Probably a good number of UK DDs heading to Banja Luka this year.

1. Road trip

Sledge: I'm thinking of organising a road trip for travelling to Banja Luka in July for Debconf 11. If you're interested in joining me, please add yourself below. The details so far are:

See http://j.mp/hxMx3g for the route planner I'm using

All times approximate and in local time

1.1. Trip out: dash down through France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina !

Friday 2011-07-22

• ~04:00 Leave Cambridge and drive to Dover
• 06:00 Ferry from Dover to Calais, landing ~8:30
• 08:30 Drive across France, Belgium, Netherlands, enter Germany.
• 12:30 Stop somewhere around Cologne for lunch
• 13:30 Continue south and east, cross into Austria
• 20:00 Stop in Graz for the night

Saturday 2011-07-23

• 11:00 Leave Graz, head into Slovenia then Croatia
• 14:00 Stop somewhere around Zagreb for lunch
• 18:00 Head on to Bosnia, get to Banja Luka (depends on time spent for lunch etc.)

1.2. Debconf!

1.3. Trip back: reverse route

Sunday 2011-07-31

• 06:00 Leave Banja Luka early morning. Head back through Bosnia, Croatia, Austria, Germany
• 13:00 Stop somewhere near Regensburg for lunch
• 14:00 Head on through Germany
• 20:00 Stop in Brussels for the night

Monday 2011-08-01

• 11:00 Leave Brussels, cross Belgium and France.
• 14:00 Catch Ferry from Calais to Dover
• 14:30 Head back from Dover

• 16:30 Arrive in Cambridge and sleep

(or there's an alternative route we could do on one leg of the trip, heading further south and avoiding Belgium and the Netherlands. Very slightly further, but will add some variation. Interested? Say so!)

I'm expecting fuel costs of ~GBP 400 for the trip, plus tolls etc. for maybe ~GBP 100; ferries cost ~GBP 100 for a car including 4 passengers. And there are 2 overnight hotel stops: 1 out and 1 back. Assuming reasonable prices for sharing hotel rooms, I'm estimating a cost per person of *roughly* GBP 300 to GBP 350 per person for the travel. It'll probably be more expensive than the train or plane options, but it includes more sight-seeing across Europe plus the flexibility to do stuff while we're down there. I'm in for the road trip, and Jo says she is too.

DanielSilverstone estimated per-person for his car at approx 200+hotels/food so slightly cheaper than Sledge's due to slightly newer engine and slightly less leaden foot. Flights looked to be around 250/person excl. local travel at either end, or other incurred expenses. A more reasoned calculation by Daniel reached the all-in cost of roughly 300 UKP/person assuming 4-up in Daniel's car, but starting from Manchester and using Eurotunnel, thusly different fuel and channel-crossing costs.

1.4. Interested people

I'm wanting to book by the middle of April, so don't take too long.

2. Train

(in case people would like to do that)

3. Plane