View Full Version : Logistics! International flights and a Thru Hike
GirlfromOZ
09-24-2014, 19:26
Hello!
I'm now in the logistics and planning stage of my 2015 thru attempt and have given myself the added complication of travelling overseas to do this!
The information regarding shuttles from Atlanta is huge and makes planning easy! However the trip home is causing me some confusion!!
Hope you guys can help!
Where is the nearest large transport hub to Mt Katahdin??
Did you fly home from Katahdin and if so which airport did you fly out of??
If you had to get back to LA for an international flight how would you do it???
Thanks in advance!
(Ps I'm hoping that having set flights will help me push through the trail... But I'm booking a flexi return flight incase I become a statistic!)
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bigcranky
09-24-2014, 20:33
The nearest big US airport is Logan in Boston. Getting to Boston isn't trivial from the wilds of northern Maine, but it can be done. Quebec City is closer but may introduce even more logistical issues since it's in yet another country :) (Plus you can't really get there from here, as they say.)
The folks at the AT Lodge in Millinocket (http://appalachiantraillodge.com/) may be able to help you figure out the logistics.
Happy trails!
Where is the nearest large transport hub to Mt Katahdin??
Did you fly home from Katahdin and if so which airport did you fly out of??
If you had to get back to LA for an international flight how would you do it???
I would take a flight from Bangor ME International AP to LAX for my flight back to OZ. OR, if you wanted to visit Boston, New York, etc after summitting Mt K take a flight to LAX from a nearby Int. AP which my guess would be less expensive than flying from Portland or Bangor ME
to LAX.
You should check the Aussie hiking websites for info on flights from your hiking countrymen too. See what they did. I always seem to meet at least one Aussie hiker on the AT,PCT, CDT, etc every time I'm on one of those trails.
I wanted to do a bit of sight seeing so I flew out of JFK.
I also wanted to ensure all my gear was clean before I arrived back in Oz.
Taz
peakbagger
09-25-2014, 07:57
The airport in Bangor Maine has very limited service and no international services, Yes you can take a plane to Boston and save a few hours but most take the bus. Portland Maine has mostly east coast flights. Logan in Boston is a national and international hub. The good news is that there is bus service from Medway (just down the road from Millinocket) all the way to Logan. Most folks make arrangements to get from the park to Millinocket via the AT Lodge. There is a steady crowd of thruhikers that do the exact same route to Boston and farther south and on any given day I expect there will be 5 or 10 thru hikers on the same bus. Most of them will be folks you met during the hike.
For reference
http://johntcyrandsons.com/daily-service/ That gets you from Medway to Bangor bus station
http://www.concordcoachlines.com/index.php/maine-locations/bangor-boston gets you from Bangor to Logan.
Unfortunately Interstate 95 that the bus routes goes is well inland from the ocean. If you want to get closer to the ocean, the Amtrak Downeaster train runs from Brunswick to Logan. Many hikers go to Bangor and head down to Acadia National Park after their hike. A nice trip but the logistics are more difficult.
Many of the transportation services do code sharing where they list a trip and they take you part of the way and then hand you off to another company. I believe Greyhound does that in Maine. Its worth looking at the schedules and seeing what combination is the least cost.
GirlfromOZ
09-25-2014, 09:13
You guys are amazing!!!! Thank you!
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I don't know anything about traveling internationally from the US to Australia but I will offer one suggestion if you need to get back to LAX. Consider using Southwest which flies out of Portland, Manchester, as well as Boston. You can book a cheap fare on Southwest from one of those cities to Los Angeles well ahead of time using a date that you think is likely to be around your finish date. If the date happens to change, you can rebook with Southwest WITHOUT paying the usual ridiculous change fees charged by all other airlines. While you would have to rebook using the current fares in effect at the time you rebook, it is still likely to be MUCH cheaper than rebooking with any other airline. I always try to use Southwest when I go on backpacking trips to take advantage of this flexibility.
colorado_rob
09-25-2014, 09:50
I don't know anything about traveling internationally from the US to Australia but I will offer one suggestion if you need to get back to LAX. Consider using Southwest which flies out of Portland, Manchester, as well as Boston. You can book a cheap fare on Southwest from one of those cities to Los Angeles well ahead of time using a date that you think is likely to be around your finish date. If the date happens to change, you can rebook with Southwest WITHOUT paying the usual ridiculous change fees charged by all other airlines. While you would have to rebook using the current fares in effect at the time you rebook, it is still likely to be MUCH cheaper than rebooking with any other airline. I always try to use Southwest when I go on backpacking trips to take advantage of this flexibility. Yep, +1 on Southwest. I've used them out of Denver almost exclusively now with the no-change-fee and free baggage thing. Plus just about the lowest fares and direct flights all over the US from Denver, at least. Just remember to "check in" online exactly 24 hours before the flight to get best seating-queue number!
I would recommend you see NYC while you're on this side of the world, either during the hike (there is a train stop on the trail that will take you into the city and there are probably other ways to get there too) or afterwards. If you do it after, you could get to Boston as described above, spend a few days there, and then take one of the Chinatown buses from Boston to NYC (they're the cheapest option). You then get a choice of airports to fly out of once you get to NYC.
Good call on Southwest being amendable to change of flight without the high change of flight fees. +2
Chinatown buses from Boston to NYC (they're the cheapest option).
Those busses are incredibly cheap.
GirlfromOZ
09-25-2014, 17:42
Thank you all sooo much. I really appreciate the help! Southwest sounds like the best option!
Touristing post/during trail will be almost completely dependant on my budget!!
I'm trying to set myself up so that I have 2 weeks of sightseeing but if I blow through my budget then I'll just have to sacrifice that.
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Odd Man Out
09-25-2014, 23:29
Thank you all sooo much. I really appreciate the help! Southwest sounds like the best option!
Touristing post/during trail will be almost completely dependant on my budget!! I'm trying to set myself up so that I have 2 weeks of sightseeing but if I blow through my budget then I'll just have to sacrifice that.
One good option to be a tourist for a day or two is to take a morning train from Harper's Ferry (about the mid point of the trail - train station literally on the trail) into Washington DC. The are commuter trains that leave early in the morning and return in the evening (only on weekdays). There is also one Amtrak (the national passenger rail service) train every day late morning. If you catch the early morning weekday train, you could see DC as a day trip. Or you could spend a night in DC for a two day visit. Spending the night in DC might cost a bit, but the train is only 5$ each way and most of the main attractions you may want to see in DC are free. DC is a great place to visit.
GirlfromOZ
09-26-2014, 00:43
Thanks odd man out! I'd love to hear about any other side trips hikers recommend for sightseeing and a day of two off the trail!
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Old Grouse
09-26-2014, 06:55
Those busses are incredibly cheap.
Sure, they're cheap. Have you checked their service and safety records? Those things cost money.
Old Grouse
09-26-2014, 12:14
Sure, they're cheap. Have you checked their service and safety records? Those things cost money.
I feel I should add to my earlier post. Both MegaBus and Bolt have good safety records and are quite inexpensive for the Boston/New York run. A new bus can cost up to $700,000 and you don't pay for that or the maintenance to keep them in safe condition with the kind of fares charged by Fung Wah and its ilk. But its your money and your risk.
I've only seen a few of those buses on fire on the side of the road :)
Thanks odd man out! I'd love to hear about any other side trips hikers recommend for sightseeing and a day of two off the trail!
I would say that seeing NYC and DC are more worth it than Boston if you have to make a choice about which to see.
5$ each way and most of the main attractions you may want to see in DC are free. DC is a great place to visit.
The MARC train was $11 each way last time I checked. But still a cheap way to see DC if you only have a day to spare. However, one day really isn't enough in DC to do much more than walk around the national mall and maybe take in a couple of the Smithsonian museums, which are all free. If possible try to spend a night in DC. Priceline sometimes offers good last minute deals. You could get to HF, then try to get a priceline bid. If nothing comes up, stay at the hostel for two nights rather than one and do the day trip.
Odd Man Out
09-26-2014, 22:56
The MARC train was $11 each way last time I checked. But still a cheap way to see DC if you only have a day to spare. However, one day really isn't enough in DC to do much more than walk around the national mall and maybe take in a couple of the Smithsonian museums, which are all free. If possible try to spend a night in DC. Priceline sometimes offers good last minute deals. You could get to HF, then try to get a priceline bid. If nothing comes up, stay at the hostel for two nights rather than one and do the day trip.
Yes, that is correct. I grabbed a fare from the wrong route. Thanks.
BTW, if you are in DC with your backpack, you can check your bag at the commercial bag check facility at Union Station for like a bazillion dollars a day. Or you can check it for free at the National Gallery of Art. The Museum of Natural History has self-serve lockers that are big enough for a backpack and are free (you need a quarter for the key deposit). The down side is that you will have to unpack everything to have it inspected (the people behind me in line were probably put out, but the guards were very cool about it), and if you don't retrieve your bag before closing time, you're screwed. You are probably only supposed to use the bag check and lockers for when you are in the Museum, but they can't really stop you from leaving and coming back. Much better to see DC without your pack, if possible. Some places won't allow you in with a bag and also won't provide a bag check option.
jjozgrunt
09-28-2014, 19:42
G'day
I am just booking a flexible flight back from LAX and leaving the other transport details till the end. It will depend on what you want to do at the end, I'm going to NY for a week or so and then fly to LAX. The http://appalachiantraillodge.com/services/shuttles/ will shuttle you to Bangor, Maine and then try this site for gaming some of the possible options. http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Bangor/New-York
When are you planning to start? I'm Brisbane to Atalanta on the 9th March with a start on the 13th.
CELTIC BUCK
09-28-2014, 20:15
Boston, Washington DC; are Both worthy of you taking time to see; may I also suggest Gettysburg Pa site of a 3 Day battle the really was a turning point in the American Civil War and not far from the AT, also Philadelphia easily reached by bus from Delaware Water Gap; & the Birthplace of America, lots to see and a Great City.
GirlfromOZ
10-10-2014, 06:01
I've booked my flights wooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
Ahhhhhhh sooooooo excited!
Shhhh no one tell my job!
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To return home from end of your north bound AT hike...
From Katahdin stream campground hitch a ride to Millinocket (should be not hard that's the closest town to the park and everyone leaving the park is going there. Then talk to the folks at AT Lodge and Cafe they should be able to arrange a shuttle for you to Medway where you get a bus south to Portland, ME. You'll need to spend the night prior since bus leaves I believe early in am. From Portland flight to logan than a flight home.