STOPOVERS – To stop or not to stop that is the question?!
Recently the Scerri family travelled to Zimbabwe from door to door it was a 30 hour trip.
Originally we had booked a couple of days in Perth enroute but the flight times changed & we decided to fly all the way through. Come the day of travel we were cursing ourselves that we didn’t stop and break up the journey, especially travelling with 3 children!
The pros and cons of doing a stopover enroute to your final destination:
Pros:
You get to get off the plane and sleep in a real bed & shower in a real shower!
You acclimatise and reduce your jetlag
You get to see another part of the world for little or no extra cost
Cons:
It takes you longer to get to your ultimate destination – so it might eat into your annual leave or you have less time at your final destination
Unless you have friends to visit it will cost for accommodation, sightseeing, etc.
You go on a crazy shopping frenzy & have no money left
Tips for a stopover:
Many airlines are owned by the government of the country ie Singapore Airlines, and they will therefore we very keen for you to stopover and holiday in their country.
Some airlines even subsidise the cost of the stopover to make it more attractive! So booking your hotel and tours through the airline can save you money.
Some hotels have 24 hr check in – so if your flight arrives at 6am you don’t have to wait until 2pm to check in (you do need to check out at 7am).
Hotels nearby to the airport can be really expensive (Melbourne is a great example!) so sometimes it pays to go into the city, even just for 1 night.
Some airfares charge you extra to stopover, but most give you one free stop in each direction – check this before you decide. You will also need to pay taxes like dept tax on your ticket as well.
If you plan to shop do the stopover on the way home so you don’t drag your luggage everyhwehre with you.
On the way home you are often so tired that you sleep the entire way home anyway so no need to stop!
Popular stopovers:
Enroute to Europe: Singapore , Bangkok or KL for shopping, Dubai cause it is amazing.
Enroute to USA/Canada: Fiji or Hawaii – get a tan on the way home!
Enroute to Africa: Mauritius, Perth
Blessings,
Lisa
Mon/Wed/Fridays only
Lisa Scerri | Director | Mission Travel Group | 605 Camberwell Rd, Camberwell VIC 3124 | T +61 03 9889 0777 | F +61 03 9889 0111
W www.missiontravel.com.au | www.pilgrimage.com.au | www.visityoursponsorchild.com.au | www.gapyearafrica.com.au
Interested in our Summer mission to Zimbabwe?