A week somewhere

The_B_Man

So myself and herself were looking to go away at the end of next month somewhere. No idea where.

I have 5 holidays from work that need to be taken before xmas. This means I can either take a solid week off and go somewhere for the week/9 days, or I can take a few long weekends spread over the next few months.

We were looking at San Francisco but its looking like that'll cost about a grand each for flights, and I dont we could spend the whole time there so we'd prob want to go to Vegas or the Grand Canyon or somewhere, which would add more to the cost.

Also, apparently its about 16 hours flight from Dublin. I was sayin we could get to Thailand in that time and possibly for cheaper.

We don't want to go on a package holiday and get drunk for 2 weeks either.

I never thought it'd be this difficult to book a holiday, but its our first one since we finished college and got decent paying jobs.

I suppose if we were willing to go to San Fran, we're willing to fly anywhere within that radius in any direction. The cheaper the better, to a degree.

Is there any nice couple places that we could go in Europe or beyond?
I was looking at maybe going to Nice, then Monaco, then Italy, but the cost quickly rises once you move from the original place. Also, we couldnt spend a full week in places like Norway.

Alternatively, I suppose we could just take a load of Mondays off and go on a few long weekends!

Any advice?
Thanks.

schemingbohemia

you're basically asking where in the world you should go for a week without giving us a budget or telling us what you like, other than very vague don't want to get locked every night.

you're going to have to narrow it down a bit, it's a big world.

The_B_Man

Ye sorry, I know. Thats exactly the problem I'm having. I wouldnt even ask on here only I've never been to the states and never travelled Europe so dont really know where to go.

Is 1500 for flights + hotel high or low for a budget? I could go higher. Also, we both get paid on the 25th which will be while we're over there so that'll cover additional spending money.

I dunno, I suppose we just want to get out of the country, stretch our legs, and see a few sites around Europe. We're very open to suggestions, as I'm hoping there are people on here who've done it all and know all the best places, and hidden gems.

I suppose the fall back is a long weekend in New York or Nice.

Sorry again if I sound clueless, but thats actually how I am with organising this kinda stuff.

mel.b

Does that €1500 include your spending money, meals, taxis etc or just flights and accomodation. And is it each or between you. Fights to the US will set you back close to €1000 for the two of you to start with. Thailand similar, although accomodation and everything else will be cheaper.

For Europe, some ideas
- italy - venice & florence inc some day trips to smaller towns in Tuscany. I have also just returned from a week in Sicily which would be great for a sun break but may still be a bit too hot for sightseeing (the are some great ruins etc to see)

- Switzerland - spent a week travelling though switzerland last year...St Mortiz, Zermatt and then Wengen. Very chilled relaxing week with the most amazing scenery

Really any country you want you can plan an itinerary for 7-10 days with 1 or 2 bases.

I think start with a wish list of where you want to go or what you want to see. Do you want sun, scenery, sightseeing, muesums etc. then with your budget eliminate the ones that are too expensive for flights etc until you hit on the right combination. Europe will certainly be cheaper just because flights are going to be much cheaper. Also i don't knw why you say you couldn't go to somewhere like Norway for the week (other than the cost) A day in Oslo, a couple of days exploring the fjords, mountain biking, hiking, climbing a glacier, then onto Bergen. Just some ideas...it really depends on what you want to do & see (which i know can be hard to decide!) i use the tripadvisor forums and spend time reading them to get an idea of itineraries and things to see and do.

Captain Commie

Have a look at Dubai, can get some decent flights with lufthansa and good hotel rates from Booking.com, can get it alot cheaper than you might think

Gran Hermano

Dubai is cheap in September for a reason, temperatures still higher than what most Europeans find comfortable
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/292223/extended?day=1
End of page shows temps by month.

Captain Commie

Its cheap as is still considered off-peak by the travel companies for the most part.

I currently live about 90 mins drive south-west of Dubai and is a great part of the world. Have stayed in a couple of hotels there that were on the metro line making it really accessible.

Moved out here mid September last year and temps in dubai would have been approx 40 or a lil under. One other factor to allow for is humidity, it will be starting to lessen at end of Sept, but can make it feel real sticky, tho if you are by the pool and bar then there's no hassle.

mel.b

Another idea is Turkey. I loved Istanbul - you could have a couple of days there and then fly to the Cappadocia region which is just spectacular. Or you could hire a car and visit some sights such as Epeheus and Pumukkale (spelling may be off!) Once out of the city, the roads were good and quiet.

The_B_Man

mel.b, thanks for some good suggestions there.

Italy keeps coming up in conversations with people. Presumably that's a good thing. I've never been but obviously people like it. I hadnt considered Switzerland (or Dubai) but someone just mentioned inter-railing to me, and I got thinking about the single country train ticket.
How did you travel around Italy and Switzerland? Because if the trains are decent, I might go for something off this site: http://www.interrailnet.com/interrail-passes/one-country-pass

Cheap flight + train ticket + a few hotels and I'm sure we'll be well below budget. BTW, she said her max for travel would be 600, but I'd supplement that so I reckon the 2k for San Fran is probably just over the limit. That 1500 I mentioned was for both of us, so ~800 each.

lol and regarding Oslo. A family member went there recently and just said that it would be perfect for a weekend, but they went for a week and found it too long. I've never been so I'm only going on second hand info here.

mel.b

We travelled by train. Flew into Venice then took the high speed to Florence. You can check www.trenitalia.com for prices. I think the further out you book, the cheaper. We also took the train into and through switzerland. For that we used a swiss flexi pass www.swiss-pass.ch which also gives 50% discounts on most of the cable cars (which are expensive) You really need to do your sums to see if an inter-rail or swiss pass is cheaper. Swiss point to point tix are very expensive.

I agree, a week in Oslo would be too much but there is so much beautiful countryside to see instead. I did a 'norway in a nutshell' independent tour a few years ago over 4 days and loved it. If you are into outdoors then def consider norway. I climbed a glacier (which was amazing and easier than it sounds!) and there is fantastic bike ride you can do down from a place called mydral to flam (or catch the train which is one of the steepest routes in the world). At the time i took the train as i didn't know about the cycling, but a couple of guys in the hostel i was taying at had cycled down and were planning on cycling back up the next day...for that i def would have taken the train!!

MadsL

How did you travel around Italy and Switzerland? Because if the trains are decent, I might go for something off this site: http://www.interrailnet.com/interrai...e-country-pass

Recommend it, Italian and Swiss trains are wonderful, I did London>Paris>Lucerne>Venice for New Year's in Venice one year. Amazing.

All you need for rail travel in the entire world is on this amazing site;

The Man in Seat 61



You could try the Everywhere function of skyscanner.com for some exotics.

Lets see for less than €800 each during Sept.
United Arab Emirates KLM, Emirates 497 €
Canada KLM 505 €
Azerbaijan Turkish Airlines, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa 547 €
Lebanon Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Swiss 564 €
Oman Emirates, Etihad Airways, Swiss, British Airways 576 €
Qatar Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, British Airways 578 €
Kuwait Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, British Airways 581 €
Saudi Arabia Emirates, Etihad Airways, British Airways, KLM 581 €
Iran Emirates, Etihad Airways, British Airways, KLM 582 €
Libya Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa 597 €
Belarus KLM, airBaltic, Lufthansa 601 €
Hong Kong Emirates, American Airlines, Swiss, British Airways 612 €
China Emirates, American Airlines, Etihad Airways, Swiss 621 €
Sudan Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, KLM 629 €
Sri Lanka Emirates, Etihad Airways 630 €
Nigeria Air France, Emirates, Etihad Airways, British Airways 635 €
South Africa KLM, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Swiss 658 €
Macedonia Aer Lingus, Swiss, Turkish Airlines 659 €
Kazakhstan Turkish Airlines, Etihad Airways, British Airways, KLM 667 €
Maldives Emirates, Etihad Airways, Swiss, British Airways 668 €
Pakistan Emirates, Etihad Airways, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Australia 669 €
Thailand Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Swiss 670 €
Bangladesh Emirates, Etihad Airways, Turkish Airlines 690 €
Tanzania Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Swiss, British Airways 693 €
Ethiopia Emirates, Etihad Airways, KLM, Turkish Airlines 694 €
Brazil KLM, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Swiss 698 €
Bermuda Air Canada, British Airways, United, US Airways 703 €
Cuba Air France, Swiss, KLM 718 €
Malaysia Etihad Airways, Emirates, KLM, Lufthansa 728 €
Dominican Republic United, Swiss, British Airways, KLM 754 €
Indonesia Emirates, Etihad Airways, KLM, Turkish Airlines 754 €
Philippines Emirates, Etihad Airways, KLM, Delta 754 €
Vietnam Emirates, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Air France 768 €
Singapore Emirates, Etihad Airways, Swiss, British Airways 772 €
Rwanda Turkish Airlines, KLM 794 €


Some great deals there, I would pick out Libya and Kazakhstan if you are a copped on adventure traveler or Cuba, South Africa, Brazil for the city traveler, or Maldives or Bermuda for swanky lie on a beach.

Tigerandahalf

Oslo is meant to be very expensive from friends who have visited. You only have a week so your options are limited. Id stick to Europe. Keep your flight short and cheap and spend the time you have enjoying what the place has to offer. Spain is a good option if you get away from the standard resorts etc. Look at places like Valencia and Cadiz. Still v warm but a lot to offer in other areas as well. There is meant to be a beautiful beach in Cadiz and you have the bullfighting if you are into that. Jerez is not far away, home of sherry and also a Moto GP takes place there.
So many places in Europe but you need to do the research and see what best suits.

Stheno

A week in Malta might suit you, get a weekly bus pass, and a Malta pass, and the week will fly.

Don't forget to try a party boat!