There are currently some very good fares, from both Europe and the USA, through Korean Air.
England
The closest international airports to Church Stretton are Manchester (MAN), Liverpool (LPL),each approx. an hour and a half drive away, or Birmingham (BHX),an hour and 10 minutes drive. All are fairly simple drives to and from Church Stretton. We will happily send MapQuest directions to you that can be printed out, or they are easy to access from the link below.
Mapquest UK
Flights from Europe or other parts of the UK ~ go to dialaflight.
If you want to book through them, contact Jay +44 1732 592 900. This is his direct line.
Mention Heaven and Earth Workshops and he will find you the best fare available.
Flights from any other location in the world to the UK ~ it is advisable to use any airline you have "miles" with, or shop around the on-line discount travel sites.
Once you have arrived in the UK:
Church Stretton is situated quite close to the border of England and Wales, on the A49 between Shrewsbury and Hereford.
By car the route from the north and east is via the M6 and M54 motorways, and from the south and south-east cross country via the A49. The town is marked by the only set of traffic lights between Shrewsbury and Hereford. By train, the town is located on the Manchester to Cardiff route.
A branch line from Craven Arms (just 7 miles south) links south and west Wales to the town.
There are the usual myriad car rental agencies, and on-line reservations are often the better way to go. As England even outdoes the the US on gas/petrol prices, an economy car might be the ticket.
For those who would rather not drive, there is always the option of a train. Also a wonderful way to see the glorious countryside you will be entering.
RAIL SERVICES TO CHURCH STRETTON STATION
The principal service is between Cardiff and Manchester, with connections at Shrewsbury for the Birmingham services and Chester and the Welsh coast, and at Crewe for Liverpool and other mainline services.
National Rail Enquiries can be found at
www.nationalrail.co.uk
and +441 845 748 4950
Train information is available on:
Live Departure Boards
India
For 1st time travelers to India we realize how daunting it can be to arrive in a completely different culture. We are committed to making the travel experience as comfortable and unintimidating as we possibly can.
The Indian Heaven and Earth Workshops are being held in Goa, a small state on the west coast of Southern India. The state of Goa's coastline is relatively small and only about 100 km long, The location we have chosen is called Palolem Beach, to the very south of the state. It takes some time to get there, but the journey itself is a fascinating one, and well worth the effort.
The closest international airports to Palolem are Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai (BOM), and Dabolim Airport (GOI). Although Dabolim is an International airport, only certain budget European air-lines, Qatar and a limited number of other airlines fly there. See here or here for a list of all air-lines that fly directly into Dabolim.
Dabolim airport is about 65 km from Palolem, which is a drive of around an hour and a half away by road from the workshop location.
Travel from Australia and Europe to India is often not so complex and we are very happy to assist with these arrangements, please contact Evelyn directly.
For connecting flights from Mumbai to Dabolim please check here.
Those who decide to spend time in Mumbai and then take the train to Goa are advised to book their tickets well in advance, an extremely reliable and simple way to book train tickets is through Clear Trips. Those arriving by train will disembark at Margao station, and we will arrange car pick-up if you would like us to. It is about an 8 hour train journey from Mumbai to Margao, and very comfortable in either a 1st or 2nd AC class compartment. If you are lucky enough to be in one with clean windows you will have a splendid view of the countryside, and since many trains leave Mumbai in the morning, you will travel primarily in daylight hours.
From Margao to Palolem takes about an hour and 10 minutes by taxi.
Pre-acquired visas are required for visiting India, and we recommend you apply for them at least a couple of months before traveling, and you will need to send your passport in.
For the workshop you only need a tourist visa.
Visa Application from the USA
Visa Application from Australia
Visa from the UK
Mexico
San Miguel de Allende is located in the mountainous region of Central Mexico, in the state of Guanajuato. It is located about a 4 hour drive to Mexico City, 1 1/2 hour drive to Guanajuato, and about 2 1/2 hours from Leon.
San Miguel de Allende has two nearby international airports. The Aeropuerto del Bajio (BJX) is served by Continental Airlines, American Airlines, Aeromexico and Delta Airlines. The BJX airport is located 170 km (about 110 miles) from San Miguel, between the cities of Leon and Guanajuato, the state capital.
Aeropuerto Internacional de Queretaro (QRO) is about 70 km (40 miles) from San Miguel de Allende, is served by Continental Airlines and Aeromexico with once daily direct non-stop flights from Los Angeles (LAX) and Houston (HOU).
A third option is the Benito Juarez Airport (MEX) in Mexico City, which is about 4 hours from San Miguel de Allende. The Mexico City airport has a larger choice of flights and is served by a broad range of international airlines from across the world. In general, flights to Mexico City are cheaper than flights to BJX or QRO, however flying into Leon or Queretaro is more convenient.
Buses and Airport transport to San Miguel de Allende
For very affordable door to door transportation from all airports to any address in San Miguel de Allende, check here
To/From Mexico City: It's a 4-hour trip to San Miguel from Mexico City's Terminal Norte, on a first-class bus (with one stop in Queretaro), and there is Internet on some of these buses! Primera Plus, Satelite, ETN, and Omnibus de Mexico all have one to six deluxe buses per day. Flecha Amarilla and Herradura de Plata have buses that leave almost every half hour (most are first-class). Make sure that your bus is a "directo". If you can't get a quick departure, catch a bus to Queretaro and change buses there.
San Miguel de Allende's Central de Autobuses, (the bus station) is 1 1/2 miles west of town on the westward extension of calle Canal, called calzada de la estacion. Taxis from the bus station to the center of San Miguel are 30 pesos during the day and usually 40 pesos at night into town and available at all hours.
Miscellaneous Travel Information
DESPITE THE WORRY ABOUT RISING AIR TRAVEL PRICES, IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO FIND GREAT DEALS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE PLENTY OF GOOGLE PERSISTENCE!
It helps immensely if you have some flexibility on dates, and can play around with them somewhat, plus travel mid-week can be more reasonable.
We recommend that you check into the frequent flyer program for the airline you choose. For example China Air is affiliated with Delta, so through their SkyMiles program you can accumulate almost 18,000 miles on a roundtrip ticket to Bali from Los Angeles. Cathay Pacific is affiliated with American Airlines and is quite generous in their mileage requirements to Asia. Affiliate frequent flyer programs can be found on the respective airline's web-site. Joining these programs is free.
Evelyn is happy to assist, in whatever way she can.
