Travel

[Haz3ly_MC]

 Just got back from a fantastic vacation in Chile with my beautiful wife, and I can't recommend it enough! The landscapes are breathtaking, The people are friendly, and the food is delicious. Kudos to this article, gave us lot of helpful info  https://gwg.com/blog/tourism-in-chile-statistics-2023 We had our best time exploring the popular and hidden gem of Chile. I hope we can go back soon with our kids, anyway, Happy Holiday Everyone! 🍻

[Ryan1984]

Looking at going somewhere UK based in the Feb half-term for two or three nights with a 2-year-old in tow. Any suggestions? He’s quite active and outdoorsy but my wife isn’t so need to find a balance.

Also had plans to go to Disneyland Paris at the end of July for my 40th but then realised the Olympics are taking place and can just see travel/prices being a nightmare.

[Kaboom Boxer]

10 minutes ago, Ryan1984 said:

Looking at going somewhere UK based in the Feb half-term for two or three nights with a 2-year-old in tow. Any suggestions? He’s quite active and outdoorsy but my wife isn’t so need to find a balance.

Also had plans to go to Disneyland Paris at the end of July for my 40th but then realised the Olympics are taking place and can just see travel/prices being a nightmare.

Cotswolds is nice. 

[clarkete]

20 hours ago, Ryan1984 said:

Looking at going somewhere UK based in the Feb half-term for two or three nights with a 2-year-old in tow. Any suggestions? He’s quite active and outdoorsy but my wife isn’t so need to find a balance.

Also had plans to go to Disneyland Paris at the end of July for my 40th but then realised the Olympics are taking place and can just see travel/prices being a nightmare.

Presumably depends what part of the country you're traveling from if it's for a short break? 

[charlierc]

20 hours ago, Ryan1984 said:

Looking at going somewhere UK based in the Feb half-term for two or three nights with a 2-year-old in tow. Any suggestions? He’s quite active and outdoorsy but my wife isn’t so need to find a balance.

Also had plans to go to Disneyland Paris at the end of July for my 40th but then realised the Olympics are taking place and can just see travel/prices being a nightmare.

Are you limited to having to go in term-time with regards to the Disneyland Paris idea?

[Ryan1984]

5 hours ago, charlierc said:

Are you limited to having to go in term-time with regards to the Disneyland Paris idea?

Wife works in a school, so yes.

Based in North Hampshire so anything within a two or three-hour journey (perhaps more) would do us fine.

[GeorgeNotC]

If you're near the Brecon Beacons with a toddler, you might enjoy a visit to the Big Pit National Coal Museum. It's an exciting and educational experience for all ages. The museum provides a unique insight into the area's rich mining history. Also, the Brecon Mountain Railway offers a scenic and relaxing ride that's great for families. The area's natural beauty is perfect for leisurely walks, suitable even for little ones. Hope you have a wonderful time exploring!

[Ryan1984]

Went to Brecon last year and the railway was great. Didn’t go to the Big Pit but did go to the Show Caves - great day out!

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

On 1/1/2024 at 6:06 PM, Ryan1984 said:

Wife works in a school, so yes.

Based in North Hampshire so anything within a two or three-hour journey (perhaps more) would do us fine.

Shropshire?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-67883475

[charlierc]

Bumping the thread because curious - does anyone else tie themselves in knots booking holidays because they just want to do everything, can't decide, overthink it and get lost trying to find the best balance between deal and comfort?

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

On 9/2/2024 at 8:10 PM, charlierc said:

Bumping the thread because curious - does anyone else tie themselves in knots booking holidays because they just want to do everything, can't decide, overthink it and get lost trying to find the best balance between deal and comfort?

 

The short answer to that is 'No'. 

 

The longer answer is that I do a lot of research on a place before travelling there. That way ensures that I / we land running, and not having to learn once we arrive there. That helps you see more things / the important (to you) things, as a matter of priority. In terms of comfort levels, I don't slum it and I don't high roller it either. That said, I wouldn't mind hosteling it, if I had my own room. I'd also 'possibly'  go more sw*nky if my budget allowed it, but even then it wouldn't be for a long period of time as I find it difficult to spend on what is essentially a place to sleep.

[charlierc]

4 hours ago, Yoghurt on a Stick said:

 

The short answer to that is 'No'. 

 

The longer answer is that I do a lot of research on a place before travelling there. That way ensures that I / we land running, and not having to learn once we arrive there. That helps you see more things / the important (to you) things, as a matter of priority. In terms of comfort levels, I don't slum it and I don't high roller it either. That said, I wouldn't mind hosteling it, if I had my own room. I'd also 'possibly'  go more sw*nky if my budget allowed it, but even then it wouldn't be for a long period of time as I find it difficult to spend on what is essentially a place to sleep.

It's more that I can never truly decide quickly what place I want to go to. In a notepad somewhere is about 20 ideas but the more I dive into it, the less I feel confident I'm booking the right one.

 

Usually I go to the cheapest non-hostel with decent ratings. I'm fine with that one - some of the spots I've picked like one I stayed at in Valencia last year have been pretty good.

[philipsteak]

My usual technique is to look for cheap flights to somewhere that sounds interesting that I haven't been to before. Then a quick look to see if I can get reasonably priced accommodation for when I'm looking. If that all looks good then I'll book the flights. I'll do some cursory planning before hand but not much. I kind of need to get a feel for a place before I start thinking too much about what I'll be doing so most of my planning will be done once I'm there.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

11 hours ago, charlierc said:

 some of the spots I've picked like one I stayed at in Valencia last year have been pretty good.

 

I could say exactly the same thing about real ales. 

 

I can't really offer any proper advice with 'honing' down your choices. All I can say is that once a location is chosen, for me, it adds to the holiday to thoroughly research he place. My main agenda on this front is reading up on the scams of certain places. The hustles that people pull to deprive you of your money etc. I did this for a trip to Cuba and 'briefly' got entangled in an attempt to rob me. However, I knew every play the bloke was going to take before he took it. I watched it like one would a play. Then I turned to my wife, gave her a 'trust me' look, and said 'we're out of here'. So we left the bloke reeling I guess - he must have thought he'd had us in the bag. I wouldn't have had that kind of information had I not looked into the overall safety area first. I did that on TripAdvisor, by the way. The forums on there can be invaluable. However, you need to be aware that not everybody on there is a benevolent force - in some locations on the planet.

 

[charlierc]

On 9/4/2024 at 11:25 AM, philipsteak said:

My usual technique is to look for cheap flights to somewhere that sounds interesting that I haven't been to before. Then a quick look to see if I can get reasonably priced accommodation for when I'm looking. If that all looks good then I'll book the flights. I'll do some cursory planning before hand but not much. I kind of need to get a feel for a place before I start thinking too much about what I'll be doing so most of my planning will be done once I'm there.

I guess it's different stuff but it depends what you are able to pull together.

 

I just returned from Seville, which was awesome, and it came together just through pulling together a package deal on Expedia, which seems to be how I do most of my travel bookings.

 

Already has me inspired as well to see what next. Italy in March is what I'm currently thinking, but will need time to consider what to do.

Edited October 4, 2024 by charlierc

[philipsteak]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

I guess it's different stuff but it depends what you are able to pull together.

 

I just returned from Seville, which was awesome, and it came together just through pulling together a package deal on Expedia, which seems to be how I do most of my travel bookings.

 

Already has me inspired as well to see what next. Italy in March is what I'm currently thinking, but will need time to consider what to do.

 

Nice. i liked Seville when I went a few years ago. 

 

Can recommend Sicily. Been a couple of times. Beautiful (in a sort of faded, slightly shabby sort of way) and interesting towns, stunning scenery, more history than they know what to do with and of course, incredible food. 

 

I've just booked for Gran Canaria for a week for my birthday in November. Probably have a couple of days in Las Palmas and then book a place up in the mountains for the remainder. 

[philipsteak]

I've just found out that at least some, possibly all of the Lonely Planet guidebooks are included in Kindle Unlimited. Handy if you pay for it already or take out one of the many free trials Amazon are always offering.

[charlierc]

Anyone else not sure what to make of this new entry-exit system the EU is introducing for non-EU citizens?

 

In fairness, I was expecting to hear somebody trying to launch it today as per the start of the transition period to April when this is being wheeled out only for it to not work.

 

My suspicions tbf is that some kind of high-tech data gathering exercise will be the norm for a lot of countries before long.

[lost]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

Anyone else not sure what to make of this new entry-exit system the EU is introducing for non-EU citizens?

 

In fairness, I was expecting to hear somebody trying to launch it today as per the start of the transition period to April when this is being wheeled out only for it to not work.

 

My suspicions tbf is that some kind of high-tech data gathering exercise will be the norm for a lot of countries before long.

 

I've read different things about it. One was this deal Starmer did with the EU for using the E-gates, you have to have your finger prints etc.. taken once and then every other time you can be straight through, but you can't use the E gates till you've handed over all your data.

 

Weirdly I was over in Serbia last month, Brits can use the E gates and it was much friendlier and more efficient that the EU! Thats after we bombed them in the 90's 🙅‍♂️

 

 

[charlierc]

15 minutes ago, lost said:

I've read different things about it. One was this deal Starmer did with the EU for using the E-gates, you have to have your finger prints etc.. taken once and then every other time you can be straight through, but you can't use the E gates till you've handed over all your data.

 

Pretty sure that's how it works in practice though - that after doing the face/fingerprint scan once, it's stored for 3 years and in each consequent visit through the gates, a record is there.

 

But I guess we'll see how it actually looks in practice when it's bedded in a bit more.

[charlierc]

I'd be looking into booking trips and hols for later on this year but with all that's going on and the humungous uncertainty in the world, anyone else wonder if its a bit like betting on whether the future will still be vaguely normal in June-September time?

[Crazyfool01]

11 minutes ago, charlierc said:

I'd be looking into booking trips and hols for later on this year but with all that's going on and the humungous uncertainty in the world, anyone else wonder if its a bit like betting on whether the future will still be vaguely normal in June-September time?

It’s quite hard to chose somewhere I’d say . I’d probably be looking at Europe and avoiding USA and anything involving the Middle East and stop overs there … 

[charlierc]

40 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

It’s quite hard to chose somewhere I’d say . I’d probably be looking at Europe and avoiding USA and anything involving the Middle East and stop overs there … 

It's difficult yes. I wasn't looking at the US anyway - I'd love to see New York but I think that's going to have to wait, and maybe areas of South Eastern Europe like Cyprus or Turkey are ones to avoid too. 

 

The chaos is huge, yeah. I've seen the stories of people getting stranded in airports across the Middle East and it can't be the easiest to navigate. 

 

One of my friends is pit crew for an F1 team and while his flight to Australia was doing a stop in Singapore, I'm aware some in his team got stuck in Bahrain while other teams had to book new flights at the last minute. 

[SPW]

 

On 08/03/2026 at 20:54, charlierc said:

I'd be looking into booking trips and hols for later on this year but with all that's going on and the humungous uncertainty in the world, anyone else wonder if its a bit like betting on whether the future will still be vaguely normal in June-September time?

I am not really fretting at all, and flts/acc all flexible, but chose this year for a west coast US road trip (one that we originally planned 25 yrs back but ended up travelling around Morocco instead owing to money!).  I'd probably have avoided the US for now under the Trump madness, but this was long planned so currently sticking with it. I certainly regret not going doing some trips while I had the chance - Russia by train was on my retirment list (I am not retired yet but that's probably scuppered for the foreseeable!). 

[-TLR-]

i think our trip to DC to see Bruce is looking ever more unlikely...