Star MegaDO 4 - Pre event discussion

How about a DO at the end of June or mid August? An event like this is impossible for teachers to go on since the new school year starts in Sept!

On another note, I vote for Asia due to the airlines involved.

I've missed the first 3 MegaDOs because of work. So I am excited to see a IV DO is being planned. I vote for Med Medley first, Asia second, and Nordic not so much.

Asian Dawn!

I'd rather get a three hour massage at downtown BKK or HKT.

Asian Dawn got my vote but any choice sounds great to me! Really want to finally attend a SMD but once again, will depend on actual dates; looking forward to hearing more details. Thanks Randy, Tommy, Melinda, Gary & Ed!

Mediterranean

for sure. September is a great time to be touring that side of Europe!

Seeing as I will be based in NGO... Asian Dawn for me

It will be the first DO for me (if I'll be lucky enough or fast enough to go). Having been in most of those places my first preference will the the Nordic one and the second will the the Med one. Asia is a little to far, and probably a little too expensive to get to to make it workout for me (from the East coast).

The Mediterranean medley

So I see frequently in the elite FF and MP world that asia is the destination of choice in terms of premier travel. My question is why?

I've never been to Asia but from a purely touristy perspective I don't see what the hubbub is about.

What am I missing?

I have done little Asian travel but can say Asians go above and beyond to make the experience a special one. Customer service is top notch and you are given the utmost respect. I have been impressed on the few flights on took on Asian carriers, etc.

You thinking about moving to Canada? SECURITY!

A few things strike me as good or important reasons to visit Asia -
a) friendliness in many parts of the continent and SE Asian islands (there are exceptions)
b) vibrant new cities mixed with cities a thousand years old
c) historical importance of some sites
d) beautiful scenery - flora and fauna
e) some of the best hotels in the world, and usually for much less than the best hotels in Europe
f) FOOD!

Mediterranean gets my vote.

A Newbie question - as all of those options will require international positioning flights - are there any plans to get a discount for those flights? I assume that flying out on miles will be very difficult with only several months ahead of the actual trip.

A thought : as this DO will be taking place away from North America, implied is that there’ll be no optional advance trip; might it, therefore, be possible, as suggested above, to have an extra day or so in the city(ies) we’ll be going to? Given that most of the participants will not have been to one or more of the stops, it would be nice to have a day for a brief exploration. It’d be a shame to go to IST and not have a day to check out a few of the historical sites, or a bazaar (I can recommend a great shop in the Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar for spices and such. Even if it’s a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus for a day, it’d add a lot.

I realize there may be charter cost implications for having a plane sit on the ground for a day.

I can comment on Asia from visiting two times. I've been to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong & Macau
I do not fly or stay in "premier" ways... Coach flights and hostels/ guest houses are the way I roll. lol

You need to go to Asia to fully understand how amazing it is. You definitely get a lot more for your money than in other parts of the world. The sites are amazing as are the people and food.

Not sure how much you've traveled, but if you haven't been to Asia then you are missing out!

Lots of eqm's and not too difficult to get upgraded...

why canada?

your thought process is sound.

Asia is a project from the east coast, having this in asia will set it out of reach of many and make going on the do not feasible. I say that in regard to both the cost and the time reqiured for the event.

so far the odds seem stacked against a do in europe

Mediterranean, Nordic, Asian (last since we plan on going to BKK next February). Of course, we're doing a Baltic cruise in June but I swear I will not miss this. Where do I sign up?!

Since I mostly within travel in Europe, I know quite well all the airports involved.
In the Northern itinerary most of them are really small (specially for US standards), with low traffic, even not varied. CPH is missing and it's probably the most interesting in the area.

The Mediterranean is really nice: TK is a booming airline and the airport has very intense traffic; ATH is quieter but worth a look. LIS has sometimes some unusual traffic.

The Asian tour is instead on a much higher lever, airport involved are really big and a behind the scenes is really promising.

I assume that all the airlines involved will welcome us in a really excellent way.

Congrats to the organizers for making this possible
.

It seems unlikely they can do during the charter for the reasons that you mentioned - it would add greatly to the cost to have the plane sit on the ground. The previous charters have been scheduled so that the plane is in use for 24-36 hours total.

The organizers are likely to get us discounts on the necessary positioning flights, even in C(Z), and those will likely give some date flexibility so it would certainly be possible to spend time at the origin and/or destination of the charter.

I have to vote for Mediterranean medley and then Nordic Affair, with Asian Dawn coming in third. I think for my situation, getting a round trip positioning flight to FRA would be much more realistic than the extra travel to Asia. Also, if I am going that far from home, I want to spend some time there. Mediterranean should be lovely that time of year.

Voted for Asian Dawn. So much to see do on your own too....VERY reasonable prices unlike Europe.

Question is. :How do us newbies get in on this ?