Information for Alberta people going to the
Urbana Missions Convention
Travel to Urbana from Alberta 
or 
STAYING OVERNIGHT IN CHICAGO?
Get details and find a roommate to share the hotel
cost.
Fly or bus - it's your choice:
OPTION A - Bite the bullet and fly.
Expect to pay $500 to $700 (Canadian bucks) for an airline ticket. If
you fly to Chicago, the Urbana Convention has special shuttle buses
at USD55 round-trip. You may have to stay overnight in Chicago in order
to catch the shuttle by 2 PM. The Convention has arranged special hotel rates
e.g. about USD60 for a room that takes up to 4 people. So if you can
find others to share a room, you could probably do the whole trip for as
low as $600 Cdn. The travel coordinator can help you find other
delegates to share a room.
Fares found on the web on Nov.10 for Calgary - Chicago round trip
including taxes, departing Dec. 26 (cheaper than 27th): Air Canada $497.
Northwest $508. Travelocity.ca as low as $475. You can also try
United Airlines. By Nov. 14 the cheapest fare was $615, so keep shopping
but don't delay.
OPTION B - Go totally cheap.
Get a Greyhound Go-Anywhere
fare for $200. The scheduled trip time from Calgary to
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, is 49 hours so plan to leave before dawn on
December 25.
OPTION C - Charter a bus from
Alberta. CANCELLED because not enough interest. BUT see Option G below.
OPTION D - Fly and ride. Fly
to Winnipeg on Dec. 26. Join the Urbana bus that starts in Winnipeg
about 8 PM. The fare is $200. As of Nov. 26 the bus
is a definite "go" and there are lots of seats left. Contact the
Manitoba coordinator at urbana.mb@ivcf.ca. Westjet and Air Canada have
almost identical fares to Winnipeg, but not many seats left at the low
prices.
OPTION E
- Join a car pool. Driving time
from Calgary is 35 hours plus
rest stops, if the weather is good. Contact urbana.ab@ivcf.ca to look
for a pool or to offer a ride. IVCF cannot organize car pools but will
facilitate communication among people looking to set up something. I
hear there's at least one car going.
OPTION F
- Special creativity. Hot air
balloon, stow-away, whatever. Share your inspirations through
urbana.ab@ivcf.ca
OPTION G - An IVCF charter bus goes from Saskatoon and Regina on Dec.
25, leaving Regina at midnight. The fare is $275. You might car-pool to
Regina, or take Greyhound ($121 round trip from Calgary, leaving 8:30 AM
on Christmas Day). Contact the Saskatoon office of IVCF at 306-477-0520
or urbana.sk@ivcf.ca or phone the
Alberta travel coordinator in Calgary 403 815 7928. As of
Nov.20, there are about 20 seats available.
INSURANCE: Be sure to check out
your coverage in case of a medical emergency in the USA. All convention
delegates are covered by a special insurance policy but it's not worth
much. Your local travel agent can sell you extra insurance, if you need
it.
Updated 27 Nov. 2003