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Travel
Tips
Arranging
and planning your trip is half the fun. Don't miss it!
We're always happy to help with your travel arrangements.
Costa
Rica
Transportation
Travelocity
is the place I start when looking for good fares, then I let itasoftware.com
run another comparison for me. The airport code for San Jose, Costa
Rica is SJO. Since more than 70% of the flights in and out of Costa
Rica are provided by American
Airlines, I always check-out their site for better routing,
arrival and departure times.
Another good bet for inexpensive
airfares is Lacsa/Taca.
One last place to check is MartinAir
who run infrequent, but cheap flights. For our program, Awakening:
A Kripalu Yoga Retreat, January 6-13, 2007 at Pura Vida Spa,
look for airfare deals on all the airlines starting the second week
in  October.
For winter travel to Costa Rica
avoid the Christmas/New Year's rush when fares are higher. January
to March, during Costa Rica's dry season, is a great time to get
away from winter. Current
weather in San Jose.
This
fellow made a poor decision and spent his January lounging by the
pool in NY!
Accommodation
If you need to stay overnight close to the airport, we have used
the Garden Court and Hampton Inn several times and it was great.
They are only 2 minutes from the airport (when there is no traffic).
The breakfast was quite wonderful and they have a pool and a free
airport shuttle.
Money
If you are joining us in our program at Pura
Vida Spa you will NOT need to exchange any money into local
currency (colones). US dollars are accepted everywhere we will go.
You can bring traveler's checks (or US cash)
to pay the balance of your bill at Pura Vida or use your credit
card, which will be processed through their Atlanta office. This
will save international-use credit card charges. Bring a little
extra cash to tip your massage therapist and for the resort staff.
You must pay a government "exit"
tax in cash at the airport when you depart Costa Rica. In 2006 this
was $26.
Packing List
Once you register in our program, send us an email and we'll
share our finely tuned packing list with you.
Italy, Switzerland & Greece
Transportation - Planes & Trains
Add an extra adventure to your trip
by booking your airfare with a non-Italian, non-Swiss or non-Greek
carrier and plan a stop-over in their "international hub".
For very little extra money, you can have two vacations in one.
Fly Air
France and add Paris, fly Lufthansa
and add Frankfurt (and then any city in Germany), fly Iberia
and add Madrid or Barcelona.
Or spend time in London when you fly British
Airways.
Almost all flights are overnight from North
America to Europe. You must fly the night before in order
to get there on the right day. For example, if the program starts
on Friday, you will need to book your tickets for a departure date
on Thursday. Jet-lag will pretty much knock you out for your arrival
"day". Even the next day may be a challenge as you adjust.
Many folks arrive a day or so earlier so they are fully recovered
when the program begins.
A doctor we know recommends taking the homeopathic
remedy Rescue
Remedy once per hour during your flight to reduce the effects
of jet-lag. In 2004 we used a fabulous new product called No
Jet Lag and had our easiest recovery time yet!!
Tuscany, Italy
If you are flying into Florence (our program pickup location) for
Celebrate the Senses:
Yoga in Tuscany, the airport code is FLR. If you get a really
good fare, you might wish to fly into Pisa (code PSA) which is an
easy hour and a half away by train. Or you can fly into Rome (code
FCO) and either fly to Florence or take the train (1.5-4 hours).
 Switzerland
If you are flying to Zurich for Yoga
in the Swiss Alps: Walking, Wildflowers & Waterfalls, the
airport code is ZRH. There is a train station conveniently located
underneath the Zurich airport with trains leaving approximately
every 10-15 minutes for the 10-minute ride to the Zurich Central
Train Station (Hauptbahnhof). Trains leave the Hauptbahnhof approximately
every hour for the 2 1/4 hour trip to Interlaken Ost
(our program pickup location). You can also fly into Geneva
which is about the same distance from Interlaken.
See below for more information on train travel in Switzerland.
Corfu, Greece
If you are joining us for Settling
into Stillness: A Greek Island Retreat you will probably fly
into Athens (airport code ATH) and then on to the Greek island of
Corfu/Kerkyra (code CFU). There are also many direct flights to
Corfu from various European cities. Check-out whichbudget.com
for discount airlines in Europe.
Combined Yoga Trips
We can make all the travel reservations for you
if you are combining two of our yoga trips. From Tuscany to Corfu,
Greece we travel by train to Venice then catch the overnight ferry
right into Corfu Town. For information about the combined trip options
see our European
Yoga Vacations page.
To get around while you're in Europe,
take a look at the following websites for cheap one-way fares to
lesser used airports near major European cities: Ryanair
seems to be the best known with the most "hubs". We used
easyJet
to get a flight from Geneva to Paris for an unbelievable $25 one
way! Fares vary in price depending upon which day and time you want
to fly. If you are flexible, you can get a great deal. Other websites
to look at are: BMIBaby,
Air
Europa, Sterling,
Germanwings,
& Virgin
Express. Note: many of these smaller airlines have strict weight
limits for baggage. Be sure to check in advance!
Transportation - Trains
Definitely use the trains in Europe! The scenery outside your window
will be sure to delight. AND... compare prices with the discount
airlines mentioned above - then make your choice. We love taking
trains through Switzerland even though flying is often less expensive.
In Italy, however, trains are relatively inexpensive to use.
To book trains and see the schedule for Italian destinations, Trenitalia
is great. I like RailEurope
for destinations in Italy and Switzerland. It's an easy to use website
with lots of detailed schedules. AND they will deliver real tickets
to your home in three days! (for a fee)
Money
The euro €
 is
now the official currency of Italy & Greece.
Other countries using the euro are: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France,
Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Switzerland
still uses the Swiss Franc. Check the current rate
of exchange.
Plan to use ATM machines in Europe!
They will directly access your bank account. It is by
far the easiest way to get money. The exchange rate is also
very good -- often better than the banks or exchange places. It
is always a good idea to carry some traveler's checks as well.
Packing List
Once you register in any of our programs, send us an email and
we'll share our finely tuned packing list with you.
Questions?
 Send
me an email!
I will be happy to help you.
Happy planning and safe travels,
Sudhakar Ken McRae
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