Additional Travel Expenses for GSoC Mentor Summit 2026

I'm planning my travel for the GSoC Mentor Summit (30 Oct - 1 Nov) in Munich. Google covers the conference stay for the nights of 30 Oct and 31 Oct, but there are a couple of travel-related decisions that affect the overall cost. I'd like to get the TSC's opinion before making bookings.

Expenses

• VFS Global service fee: ~$30
• Germany visa fee: ~$100
• Local transport: ~$50-70
• flight ticket:
  • Cheapest direct flight (refundable, return on 2 Nov): ~$1078
  • Cheapest overall flight (refundable, return on 2 Nov): ~$1003
  • Direct flight (non-refundable, return on 2 Nov): ~$745
  • Connecting Flight (non-refundable, return on 1 Nov): ~$1225

I don't think non-refundable tickets should be considered, as they would result in losing the entire ticket amount if I couldn't make it to the Summit for any reason.

Munich Marriott (summit hotel) is the preferred option for convenience and it costs around $163/night. However, there are also nearby hotel options available for around $100/night if reducing the overall cost is preferred.

Why arrive a day early and depart on 2nd Nov?

Arriving on 29 Oct would allow me to get proper rest before the conference and attend with a fresh mind. Landing on 30 Oct would mean around 12-15 hrs of overall travel followed by attending the conference the same day.

The only direct flight on 1 Nov departs at 11:40 AM, so leaving that day would likely mean missing part of the conference. There are no later direct flights, and the direct flight on 2 Nov is actually a bit cheaper.

With the refundable flight returning on 2 Nov and staying at Munich Marriott for the additional two nights, the total trip cost would be approximately $1580 (or around $1460 if staying at the a nearby hotel).

I'd like the TSC's opinion on whether arriving one day before the conference and departing one day after would be a reasonable option to support.

cc: @Honyii

Start with the expense breakdown, flight options, hotel costs, and requested travel dates in this issue. Done means the TSC has recorded a decision on whether to support the proposed arrival, departure, and additional expenses; no implementation files or tests are mentioned.