Vacation dilemma

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Zoots

Zoots

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Guys, I have a dilemma. And who better to ask tips from than my beloved Interlanders? I'm visiting India next month for about 3 weeks to see my folks and family. The 2 most reasonable flight options right now are Emirates through Dubai and Jet Airways through Brussels. Now, Emirates has very convenient departure and arrival times, is a pretty good airline as far as I have heard and Dubai is a duty free shopping paradise from what I've heard. And it is cheaper than the Brussels option! No brainer, right? Yeah but now I'm thinking why not take advantage of this opportunity and spend a day in Europe, say Brussels. I've never been to Europe except for layovers when I was within the airport or sometimes within the plane, lol. I'm not an American citizen so I'll have to get a visitor visa but is it even worth it to connect one European city just for a day and overnight stay? Of course, now my mind is wandering beyond Brussels and thinking why not do London, Paris or Munich! But tickets are gonna get more and more expensive as I gravitate towards Munich. For some reason Germany/Lufthansa is always the most expensive, ugh! Anyway, the main question I wanted to ask those who travel is... Am I better off making a proper Europe visit later? Perhaps in the summer too.. instead of connecting through in winter. :hmm: Maybe I should just stick with the convenience of Emirates. But I feel like I'm letting go of an opportunity here.. gah! :crazy:
 
its okay, en route parachute to my house in Ireland for an hour and I can loan you three grand to help with funds, and then you can take a Feck-Off flight from the airport near me. :)

:up:




dude, :hug: I keep thinking, just for one overnight stay, its very short, isn't it like. You might want to stay longer and you could be put in a situation. So I say, skip it - take Europe trip later.
 
mad1 said:
its okay, en route parachute to my house in Ireland for an hour and I can loan you three grand to help with funds, and then you can take a Feck-Off flight from the airport near me. :)

:up:
Click to expand...

:laugh:

mad1 said:
dude, :hug: I keep thinking, just for one overnight stay, its very short, isn't it like. You might want to stay longer and you could be put in a situation. So I say, skip it - take Europe trip later.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'll have to spend for the visa, the hotel room and leisure expenses just for maybe 12 hrs or so (not including sleep) in Europe. Too rushed? :slant:

snowbunny00774 said:
I say yes, you should.
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LarryMullen's POPAngel said:
Dooooo iiiiit. :yes:
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Tempting!

zonelistener said:
Emirates is the best airline in the world (or so I have heard).
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Yeah I've heard that it's a quality airline! But I'm not that much of a shopping person and here I'm gonna have 6-1/2 hrs in Dubai to browse the Duty Free. Although I've heard the Dubai airport is nice. :hmm:

elevated_u2_fan said:
Zoots, it's called a spacebar... try it out some time :tsk:
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lol. It wasn't even that long. :madspit:

kafrun said:
London and Paris :love:

Does this mean no more {..Late Night w Zootles..} for 3 weeks? :scream:
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:laugh: London and Paris... I'm dreaming! At the most I think it will be Brussels.


Thanks for the replies guys and keep em coming. Today of all days work is super busy and I can't respond again maybe till evening.
 
Maybe I'll dissent since I actually lived in Europe for over a decade and it doesn't hold the same appeal for me.

The weather this time of year is pretty miserable there. Also, you'll be very jetlagged, and spending a day there isn't necessarily going to be the most fun. If you can extend your stay for maybe a long weekend, then I'd definitely consider it. And I also probably wouldn't go to Munich either, since it's nothing special. If you can do London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome or Madrid en route, I think you'd enjoy them all more.
 
Thanks, martina. Yeah, the weather being a factor did occur to me. Here's some more details on how it would shape up to be and cost involved:

Emirates
- Perfect arrival and departure times all round! Flight leaves JFK Friday at 11 pm. Don't have to rush from work. Arrives in India at a convenient time for my parents to pick me up.
- Around 6 hrs layover in Dubai. But the airport is supposed to be quite nice and the duty free shopping is the biggest attraction there. I'm sure I can wile away 6 hrs there even if I don't buy much.
- Here's the best part: Ticket is only $950 or something. Now, that may seem expensive to you guys but it is NOT, for traveling halfway across the world! Average ticket fare to India = $1200 at least, maybe $1300.

Airline with Euro link
- Arr/Dep times aren't very flexible. But that I can sort of cope I suppose. Leave work early whatever.
- 1 to 2 hr layover in Europe unless I stay there and take the next flight on the following day.
- Biggest hurdle is cost and not to mention the hassle I guess.
Ticket fare = $1200 at least.
Visitor visa = $50 / $100 (say)
Hotel room = $100 (?)
Incidental/touristy expenses = $100
Cost = $1500

$1500 vs. $1000 (ok with dubai shopping maybe $1100 whatev)

I don't know if that $1500 is worth it for basically just spending like 10 or 12 hrs in Europe while being jetlagged. But I will get to take the train or tram or whatever to the city centres and eat at some European restaurant, take pics :drool: you can see why I'm tempted!

Sorry if I'm boring you with these numbers! :lol: Just trying to make a decision.
 
Personally I'd save the $500, put it aside and go to Europe in the summer or fall (if you can't this year, then next). You can get super cheap flights to London or Paris, the $500 will come within a couple of hundred bucks of totally covering your flight there. And then you can stay for a week or longer and really experience it.

But if you don't think that you'll be able to get to Europe within the year and it means a lot to you to see it then maybe the $500 is worth it now as opposed to later.
 
Going to my hometown, Chennai (formerly Madras). Will probably visit some family in Hyderabad or Bangalore. :hmm: This is the perfect time to go to India.. well, Chennai at least cos it's blazing hot (and humid as fuck) in summer.
 
just take emirates, it's a nicer airline. and you will be all screwed up, timezone wise, and hardly enjoy europe at all, plus paying for the visa for just a day seems ridiculous. save the money and do a real europe trip later....possibly when u2 is touring.
 
anitram said:
Maybe I'll dissent since I actually lived in Europe for over a decade and it doesn't hold the same appeal for me.

The weather this time of year is pretty miserable there. Also, you'll be very jetlagged, and spending a day there isn't necessarily going to be the most fun. If you can extend your stay for maybe a long weekend, then I'd definitely consider it. And I also probably wouldn't go to Munich either, since it's nothing special. If you can do London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome or Madrid en route, I think you'd enjoy them all more.
Click to expand...

Don't go to Europe, Zoots. Anitram lived there.
 
I would say come to Europe a different time, preferably in the summer when there's more fun things to do and the weather is better. I would strongly advise you to visit Europe sometime when you really have the time. Flying for such a long time first and then just a short day-trip which makes the costs even higher will not make you have a proper image of Europe. If you go another time, you can visit more cities and enjoy more :)
 
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