Travel The Hangar Travel Thread

Remove this Banner Ad

citizen-erased said:
Think you meant to quote edps, but ill take the post.
For all my trips to the uk im yet to get to ireland. So ill add those stops ;);
Click to expand...
yes, wrong quote but worth the side trip. Would have liked to have taken in a hurling game - or rugby, or gaelic footy. There's a desolate melancholic brooding magical quality to the west of Ireland. And the culture is familiar to Australians, particularly those from an Irish Catholic background. No snakes!

To me, Dublin felt safe in the exact opposite way to LA, which always feels dangerous. Great live music.
 
Some of my favourite sights from Scotland are below. It doesn't even capture the real scale or beauty of the Highlands, or hundreds of castles and ruins you see along the way. Not to mention catching the ferry to any of the Isles, which are other worldly. 1000026638.jpg 1000026631.jpg 1000026635.jpg 1000026629.jpg 1000026632.jpg
 

Log in to remove this ad.

citizen-erased said:
if paris is a must - take 3-4 days out midweek and head over. you don't need that much longer in Paris.
Click to expand...

Strongly disagree! The first 3-4 days in Paris is the absolute worst; you'll go to all the major tourist spots because well, it's Paris and you should see them. But you spend your entire time in queues, surrounded by tourists, not enjoying anything that makes Paris actually quite special as a city.

By far my favourite times in Paris have been the follow-up visits where I go nowhere near any tourist attractions and instead spend my time wandering to various local cafes or restaurants and taking in the city. Last trip I found a little wine bar operated by one guy who does well priced wine, speaks very good english, and makes up his own plate of cheese and bread for you. Was pretty much the highlight of my visit there!
 
Yeah I think Paris gets a bad wrap from some people.

I understand why to an extent; a lot of the locals are indignant to English speakers, there's far too much smoking, and some of the arrondissements are a bit sketchy.

But it's a very cool place, beautiful nearly all over, and as you say, you can spend days or weeks wandering around.

Nothing beats walking through Parisian laneways in winter, taking in the smells of all sorts of food, hearing all sorts of music and conversations, with some incredible backdrops.

Take me back
 
Kong said:
a lot of the locals are indignant to English speakers
Click to expand...
They don’t like the English (who learn French at school, generally, and should be using it in France). If they know you’re an Aussie they’re apparently much friendlier
 
Lore said:
They don’t like the English (who learn French at school, generally, and should be using it in France). If they know you’re an Aussie they’re apparently much friendlier
Click to expand...
Not in my experience or many I've spoken to.

Obviously doesn't mean they're all like that. Just enough to put some people off.
 
Kong said:
Not in my experience or many I've spoken to.

Obviously doesn't mean they're all like that. Just enough to put some people off.
Click to expand...

They were much better with english when I was there earlier this year, I've always liked the French in general and so long as you make an effort with their language they're pretty helpful, but with the Olympics coming they seem to have made a real effort to improve their english speaking.
 
owen87 said:
Strongly disagree! The first 3-4 days in Paris is the absolute worst; you'll go to all the major tourist spots because well, it's Paris and you should see them. But you spend your entire time in queues, surrounded by tourists, not enjoying anything that makes Paris actually quite special as a city.

By far my favourite times in Paris have been the follow-up visits where I go nowhere near any tourist attractions and instead spend my time wandering to various local cafes or restaurants and taking in the city. Last trip I found a little wine bar operated by one guy who does well priced wine, speaks very good english, and makes up his own plate of cheese and bread for you. Was pretty much the highlight of my visit there!
Click to expand...
That's about my 4 days too
There's a handful of places I like to go to, sometimes twice.
But I far prefer getting out of Paris for good
Bordeaux and st emillion, pau, Arles, Marseilles and comar I enjoy a lot more.

I quite like a walk around the cemeteries in Paris. They're something else.
 
Lore said:
They don’t like the English (who learn French at school, generally, and should be using it in France). If they know you’re an Aussie they’re apparently much friendlier
Click to expand...
No one in Europe likes the English
Or the rest of the UK for that matter :p

Nah it's not that bad. But they love the bants
 
citizen-erased said:
I quite like a walk around the cemeteries in Paris. They're something else.
Click to expand...

I 'accidentally' visited the catacombs the first time I went there - they weren't yet a major attraction, so it was only because I was near them and there was no queues - and it was pretty unique.

Keep meaning to get to some of the cemeteries, I guess I'll just have to go back again...
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Kong said:
Not in my experience or many I've spoken to.

Obviously doesn't mean they're all like that. Just enough to put some people off.
Click to expand...
I love Paris but agree with the comments about the French seeming a bit subdued in Paris. I would not call them rude... Maybe just not interested and lacking warmth at times but only really in Paris and in my limited experience. I speak a little French and tried pretty hard to converse but sometimes struggled to get a hello back.

That said, we actually had some great experiences with the local French people as we explored the Loire Valley. They went out of their way at different stages and were genuinely really nice.

I struggled with people the most in Hong Kong. It is cultural so did not take it personally but kind of struggled with the Chinese every man for himself/ manners and common courtesy does not apply vibe. We decided on the last day to have a contest to see who could get the most smiles out of the locals. You’d stop to let someone get in the train amir etc contact and smile, open a door for someone to get through and smile and get nothing! Anyway we managed to load up, throw some food down, have a beer or two, check out of our hotel, get the trains to the airport, get our boarding passes and somehow managed to get into the Cathay Pacific lounge and finally the chinese lady in the lounge gave us a smile when we saod g’day and ordered a couple of drinks… turns out she was an Aussie and was from Perth!
 
my own personal recommendation is vietnam - i went with family when i was 11 and it was something that changed a lot in me (and drinking straight rice wine put some hair on my chest). it's got a very strong and fascinating history and is a very stunning country to be in.
 
owen87 said:
I 'accidentally' visited the catacombs the first time I went there - they weren't yet a major attraction, so it was only because I was near them and there was no queues - and it was pretty unique.

Keep meaning to get to some of the cemeteries, I guess I'll just have to go back again...
Click to expand...
catacombs are quite amazing.
 
Thanks everyone who helped chime in with some great advice. Seems like we have settled on France/UK.

Likely to stop at Singapore on the way for a day or two to help break up that first long flight. Will spend atleast a few days in France with a music festival In Arras and will leave atleast a couple of days for Disneyland in case we don’t get our fill in one day, wouldn’t mind seeing a few other places outside of Paris but not sure we will have the time.

Places like Edinburgh/Isle of Skye and of course taking the Jacobite are all planned for Scotland. A few places we wanted to see aswell on the way back from Scotland included Hull for their Aquarium and places like Sheffield and York. Ireland is out of the picture as we both don’t have a lot of things we wanted to see over there and the money and travel needed to get there and back didn’t seem worth it.

It wasn’t on the agenda but a few things in Wales really took my interest with a few nice coastal towns and the Talyllyn railway which was a major contributor to the railway series which Thomas the tank engine was based off, I hold a lot of nostalgia for that show as a kid and seeing the real life inspiration would be surreal for me.

Time wise for a lot of the things is the issue, currently have about 17 full days allocated and will likely have to forgo a few things

Currently looking like
Singapore 2/3 days
France/Paris 5/6 days
Scotland 3 days
Wales 2 days
England 4 days

Not sure what the best way to work things out will be yet, don’t think I’ll have enough time really
 
eDPS said:
Thanks everyone who helped chime in with some great advice. Seems like we have settled on France/UK.

Likely to stop at Singapore on the way for a day or two to help break up that first long flight. Will spend atleast a few days in France with a music festival In Arras and will leave atleast a couple of days for Disneyland in case we don’t get our fill in one day, wouldn’t mind seeing a few other places outside of Paris but not sure we will have the time.

Places like Edinburgh/Isle of Skye and of course taking the Jacobite are all planned for Scotland. A few places we wanted to see aswell on the way back from Scotland included Hull for their Aquarium and places like Sheffield and York. Ireland is out of the picture as we both don’t have a lot of things we wanted to see over there and the money and travel needed to get there and back didn’t seem worth it.

It wasn’t on the agenda but a few things in Wales really took my interest with a few nice coastal towns and the Talyllyn railway which was a major contributor to the railway series which Thomas the tank engine was based off, I hold a lot of nostalgia for that show as a kid and seeing the real life inspiration would be surreal for me.

Time wise for a lot of the things is the issue, currently have about 17 full days allocated and will likely have to forgo a few things

Currently looking like
Singapore 2/3 days
France/Paris 5/6 days
Scotland 3 days
Wales 2 days
England 4 days

Not sure what the best way to work things out will be yet, don’t think I’ll have enough time really
Click to expand...
Main Square Festival in Arras? I've done a few Europe trips centred around Tomorrowland and ASOT and the vibes at music festivals over there are fantastic, you'll have a great time there for sure. Are you going all weekend?
 
Nuggs Bunny said:
Main Square Festival in Arras? I've done a few Europe trips centred around Tomorrowland and ASOT and the vibes at music festivals over there are fantastic, you'll have a great time there for sure. Are you going all weekend?
Click to expand...
Yep that’s the one, I’m going to the festival on the Friday and looking to leave to UK on the Saturday. The festival will be the last thing I do in France for the trip
 
eDPS said:
Thanks everyone who helped chime in with some great advice. Seems like we have settled on France/UK.

Likely to stop at Singapore on the way for a day or two to help break up that first long flight. Will spend atleast a few days in France with a music festival In Arras and will leave atleast a couple of days for Disneyland in case we don’t get our fill in one day, wouldn’t mind seeing a few other places outside of Paris but not sure we will have the time.

Places like Edinburgh/Isle of Skye and of course taking the Jacobite are all planned for Scotland. A few places we wanted to see aswell on the way back from Scotland included Hull for their Aquarium and places like Sheffield and York. Ireland is out of the picture as we both don’t have a lot of things we wanted to see over there and the money and travel needed to get there and back didn’t seem worth it.

It wasn’t on the agenda but a few things in Wales really took my interest with a few nice coastal towns and the Talyllyn railway which was a major contributor to the railway series which Thomas the tank engine was based off, I hold a lot of nostalgia for that show as a kid and seeing the real life inspiration would be surreal for me.

Time wise for a lot of the things is the issue, currently have about 17 full days allocated and will likely have to forgo a few things

Currently looking like
Singapore 2/3 days
France/Paris 5/6 days
Scotland 3 days
Wales 2 days
England 4 days

Not sure what the best way to work things out will be yet, don’t think I’ll have enough time really
Click to expand...

Singapore is a great spot, plenty to fill in a couple of nights.

That's very little time in Scotland and Wales IMO, you'd be better off picking just one and having the full 5 days (I easily spent 3 in Edinburgh alone, London would be the same).

There's not really an easy transit link between any of those places so you're doing a lot of stuffing around at airports. Being in a different city every night or two (especially if someone hasn't travelled much) can be mentally exhausting since you never kind of get to stop and unpack.

For example; Paris > Edinburgh is a ~ 2hr flight, but pretty sure it's technically international since Brexit so you'll need to exit / enter Customs both sides, meaning you'll easily lose half a day in transit. Getting around England is pretty easy with the train system, but Wales isn't as quick and easy from memory.

I've found looking at tour group itineraries can be a helpful way to work out how to structure your trip since they generally have a pretty good idea of how long you need in a place and the transit times etc...

www.gadventures.com

Highlights of Scotland

Classic folklore and stunning landscapes make Scotland a compelling destination for historians, those looking to explore their Scottish roots, and pop culture fiends who follow famous TV shows that film here. This seven-day tour takes you through all the best cultural highlights with visits to...
www.gadventures.com www.gadventures.com

I'd suggest maybe doing Paris > Scotland > London then on a future trip doing London > Hire a car to do western England / Wales > Ireland

If it were me I'd look at something like the below, school holidays appear to be last day of term Friday 28/6/24 - first day back 15/7/24


  • Depart Sat 29/6/24 MEL (0935) - SIN (1525) (there's also a Friday PM 2535 departure that lands in SIN at 0530, by the time you get out of the airport and into town it'd be after 7am so you'd be able to start seeing stuff).
  • Sat 29/6/24 - Singapore Night 1
  • Sun 30/6/24 - Full day in Singapore, depart early morning Monday so no accommodation needed that night,
  • Mon 1/7/24 SIN (0015) - CDG (0735)
  • Mon 1/7/24 - Paris Night 1
  • Tues 2/7/24 - Paris Night 2 (be aware the Louvre is closed on a Tuesday)
  • Wed 3/7/24 - Paris Night 3
  • Thurs 4/7/24 - Paris Night 4
  • Fri 5/7/24 - Music Festival + Arras Night 1
  • Sat 6/7/24 - Train Arras - CDG (1320) - EDI (1410) - Edinburgh Night 1
  • Sun 7/7/24 - Edinburgh Night 2
  • Mon 8/7/24 - Somewhere in Scotland (e.g. Inverness, Isle of Skye etc..)
  • Tues 9/7/24 - Fort William Night 1
  • Wed 10/7/24 - Jacobite (Depart 1015, Arrive back 1603) + Sleeper Train to London (1950)
  • Thurs 11/7/24 - Arrive London (0800) - London Night 1
  • Fri 12/7/24 - London Night 2
  • Sat 13/7/24 - Depart London (latest day you can leave to land Sunday 14/7/24 fairly late)
  • Sun 14/7/24 - In transit LHR - MEL
  • Monday 15/7/24 - Back to work

You've got 4 flights in there, need to find accommodation for 1 night in Singapore, 4 in Paris, 1 in Arras, 2 in Edinburgh, 1 somewhere in Scotland, 1 in Fort William, and 2 in London, plus the overnight train and the 3 nights in 'transit' I think covers every single day of the holidays so you'll be pretty flat out just fitting this in IMO.

If it's the private school 3 week break you'll have a bit more time to either stop and take a breath or visit some regional areas in France, Scotland or the UK.

Yes it's very quiet at work today and I went down a rabbit hole as I started writing this post sorry...
 
Last edited:
owen87 said:
Singapore is a great spot, plenty to fill in a couple of nights.

That's very little time in Scotland and Wales IMO, you'd be better off picking just one and having the full 5 days (I easily spent 3 in Edinburgh alone, London would be the same).

There's not really an easy transit link between any of those places so you're doing a lot of stuffing around at airports. Being in a different city every night or two (especially if someone hasn't travelled much) can be mentally exhausting since you never kind of get to stop and unpack.

For example; Paris > Edinburgh is a ~ 2hr flight, but pretty sure it's technically international since Brexit so you'll need to exit / enter Customs both sides, meaning you'll easily lose half a day in transit. Getting around England is pretty easy with the train system, but Wales isn't as quick and easy from memory.

I've found looking at tour group itineraries can be a helpful way to work out how to structure your trip since they generally have a pretty good idea of how long you need in a place and the transit times etc...

www.gadventures.com

Highlights of Scotland

Classic folklore and stunning landscapes make Scotland a compelling destination for historians, those looking to explore their Scottish roots, and pop culture fiends who follow famous TV shows that film here. This seven-day tour takes you through all the best cultural highlights with visits to...
www.gadventures.com www.gadventures.com

I'd suggest maybe doing Paris > Scotland > London then on a future trip doing London > Hire a car to do western England / Wales > Ireland

If it were me I'd look at something like the below, school holidays appear to be last day of term Friday 28/6/24 - first day back 15/7/24


  • Depart Sat 29/6/24 MEL (0935) - SIN (1525)
  • Sat 29/6/24 - Singapore Night 1
  • Sun 30/6/24 - Full day in Singapore, depart early morning Monday so no accommodation needed that night,
  • Mon 1/7/24 SIN (0015) - CDG (0735)
  • Mon 1/7/24 - Paris Night 1
  • Tues 2/7/24 - Paris Night 2 (be aware the Louvre is closed on a Tuesday)
  • Wed 3/7/24 - Paris Night 3
  • Thurs 4/7/24 - Paris Night 4
  • Fri 5/7/24 - Music Festival + Arras Night 1
  • Sat 6/7/24 - Train Arras - CDG (1320) - EDI (1410) - Edinburgh Night 1
  • Sun 7/7/24 - Edinburgh Night 2
  • Mon 8/7/24 - Somewhere in Scotland (e.g. Inverness, Isle of Skye etc..)
  • Tues 9/7/24 - Fort William Night 1
  • Wed 10/7/24 - Jacobite (Depart 1015, Arrive back 1603) + Sleeper Train to London (1950)
  • Thurs 11/7/24 - Arrive London (0800) - London Night 1
  • Fri 12/7/24 - London Night 2
  • Sat 13/7/24 - Depart London (latest day you can leave to land Sunday 14/7/24 fairly late)
  • Sun 14/7/24 - In transit LHR - MEL
  • Monday 15/7/24 - Back to work

You've got 4 flights in there, need to find accommodation for 1 night in Singapore, 4 in Paris, 1 in Arras, 2 in Edinburgh, 1 somewhere in Scotland, 1 in Fort William, and 2 in London, plus the overnight train and the 3 nights in 'transit' I think covers every single day of the holidays so you'll be pretty flat out just fitting this in IMO.

If it's the private school 3 week break you'll have a bit more time to either stop and take a breath or visit some regional areas in France, Scotland or the UK.

Yes it's very quiet at work today and I went down a rabbit hole as I started writing this post sorry...
Click to expand...
Your a legend for trying to solve my conundrums haha yeah as I’ve looked more I think Wales is a no go, I’ve already cut a fair few things since I posted lol
 
eDPS said:
Thanks everyone who helped chime in with some great advice. Seems like we have settled on France/UK.

Likely to stop at Singapore on the way for a day or two to help break up that first long flight. Will spend atleast a few days in France with a music festival In Arras and will leave atleast a couple of days for Disneyland in case we don’t get our fill in one day, wouldn’t mind seeing a few other places outside of Paris but not sure we will have the time.

Places like Edinburgh/Isle of Skye and of course taking the Jacobite are all planned for Scotland. A few places we wanted to see aswell on the way back from Scotland included Hull for their Aquarium and places like Sheffield and York. Ireland is out of the picture as we both don’t have a lot of things we wanted to see over there and the money and travel needed to get there and back didn’t seem worth it.

It wasn’t on the agenda but a few things in Wales really took my interest with a few nice coastal towns and the Talyllyn railway which was a major contributor to the railway series which Thomas the tank engine was based off, I hold a lot of nostalgia for that show as a kid and seeing the real life inspiration would be surreal for me.

Time wise for a lot of the things is the issue, currently have about 17 full days allocated and will likely have to forgo a few things

Currently looking like
Singapore 2/3 days
France/Paris 5/6 days
Scotland 3 days
Wales 2 days
England 4 days

Not sure what the best way to work things out will be yet, don’t think I’ll have enough time really
Click to expand...
York is an amazing city
Stay for a few days, or even use it as your base for nth england

What you might find easy logistically is paris to london via eurostar (2.5hrs)
London to york from kings cross is 2hrs

Hull is a 50m train from york
Sheffield is an hour.
York as a base would work nicely here
Edinburgh is then a 3hr trip.

Wales is out of the way and id consider that for your next time there and bank the extra days in england/scotland

Where do you fly into? London or paris? Assuming you're flying out of the same place, edinburgh airport is super efficient and if you're leaving in the afternoon, you can fly out that morning and make a connecting flight.
 
citizen-erased said:
York is an amazing city
Stay for a few days, or even use it as your base for nth england

What you might find easy logistically is paris to london via eurostar (2.5hrs)
London to york from kings cross is 2hrs

Hull is a 50m train from york
Sheffield is an hour.
York as a base would work nicely here
Edinburgh is then a 3hr trip.

Wales is out of the way and id consider that for your next time there and bank the extra days in england/scotland

Where do you fly into? London or paris? Assuming you're flying out of the same place, edinburgh airport is super efficient and if you're leaving in the afternoon, you can fly out that morning and make a connecting flight.
Click to expand...
Probably going to go to York inbetween the trip from Paris up to Edinburgh by train. Hull and Sheffield I’ve crossed off for more efficiency as I’d like more time to check out more of Scotland and that Sleeper Train from Scotland to London that owen87 suggested seems like a good idea aswell.

Currently it’s looking like fly to Singapore, stay a few days, go to Paris and stay there until moving over to UK on the 6th and then pretty much from the 6th to 11th for Scotland and 11th to flying out on the 15th for London.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top