Travel Plans Set

Today I purchased Cori's ticket to Ghana, and confirmed mine.

As part of the Fulbright grant, all my travel is paid for, so the State Department picked up the tab for my refundable round trip ticket to Accra, Ghana (costs about $3500). The people handling the Fulbright arrangements insist upon purchasing refundable tickets for the exchange teachers.
Basically, you can not buy a round trip ticket if the return date is more than 12 months from the time of purchase. Since we're not coming back until August 2010, I can only see three options:

1. Buy a one-way ticket now. Purchase a one-way ticket later when you know your return date and it's less than 12 months away. Turns out, one-way flights from Milwaukee (or even Chicago) to Accra, Ghana cost about $2300.
2. Buy a refundable round-trip ticket. You purchase the ticket with the departure date in mind, then select a random return date many months in the future. As that date approaches, call the airline and change the return date to the date you actually want. Since the ticket is refundable, you can do this without incurring a fee. However, a refundable ticket from Milwaukee to Accra costs about $3500.
3. Buy a non-refundable round-trip ticket. You purchase the ticket with the departure date in mind, then select a random return date many months in the future. As that date approaches, call the airline and change the return date to the date you actually want. However, because the ticket is non-refundable, you have to pay a $250 change fee (this is the international change fee. I believe it's less for domestic), and pay any fare differences between your initial ticket price, and the ticket price for the new return flight. Currently, a non-refundable ticket from Milwaukee to Accra runs about $2000.

So, it seems to me the obvious choice is #3. Pay the $2000 airfare. Then pay the $250 change fee at a later date. The only way it may not work out is if airfares from Accra to Milwaukee skyrocket during the next 6 months. Even if they go up by a few hundred dollars you would still come out ahead buying non-refundable compared to refundable.

I told this to the people who run Fulbright, but they insist on purchasing a refundable fare ticket...at least for me.

However, Cori's ticket is our responsibility, so for it I went with choice three. It'll be interesting to see who comes out ahead in the end.

Anyway, here is our departure information:
Tuesday September 1, 2009
Depart from Milwaukee on Delta 6394 at 10:10 AM
Arrive in New York JFK at 1:12 PM (local time)
Depart from New York JFK on Delta 0166 at 5:25 PM (local time)
Wednesday September 2, 2009
Arrive in Accra, Ghana at 8:30 AM (local time)

We don't know when we'll return, but it will be sometime in early August 2010.

One neat thing I read: If you live in a foreign country for at least 330 out of 365 days you are exempt from paying federal income tax. So we certainly won't be back before the 330 days are up!