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Looking for help on international travel

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by BRoth, Oct 10, 2007.

  1. BRoth

    BRoth Member

    The Lady Friend and I were talking today about the possibility of making a trip to Europe this summer, in theory so we can start saving up now.

    Ireland seems to be at the top of both our lists, which may include England as well. I wanted to see if anyone had any info/tips/advice/warnings/etc. about how to go about planning the trip, any other places we should consider ... you get the idea. We both said that it may be realistic to expect to spend around $2,000 for the entire thing, so there's a ballpark number if you need one.

    Whatcha got?
     
  2. Lucas Wiseman

    Lucas Wiseman Well-Known Member

    Wow... $2k for two people? Good luck... the dollar is real weak against the Euro so for us going over there it's very expensive. I would suggest going to farecompare.com and entering your city. It will show you all kinds of cool stuff.
     
  3. BRoth

    BRoth Member

    Whoops, I meant $2,000 per person. So, roughly $4,000 total.
     
  4. Lucas Wiseman

    Lucas Wiseman Well-Known Member

    And I should be more specific on that web site I gave you... here's a good link...

    http://www.farecompare.com/maps/compareDestinations.html
     
  5. Hank_Scorpio

    Hank_Scorpio Active Member

    I was in Germany and Paris about 10 years ago. Got airfare for $750, which I bought almost a year in advance, which probably helped lower the cost some.

    Obviously my trip was before Sept. 11, so it may be completely different now.

    I was able to stay with friends most of the time, so I really didn't have to worry about hotels or food much, which really helped cut costs.

    I really liked Germany tho. Stayed in the Heidelberg area. Paris wasn't bad either, but I thought Germany was better.
     
  6. dreunc1542

    dreunc1542 Active Member

    2000 per person would be rough if only because the plane tickets themselves are probably going to be upwards of 700 dollars. When you know for sure where you'd like to go, let me know. I studied abroad last semester and got to 8 different european countries. I can give a lot of advice on hostels, especially in the major cities, that are very nice but much cheaper than a hotel. There's one in the center of Dublin which is pretty nice. I echo Lucas, though, the dollar is very weak, especially in England so money will be tight.
     
  7. DocTalk

    DocTalk Active Member

    For Ireland, I would suggest bed and breakfast stays or cottage home sin smaller towns in the countryside. The people are welcoming and you'll see the Ireland of old. Try this website for accomodations:

    http://www.irishtourism.com/ireland-cottages/index.htm
     
  8. Mira

    Mira Member

    Went to England and Wales this past June. The exchange rate was abysmal. We stayed in London (Chelsea) for four days and took the underground, and it's easy to comb around and get from place to place in that fashion. Went to the West End and got half-price tickets to see a show ... Trafalgar Square is amazing. Also took train to Wimbledon and took tour of facility (saw Centre Court) and checked out the museum. Did Buckingham Palace, The Eye, Westminster Abbey, British Museum, Stonehenge, Roman Baths ... it's all fabulous.

    I think you're being a bit optimistic if you think you can do it for $4,000 total. Unless you're staying in a youth hostel or going on a budget tour. At this moment in time, England, Ireland and spots nearby are super expensive.

    We did stay in some B&Bs when we went to Cardiff, Bath and some other small towns. B&Bs had tons of character, nice hosts and meals, but were still around $170 per night.

    If you do research I'm sure you can find some good deals. We were thorough, but it still wasn't cheap.
     
  9. Chi City 81

    Chi City 81 Guest

    You can travel a lot cheaper during non-tourist season.
     
  10. I backpacked in Europe last summer and it was amazing...

    Some thoughts:

    England (specifically London) is incredibly expensive, but utterly breathtaking. A must see. Two or three days there should suffice, if your goal is to take in a lot of Europe. If not, stay longer. I would've loved to have gone into the English countryside, or at least into some smaller towns, but no dice.

    Paris: Sucks. People are rude and smell like shit. Moved tastes worse. Go for a day if you need to see the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower, but I would've preferred not to have gone. Then again, on the last day olf my trip, which I started in London, then to Paris, then to 13 other countries and back to Paris, I dove into the Seine with a bunch of random Australian dudes and a hot ass blonde Dutch chick who I later made out with. Damn. I wish I was back in Paris. (That's what Rick Solomon says?)

    Italy: Rome, cool for two days. Florence, amazing. Venice, MISERABLE. Cinque Terra -- ABSOLUTELY THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY TRIP!

    Switzerland: Interlakken is amazing. Geneva, decent.

    Amsterdam: Umm. Next.
     
  11. Mira

    Mira Member

    Amsterdam is amazing. The Van Gogh Museum is the best museum I've seen ... tops MOMA and the Chicago Art Institute, IMO.

    We biked around the city, hung out for a bit in a coffee house and wandered the Red Light District. Also took a gondola ride. The Square is a fabulous place to wander and people watch. It's an amazing, amazing city. Loved it and highly recommend it.
     
  12. KP

    KP Active Member

    Amsterday sun up and Amsterdam sun down are two very different places. Great city during the day, at night it's drug sellers on every corner (and not just in the red light district).
     
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