Before leaving Australia I decided not to purchase a round the world ticket (quote approx. AUD $9000) in favor of booking each segment of the journey on the fly. I calculated it would cost me about $1500 more but this gave me the most flexibility in case my destinations changed.

Of course I was warned against this as several countries only allow you through customs if you have an exit flight, meaning I would have to book at least a month ahead each time. But I liked the idea of living on the edge so I decided to be my own agent.

What a saga lay ahead..

I’d organized my flight from Dubai to Budapest while still in Mumbai. It was a challenge finding a flight arriving Budapest in time to attend the last class of the day, 12:00 on Sat 2nd May. I finally booked on Aerosvit Airlines with a 5hr night stopover in Kiev, Ukraine. But 2 weeks later I received an email informing me the flight from Kiev to Budapest was rescheduled and would get me into Budapest that evening, meaning I would miss the class! Great, so I canceled the flight and had to start all over again.

It took me the best part of 2 days trawling flights via any city in Europe to find an alternative. I was even considering doing a stopover in London to pick up a class so I wouldn’t miss a day – remember this isn’t an option! In the end I had to purchase a round trip (Swiss Air: Dubai – Budapest via Zurich) as this was cheaper than a one way and landed me in Budapest at 09:00. A bus, train & a short walk with some broken English directions got me to Bikram Yoga Kozpont just in time!

Now all I have to find is a bed.. but that’s another story!