You're a talented bunch (help with travel)

[anna7602]

So I posted a week or so ago about having to travel for work and what to do with DD. DH doesn't think he can take time off, but should know for sure by tomorrow. In any event, I will either go with DD (and have her hang out with an Ipad or something during the event) or the three of us will go. But the whole travel plan is complicated.

We will be in northern Spain until the weekend before I have to be in Lisbon (event is on a Wednesday). It looks like there are no direct flights between Bilbao and Lisbon and no direct trains, either. (Train travel would be nightmarish with DD anyway as it's an overnight train just between Madrid and Lisbon.)

So, would you just fly back to Paris on a Monday (my return ticket is already booked, but I can change it) and fly back out to Lisbon (direct flight) from Paris Tuesday eve or Wed. morn.? Or is there some other connection through Spain I am not thinking of?

It just feels like a lot of flying back & forth to Paris when both places I need/want to be are on the SAME PENINSULA!

Also, totally unrelated, but this is why I like living in places like Paris and New York. It's so much easier to find direct flights to the places I want to go, for the most part.

[elenetxu]

There are direct flights from Bilbao to Lisbon. TAP flies into Bilbao - I just ran a quick search and it looks like the flight is operated by Portugalia.

www.flytap.com/Espana/es/Inicio

[Cheesecake]

Would renting a car be an option, and taking a little time driving there, stopping along the way? (or driving from Bilbao to Madrid and grabbing a plane from there?)

I don't have any spain/lisbon experience to speak of, but that (in my mind) sounds doable/fun.

[anna7602]

Jun 7, 2012 12:39:46 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

There are direct flights from Bilbao to Lisbon. TAP flies into Bilbao - I just ran a quick search and it looks like the flight is operated by Portugalia.

www.flytap.com/Espana/es/Inicio

Thanks. But eek! Flights start at 400 Euros ONE WAY. I found r/t flights between Paris and Lisbon for 170 Euros.

I will search Iberia's site, too, just in case. I had only been looking at Vueling, Easy Jet, etc.

[anna7602]

Jun 7, 2012 12:44:28 GMT -5 Cheesecake said:

Would renting a car be an option, and taking a little time driving there, stopping along the way? (or driving from Bilbao to Madrid and grabbing a plane from there?)

I don't have any spain/lisbon experience to speak of, but that (in my mind) sounds doable/fun.

The idea of driving across Spain with DD in tow with a fixed deadline makes me think I will end up pulling over in some Spanish town along the way and down about five bottles of wine straight before deciding not to continue.

But thank you! Keep the ideas coming!

[elenetxu]

I'm running round trip BIO-LIS for July 19-23 and getting 241 EUR.

[anna7602]

Jun 7, 2012 12:55:08 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

I'm running round trip BIO-LIS for July 19-23 and getting 241 EUR.

Maybe the problem is that I am running a one-way. I still have to get back to Paris somehow after Lisbon.

[Cheesecake]

You have the return flight from Lisbin right? Then buy a roundtrip and don't use the flight back if that's cheaper than 1 way/ the same price as going back to Paris.

I have fat fingers, please excuse typos!

[anna7602]

Jun 7, 2012 13:25:07 GMT -5 Cheesecake said:

You have the return flight from Lisbin right? Then buy a roundtrip and don't use the flight back if that's cheaper than 1 way/ the same price as going back to Paris.

I have fat fingers, please excuse typos!

I think this is the winning answer (in combination with elenetxu's)! I can cut the fare in half now. The flight is only 40 minutes from Bilbao to Lisbon. You see why it was ridiculous to have to come back through Paris?

Ok, now I have to double-check DH's plans before I can book anything.

[elenetxu]

But then won't you still have to one-way to Paris?

Another idea would be to fly into Bilbao and catch the train to Paris. ALSA runs Bilbao-Irun (and there's a Bilbao Airport to Bilbao Bus Terminal bus) where you could catch the TGV. Looks like it's a 12 hour trip though.


EDIT: If you can get from Irun to Saint Jean de Luz you have the TGV for 46 euros and a six hour trip to Paris.

[anna7602]

Jun 7, 2012 15:58:45 GMT -5 elenetxu said:

But then won't you still have to one-way to Paris?

Another idea would be to fly into Bilbao and catch the train to Paris. ALSA runs Bilbao-Irun (and there's a Bilbao Airport to Bilbao Bus Terminal bus) where you could catch the TGV. Looks like it's a 12 hour trip though.


EDIT: If you can get from Irun to Saint Jean de Luz you have the TGV for 46 euros and a six hour trip to Paris.

I can try any of these combos, but I think I might also be able to book a one-way ticket on Easy Jet Lisbon-Paris for under 100 Euros, depending on how quickly I book and if I leave at a quirky time.

I wish DH would hurry up and tell me if he thinks we should all go or if I have to take DD or if we should be optimistic that our babysitting situation will be resolved by then and someone can watch her the days I am gone while DH is at work.

My preference is to go to Lisbon alone and just focus on what I need to do there and get some me time to eat good food and browse some bookstores. But if I know now that DD is going, I can come up with fun things for both of us to do ahead of time.

I'm rambling!