rent a flat instead of a hotel room. That way you can still be able to cook your own meals and save tons. ( A couple years ago I did this in Paris, for the mere cost of 30 dollars a day, and big slabs of cheese and baggette fed me for the week..cheese was 3 dollars and baggette 50 cents..ha ha) Okay after that first week I grew tired of the same food but overall I was able to stay there for months on a low budget, by cooking my own food. Finding out where the locals usually shop or eat is also good advice as they always know the least expensive places where you get great food for less price. Although I suspect everyone and their dog, will rent their flats for very high rates due to the Olympics. Canada has the bid for the Winter Olympics in 2010 and the house prices have risen an amazing rate of 300% in the last year. Seriously! not a typo! It seems that most municipalities that have such a large venue upgrade their roads, facilities and try to accomodate for that extra boost in tourism. Trains are a fantastic way to get around into London and to even lower the cost, you may want to research which smaller areas are located outside of London but have easy train access to the city. A huge amount of bed and breakfast places exist and I'd also research those now to get an idea of location and cost. While some may not book that far in advance..you may get a chance at the choice locations. Buying a Europass is the best way to go too as for aprox 300 dollars you have unlimited access to trains all over Europe. (Keeping in mind that to travel to another country in Europe may only take a few hours). London and Paris have direct travel via tunnel across the water and takes a very short time. Another thing cities do that is worth checking out..is they offer tourist packages of various sites at a mere fraction of the cost of one ticket if bought in the package. I'd contact the tourism office in London and ask about any offers. Sounds like a fantastic holiday and you guys are awesome to plan that special once in a lifetime trip for them. Marianne and the boys |
| I agree with everyone else. That is a fantastic thing you're doing!!! My kid's name is.................phone#......... maybe you can call and make suggestions.
On a more serious note, 6 years is a long time. When you do start planning the actual event (sending payments), make sure you inquire about refunds, etc....in case of the unexpected.................. and, about special needs if there are any, such as traveling with oxygen, etc.... Also, make sure that prescriptions for meds are filled - wouldn't want to fight with the insurance company about trying to fill it too soon.......take lists of all meds and other important info. Have a wonderfullllllllll time. |
| Thanks guys, those are all really good tips. Marianne, I'm DEFINITELY going to check out renting a flat for the olympics, esp since it's gonna be so many people, that may make more sense for us then doing hotel rooms. Since the Beijing sumemr olympics are xoming up in 2008, I'm keeping my eyes on their deals and ticket prices for events to get an idea of what we're looking at... |
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