BootsnAll Travel Network



Update or Decision Time Approaches

After crunching some numbers, it appears that I can still save enough money to go on the trip without selling the car. I may sell it anyway but I haven’t decided yet. I am now about 95% certain that I will go on the trip. I am ready for a change and it just feels like the time is right for me to leave my current job and area where I currently live. Most of my friends that I have made here over the last 2.5 yrs have moved away. I haven’t really put in the effort to make new friends as I am planning on leaving myself. I have set November 15 as the ultimate deadline for making a decision by which I mean that I inform my company that I will be leaving. I am still hoping to work out an extended leave of absence instead of just quitting. The reason I am waiting so long is that my company is considering sending me to Michigan on a temporary assignment. If they do so, I can save a significant amount of money as they will pay my bills. I hope the company will let me know something before my November 15 deadline as I don’t want the fact that I may be leaving at the end of January to affect that decision.

I have started doing more indepth research on plane tickets. Trying to go to Easter Island is really throwing the planning for a loop. Because of my decision to go there, I can’t use a typical round the world ticket pass. The Oneworld Alliance flys there but they don’t fly to the Cook Islands (another must see). The Star Alliance flys to the Cooks but not Easter Island. Of the Pacific islands the only one I am really willing to pass on is Fiji but unfortunately that doesn’t help me any as both alliances fly there anyway. I have sent my itinerary to Airtreks (a travel agency that specializes in round the world trips). I have spoken with one of their agents. As they don’t have fares more than 300 or so days out, they can only book my tickets through about August which basically be my flight to Hong Kong from Perth. I originally wanted to buy all of my tickets upfront to have that cost out of the way, but the more I think about it the more I start to like the idea of booking only half my tickets now. This will basically get me over the Pacific and to Asia which is probably 2/3 of my ticket expenses. In doing some research on my own, I have found that I can then buy relatively cheap flights to get me around Asia. Also I am pretty sure of my travel dates until I get to Hong Kong. From Hong Kong foward, it gets fuzzy. A lot after that depends on whether I can get a visa that will allow me to stay in China for 60 days. The Chinese Embassy website states that the visa officer has some disression in that regard as the normal visa is for 30 days. I hope I catch him in a good mood that day. I will make sure that I leave the Free Tibet t-shirt at the hotel when I go to the embassy.



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4 Responses to “Update or Decision Time Approaches”

  1. anne Says:

    Hi,

    you could try sta travel. they have offices around the world and are really good. You can check our blog Preparation page. I have put a few detail down and a link to STA’s website
    Anne

  2. Barry Says:

    Thanks I will look at them

  3. Dogwood Dell Says:

    B,

    Looks like things might be possible for this trip. Keep crunching those numbers.

    Hope to see you this weekend.

    Sincerely,

    Dogwood

  4. Posted from United States United States
  5. RL Says:

    Your blog is a nice break from the day. You might be on the next trip by the time I make it to Peru.

    RL

  6. Posted from United States United States

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