GRcade Travel Topic

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KomandaHeck
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by KomandaHeck » Mon Aug 07, 2017 12:52 am

I'm in a bit of a rut at the moment and find myself with the urge to do some travelling and experience new things. I'm fortunate enough to have a decent amount of savings behind me to make it possible, but the problem is, I know absolutely sod all about how to go about it. I live in Wales and have never been further than England in my life. Can anyone recommend any good resources for learning about the whole process, or offer any general tips and advice?

Just for fun, here are some of the primary destinations I've always been interested in:

Reykjavík
Paris
Belgium
Amsterdam
Germany
Swiss Alps
Venice
Warsaw
Stockholm
Japan
Vancouver
USA (Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia)

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Rightey
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Rightey » Mon Aug 07, 2017 1:39 am

Lotus wrote:Thanks for the suggestions. I've actually been to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake before (did that while I was visiting Toronto), and I've also spent a good amount of time in Montreal. :slol:

I know Ottawa has plenty of museums and art galleries, but not sure what else at the moment. I don't mind those kinda things, but if it's good weather I'd rather not be stuck inside. I'm not sure how much there is to do there, and so I'm keen to explore smaller cities nearby or maybe some national parks. Rightey, do you know anything along those lines that would be worth checking out?


Hmmm... I'm afraid I live more in the southern part of the province so I haven't really had a lot of chances to go to parks in those areas. Another thing to keep in mind is that we have two park systems here, one Provincial and one Federal.

One of the most popular provincial parks, Algonquin might be worth a day trip, I've been there and it's pretty nice. It's really good if you like stargazing, there is a place called the lake of two rivers that has a small picnic area, that's right off the road so it's very convenient. However you are pretty close to the Quebec border and they have loads of parks as well but I'm totally in the dark about those. Just looking at a map I can see that I know that there are whale watching tours at certain times of the year in the St. Lawrence so that might be worth looking into.

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Bunni
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Bunni » Mon Aug 07, 2017 2:51 am

SugarDave wrote:I'm in a bit of a rut at the moment and find myself with the urge to do some travelling and experience new things. I'm fortunate enough to have a decent amount of savings behind me to make it possible, but the problem is, I know absolutely sod all about how to go about it. I live in Wales and have never been further than England in my life. Can anyone recommend any good resources for learning about the whole process, or offer any general tips and advice?

Just for fun, here are some of the primary destinations I've always been interested in:

Reykjavík
Paris
Belgium
Amsterdam
Germany
Swiss Alps
Venice
Warsaw
Stockholm
Japan
Vancouver
USA (Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia)



Get a eurorail pass. Book a month off. You can do Central Europe easy enough in a couple of weeks hitting major cities. You can plan intensely if you like, but I went with Banjo and we just winged it booking hostels the night before we decided our next destinations. You could probably do the same with America, other folk might be more helpful with that.

Aside from that, decide what you want to do in these places, what season you'd like to experience, and have a look on skyscanner for flights. It's literally as easy as that. Book a flight, choose accommodation, google maps your way from airport to hotel and between stuff you wanna do.

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Parksey
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Parksey » Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:12 am

You have to be 25 or under for a rail pass though, right?

I would recommend it if you're eligible though.

Could also come to Japan, buy the JR pass.

Though I'd also recommend the west coast of America and doing a road trip maybe. Vancouver and the surrounding are is awesome and you can also take an hour flight and head to Calgary at the foot of the Rockies and go into Banff.

Strong, decisive advice here.

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KomandaHeck
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by KomandaHeck » Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:45 am

Thank you, both. I am the kind to meticulously plan everything beforehand, but when in the moment I allow myself to just enjoy it and improvise, so would likely end up doing the same thing as you.

I'm 23, so eligibility shouldn't be a problem with the pass. I'll look into possibly getting one of those too, cheers.

Corazon de Leon

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Corazon de Leon » Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:08 am

Parksey wrote:You have to be 25 or under for a rail pass though, right?

I would recommend it if you're eligible though.

Could also come to Japan, buy the JR pass.

Though I'd also recommend the west coast of America and doing a road trip maybe. Vancouver and the surrounding are is awesome and you can also take an hour flight and head to Calgary at the foot of the Rockies and go into Banff.

Strong, decisive advice here.


No, it's just a little more expensive for over 26-year olds.

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Lotus
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Lotus » Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:38 pm

Rightey wrote:
Lotus wrote:Thanks for the suggestions. I've actually been to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake before (did that while I was visiting Toronto), and I've also spent a good amount of time in Montreal. :slol:

I know Ottawa has plenty of museums and art galleries, but not sure what else at the moment. I don't mind those kinda things, but if it's good weather I'd rather not be stuck inside. I'm not sure how much there is to do there, and so I'm keen to explore smaller cities nearby or maybe some national parks. Rightey, do you know anything along those lines that would be worth checking out?


Hmmm... I'm afraid I live more in the southern part of the province so I haven't really had a lot of chances to go to parks in those areas. Another thing to keep in mind is that we have two park systems here, one Provincial and one Federal.

One of the most popular provincial parks, Algonquin might be worth a day trip, I've been there and it's pretty nice. It's really good if you like stargazing, there is a place called the lake of two rivers that has a small picnic area, that's right off the road so it's very convenient. However you are pretty close to the Quebec border and they have loads of parks as well but I'm totally in the dark about those. Just looking at a map I can see that I know that there are whale watching tours at certain times of the year in the St. Lawrence so that might be worth looking into.

Okay no worries, thanks for those, will investigate them for sure.

SugarDave, you could start off just planning one small trip (say, to Iceland, which would be difficult to incorporate into a trip around Europe, isn't too far, everyone speaks English, etc) and use that to get an idea on the planning side of it, get a feel for travelling abroad etc. Then if you like it and all goes well, look at doing something bigger/longer/further afield and take into account anything you've learned from the process of doing a smaller trip.

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SandyCoin
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Location: London

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by SandyCoin » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:00 am

Booked flights to Valencia. Amazingly it will be my first time in Spain. I basically plan on eating lots of sea food and checking out the science area, but if anyone has any recommendations that would be swell.

We were looking to go to Lisbon which I think I would have preferred but flights to Valencia were £50 return, so can't scoff at that.

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Corazon de Leon

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Corazon de Leon » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:01 am

Only thing I'd say is to try and get tickets to a match at the Mestalla if you like football - atmosphere is supposed to be excellent.

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SandyCoin
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Location: London

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by SandyCoin » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:12 am

Corazon de Leon wrote:Only thing I'd say is to try and get tickets to a match at the Mestalla if you like football - atmosphere is supposed to be excellent.


No games when I'm there. They are away to Sociedad. I might see about watching it at a bar though (which my gf will love I'm sure)

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No:1 Final Fantasy Fan
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Location: UK

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by No:1 Final Fantasy Fan » Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:31 pm

Been looking at this website which alerts you to cheap flights. www.secretflying.com
A lot of the good deals fly out off Dublin only. Has anyone ever booked separately flights to Dublin just say they can get cheap flights?
For example theres a deal for Dublin to Vancouver for 260EUR and add to that £30+what they charge for luggage for a Ryanair flight to Dublin.
Compared to £600 for the same flight out of Manchester.

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Moggy
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Moggy » Thu Aug 10, 2017 7:41 am

No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:Been looking at this website which alerts you to cheap flights. http://www.secretflying.com
A lot of the good deals fly out off Dublin only. Has anyone ever booked separately flights to Dublin just say they can get cheap flights?
For example theres a deal for Dublin to Vancouver for 260EUR and add to that £30+what they charge for luggage for a Ryanair flight to Dublin.
Compared to £600 for the same flight out of Manchester.


I have never done it, but I know somebody (from Bristol) who went to Glasgow or Edinburgh to fly to Greece to save money. It was during the English school holidays but before the Scottish kids started theirs and he worked out that he could get a return train fare to Scotland, a hotel for the night before the outward journey and still save a few hundred quid on the holiday. :lol:

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Tomous
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AKA: Vampbuster

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Tomous » Thu Aug 10, 2017 8:28 am

I flew back from Mexico to UK via Madrid because it worked out over £100 cheaper.

Skyscanner is a good tool for doing this-you can select a city and a date and it shows you the prices of all the destinations it flies to. From that you can try and find ways of making your route cheaper.

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karl_fletcher
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Location: Toronto

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by karl_fletcher » Mon Aug 14, 2017 3:14 am

Japan folk, what's it like there in the winter? Winter is the only time of year I can take any time off work, so I am thinking of going to Tokyo and surrounds for a few weeks, probably in February.

What is a good area to stay in Tokyo? I like staying in busy and lively parts of cities, with lots of restaurants and night life in walking distance.

Corazon de Leon

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Corazon de Leon » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:19 am

Moggy wrote:
No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:Been looking at this website which alerts you to cheap flights. http://www.secretflying.com
A lot of the good deals fly out off Dublin only. Has anyone ever booked separately flights to Dublin just say they can get cheap flights?
For example theres a deal for Dublin to Vancouver for 260EUR and add to that £30+what they charge for luggage for a Ryanair flight to Dublin.
Compared to £600 for the same flight out of Manchester.


I have never done it, but I know somebody (from Bristol) who went to Glasgow or Edinburgh to fly to Greece to save money. It was during the English school holidays but before the Scottish kids started theirs and he worked out that he could get a return train fare to Scotland, a hotel for the night before the outward journey and still save a few hundred quid on the holiday. :lol:


Was that in Summer? Scottish schools start and finish their holidays before English schools - we go June-August, you guys go July-September(I think?).

Corazon de Leon

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Corazon de Leon » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:21 am

karl_fletcher wrote:Japan folk, what's it like there in the winter? Winter is the only time of year I can take any time off work, so I am thinking of going to Tokyo and surrounds for a few weeks, probably in February.

What is a good area to stay in Tokyo? I like staying in busy and lively parts of cities, with lots of restaurants and night life in walking distance.


I was there in February last year, and it was sunny but not warm pretty much the whole time I was in Tokyo. I got away with jumpers and cardigans. I stayed in Asakusa, round the corner from a large temple with lots of things to do and see around it, but I think you'll be ok pretty much anywhere in the centre of the city as public transport is so on point.

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Moggy
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AKA: Moggy

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Moggy » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:28 am

Corazon de Leon wrote:
Moggy wrote:
No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:Been looking at this website which alerts you to cheap flights. http://www.secretflying.com
A lot of the good deals fly out off Dublin only. Has anyone ever booked separately flights to Dublin just say they can get cheap flights?
For example theres a deal for Dublin to Vancouver for 260EUR and add to that £30+what they charge for luggage for a Ryanair flight to Dublin.
Compared to £600 for the same flight out of Manchester.


I have never done it, but I know somebody (from Bristol) who went to Glasgow or Edinburgh to fly to Greece to save money. It was during the English school holidays but before the Scottish kids started theirs and he worked out that he could get a return train fare to Scotland, a hotel for the night before the outward journey and still save a few hundred quid on the holiday. :lol:


Was that in Summer? Scottish schools start and finish their holidays before English schools - we go June-August, you guys go July-September(I think?).


Might have been at the end of the holidays, I'm not sure. Either way he saved a load of money.

Corazon de Leon

PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Corazon de Leon » Mon Aug 14, 2017 9:36 am

Moggy wrote:
Corazon de Leon wrote:
Moggy wrote:
No:1 Final Fantasy Fan wrote:Been looking at this website which alerts you to cheap flights. http://www.secretflying.com
A lot of the good deals fly out off Dublin only. Has anyone ever booked separately flights to Dublin just say they can get cheap flights?
For example theres a deal for Dublin to Vancouver for 260EUR and add to that £30+what they charge for luggage for a Ryanair flight to Dublin.
Compared to £600 for the same flight out of Manchester.


I have never done it, but I know somebody (from Bristol) who went to Glasgow or Edinburgh to fly to Greece to save money. It was during the English school holidays but before the Scottish kids started theirs and he worked out that he could get a return train fare to Scotland, a hotel for the night before the outward journey and still save a few hundred quid on the holiday. :lol:


Was that in Summer? Scottish schools start and finish their holidays before English schools - we go June-August, you guys go July-September(I think?).


Might have been at the end of the holidays, I'm not sure. Either way he saved a load of money.


Bastards, coming up here, taking our flights. :dread:

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Tafdolphin
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by Tafdolphin » Mon Aug 14, 2017 10:34 am

karl_fletcher wrote:Japan folk, what's it like there in the winter? Winter is the only time of year I can take any time off work, so I am thinking of going to Tokyo and surrounds for a few weeks, probably in February.

What is a good area to stay in Tokyo? I like staying in busy and lively parts of cities, with lots of restaurants and night life in walking distance.


Tokyo is pretty, pretty cold in the winter, but I much preferred it. In the summer it's oppressively hot and humid. In winter it's cold, but they'll have the Christmas lights out and it gets darker earlier (which is when Tokyo really comes to life).

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karl_fletcher
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PostRe: GRcade Travel Topic
by karl_fletcher » Mon Aug 14, 2017 1:11 pm

Thanks guys. It's going to be considerably less cold than here in Toronto in winter, but at the same time it would be nice to escape the cold somewhere warm. Leaning towards booking though.


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