World travel

International Flights

To get the cheapest tickets, book far in advance. It's that simple. For example, the cheapest fares for June 2005 became available in October 2004.

My 2004 journey was from Glasgow to Kathmandu. I flew with Qatar Airways, who were excellent. The transfer to Heathrow was with BMI (automatically arranged by STA - don't book through the website), then Qatar Airways to Doha and then Kathmandu. Total cost: £500 return.

:: connect ::Qatar Airways has an office in Kathmandu (useful for confirming your return flight, which you have to do 72 hours in advance). I found that the conditions offered good rates for changing the return flight date, even though in the end I didn't have to use it. Also, my baggage allowance was a generous 30 kilos, compared to 25 kilos which is standard for other airlines. This was particularly useful for going out with some medical equipment and books. Remember to through-check your luggage, which I did in Glasgow, and made for effortless transfers through Heathrow and Doha. Having said this, I was amazed and very relieved to see my bags appear on the conveyor-belt in Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport!

Other carriers include Austrian Airlines and Gulf Air. Others may be available - several carriers suspended their services to Kathmandu several years ago (including British Airways) but there seems to be increasing competition.

:: connect ::Flights and insurance were purchased from STA Travel who I've used in the past. The big advantage is that they have offices (or associated agents) in most of the world's major cities, including Kathmandu. STA also seem to offer the best prices for students... but do shop around.

On arrival at Tribhuvan Airport...

Tribhuvan International Airport has a snazzy new website which gives basic information about its facilities etc.

Beware the shock of hotel touts that will greet you when you come out of the airport in Kathmandu! Businesses are desperate to get your custom, and will do anything to interest you in their offers. Yet, Nepali hospitality is also to be embraced and it's very difficult to distinguish between genuine help and the help that has a subtext of a business deal. Folk will help you with your bags, and it can be very difficult to refuse their help. However, don't be pushed into making decisions about accommodation.

I was persuaded to stay at a hotel for $10 which included the taxi fare into Thamel (the tourist and hotel area of Kathmandu). This seemed like excellent value, and was very very inexpensive in UK terms. However, the actual room varied significantly from the photo I was shown, plus the light bulb needed replacing. That said, I was too tired and too happy to have a bed for the night to complain. I knew that the next morning I would be with people of whom I could be certain of trust.