Flight Planning

[TRAVEL EXPRESS]

Flight Planning

Travel Express specializes in providing all travel arrangements for your next adventure. When determining whether or not to use a travel agent, there are several considerations to keep in mind. Travel Express has access to numerous discounted consolidator/contract fares that are issued by the airlines to agencies that do a large volume of ticketing. These “special” or discounted fares also have other benefits such as bookings can be held longer before ticketing than through other avenues. Some of the rules of the fare may be less restrictive whereas a refundable ticket can be offered by paying a cancellation penalty rather than have an outstanding credit with the airline or taking the chance of losing your investment all together. We can also see the airline space available and know if we are getting you the best price for your particular dates or recommend an alternative date to save you money.

There are times that we can save you money but in most cases your booking will be slightly higher than airline rates in order to cover our services.You will also benefit from firsthand knowledge of someone that has been there and can walk you through the process and answer any questions that you might have.

TSA Requirements:
Beginning November 1, 2010, all passenger reservatons must include Secure Flight Passenger Data which consists of passenger full name exactly as it appears on ID used for travel (passport), date of birth and gender.

“AFRICA”
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Scheduling Flights:
When planning the timing of flights for your trip you can figure two days each direction for travel if you are leaving from a U.S. gateway direct to Johannesburg and you don’t have a forced overnight on the way to your destination. If travelling through Europe then you will most likely have two to three days going over due to the extended layover times in Europe and two days coming back.

Routes to Africa:
There are a number of ways to get from the U.S. to the Dark Continent with some being more direct than others. Some airlines offer direct service from a U.S. gateway to Johannesburg with connections to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and East London available at no additional cost. It is very easy and cost effective to add on the flight from your home location to the U.S. gateway and also any internal Africa flights. Please keep in mind that if you are travelling with weapons there may be some routes that are best to avoid so make sure to do your homework or ask an expert for advice.

 

[Rob404]

In Lori We TrustSometimes DoDo happens and thats when your glad you Have Lori and company working for you

 

[TRAVEL EXPRESS]

Thanks @Rob404, we appreciate your vote of confidence!

 

[Rob404]

Thanks Rob404, we appreciate your vote of confidence!

No problem Lori we'll do it again in a few years next time we'll eliminate Schiphol

 

[TRAVEL EXPRESS]

Perfect - we can do that.....

 

[Bivy]

I can also attest that I have complete confidence in Lori and Travel Express.

As somebody who is fairly tech and travel savvy, I typically make all my own travel arrangements. However, I had concerns when it came to booking airfare for my first safari (firearms, mulitple connections, legroom, gun permit exclusions, etc.)

I decided to get a quote from Travel Express and the results were fantastic. The cost was cheaper than anything I had been able to locate, the arrival times were ideal, seating was comfortable, and so many other little things that novices typically overlook were handled.

I look forward to working with Travel Express shortly to book airfare for our May 2017 RSA hunt and July 2017 NWT Dall hunt.

 

[RolandtheHeadless]

Lori found us the best routes, with shortest connections, from Anchorage to Port Elizabeth and Zambia, all at a good price. With hundreds of hours of effort, I couldn't have duplicated the service she provides.

 

[brushmore]

I used Lori for my last trip to the Eastern Cape and I will be contacting her very soon to take my whole family back there next year! I wouldn't even think about traveling to Africa with out contacting her first.

 

[TRAVEL EXPRESS]

Thanks guys - we look forward to working with all of you again. Repeat clients are awesome!

 

[JGRaider]

Lori, please understand this is not an attack or in any way meant to be negative. I know you provide a great service.

When flying Delta, there's really no $$$ to be saved by using an agent is there? Or Southwest?

 

[billc]

She saved me some again on my trip. Had my whole group use her to book our flights for july. This is the 3rd time I used her service and will always when going to africa.

 

[TRAVEL EXPRESS]

Lori, please understand this is not an attack or in any way meant to be negative. I know you provide a great service.

When flying Delta, there's really no $$$ to be saved by using an agent is there? Or Southwest?

Hi JGRaider - no offense taken. There are times we can save money by "working" the availability on the flights but other times we can't beat the price of tickets you find elsewhere. I guess you have to look at the big picture and consider the service aspect of your travel arrangements and make your decision on whether to use an agent based on that.

 

[sierraone]

Haven't met Lori yet, but will in the next few months. I have crossed the Atlantic 65 times in the past 16 or 17 years. Before the internet, I always used a travel agent. But with the internet, I book all my own tickets EXCEPT, If I am going to go two or more places, or for example if I want to lay over in Paris for 4 days on my way to Kuwait or South Africa, and layover in London on the way back I will use an agent every time, because they can work these multiple stops and stay overs much better than I can. Do I save any money? I have no idea. But it sure saves me a headache!! If you are going from A to B and return on a certain date, do it yourself. If you are wanting to be jumping around countries or cities, or if you are taking the whole family, then use someone like Lori.

 

[JGRaider]

This is the first time out of 4 that I've booked my own trip. It is a very straightforward Dalls-Atl-Jburg-WH round trip.

 

[CAustin]

I hear nothing but good things about this lady and the work she does!

 

[Rob404]

It's not always about the Money. I tried for 2 Months to get a permit to get my guns transfered thru the Netherlands on my way to SA. I had all the correct paperwork and made countless phone calls but with 24 hours before my flight I still wasn't making any headway. Desperate, I called Lori and explained my Problem, and asked if she could help, the next day she called and said, Check your e-mail and there it was, my permit, Lori also set me up with airport pick-up and my overnight stay, and the charge for all this Extra service was ZERO. Lori is also a hunter and has been to Africa a number of times, so she has first hand knowledge of how things work in Africa. Travel Express has my complete confidence as well as many others on this forum who use their service

 

[sierraone]

Rob404, you raise another issue that I didn't address in my post, traveling with guns. This is another good reason to use an agent, especially one that hunts. I had read about the Netherlands gun issue/requirement sometime back. For me the whole idea of taking 8 weeks to receive a permit just for a gun to pass through their airport is stupid shxx at best. So I would not take a route through Amsterdam no matter how cheap the ticket. On an upcoming trip my son and I are planning, as of this time, I will fly direct from Atlanta to Joberg. He is trying to work a deal through BA, but using his American miles, of which he has a zillion and he can fly business. American can't fly guns through London at all. So far he hasn't come to a final decision as yet. He still isn't sure whether BA will allow his American miles even though they are partners. I have been to London many times, but never with guns. At the same time, you or I could go to London tomorrow and buy any gun or rifle we can afford. The dealers all have their counter parts in the U.S. to take care of the importing, and they in turn send it to your local dealer. I doubt seriously if you could do this in Amsterdam, especially when it takes 8 weeks for a permit just to past through their airport!

 

[Rob404]

Rob404, you raise another issue that I didn't address in my post, traveling with guns. This is another good reason to use an agent, especially one that hunts. I had read about the Netherlands gun issue/requirement sometime back. For me the whole idea of taking 8 weeks to receive a permit just for a gun to pass through their airport is stupid shxx at best. So I would not take a route through Amsterdam no matter how cheap the ticket. On an upcoming trip my son and I are planning, as of this time, I will fly direct from Atlanta to Joberg. He is trying to work a deal through BA, but using his American miles, of which he has a zillion and he can fly business. American can't fly guns through London at all. So far he hasn't come to a final decision as yet. He still isn't sure whether BA will allow his American miles even though they are partners. I have been to London many times, but never with guns. At the same time, you or I could go to London tomorrow and buy any gun or rifle we can afford. The dealers all have their counter parts in the U.S. to take care of the importing, and they in turn send it to your local dealer. I doubt seriously if you could do this in Amsterdam, especially when it takes 8 weeks for a permit just to past through their airport!

The bottom line was they never checked my gun case or asked to see the permit, Go Figure