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I have had a few health and work problems this past week and am now planning and rushing to get ready for a Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port start on May 8th and have given myself 35 days to get to Santiago though I do not want to put myself under any pressure at all on this pilgrimage.
I am flying from London to Biarritz and will book the flight in the next couple of days.
I was thinking of getting a return but do not want to put myself under pressure of making sure I am ready to return on my flight date.
Is just getting a single flight out there the best idea and just book a flight home from Spain when I am ready to come back?Not l
Yes and I think the mental ‘value’ of being not constrained to a return date is very nice!!I have done quite a few Caminos. 2 times I had prebooked a return ticket. Borh times I had to throw it away, just because life happened to me. Never again any pre-booking for me. Anything can (and will) happen while you are on the Camino.
Great! If you need any help on skyscanner or any ground transport to connect just shout! As mentioned you can search on Portugal to UK too!Thanks all, great advice and I am just booking a single flight out there and start thinking about return flights several days before I finish
I want my head empty and no feelings of deadlines etc
Also:Yes and I think the mental ‘value’ of being not constrained to a return date is very nice!!
I think you made a good decision.Thanks all, great advice and I am just booking a single flight out there and start thinking about return flights several days before I finish
I want my head empty and no feelings of deadlines etc
Totally agree.I think you made a good decision.
Hi.I have had a few health and work problems this past week and am now planning and rushing to get ready for a Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port start on May 8th and have given myself 35 days to get to Santiago though I do not want to put myself under any pressure at all on this pilgrimage.
I am flying from London to Biarritz and will book the flight in the next couple of days.
I was thinking of getting a return but do not want to put myself under pressure of making sure I am ready to return on my flight date.
Is just getting a single flight out there the best idea and just book a flight home from Spain when I am ready to come back?
Trans Atlantic or further, is a completely different ballgame...
100% agree.coming from N America it's much more expensive to buy two one way tickets, especially at the last minute.
Please elaborate on your experience, Trecile, and C Clearly. I’m coming from Dallas. Until I read your post I was ready to cancel my return ticket based on all the previous posts. After your post I’m not so sure. We will be flying back out of Porto-Madrid-DFW. Based on your post I’m thinking of keeping my return trip as is. We start on May 4th PC and return on the 23rd.If I lived in Europe I wouldn't book my return flight in advance, but coming from N America it's much more expensive to buy two one way tickets, especially at the last minute.
Please elaborate on your experience, Trecile, and C Clearly. I’m coming from Dallas. Until I read your post I was ready to cancel my return ticket based on all the previous posts.
Please elaborate on your experience, Trecile, and C Clearly. I’m coming from Dallas. Until I read your post I was ready to cancel my return ticket based on all the previous posts
You have a very valid point, as have @trecile and @C clearly, and you should do solid investigation on one-way prices. I was speaking as an EU citizen (Norway), which gives us much more flexibilty, but I have no knowledge about air fares to/from USA/Canada/other continents.Please elaborate on your experience, Trecile, and C Clearly. I’m coming from Dallas. Until I read your post I was ready to cancel my return ticket based on all the previous posts. After your post I’m not so sure. We will be flying back out of Porto-Madrid-DFW. Based on your post I’m thinking of keeping my return trip as is. We start on May 4th PC and return on the 23rd.
I live in California. Very expensive 1-way tickets to Europe. I've walked 4 Caminos and had always bought 2-way tickets. Much cheaper. Once I was able to get roundtrip tickets for less than $US500 due to a sale. I overestimate my walk by a couple of days. If I made good times, I slowed down. No problem. If I was slower than expected, I had a cushion. So far so good for me and my pocket. I plan/hope to walk the Le Puy in the fall, buying roundtrip tickets again. Bon Chemin.If I lived in Europe I wouldn't book my return flight in advance, but coming from N America it's much more expensive to buy two one way tickets, especially at the last minute.
I used to get most of my tickets as one way tickets because that used to be cheaper for me (from US) than round trip or multi-city. But since COVID - I am finding the opposite to be true in my searches.I have found that a round trip or multi-city flight to Europe is not much more expensive than a single one way ticket.
This is a completely separate issue, but an important one. Perhaps that discussion can continue on this other thread about requirements for entry into Europe.In a thread earlier this year someone posted that Iberia would not allow them to board a flight from the USA without evidence of a return flight booking. Theoretically Spanish authorities could also bar Brits like myself from entering the country without booked onward or return travel but I have not heard of that actually being enforced.
You can see for yourself. Don't just look at the cost of a one-way ticket from home to Spain, a couple of months in advance. To simulate the experience that you are proposing (buying the ticket home only after you know what date you really want to travel), you need to go online, and see what a one-way ticket will cost for the flight home in, say 1 week from today. Then add in the factor that your last-minute return will actually be at a higher price because by that point, you will be into a higher fare season.Please elaborate on your experience, Trecile, and C Clearly.
"Connecting" with separate tickets can be very risky. If you miss the second flight due to flight delays or reactor either flight you will have to buy a new ticket at last minute prices, since it's not a "protected" connection. If I were to do this I would want to have many hours, or preferably overnight between flights.- I can fly out of Tucson or Phoenix or LAX (with a separate ticket to LAX). LAX with that separate ticket to LAX used to always be cheapest for me.
Depending on how deeply yourcamino experience is, I would recommend that you leave and see. In my experience deep things require space time and not sharing immediately on your return. What you experience may be deep and precious and rushing back into the daily grind is probably damaging to the potential that you have just opened up. I toI have had a few health and work problems this past week and am now planning and rushing to get ready for a Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port start on May 8th and have given myself 35 days to get to Santiago though I do not want to put myself under any pressure at all on this pilgrimage.
I am flying from London to Biarritz and will book the flight in the next couple of days.
I was thinking of getting a return but do not want to put myself under pressure of making sure I am ready to return on my flight date.
Is just getting a single flight out there the best idea and just book a flight home from Spain when I am ready to come back?
That is true. I give myself plenty of connection time for all flights, but most especially those which are booked on separate tickets. Sometimes the cost savings is so great that it is the way to go."Connecting" with separate tickets can be very risky. If you miss the second flight due to flight delays or reactor either flight you will have to buy a new ticket at last minute prices, since it's not a "protected" connection. If I were to do this I would want to have many hours, or preferably overnight between flights.
I like the idea of ferry back to England. Which port is convenient by bus from Santiago?Totally! I don't book my returns any more (also am from the UK)
I was walking in march 2020 and obvs had to buy a second return ticket home as fast as possible! I wanted to return in 2022 to 'finish' that camino
I booked to go in late march but it was -6 and loads of snow so I decided to delay and rebooked for April
In April I got covid again so I had to delay and rebooked for may
In May I got shingles
I finally left in June.
I decided to return via ferry, it was ace I booked it when I felt my Camino was finished about 4/5 days before I left
Absolutely loved the freedom of it
The ferries to the UK go from Bilbao and Santander. Both of them accessible by ALSA bus from Santiago. If you have more time available you could also consider the slower but more interesting FEVE train from A Coruna.I like the idea of ferry back to England. Which port is convenient by bus from Santiago?
Which airlines do you find the best prices (Spain to UK) in your opinion?My last Camino, I had a return flight booked for the first time. Worst mistake I have made so far.
I ended up finishing the Camino in record time, but physically and mentally was exhausted after reaching Muxia and Finisterre.
Was sitting for 5 days near the ocean doing nothing while waiting for my return flight. Missed an important birthday party.
My suggestion stands that around 7 days before you estimate to reach Santiago, you buy flights tickets back home. Its especially easy finding flights to London as is your case.
I have flown back from Santiago, Porto and Madrid. It was a long overnight bus ride to reach Madrid and then straight to the airport, but ticket prices were good. Getting to Porto is very smooth and simple. You will need to ve flexible about which airport you fly out of, but there will be cheap options
Im just using Skyscanner.com website. Actually last time the actual flight ticket came through Booking.com.Which airlines do you find the best prices (Spain to UK) in your opinion?
I would also check with my travel insurer what the minimum time is between such connection flights before they will cover a flight delay on the first flight. I have been caught out leaving too few, at some great personal expense."Connecting" with separate tickets can be very risky. If you miss the second flight due to flight delays or reactor either flight you will have to buy a new ticket at last minute prices, since it's not a "protected" connection. If I were to do this I would want to have many hours, or preferably overnight between flights.
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