US work trip - flights/plans/accommodation etc.

@Touring Mars What's your budget for airfare? I've had a fair bit of experience with finding flights between the UK and US, I might be able to help you find something nice that's also affordable. Assuming you want to leave from Glasgow, BA is likely your best bet, but it's all dependent on your dates, budget, departure point, and how many stops you're willing to make.
 
@Beeblebrox237 My budget is "I'm not paying for it" :P But seriously, it will be 'economy' but not necessarily 'cheapest I can find', say up to £1000.

It looks like I may have found an apartment - I will need to move my start date at NU for it to work, but apparently that is not a problem. It's $750 a month and is a sublet from a member of staff at NU, so it sounds perfect. Keep your fingers crossed I can get it sorted quickly :nervous:
 
@Touring Mars With that kind of budget I think you could do pretty well! I can't find any nonstop flights from Glasgow, but if you fly from Manchester you can go nonstop with American Airlines on a 767. If you want a higher standard rather than a cheap American airline, KLM and British Airways will both do one stop services from Glasgow to Chicago. KLM has you go via Amsterdam, which isn't the nicest airport in layout, but KLM is a great airline to fly with. BA will fly you via Heathrow, and while I've not flown with them yet I hear they're very good, and the aircraft used (777 and 747) seem to be some of the better ones in their fleet. Finally, you could fly Aer Lingus via Dublin. I know nothing about the airline, but it's an option nonetheless.

One other thing, BA will fly you premium economy via Heathrow for £1200. I don't know if you could still claim that on expenses, even if you paid the extra £200, but if you can I think you should do it. Premium economy is really nice on the long haul flights (you'd be normal economy from GLA to LHR).

Naturally, this being air travel, there are a million different options, so take some time to look around and explore your options (though not too much time, as flights fill up and prices change daily). It took me several days to sort out my flights for autumn. Also, congratulations on finding a place to live! :cheers:
 
That's great, thanks for that mate :cheers: The university are always a bit sniffy about anything other than economy, and I'm not really bothered anyway - all I need is a couple of miniatures of whisky and my iPod and I'm a happy camper.

It looks like I've got the place sorted, absolutely delighted - it's right next to the campus and it's cheap as anything - looks like a nice enough place and in a great location right next to the university campus. It's a room in a shared flat, but I figured that it might be a good idea to live with some other people rather than being completely alone for two months, so it will be interesting if nothing else!! The fact that the person I'd be letting from works at NU is a massive bonus.

I might even be able to arrange payment through my work as early as tomorrow, and then I can go ahead and book my flights - I'll have a whole week of extra time at the end of my placement in this apartment so I can see a bit of the surrounding area, and I may even be able to squeeze in a trip to New York without having to book a hotel in Chicago again, so it's looking alot better than it did earlier in the week :P
 
@Beeblebrox237 What dont ypou like about the airport at Amsterdam? Organised, all in one building, shops, restauarants, casino, free wifi... I would pay extra to route there over Heathrow.
 
I don't like the fact that the citihopper flights, which TM would be on from Glasgow, don't get a gate and you have to take a bus. I also didn't like the fact that all the check in is done on machines and that you don't go through security until you actually get to the gate. It's all just personal preference, though.
 
I use this site all the time for finding and comparing flight prices, times, airlines, layovers, or even other airports. Sometimes airlines will have also unpublished fares, which might be for particular times. The catch is that you can't buy the tickets directly form them, but they do price out all fees upfront. Another drawback is that you can't link directly to a query.

I found a £645 flight from GLA to ORD (Chicago O'Hare) with a 2.5 hour layover in Manchester: 6am your time lands you at 1pm Central Standard (-5 GMT). Puts you bit over a grand though. There's a slightly less-expensive one, but do you really want want a 5 hour airport layover in Philadelphia?
 
Last edited:
That's a great site, thanks 👍

Because my work are paying for it, I may have to allow them to book my main flight (UK -> Chicago) as a return and try to squeeze in an internal flight booked and paid for separately. I'll have my apartment for 8 days beyond the end of my placement, so I could quite easily have a mini-break to New York, returning to Chicago for a couple of nights and then flying home from there. The only draw back is the possibility of flight delays at the end of November due to weather conditions... I've seen Planes, Trains and Automobiles too many times :nervous:

Visiting New York is one of the things near the very top of my bucket list, so I really want to go. But I guess it will be pretty chilly around the end of November. It would also be right over Thanksgiving (I'd be planning to be in NY from 23-28 Nov), would that be a problem?
 
@Touring Mars For whatever reason one way flights are insanely expensive, so a return flight is probably the best option. As for visiting New York, I don't think the weather will be a problem is you dress for it, but Thanksgiving means that everything will be quite quiet for a few days. Stuff will be closed on Thanksgiving day. I don't know what the full extent of it would be, but I'd recommend going on a different week if you can.
 
I should note that I priced that for Saturday departures, since it usually provides less-expensive fares. Usually anything that involves Tuesday through Thursdays, as well. Planes and airports are not usually at capacities on those days of the week, unless they fall right before a holiday.

The business traveler usually picks Mondays and Fridays, and leisure travelers commonly pick Sundays. Tuesdays that fall after some sort of holiday (typically, those without a set date fall on Monday in America) can also get pricey.
 
Touring Mars
But I guess it will be pretty chilly around the end of November. It would also be right over Thanksgiving (I'd be planning to be in NY from 23-28 Nov), would that be a problem?
Click to expand...
It might be a bit cold in the mornings but by the afternoon, historically, anyway, a sweatshirt should do the trick.

q53wwMC.png
 
Touring Mars
Visiting New York is one of the things near the very top of my bucket list, so I really want to go. But I guess it will be pretty chilly around the end of November. It would also be right over Thanksgiving (I'd be planning to be in NY from 23-28 Nov), would that be a problem?
Click to expand...
I remember being there with my brother the week before Christmas, and except for the wet slushy snow that was falling, it wasnt that cold. Certainly nothing you wouldnt have seen in Scotland at some point in your life. 3 words: urban. heat. island.
 
Thanks again for all the useful tips and info, chaps, it's very much appreciated :cheers:

I got a copy of my sublease agreement just now, and I got the green light to allow the subletter (or whatever!) to be paid directly by my employer as well, so all is good - I should book my flights and hotel(s) early next week :D

All I need to do now is figure out what the hell I'm going to do at NU for two months - I need to read up on their work quickly!!
 
Your first day or two will consist of being shown around and settling in and, provided you don't stir the pot too much when you're there, your last day should be a party.

Three down, 57 to go! :lol:

Glad to hear everything is starting to fall into place, TM! :cheers:
 
I suggest you visit Florida or South Carolina (although I am biased; I'm not a fan of traffic-packed cities). Try to go to a NASCAR race at some point; they only ever seem boring on TV. And don't come to Kentucky. It's very boring here.
 
Not 100% sure if you will/want/maybe be looking to go to NYC, although we don't really know each other at all. I can offer a place to stay in Connecticut just outside of NYC which is a 45 minute train ride away. If you find yourself leaning towards that direction an want to see NYC, I can offer you a good home along with food plus the added addition of having GTP ' S infamous bartender as a host ;-)
 
Oh well - this is a bit of a disaster.

Hours after I received their payment details, I get an email saying that the other tenants have someone else lined up for the room and that is the end of that. I don't know if my University has already paid, but they did get the invoice at 4 pm this afternoon so it is a possibility that the money has already gone through. If that is the case, it will be very embarrassing for me as it looks very bad - hopefully this is one occasion where the University admin staff's legendary early finishes might actually come in useful, since I really hope the payment hasn't been made yet. That said, the person I am dealing with has profusely apologised for the cancellation and says she will pay back the money if it has gone through already - and she does work at the University, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem if things don't go smoothly.

I must admit that I am very disappointed, and a little surprised that the other tenants have scuppered the move - I was assuming that it was solely up to the person I'd be subletting from, but apparently that is not the case. Anyway, it's now back to square one on the accommodation front, and time is getting very tight. At this rate, I might end up in a bloody hotel for two months after all, or I could just say sod it, cancel the whole thing and go to China or India instead.

I knew it was too good to be true.
 
So, it looks like my trip to the US might be back on after having had to cancel my previous plan. Apparently the funds are still available, and my new time frame of summer 2015 is looking to be an option as well. Summer may be a better time to go simply because accommodation might be easier to come by.

Since my previous emails, my focus has changed a bit in terms of what it is I'd like to do, and hence I may aim for a different group/different university. One candidate is UC Irvine, but I don't know much about it other than it's in California and my mate is a lecturer/group leader over there.

Either way, if anyone has any tips about finding a let/rental over the summer holidays (university holidays) in the US, I'd be glad to hear it :)
 
Touring Mars
Either way, if anyone has any tips about finding a let/rental over the summer holidays (university holidays) in the US, I'd be glad to hear it :)
Click to expand...
If there are apartments near the campus that typically rent to college students, they might be happy to have a tenant over the summer months. Now that I think about it, perhaps the dorms would be an option, too, as they usually sit mostly empty.
 
Some colleges do offer free dorms to people will be lecturing at their facilities. I'd ask before trying that route though because not every college/university does that.
 
Does anyone know if I would have any problems if I booked two one-way flights for my US trip as opposed to a return flight? i.e. would I get hassle on arrival with a J-1 visa holding a one-way ticket to California, even if I had another flight booked (e.g. from New York) to return to the UK?

I am hoping to take a holiday after my placement, and so it would be handy to be able to fly home from a different airport... any tips?
 
I don't think you would have a problem - you would still be able to show an outward route if asked. Your bigger problem may be getting one way flights that are cheaper than a return. Some airlines have a horrible pricing structure where a one way is about 80% of the price of a return to the same city.
 
I ain't paying :lol:

That said, it will still have to be the 'cheapest' option, so maybe I won't be allowed to do it.
 
I fly non-revenue (dad works for Delta) and we never book round-trips when we fly (which is a lot). From my experience, it doesn't matter unless cost is king.

Start looking now though if the flight is going to happen in less than a month. Prices can climb from 50-100 in the last week compared to starting now.

If I understood you correctly, you haven't made the trip over here, and you want a one-way from the UK to here, and another one-way, to wherever you want to go "holidaying" (vacation, but tomato, tomahto) then back to say, NYC, and then to EGLL or something?

That's completely fine. But you should book all at once as prices will be the main issue. And like others have said, once you successfully make it here, no one checks for passports or any sort of international visas, when you fly domestic. You'll just need your ID (drivers license or whatever you have) and ticket to the next destination. TSA over here is a complete Bee-eye-tee-see-h over here though, so any drink you carry on before passing through security will need to be trashed..
 
Swagger897
I fly non-revenue (dad works for Delta) and we never book round-trips when we fly (which is a lot). From my experience, it doesn't matter unless cost is king.
Click to expand...
The first 4 words of that sentence make the rest of it meaningless. I just checked KLM (incognito so that it doesn't recognise my profile)
Return Amsterdam-LA (5 Jul-22 Jul) = €1300
One way Amsterdam-LA (5 Jul) = €2500

Yep, you pay them an extra €1200 to NOT take the flight home.

I know not all airlines work that way, but my point is to be aware of it. That sort of price difference will get called out by the uni administration.

And for your comment about ID, unless you are from the US or Canada, it is passport or nothing as ID at airports, domestic or not.
 
Touring Mars
Does anyone know if I would have any problems if I booked two one-way flights for my US trip as opposed to a return flight? i.e. would I get hassle on arrival with a J-1 visa holding a one-way ticket to California, even if I had another flight booked (e.g. from New York) to return to the UK?
Click to expand...

Shouldn't be a problem. Maybe just a "random" search when going through security.






*Just kidding on the random search. You should be fine.
Touring Mars
I am hoping to take a holiday after my placement, and so it would be handy to be able to fly home from a different airport... any tips?
Click to expand...

If you really want to see a few places, can you do a short trip before placement and another longer holiday one after? Or do like a "long-weekend getaway" kind of deal during the placement?

Also, from your list of places, not sure if you could (have time/money/willingness) hop through Kentucky and/or swing through Florida on your way to New York?

Barra333
I don't think you would have a problem - you would still be able to show an outward route if asked. Your bigger problem may be getting one way flights that are cheaper than a return. Some airlines have a horrible pricing structure where a one way is about 80% of the price of a return to the same city.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that. One-ways tickets are often stupid expensive, and though you could do it, you're technically not supposed to buy a return ticket because it's lower cost knowing that you will not actually fly on the return leg.

--

It could get kind of tricky, but if you know you want to vacation in New York, it could end up being cheapest to buy two round trip tickets: first ticket for UK-NY, second ticket for NY-LA. The first ticket will be for the UK to USA and back portion of the trips, and since the second ticket will be purchased separately, you could get the second ticket so that you go to NY from LA a few days before the first ticket, thus giving you the holiday time you want in NY. You layovr at NY on your way to LA, then after your placement, fly to NY on round trip ticket 2, stay a few days, and return to UK on round trip ticket 1.

Only issue with that is you're constrained to flying through NY on both directions, and you'll be stuck with that route even if you change your mind later.

You can also call up the airline and ask to see how much adding an additional leg on the return trip would be. If they allow it, they'll often tack on a little bit of a fee, but would still be much cheaper than buying individual single trip tickets.

Also, use passport as ID. You may get lucky and a TSA agent will take your British ID, but it's usually passport or bust for non US/Canada IDs.
 
Thanks for the comments - I decided this morning that getting two single flights would be silly - it would probably be fine but it might cause problems for me claiming the money back, since they would want to know why I didn't get the cheapest/return flight, with the reason being a personal holiday... in other words, I may end up paying for the return flight myself anyway.

It turns out my friend and his research group will be in New York in August, so it might be a better idea to take a long weekend and go and visit them. As for the idea of taking a holiday before my placement, I won't be able to do that as I'll be too busy at my work in the UK trying to finish stuff, so the later I leave the better. The boss will be OK with me coming back a week or so late, but since he's effectively paying me to visit the US in the first place, I don't want to take any liberties.

As such, a trip to Florida or Kentucky this time around seems unlikely. I have family and friends on the West Coast and it might be a better idea to plan to see them instead!
 
Touring Mars
As such, a trip to Florida or Kentucky this time around seems unlikely. I have family and friends on the West Coast and it might be a better idea to plan to see them instead!
Click to expand...

The West Coast is the Best Coast anyways.

#JustSayin'
 

Similar threads

S
Madza mx5 cup
Replies
2
Views
2K
stdash84
S
toastet
Looking for a Midnight Club LA complete copy from the UK
Replies
0
Views
505
toastet
toastet
A
Building my first rig - Fanatec GT3RS Wheel/CSL Elite pedals... need help!
Replies
5
Views
914
alexb9971
A
Touring Mars
Tell Us A Story - pics in GT7 locations where you have been IRL [Please read the OP first!!]
Replies
24
Views
9K
P-Courty
P-Courty
Nico_Ble99
So, how was your year? (2020 Edition)
Replies
18
Views
1K
kikie
K

Latest Posts

Back