While waiting at the airport
It is important to get to the airport well ahead of your flight, but waiting in an airline terminal can be pretty uncomfortable. It's often crowded and sometimes there aren't any seats to be found.
If you want to budget a little extra money, you can look into any of the many Airline Club Lounges that most airports have. A one-day pass ranges from $35 to $50 depending on the airline. Each airline's web site will have that information.
The clubs are a heck of a lot more comfortable than the terminal. They are quieter, have televisions and magazines and big comfortable chairs to sit in, and they offer snacks and beverages. I find Alaska Airlines to have the best deal: $35 gets you access to the club and soda, beer, and wine are complimentary.
Fly into Frankfurt. Look for an overnight flight that arrives in the morning -- that is the most practical.
The train takes about 3.5 hours as I recall, and involved two connections. It is Frankfurt to Wuertzburg, then Wuertzburg to (I think) Meiningen, and then to Suhl. Your best bet for that is to sign up on the Eurofurence forums and inquire of Doco, who is a very nice fellow and also a near-expert on German rail.
The drive takes a little over 2 hours, and does require a little studying up on road signs and traffic regulations. It's not rocket science, though; most of the signs are quite sensible. Just obey the speed limit. They are more serious about it over there than we seem to be. And for God's sake, stay out of the left lane if you are not actively passing a car.
Car rental is just like here: you can go top of the line and spend 600 Euros, or you can go to Budget and pay 160 Euros for the weekend.
Economy Class or Business Class depends on how much money you have to spend, and whether you can sleep comfortably in an economy class seat. I cannot, myself, which is why I always try to scam my way into First Class for overnight flights.
Thank you, sir!
I knew that you could be relied upon to provide seasoned, practical advice, based on experience!
I shall endevour to contact Doco, and also Aerobatus and L.Ikegawa, who have also been there before.
Again, Thank you.
All right - I'm going to ask for advice for once; it's not about your Con, but about a place where you have already been, so you can be my "Kit Carson".
I am going to EuroFURence; I hope to arrive at the hotel on August 26th, preferably mid-morning, but I have no idea how long it takes to travel there. My general idea is to fly on Lufthansa, leaving Sacramento via US Airways for a connection in Philadelphia, and then arriving in Frankfurt on Main, some many hours later; and then I am guessing that one takes a train - or several trains - to Suhl. Thus the journey could take from 18 to 36 hours, for all I know, meaning starting my travel on the 24th.
Is it practical to fly into Frankfurt and then travel by land transportation to Suhl? or is it possible or even prefereable to fly there? Is this terribly expensive, compared to taking the train(s)? Or is it practical to rent a car and drive - something which I am reluctant to do, in a country with a different language, different laws, and different road culture.
Is such a flight endurable in economy class on Lufthansa? Would it be wiser, from the standpoint of how stressed or relaxed one is, to fly First- or Business-Class?