The Holiday Thread

[Tommy]

20 minutes ago, Lucas said:

It's been a little while since we went now but here are some pictures from our holiday to Croatia.

...And for a little brucie bonus, we took this shot of Mostar Bridge on a day trip to Bosnia which was an experience.

Thoroughly recommend it if you haven't been and all of that was without even getting down to the heavily tourist infected Dubrovnik.

Nice! I've seen and walked over the original bridge as a kid. Unfortunately it was destroyed in the balkan war, and this is a rebuilt one. I've been there in 2019 again. 

Also that town is that with the mountain in the backgrounds? Makarska?

God, I love Croatia, and especially the Makarska Riviera. I always found these mountain ranges fascinating to look at. 

[Lucas]

2 hours ago, Tommy said:

Nice! I've seen and walked over the original bridge as a kid. Unfortunately it was destroyed in the balkan war, and this is a rebuilt one. I've been there in 2019 again. 

Also that town is that with the mountain in the backgrounds? Makarska?

God, I love Croatia, and especially the Makarska Riviera. I always found these mountain ranges fascinating to look at. 

 

Yes, that's right, Makarska. Lovely little place that and our base for the holiday. Would thoroughly recommend as it was ideal for our boat trips to Hvar and Brac and visit to Krka National Park.

I actually found it surreal that one side was engulfed with mountains behind you and open sea in front, never quite been in a place like that.

Mostar was something else, bit of a throwback actually. I didn't realise that Bosnia was so 50/50 religion wise but where we were, it felt very islam, I guess off the back of the Ballkan war. Didn't feel European at all.

[Carnivore Chris]

Croatia looks amazing, but then all of Southern Europe is. 

Only 3 weeks now until Tenerife. I've also decided I'm going to pop over to la Gomera for the day since it's only an hour on the ferry. Did you visit la Gomera @nudge? That and Fuerteventura are actually the 2 Canary Islands that fascinate me the most.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Carnivore Chris

[nudge]

2 minutes ago, Carnivore Chris said:

Croatia looks amazing, but then all of Southern Europe is. 

Only 3 weeks now until Tenerife. I've also decided I'm going to pop over to la Gomera for the day since it's only an hour on the ferry. Did you visit la Gomera @nudge? That and Fuerteventura are actually the 2 Canary Islands that fascinate me the most.

Sadly not. Inter-island travel was strictly restricted when I was there due to COVID... 

[Carnivore Chris]

30 minutes ago, nudge said:

Sadly not. Inter-island travel was strictly restricted when I was there due to COVID... 

Oh yeah, you actually mentioned that.

Well, if you ever decide to go back to see more of them, you will have to let me know.

[Tommy]

3 hours ago, Lucas said:

 

Yes, that's right, Makarska. Lovely little place that and our base for the holiday. Would thoroughly recommend as it was ideal for our boat trips to Hvar and Brac and visit to Krka National Park.

I actually found it surreal that one side was engulfed with mountains behind you and open sea in front, never quite been in a place like that.

Mostar was something else, bit of a throwback actually. I didn't realise that Bosnia was so 50/50 religion wise but where we were, it felt very islam, I guess off the back of the Ballkan war. Didn't feel European at all.

Nice. I was in Makarska the first time when I was 2 years old. And then visited 7 more times. Always stayed in a nearby town called Tucepi. But I always prefered the Makarska vibe. Not too small, not too big, nice promenade etc. Have you eaten a burger at Hambi? Secret advice. 

And yea, Mostar is unique. But also a bit sad. Very touristy in the center, but a lot of poverty in the outskirts, full with beggars. 

[Stan]

Just booked to go Lisbon in May  

[Spike]

I was looking at a weekend in San Diego in a few weeks but it was too expensive @Dr. Gonzo

[Dr. Gonzo]

38 minutes ago, Spike said:

I was looking at a weekend in San Diego in a few weeks but it was too expensive @Dr. Gonzo

Aw that’s shit. Best time to come is February or in the weeks right before the summer rush though, imo.

But hotels everywhere have been absolutely fucking mental, I can’t imagine what it’s like for San Diego now… but judging by the prices of pretty much everything in San Diego now I imagine “not cheap” is an understatement.

[Spike]

4 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Aw that’s shit. Best time to come is February or in the weeks right before the summer rush though, imo.

But hotels everywhere have been absolutely fucking mental, I can’t imagine what it’s like for San Diego now… but judging by the prices of pretty much everything in San Diego now I imagine “not cheap” is an understatement.

Toronto of all places is the cheapest we’ve looked at

[JoshBRFC+]

Anyone recommend anywhere in Majorca? Currently browsing for Holidays next June. I want/need somewhere hot.

[Tommy]

1 hour ago, JoshBRFC said:

Anyone recommend anywhere in Majorca? Currently browsing for Holidays next June. I want/need somewhere hot.

You want party? A mixture between party and quiet? Or just quiet?

[JoshBRFC+]

1 hour ago, Tommy said:

You want party? A mixture between party and quiet? Or just quiet?

Mixture. For me and a girl.

I've looked at Spain, Italy, Greece etc around late May/June time. But not having much luck so far.

Edited December 9, 2022 by JoshBRFC

[Tommy]

15 minutes ago, JoshBRFC said:

Mixture. For me and a girl.

I've looked at Spain, Italy, Greece etc around late May/June time. But not having much luck so far.

For a mixture I'd go somewhere east. Cala Rajada, Cala Millor, S'Illot maybe. Cala Rajada is full of Germans though, but a nice mixture of party and beautiful landscapes with nice beaches. 

[Coma+]

I've begun planning my trip for next year and I need some advice.  I have 14 days allotted in October 2023 to fly to Germany, see the sights, and fly home.  To make the best use of my time the plan was to fly into one of the international airports (München, Berlin, Frankfurt) and fly home via a different city so I would not have to backtrack.  I have two tentative itineraries...

1) Fly into Frankfurt, fly home via München.  This would allow me to explore Baden-Wurtemberg and Bayern.  I had planned on seeing Frankfurt, Mainz, Stuttgart, Nürnberg, and München at a minimum with a few smaller stops along the way.  Possibly Freiburg or Salzburg.

2) Fly into Berlin, fly home via München.  This would allow me to explore Brandenburg, Sachsen, and Bayern.  I would plan on seeing Berlin and Potsdam, Dresden, Nürnberg, and München at a minimum, again with some smaller stops mixed in.  Possibly Stuttgart.

Or is there a secret option 3) Coma, you're high.  You need to "insert travel plans here".

Obviously, I am neglecting Köln and Düsseldorf, but by adding those I'd be subtracting a large portion of something else.  Perhaps included in a northern route through Bremen and Hamburg in the future. 

Also, I have some acquaintences that have been and they've recommended renting a car and driving.  I'm not opposed to that...but am I better off getting around by train?  Should I be looking at hotels or AirBnB's?

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 minutes ago, Coma said:

I've begun planning my trip for next year and I need some advice.  I have 14 days allotted in October 2023 to fly to Germany, see the sights, and fly home.  To make the best use of my time the plan was to fly into one of the international airports (München, Berlin, Frankfurt) and fly home via a different city so I would not have to backtrack.  I have two tentative itineraries...

1) Fly into Frankfurt, fly home via München.  This would allow me to explore Baden-Wurtemberg and Bayern.  I had planned on seeing Frankfurt, Mainz, Stuttgart, Nürnberg, and München at a minimum with a few smaller stops along the way.  Possibly Freiburg or Salzburg.

2) Fly into Berlin, fly home via München.  This would allow me to explore Brandenburg, Sachsen, and Bayern.  I would plan on seeing Berlin and Potsdam, Dresden, Nürnberg, and München at a minimum, again with some smaller stops mixed in.  Possibly Stuttgart.

Or is there a secret option 3) Coma, you're high.  You need to "insert travel plans here".

Obviously, I am neglecting Köln and Düsseldorf, but by adding those I'd be subtracting a large portion of something else.  Perhaps included in a northern route through Bremen and Hamburg in the future. 

Also, I have some acquaintences that have been and they've recommended renting a car and driving.  I'm not opposed to that...but am I better off getting around by train?  Should I be looking at hotels or AirBnB's?

I would go with option one but I've not spent a lot of time in Germany so I dunno. I'd probably rent a car to go from city to city as driving is more fun than sitting on a train... although my friend moved to Munich for work temporarily 6 months ago and he's not driven a single time since he's moved there I think & seems quite content with that. But tbh I also tend not to rent cars when I go on trips unless it's absolutely necessary because the public transport options aren't great - with Germany, I don't think that's the case so in all honestly...

But the only thing that'd make me say you might want to rent a car is seeing that many cities in just 14 days can mean dealing with shit that's not the most relaxing for your trip... and it could be worth it to rent a car to not have to deal with going to train stations and waiting around if there's late trains/strikes/shit like that.

[Coma+]

27 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I would go with option one but I've not spent a lot of time in Germany so I dunno. I'd probably rent a car to go from city to city as driving is more fun than sitting on a train... although my friend moved to Munich for work temporarily 6 months ago and he's not driven a single time since he's moved there I think & seems quite content with that. But tbh I also tend not to rent cars when I go on trips unless it's absolutely necessary because the public transport options aren't great - with Germany, I don't think that's the case so in all honestly...

But the only thing that'd make me say you might want to rent a car is seeing that many cities in just 14 days can mean dealing with shit that's not the most relaxing for your trip... and it could be worth it to rent a car to not have to deal with going to train stations and waiting around if there's late trains/strikes/shit like that.

My only concern with driving is finding parking while in the cities.  It's convenient to be able to make the little side trips and I'd have total control of my schedule.  I'm just worried about when I'm in the big cities it will likely be sitting around as I'd be walking most places anyway.  

[Dr. Gonzo]

14 minutes ago, Coma said:

My only concern with driving is finding parking while in the cities.  It's convenient to be able to make the little side trips and I'd have total control of my schedule.  I'm just worried about when I'm in the big cities it will likely be sitting around as I'd be walking most places anyway.  

I'd probably only drive between big cities and leave the car parked at the hotel (or Air BnB... but fuck Air BnBs tbh, the hidden fees + having to clean up someone's house when you're done) - you won't really need it much beyond getting from A to B and from B to C imo. Europe's not really like the US where not having a car can be a handicap in many places. Smaller towns I imagine parking wouldn't be so difficult.

With that many cities (and smaller towns too)... I definitely see the convenience being a big factor in renting a car. And like you say, you'd be on your own schedule not the train schedule.

Having said that, I'm sure you'd be just fine relying on trains too.

[Carnivore Chris]

On 09/12/2022 at 21:27, JoshBRFC said:

Mixture. For me and a girl.

I've looked at Spain, Italy, Greece etc around late May/June time. But not having much luck so far.

Why not just go on the airline sites, such as easyjet or jet2, book the flights separately through there and then find accommodation via booking.com? You can always find something on there.

 

[Stan]

51 minutes ago, Carnivore Chris said:

Why not just go on the airline sites, such as easyjet or jet2, book the flights separately through there and then find accommodation via booking.com? You can always find something on there.

 

This is what I do, but use SkyScanner for flights.

 

[nudge]

17 hours ago, Coma said:

I've begun planning my trip for next year and I need some advice.  I have 14 days allotted in October 2023 to fly to Germany, see the sights, and fly home.  To make the best use of my time the plan was to fly into one of the international airports (München, Berlin, Frankfurt) and fly home via a different city so I would not have to backtrack.  I have two tentative itineraries...

1) Fly into Frankfurt, fly home via München.  This would allow me to explore Baden-Wurtemberg and Bayern.  I had planned on seeing Frankfurt, Mainz, Stuttgart, Nürnberg, and München at a minimum with a few smaller stops along the way.  Possibly Freiburg or Salzburg.

2) Fly into Berlin, fly home via München.  This would allow me to explore Brandenburg, Sachsen, and Bayern.  I would plan on seeing Berlin and Potsdam, Dresden, Nürnberg, and München at a minimum, again with some smaller stops mixed in.  Possibly Stuttgart.

Or is there a secret option 3) Coma, you're high.  You need to "insert travel plans here".

Obviously, I am neglecting Köln and Düsseldorf, but by adding those I'd be subtracting a large portion of something else.  Perhaps included in a northern route through Bremen and Hamburg in the future. 

Also, I have some acquaintences that have been and they've recommended renting a car and driving.  I'm not opposed to that...but am I better off getting around by train?  Should I be looking at hotels or AirBnB's?

I assume the whole family will be travelling? Having many people and luggage (ugh, my least favourite thing) can be a real nightmare when using public transportation all the time, especially if you have connecting trains... Also keep in mind potential (and when I say potential, I mean very likely) delays and cancellations. Personally, I like to find a "home base" somewhere in the middle of the planned route and then do most of the traveling from there - day trips by public transportation to the big cities because driving and looking for parking spots in big cities sucks ass, and renting a car for the smaller towns/country side. That way, you don't have to carry all your stuff with you every time as well... 

[Coma+]

2 minutes ago, nudge said:

I assume the whole family will be travelling? Having many people and luggage (ugh, my least favourite thing) can be a real nightmare when using public transportation all the time, especially if you have connecting trains... Also keep in mind potential (and when I say potential, I mean very likely) delays and cancellations. Personally, I like to find a "home base" somewhere in the middle of the planned route and then do most of the traveling from there - day trips by public transportation to the big cities because driving and looking for parking spots in big cities sucks ass, and renting a car for the smaller towns/country side. That way, you don't have to carry all your stuff with you every time as well... 

Nah, just me and the wife.  This will be my first trip to Europe and I want the least amount of stress.  I was hoping to get away with just a single bag per person (3-4 days of clothing) and just plan on doing laundry, etc. along the way as needed. 

I had figured on staying somewhere centrally in the bigger cities (2-3 nights in Berlin/Munich, etc.) and branching out on day trips to the surrounding areas using the public transport.  I really don't want to have to deal with a car in those cities, but as Dr. G pointed out, it's nice to have autonomy.  Unfortunately, I don't really have a "central location" for the entire trip since my scope is so large.  If I was staying in a single state that would be the preferred option. 

[nudge]

8 minutes ago, Coma said:

Nah, just me and the wife.  This will be my first trip to Europe and I want the least amount of stress.  I was hoping to get away with just a single bag per person (3-4 days of clothing) and just plan on doing laundry, etc. along the way as needed. 

I had figured on staying somewhere centrally in the bigger cities (2-3 nights in Berlin/Munich, etc.) and branching out on day trips to the surrounding areas using the public transport.  I really don't want to have to deal with a car in those cities, but as Dr. G pointed out, it's nice to have autonomy.  Unfortunately, I don't really have a "central location" for the entire trip since my scope is so large.  If I was staying in a single state that would be the preferred option. 

Yeah that sounds good. Whichever route you choose, try not to cram too much into your 2 weeks, regardless how tempting that might be  

[Coma+]

3 minutes ago, nudge said:

Yeah that sounds good. Whichever route you choose, try not to cram too much into your 2 weeks, regardless how tempting that might be  

That's been my concern from the off.  Am I trying to do too much?  For Europeans jumping from one country to the next is like moving through states here in the US.  For me, going to Europe is a major undertaking, especially because it's my first time, so the tendency is to see as much as I can because I don't know when I'll get back.

[JoshBRFC+]

2 hours ago, Carnivore Chris said:

Why not just go on the airline sites, such as easyjet or jet2, book the flights separately through there and then find accommodation via booking.com? You can always find something on there.

 

 

1 hour ago, Stan said:

This is what I do, but use SkyScanner for flights.

 

I’ll give it a try. Cheers lads. 
 

Also I like the look of Cala Millor @Tommy great shout! Its a favourite at the moment. Cheers