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Post by pointofnoreturn on Jan 1, 2008 18:44:30 GMT -5
Definitely buy your airline tickets in advance. The sooner, the better. Most Summer 2008 flights are already out and the closer to your travel date, the more expensive it becomes.
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chedder
Full Travel Member
Posts: 36
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Post by chedder on Jan 5, 2008 13:34:17 GMT -5
Well I think this is it....Please let me know what you all think
March 1 – Depart from Toronto – Edinburgh, Scotland
March 2 -5 – Edinburgh, Scotland
(Day trip to St. Andrews)
March 5 train to Glasgow, Scotland
March 5-7 – Glasgow, Scotland
(Day trip to Stirling)
March 7 train to York, England
March 7-9 - York, England
(Day trip to Leeds to visit the Leeds Castle)
March 9 night train to London, England
March 9 -14 – London, England
(Day trip to Stonehenge and Avebury)
March 14-Fly to Dublin, Ireland
March 14-16 – Dublin, Ireland
March 16 train to Cork, Ireland
March 16-21 – Cork, Ireland
(Day trips to Blarney, Cliffs of Moher, the Burren)
March 21 fly to Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 21-23 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 23 fly to Vienna, Austria
March 23-26 – Vienna, Austria
March 26 train to Salzburg, Austria
March 26-28 – Salzburg, Austria
(Day trip to Werfen)
March 28 train to Lienz, Austria
March 28 -29 - Lienz, Austria
March 29 train to Innsbruck, Austria
March 29-April 1 – Innsbruck, Austria
April 1 fly/train to Frankfurt Germany
April 1-10 – Frankfurt, Germany (visiting surrounding areas with a friend)
April 10 fly to Venice, Italy
April 10-12 – Venice, Italy
April 12 Train to La Spezia, Italy
April 12-15 – La Spezia, Italy
(Cinque Terre Region)
April 15 train to Pisa, Italy
April 15 train to Florence, Italy
April 15-16 – Florence, Italy
April 16 train to Siena, Italy
April 16-18 – Siena, Italy
April 18 train to Rome, Italy
April 18-22 – Rome, Italy
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chedder
Full Travel Member
Posts: 36
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Post by chedder on Jan 10, 2008 18:59:29 GMT -5
I am about to book all my plane tickets, rail passes, etc. How does this look?
Also I was wondering i heard of a few sites offering some farm help on local farms I was wondering if anybody knew anything about this,
I would like to also experience some of the smaller towns along the way not just the big citites
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Post by herrbert on Jan 11, 2008 5:27:37 GMT -5
I am about to book all my plane tickets, rail passes, etc. How does this look? Also I was wondering i heard of a few sites offering some farm help on local farms I was wondering if anybody knew anything about this, I would like to also experience some of the smaller towns along the way not just the big citites Farms: I think you mean WWOOF. A friend of mine did that but dropped it after two places, as it didn't work out for her. The basic plan is that you become a member, and the membership give you access to places that need people for a certain period. It is up to you to contact these people and to get there. When you are there you work for 4 hours, in exchange for lodging and meals. The rest of the day, you can spend to wherever/however you want to go. You need to be flexible to do this, as you can't expect that every place you go has a need for workers, at the time you want to go there. Btw: it's not only farms, but also places like hostels. |
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Post by Eagle on Jan 11, 2008 14:45:07 GMT -5
chedder, your Itinerary is starting to look fairly good. In the interest of "efficiency" I probably would have arranged the order a bit differently - Ireland, Scotland, York, London and then move to the continent. From Toronto it should be easy to get a flight with Zoom to Belfast (although I haven't checked to determine when they start flights for the season), and then take the train to Connolly station in Dublin (about two hours - a very pleasant journey). BTW, where are you planning to stay in Dublin?
One other comment is your trip from Florence to Siena. You might consider Bus / Coach for that route, as it will save you a Taxi ride up the hill from the station (however, you'll still need to get down the hill to access the station when you're leaving - I took a Taxi as it was the easiest solution). The Bus ride is quite pleasant, and drops passengers close to the centre of town. The Bus station in Florence is close to Firenze S.M.N. rail station.
Have you used the Railsaver site to determine your best Rail Pass option? I can't recall if I mentioned this in a previous Post, but you can purchase Rail Passes from the home page of this site. The cost is the same as elsewhere and it helps to support our efforts here.
Hope this helps? Happy travels!
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Post by me on Jan 11, 2008 16:40:45 GMT -5
(however, you'll still need to get down the hill to access the station when you're leaving as i recall, Siena had an easy-to-use public transportation/bus system. that's how i got from the hostel to the town square. - d |
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chedder
Full Travel Member
Posts: 36
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Post by chedder on Jan 21, 2008 18:11:04 GMT -5
Thank you to all who have helped so far! I will be booking all my tickets this weekend.
Next thing i have some hostels booked in advance, but is it necessary to book all my hostels in advance?
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Post by WillTravel on Jan 22, 2008 2:53:22 GMT -5
I would book them for London, Amsterdam and Italy for sure. I'm not sure about the other areas. I'd identify some candidates, for sure. I'd also suggest booking your first night, and booking your hostel for the city you are in for Easter (which is actually Amsterdam, so it's definitely a good idea!).
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Post by Eagle on Jan 22, 2008 13:56:35 GMT -5
chedder, I agree with WT on pre-booking London, Amsterdam and Italy. However, even though travel at that time of year is usually less crowded, there seems to be more people in Europe these days (and more people travelling in the "off season") so it's possible some places might be fully booked.
I usually have a fairly structured Itinerary when I travel, so always know which dates I'll be in a particular city. Therefore I pre-book lodgings most of the time (there are exceptions). Due to the fact I have "set" holiday times from work, I don't have the luxury of "winging it" too often.
One thought regarding booking Hostels. Will you be travelling with an HI Hostel membership? I mention that because if you two people were to show up at an HI Hostel and only one room was left, the member would be given preference for the room. If this occurred at an independent Hostel, I'm assuming the membership wouldn't make any difference and it would be "first come, first served". Although I use a combination of B&B's, Hostels and budget Hotels for my trips, I usually have an HI membership as well.
Cheers!
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chedder
Full Travel Member
Posts: 36
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Post by chedder on Jan 24, 2008 19:36:42 GMT -5
Thank you for the hostel tips....
I went and booked some the other night and thanks to you guys I was just in time...The hostels in Amsterdam were filling up fast! Yes I am going to get a HI Hostel Membership.
Is their any other need to know things I should be filled in on before I leave??... I am nervous as hell, but excited more then ever to go!!...I just want to make sure I havnt forgotten anything
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Post by francefiend on Jan 24, 2008 20:54:08 GMT -5
Have you notified your credit/debit card companies of your overseas excursions? They will disable your card if they notice sudden charges from abroad.
Also, if you buy a rail pass, be sure to read EVERYTHING that came with it, cover to cover, including the fine print. Make sure you know how to use it properly.
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chedder
Full Travel Member
Posts: 36
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Post by chedder on Feb 4, 2008 20:12:14 GMT -5
I would just like to thank everyone who has helped me out along this busy planning period! I couldnt have done it with the help for you guys. As of right now I leave in exactly a month, and plane tickets, rail passes, hostels etc. are all booked. So now its just finishing up with the little things. So thanks again to everyone and I will let you all know how it goes.
Chedder
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