The Travel Thread 🚗 🚢 ✈

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Aphrodite said:
Have a fabulous trip esky!
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Thanks Aph

Hit Florence late yesterday, a bloody long haul from regional Vic via Rome, something like 30 hours...we where out of it, but so happy to be here, plan was a walk around, glass of wine and a meal then crash, all going well, had my bag snatched, not much in it, more the inconvenience, am a seasoned traveller and not had this happen before, my drivers licence is the only pain, which could prove to be interesting with Avis on Sunday...when we pick up the car, went to the cabioneri this morning to file a report, the officer that interviewed us only spoke Italian, French or Russian....Mr BQ has high school French so we managed, my Russian is Nietski !
Anyway put it behind us had a lovely day today, a bit of retail therapy and exploring the city helped

Ciao for now
 

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MEB_ said:
We haven't booked accommodation yet. What would you recommend?
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Well depends what you are after, it's a lot quieter on the outer islands, and you probably need a car as well, personally love Maui

Honolulu/Waikiki more happening in the one area, and you can get great deals on accom, we always like self contained, do your own breakie etc, snoop around for some deals.

Anyway I'm in Italy at the moment LOL
 
Bluesque said:
Well depends what you are after, it's a lot quieter on the outer islands, and you probably need a car as well, personally love Maui

Honolulu/Waikiki more happening in the one area, and you can get great deals on accom, we always like self contained, do your own breakie etc, snoop around for some deals.

Anyway I'm in Italy at the moment LOL
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Yeah we're looking for self contained too since there's 5 of us (2 couples and an extra!) so we'd all like to share one apartment.

Enjoy Italy!
 
MEB_ said:
Yeah we're looking for self contained too since there's 5 of us (2 couples and an extra!) so we'd all like to share one apartment.

Enjoy Italy!
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Oh yeh it's just heaven

Try VRBO or air BnB you deal direct with the host, and can find some great places, we have had success with both, but not everyone's cuppa
 
Hi All,

I recently concocted the possibly unrealistic dream of staying in a European town for a few months - with wife and two small kids.

Wife and I backpacked around Europe years ago, seeing the major cities/sights, but I want to settle down in a single town/village for a while to experience life as a local and expose the kids to another culture.

I speak tres crap French and the wife a little better, so France is my starting point. But I love Spain and Italy isn't too shabby either.

Has anyone stayed in smaller/regional European areas for an extended period? Ideally the locals would speak a little English, but I also want to be somewhat off the beaten path (competing aims, I know).

Any thoughts or suggestions?
 

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ferrisb said:
Hi All,

I recently concocted the possibly unrealistic dream of staying in a European town for a few months - with wife and two small kids.

Wife and I backpacked around Europe years ago, seeing the major cities/sights, but I want to settle down in a single town/village for a while to experience life as a local and expose the kids to another culture.

I speak tres crap French and the wife a little better, so France is my starting point. But I love Spain and Italy isn't too shabby either.

Has anyone stayed in smaller/regional European areas for an extended period? Ideally the locals would speak a little English, but I also want to be somewhat off the beaten path (competing aims, I know).

Any thoughts or suggestions?
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How about Cesky Krumlov? It's small, beautiful, cheap and the locals speak good english generally speaking. Definitely one of the better small places i visited in all of Europe. Would be 10-15k people there tops.

If you wanted a bit bigger again, maybe San Sebastian in Spain? Great beaches for the kids, but also close to other country areas as well for day trips. Again, being a tourist area english is very good also.
 
Sublime said:
How about Cesky Krumlov? It's small, beautiful, cheap and the locals speak good english generally speaking. Definitely one of the better small places i visited in all of Europe. Would be 10-15k people there tops.

If you wanted a bit bigger again, maybe San Sebastian in Spain? Great beaches for the kids, but also close to other country areas as well for day trips. Again, being a tourist area english is very good also.
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Thanks Subby.

I have actually been to Cesky K. It was beautiful. Was a side trip from Prague, which is just an extraordinary city.

Also been to San Sebastian, which is just heaven. Great beaches, friendly locals, and the food is amazing. One of the great food spots in the world.

Although I think it's a bit too touristy for my liking. It's very much a party, backpacker-y town. I'm looking for something a bit more authentic.
Maybe a smaller town nearby San Seb. I guess the other option is to stay in a more suburban part of San Seb, where there's likely to be more locals. With all the infrastructure and english available in central area.

As you can probably tell, I'm very undecided. Very early planning stage. And it's probably not happening any time soon.

But thanks for the feedback, appreciated. Every bit helps me figure out what I want to do.
 
Any cheap deals on flights TO Perth this coming week?

Depending on who's playing next weekend they may have a few extra empty planes being sent over to pick up passengers.
 
Azul said:
Any cheap deals on flights TO Perth this coming week?

Depending on who's playing next weekend they may have a few extra empty planes being sent over to pick up passengers.
Click to expand...

Probably later this week there will be.
Keep an eye out.
 
ferrisb said:
Hi All,

I recently concocted the possibly unrealistic dream of staying in a European town for a few months - with wife and two small kids.

Wife and I backpacked around Europe years ago, seeing the major cities/sights, but I want to settle down in a single town/village for a while to experience life as a local and expose the kids to another culture.

I speak tres crap French and the wife a little better, so France is my starting point. But I love Spain and Italy isn't too shabby either.

Has anyone stayed in smaller/regional European areas for an extended period? Ideally the locals would speak a little English, but I also want to be somewhat off the beaten path (competing aims, I know).

Any thoughts or suggestions?
Click to expand...

I just spent a month in the French Alpes mountain biking in the summer. We drove from the UK and camped at Les Getz (Portes du Soleil), Venosc (beneath Les Deux Alpes & Alpes d'Huez), Les Orres (south east alpes) and Millau (situated underneath the largest suspension bridge in the world, south central France). Each place was amazing in it's own right. The Portes du Soleil region (Morzine, Chatel, Les Getz etc) was all accessible by ski lifts in the summer - lots of great hiking. And the campsite we stayed at had a great view of Mont Blanc (nearly 5km high). Beautiful. See below.

11036207_10204937567654514_7060862240111373940_n.jpg


11141224_10204937566054474_1141439689690630415_n.jpg


The Venosc Valley was right in the middle of some big mountains with some great little villages surrounding two of Frances biggest resorts. Tour de France was also on so got to see all the crazy Dutch and German roadside campers on the way up to Alpes D'Huez. I don't really get into road cycling but the atmosphere is amazing with festivals and all sorts going on. Great campsite for kids too @ Champ du Moulin (restaurant, rafting, good toilet facilities). Picture below:

11178326_10204987859871788_4925176806391922998_n.jpg


Les Orres was amazing and wished we had more time there. Great big lake below a ski resort and during the summer there was heaps of water based activities going on. Lots of nice places to eat and drink too. Millau was a really nice town too with a few camping options alongside a river. The Millau viaduct is a stunning piece of engineering. Again great for families with good facilities etc.

11891986_10205141514473057_789860345993782851_n.jpg


Also spent a few days in Chur and Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Amazing places with lots to do but suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper expensive. 150 AUD to camp two nights in tents. Blegh...France much cheaper.

If you don't mind camping out in tents France can be a great trip, especially if you love the mountains and outdoor stuff. I mean it's really glamping - I'm used to rolling out the swag next to my 4wd in the middle of nowhere - every campsite has food, good toilet facilities and family stuff going on. Between 20 and 30 euros a night. The campsites are really social, always packed in the summer with people holidaying from all over europe. Most people speak some English but it helps to learn a little bit to get by. Disregard what most people say the French are super cool people - maybe it is just in the Alpes? - just helps to start conversations in French.

I met a Scottish family in Venosc who were on a mountain biking holiday and they were heading to Italy next. They said there was some great spots in the Italian Alps for families that were cheaper than other parts of Europe.

Anyway by the end of the month - despite being bruised and battered from riding every day I was really getting used to the lifestyle!

I also recently went to Benidorm, Spain for a stag party. Benidorm is to the English as Bali is to Australians....but seedier I guess..Not a fan and probably not the best example of Spanish life and culture!

Anyway hope that is helpful! If you want any more info or what not happy to share.
 
BazzaBlue said:
I just spent a month in the French Alpes mountain biking in the summer. We drove from the UK and camped at Les Getz (Portes du Soleil), Venosc (beneath Les Deux Alpes & Alpes d'Huez), Les Orres (south east alpes) and Millau (situated underneath the largest suspension bridge in the world, south central France). Each place was amazing in it's own right. The Portes du Soleil region (Morzine, Chatel, Les Getz etc) was all accessible by ski lifts in the summer - lots of great hiking. And the campsite we stayed at had a great view of Mont Blanc (nearly 5km high). Beautiful. See below.

11036207_10204937567654514_7060862240111373940_n.jpg


11141224_10204937566054474_1141439689690630415_n.jpg


The Venosc Valley was right in the middle of some big mountains with some great little villages surrounding two of Frances biggest resorts. Tour de France was also on so got to see all the crazy Dutch and German roadside campers on the way up to Alpes D'Huez. I don't really get into road cycling but the atmosphere is amazing with festivals and all sorts going on. Great campsite for kids too @ Champ du Moulin (restaurant, rafting, good toilet facilities). Picture below:

11178326_10204987859871788_4925176806391922998_n.jpg


Les Orres was amazing and wished we had more time there. Great big lake below a ski resort and during the summer there was heaps of water based activities going on. Lots of nice places to eat and drink too. Millau was a really nice town too with a few camping options alongside a river. The Millau viaduct is a stunning piece of engineering. Again great for families with good facilities etc.

11891986_10205141514473057_789860345993782851_n.jpg


Also spent a few days in Chur and Lenzerheide, Switzerland. Amazing places with lots to do but suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper expensive. 150 AUD to camp two nights in tents. Blegh...France much cheaper.

If you don't mind camping out in tents France can be a great trip, especially if you love the mountains and outdoor stuff. I mean it's really glamping - I'm used to rolling out the swag next to my 4wd in the middle of nowhere - every campsite has food, good toilet facilities and family stuff going on. Between 20 and 30 euros a night. The campsites are really social, always packed in the summer with people holidaying from all over europe. Most people speak some English but it helps to learn a little bit to get by. Disregard what most people say the French are super cool people - maybe it is just in the Alpes? - just helps to start conversations in French.

I met a Scottish family in Venosc who were on a mountain biking holiday and they were heading to Italy next. They said there was some great spots in the Italian Alps for families that were cheaper than other parts of Europe.

Anyway by the end of the month - despite being bruised and battered from riding every day I was really getting used to the lifestyle!

I also recently went to Benidorm, Spain for a stag party. Benidorm is to the English as Bali is to Australians....but seedier I guess..Not a fan and probably not the best example of Spanish life and culture!

Anyway hope that is helpful! If you want any more info or what not happy to share.
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Thanks Bazz!

That's some useful info and some beautiful pictures! Neither my wife or I are really campers tho, I think we'd be looking at something like a gite (like a holiday apartment, converted barn/cottage etc). One part of me wants to move around and see as many things as possible, but I think the plan would be to settle mostly in a single town.

As for the French, I found them to be pretty friendly when I was there. My wife and I did our best with stale high school French and I think that was appreciated. I probably experienced worse service and less friendliness in Italy. Both trumped in the friendliness stakes by Spain IMHO. Yeah Benidorm and places like Ibiza don't do justice to Spain.

Plenty of food for thought. Cheers BB
 
ferrisb said:
Thanks Bazz!

That's some useful info and some beautiful pictures! Neither my wife or I are really campers tho, I think we'd be looking at something like a gite (like a holiday apartment, converted barn/cottage etc). One part of me wants to move around and see as many things as possible, but I think the plan would be to settle mostly in a single town.

As for the French, I found them to be pretty friendly when I was there. My wife and I did our best with stale high school French and I think that was appreciated. I probably experienced worse service and less friendliness in Italy. Both trumped in the friendliness stakes by Spain IMHO. Yeah Benidorm and places like Ibiza don't do justice to Spain.

Plenty of food for thought. Cheers BB
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Most of the campsites had cabin style accommodation but unless you are willing to splash the cash an extended stay in such things would probably be unrealistic. Immersing you kids in a completely different lifestyle and culture would be a great experience for them. They pick up second languages pretty quickly too at young ages which is only a good thing. I've already forgotten a lot of what I learnt since getting back to the UK!....Have fun exploring your options - I know I can't wait to get back to the French Alps at some point but I think I'll try the mountains out in Austria and Sweden first!
 
Last December I went to the states. I actually ran into a few fellow blues supporters.

When I was crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, I ran into a guy wearing a Carlton Beanie, and I was wearing my Carlton scarf. He was another Australian travelling there at the same time.

More interestingly, there was an American on the Subway who asked if I was a Carlton supporter (because of the scarf) and told me he actually follows the Blues from the states. Was really cool, we spent about 15 minutes on the train talking about all things Carlton. Was really cool to see our supporters in a different country. While I was in Denver I also had someone call out something along the lines of "Go the Blues!" or "Carn the Blues!"

Seems like we have quite the international following! (or at least, somewhat a US following)
 
In the middle of studying for exams and procrastinating badly...

Can't help but get excited for my first trip to the States in January
 
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