Our dossier made it safely to Ukraine! Let the translation begin!
On another note, thank you for all of your comments about court attire. I can put the clothes thing behind me now.
Now are any of you willing to share where you found the best deals on plane tickets? Which airline did you fly? Did you use a travel agent or did you buy tickets off the internet? Are there any direct flights from any big cities in California? Is it better to buy one way tickets or change the dates on a regular ticket? We are happy flying coach, and if there is a Ukraine airline, we are fine flying with them too. I just want a good deal ----- translation, I am cheap.
Lastly, I am excited to report that I have firmed up childcare for two weeks for five of the kids. Someone had asked me what we were going to do with all the kids when we travel. It is hard to leave them, but I know they will be in good hands. Thanks to this blog, they will be able to get regular updates.
Forever Changed
16 years ago
20 comments:
WE ARE EXCITED TO WATCH YOUR JOURNEY. I WILL BE WATCHING TO SEE WERE YOU GET CHEAP PLANE TICKETS FROM. DID YOU LIKE OUR SNOW, WE GOT 6 ~INCHES IN LESS THAN 24 HRS. THAT'S WHY WE LIVE IN MONTANA,WE LOVE IT. JODY , THE CAMPBELL FAMILY
Very exciting!!!
You have a beautiful family!!!
hugs,
renee
Is it too late to ask those who travel for work to donate their miles? Traveling for seven years gave us enough to give away as gifts and still have enough for round trip to Ukraine, business class!
Of course this time around the well is dry, but two former co-workers have given enough for two coach tickets...It's a thought.
I read on Debbie's blog I think about a site called sidestep.com I have been looking there for tickets to Russia.
You will rest easier knowing that your other little ones are okay while you are gone.
Joy
your train is chuging a long!!!
YEA! I'm so glad it's arrived and ready to be translated. That's awesome!
We used Golden Rule Travel for the last minute tickets we purchased in January and couldn't have been happier. They found us AWESOME deals at the last minute. Just as good of prices as we paid for the original tickets that we had two months notice on. And since the tickets are for 'humanitarian' reasons there was only a $50 date change fee along with the difference in price of the tickets. (Does this sound like a commercial yet? ;) goldenruletravel dot com
Oh, and I forgot to mention. You work with a live person when you work with them. So you have someone to call if you have trouble.
Okay...end of commercial break.
Glad your dossier arrived safely. When we went to Ukraine we used Aerosvit from JFK to Kyiv but you guys are on the other coast so don't know if that helps or not. THey were the cheapest and we got a one way ticket from Richmond - Kyiv for $580 and then booked our return when we knew when that would be. That one was $840 but it was made the day before we left so all together I thought it wasn't too bad a deal. Hope that is a little bit helpful.
Laura and Rob and boys
If you're cheap, book yourself for the busiest flight (like we did), and get bumped...for free tickets to Ukraine! We also used Golden Rule travel and were very happy with them. I think it is just a $50 fee to change your flight date back, in which case round trip tickets were much more economical.
We used a travel agent for our trip to Russia. She booked us on Lufthansa for our trips, because they offered adoption fares that were fully refundable and changeable. They were more expensive than the really cheap fares you can get on the internet, but the flexibility was really important, especially when dealing with international adoption. I highly recommend using a travel agent who is familiar with adoption travel.
YAY! I am so excited! I haven't checked the blog in awhile and was so happy to see that your dossier had already been submitted! Oh my goodness! I can't wait to hear when your appointment is! I am also happy to read these comments on the travel. This will definitely help. I am trying to figure out how much the plane tickets will be, also. Do you know how much the passport will be for the child? I am trying to write down how much everything cost for every step. Thanks!
Awesome news about the dossier!
Hi Christine,
Thanks for saying hello on our blog, I am just catching up with yours. Congrats on your dossier getting to Ukraine. I will be following your story. Best of luck.
- Mary
Christine, I bought tickets online both times on http://www.airfarenow.com/ First time we bought round-trip tickets JFK-Kiev-JFK by Aerosvit, it was $730 per person. Then I paid $150 to change my ticket. I specifically booked non-stop flight so that it's easier to change ticket on the way back.
For the second trip I bought a one-way ticket because I didn't want the hassle to change the tickets and I didn't know when exactly I'll be coming back. My one-way ticket was $450, about the same as half of round-trip ticket plus the penalty. Then on the way home I purchased 2 one-way tickets for myself and Rachel for $1050. I bought them online, which was very convenient.
Hello! Where have I been? You're adopting? Wahooo! Congratulations:)
I'm glad your dossier made it safely and I hope your translation goes quickly! I have no advice about travel agents, but love reading the comments on your blog to get ideas. :-)
Hi,
I just found your adoption blog and I am very happy to follow yet another family on their adoption journey to Ukraine. How exciting that you dossier is already there! Congratulations!
Amy
(Amy and Sons)
I have flown with Swiss Air (great airline at the time), and Delta. The biggest concern for me was not to overnight in another country- just get home!! KLM overnights for our route so I never used them. Delta had a direct flight to a nearby city that was a plus! I will pay a little more to ensure a direct overseas flight if possible. Going through Paris with a 19 month old and no stroller was a nightmare with only 45 minutes to connect. All things to think about... I used the adoption fare for Oskana's adoption because we only had 48 hours to depart and that fare was totally refundable if needed so it worked for us, but it was expensive. We also liked knowing that we would be getting on the next flight out as part of the fare and the child's seat was already secured.
We got super help with adoption tickets from Tracy (this seems to be her specialty - no one else in this office could do it).
440-250-0440 or
877-203-0392
Great news on your dossier. I know we were so excited to have our documents over there. Has your agency/facilitator given any indication as to how long it may be before they submit your dossier to the SDA?
We got caught in the October shutdown and just got ours submitted and hope yours doesn't take nearly as long (I understand our delays). I was recently made aware that the SDA is holding a meeting this week to discuss how they are going to handle dossier submissions. I hope they smooth out their process.
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