Has Anyone Booked a Holiday Yet?

[SemperEadem]

46 minutes ago, Chris_OGrady said:

Cheers mate, all that stuff would be right up my street but I think Krakow will probably work better with the Mrs. I think I'l probs do one day in Auschwitz and then one day Xmas markets/exploring the town. 

Do Auschwitz on your last day not your first. It stays with you.

[vandamman]

Booked to go Singapore and Bintan (Indonesia) for 14 days at end of February. 

[vandamman]

On 05/10/2024 at 09:18, South Shire Fox said:

Booked Munich end of November for the Xmas markets. Plan on doing the Beer halls, stadiums and trips to Rothenburg and Salzburg 

The river surfing in the English Garden is a cool spot. I also visited dauchau, which was a worthwhile trip but obviously very sad. 

Edited 7 October 2024 by vandamman

[09bballer]

On 07/10/2024 at 20:27, jgtuk said:

The Wieliczka salt mine is worth a visit too 👍

Agree with this, much better than it sounds. Also did a free walking around the old city of Krakow which was good 

[RoboFox]

Decided to book last minute to go to Cape Verde for a week, flying out Monday.

 

Haven't been away for a couple of years so decided to spend a bit on it, although still got a decent deal. 

 

The benefit of booking late is you get a decent idea of the weather and avoided many places as a result. 

[Unabomber]

Abit broad but me and the wife are looking at America next year. We like city breaks but also hiking. Thinking Boston but really unsure. Anyone have any recs? Want to spend 2 weeks so could do a few places. Thanks 

[Nalis]

On 07/10/2024 at 20:03, SemperEadem said:

Do Auschwitz on your last day not your first. It stays with you.

Just shows how different we all are amd a fair point. I did it first then salt mines to cheer myself up.

 

In the nicest possibly way and at the risk of sounding like an arsehole, I wanted it see it but wanted to get it out of the way too.

[Dr The Singh]

On 09/10/2024 at 18:37, Unabomber said:

Abit broad but me and the wife are looking at America next year. We like city breaks but also hiking. Thinking Boston but really unsure. Anyone have any recs? Want to spend 2 weeks so could do a few places. Thanks 

I lived in the US for a bit.  Depends on what you like, the place is huge and very different.  Ive just come back from Florida, we did Miami, Orlando, New Orleans and Tampa but the less touristy bit.  But I also like south california and going into Nevada and Phoenix.  Also love Tennessee and Mississippi.  Boston, Phili and Baltimore is a good trip also.

[NJFox]

On 09/10/2024 at 13:37, Unabomber said:

Abit broad but me and the wife are looking at America next year. We like city breaks but also hiking. Thinking Boston but really unsure. Anyone have any recs? Want to spend 2 weeks so could do a few places. Thanks 

Lived all my life in the Northeast, now closer to Philadelphia, and have traveled the country. Boston/NYC/Philly/Washington DC is the only part of the country with reliable train travel between major cities, and excellent hiking is not far away (Catskills, Adirondacks, and more). Also, flight options are plentiful. Heathrow, Manchester, and Edinburgh all have nonstop travel to this part of the country. 

 

Big question is…What time of year are you looking to travel, and what’s your preferred climate?

 

37 minutes ago, Dr The Singh said:

I lived in the US for a bit.  Depends on what you like, the place is huge and very different.  Ive just come back from Florida, we did Miami, Orlando, New Orleans and Tampa but the less touristy bit.  But I also like south california and going into Nevada and Phoenix.  Also love Tennessee and Mississippi.  Boston, Phili and Baltimore is a good trip also.

So true, it’s wildly expansive. For instance, Arizona and the Grand Canyon are breathtaking, but Phoenix also had over 100 consecutive days with temperatures at 38C or higher. Hence the time of year question above.

Edited 10 October 2024 by NJFox

[Unabomber]

9 hours ago, NJFox said:

Lived all my life in the Northeast, now closer to Philadelphia, and have traveled the country. Boston/NYC/Philly/Washington DC is the only part of the country with reliable train travel between major cities, and excellent hiking is not far away (Catskills, Adirondacks, and more). Also, flight options are plentiful. Heathrow, Manchester, and Edinburgh all have nonstop travel to this part of the country. 

 

Big question is…What time of year are you looking to travel, and what’s your preferred climate?

 

So true, it’s wildly expansive. For instance, Arizona and the Grand Canyon are breathtaking, but Phoenix also had over 100 consecutive days with temperatures at 38C or higher. Hence the time of year question above.

Thanks for that. More than likely looking at October. Don’t enjoy it too hot and think it would be good to visit in the autumn. 

[NJFox]

1 hour ago, Unabomber said:

Thanks for that. More than likely looking at October. Don’t enjoy it too hot and think it would be good to visit in the autumn. 

This time of year is excellent to visit this area. Would definitely avoid New Orleans, Florida, and more during that time of year, especially given recent weather events. Hurricane seasons only seem to be getting worse. 

 

A few days each in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington DC can be done without having a car rental. Would recommend a side trip with a rental car for a couple days to see the fall foliage, get away from the city, and get your hiking in. The Adirondack and Catskill Mountains, both in New York, are lovely this time of year for exploring. Finger Lakes region of New York offers great scenery and outdoor activities with less hills.

 

Best of luck with the planning, happy to offer more recs for certain places as your plans come together!

[grobyfox1990]

1 hour ago, Unabomber said:

Thanks for that. More than likely looking at October. Don’t enjoy it too hot and think it would be good to visit in the autumn. 

Bloody hell and I thought I planned holidays late! It's 11 October today!!!! Good luck, I bet you will get some last minute bargains. Better to let all the stressers and panickers who plan holidays like 9 months in advance to pay the high rates and you scoop up late availability bargains. I hope you do. 

[Unabomber]

1 hour ago, grobyfox1990 said:

Bloody hell and I thought I planned holidays late! It's 11 October today!!!! Good luck, I bet you will get some last minute bargains. Better to let all the stressers and panickers who plan holidays like 9 months in advance to pay the high rates and you scoop up late availability bargains. I hope you do. 

I’m on about next year! Prob look for flights in jan sales. 

[Chris_OGrady]

On 07/10/2024 at 20:03, SemperEadem said:

Do Auschwitz on your last day not your first. It stays with you.

Any specific recommendations for doing the tour? Was thinking of just booking a standard one on Viator

[Soar Fox]

7 hours ago, Unabomber said:

I’m on about next year! Prob look for flights in jan sales. 

Bit early to book flights that is. Better to book a few hours before you want to go. 
 

Let all the stressers and panickers book first.

[Unabomber]

6 minutes ago, Soar Fox said:

Bit early to book flights that is. Better to book a few hours before you want to go. 
 

Let all the stressers and panickers book first.

Are you being serious or mocking @grobyfox1990  I have no idea 

[grobyfox1990]

2 hours ago, Unabomber said:

Are you being serious or mocking @grobyfox1990  I have no idea 

Hahah, I’m going away next month and haven’t really done anything apart from book football tickets. I was gonna do it this weekend but your original post shamed me into leaving it for another weekend or so! 

[CUJimmy]

On 10/10/2024 at 23:02, NJFox said:

Lived all my life in the Northeast, now closer to Philadelphia, and have traveled the country. Boston/NYC/Philly/Washington DC is the only part of the country with reliable train travel between major cities, and excellent hiking is not far away (Catskills, Adirondacks, and more). Also, flight options are plentiful. Heathrow, Manchester, and Edinburgh all have nonstop travel to this part of the country. 

 

Big question is…What time of year are you looking to travel, and what’s your preferred climate?

 

So true, it’s wildly expansive. For instance, Arizona and the Grand Canyon are breathtaking, but Phoenix also had over 100 consecutive days with temperatures at 38C or higher. Hence the time of year question above.

I agree with this.  Not really a city person so the Grand Canyon plus nearby Bryce and Zion are all spectacular.  If you fly into Phoenix there is a place called Sedona a couple of hours north that is also stunning.  Flying home out of Vegas works well from a driving point of view.

 

 Another option is Yellowstone which is so much more than a few water spouts and easily has enough to be see for a fortnight.

[CUJimmy]

Almost on topic we have just got back from a fortnight in South Africa.  A week at Krugar National Park where we saw all the wildlife you could imagine: lions, elephants, rhino, giraffes, zebra, leopards, cheetahs etc.  Some a bit close for comfort if I am honest!  We then had a week on the coast near Durban, we had an apartment right on the beach from where we regularly saw pods of dolphins and even saw a humpback whale breach.  Flights via Cairo were under £500 each and when you get there everything is ridiculously cheap.  A great steak in a restaurant is £8-10 and plenty of other options around £6-7.

[Lako42]

1 minute ago, CUJimmy said:

Almost on topic we have just got back from a fortnight in South Africa.  A week at Krugar National Park where we saw all the wildlife you could imagine: lions, elephants, rhino, giraffes, zebra, leopards, cheetahs etc.  Some a bit close for comfort if I am honest!  We then had a week on the coast near Durban, we had an apartment right on the beach from where we regularly saw pods of dolphins and even saw a humpback whale breach.  Flights via Cairo were under £500 each and when you get there everything is ridiculously cheap.  A great steak in a restaurant is £8-10 and plenty of other options around £6-7.

SA Is awesome for a trip. One of my fave destinations. 

[slymunn]

On 11/10/2024 at 14:55, Chris_OGrady said:

Any specific recommendations for doing the tour? Was thinking of just booking a standard one on Viator

I know this might not help, but we didn't do a tour when we went. My wife is half Polish and she wasn't sure how much it would affect her during the visit. 

There are certain times of the day you can go around yourself and that suited us the best if I'm honest. I think it depends how long you would like there and how much you would like to know, as just seeing some bits I feel could be enough for some people. There was parts we maybe stayed longer at than a tour, some things we didn't spend that long at. 

 

[Raj]

Forgot how expensive  anywhere abroad is in October helf term ( next week)

[Blarmy]

On 09/10/2024 at 18:37, Unabomber said:

Abit broad but me and the wife are looking at America next year. We like city breaks but also hiking. Thinking Boston but really unsure. Anyone have any recs? Want to spend 2 weeks so could do a few places. Thanks 

Could stay in Boston for a few days then head into Maine/New England for the rest of it? Maine has some nice towns and amazing hiking. Could wrap it up in Portland for a bit of coastal fun.  It’s years since I’ve been so I’m a bit hazy, you could always try trailfinders who do tailor made USA holidays. 

 

 

[CosbehFox]

Off Turin in December and it looks like a bit of sleeper hit when it comes to Italy. Very different from the South but a lot to do. 

[Lako42]

40 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

Off Turin in December and it looks like a bit of sleeper hit when it comes to Italy. Very different from the South but a lot to do. 

More industrial than the obvious Cities