Help! Need advice!

I need advice.

I've been invited to a conference in Avanos, Turkey between December 5th and the 13th on future Balkan-Caucasus partnerships. There will be 40 youth workers from 16 countries in Europe attending.

Normally, I would be flying, like every other sane person. However, part of the agreement for attending is that everyone will attend a follow-up next September. I most likely will not be in Europe during that time. So, as I am not able to fulfill the requirements, they will cover my food and lodging costs but not my travel.

Being the complete and utter cheapskate that I am, I can get there and back for about 60 euros (God bless you Balkan Flexipass, my 48 euro deity).

Now, the question is, how much of a masochist am I?

I can take an 8.5 hour-long night train to Bucharest and sleep the entire time, and then take a 12 hour bus to Istanbul, and then a 5 hour train to Ankara and then another 5 hour bus to Avanos, for a total travel time of minumum 30 hours of travelling (not including waiting for connections).

Or, I could take a straight train to Istanbul, which takes 26 hours. It's still another 5 hours to Ankara and then another 5 to Avanos. Total travel time is almost 40 hours.

So, do I do it? Part of me thinks "Oooh, yes, Turkey!" (The country, not the food). I could also do a brief stop-over in Ankara for a few days to visit my friend Cem.

The other part of me doesn't want to do so much travelling before I go to London and Lisbon. I'll be gone for well over two weeks, as I was advised to break up my travel as much as possible. I can always go back to Turkey in April when the weather is nicer and I would have more time to relax and enjoy it.

I'm leaving for London on the 22nd. If I went to Turkey, I would leave at the end of the week, stay a few days in Ankara, go to Avanos and then come straight back to Romania in order to prepare to go away for the holidays

Pros:
a) Turkey
b) Cem
c) Meeting new people
d) Seeing old friends
e) Adventure
f) Shopping (unique Christmas gifts)

Cons:
a) Excruciating travel
b) Not seeing old friends
c) Spending more money
d) Losing out on two weeks of my gym membership
e) Overexhaustion before Christmas
f) Losing out on the chance of making new connections

I hate being so indecisive. I am the worst person for making decisions. I told them I would make my decision by the end of the week.

Please give me advice here. I have comments enabled for a reason!