GTaudiophile's ?UROPEAN TRAVEL GUIDE

[Mardeth]

It can get pretty hot in Scandinavia too (at least by my standards ) but not for very long. I can recommend Norwegian coast and the more northern Scandinavia, thats something special but I do understand that it is a long way from continental Europe.

 

[flexy]

nice ! miss berlin ! But i am in southrn germany now and it kicks ass too. Berlin is like another world-

Never been to greece tho. I am shooting to get my GF over here now, i can even REMOTELY imagin how it would be for her, especially the middleagey town i live in. I mean i used to live in Berlin for 10 years and then the states 7 years....and the city here just blows me away even if i lived here most of my life. It's just i wasnt used anymore to how beautiful a city can be. (Eg. Bavaria, Munich etc..etc.) That said..there ARE nice cities in the states too

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: flexy
nice ! miss berlin ! But i am in southrn germany now and it kicks ass too. Berlin is like another world-

Never been to greece tho. I am shooting to get my GF over here now, i can even REMOTELY imagin how it would be for her, especially the middleagey town i live in. I mean i used to live in Berlin for 10 years and then the states 7 years....and the city here just blows me away even if i lived here most of my life. It's just i wasnt used anymore to how beautiful a city can be. (Eg. Bavaria, Munich etc..etc.) That said..there ARE nice cities in the states too

You live in Bavaria at the moment? What are you doing there?

 

[flexy]

moved back from the states. I live in Regensburg. And...my GF is coming over..for good !

I am so excited for her...you surely can understand how it would be for someone who has never seen Europe

There is so much to see alone HERE in the city...i dont even know where to start. She's coming from Jackson/TN where we lived for about 8 months...and sry to say Jackson is basically a shi*hole.

Now i i have to get some guides and check into things like day-trips...around here...munich/nürnberg....castles etc...she will freak

 

[GTaudiophile]

Yearly bump? Time for this again?

 

[chcarnage]

I haven't done much traveling lately

But here's something 2008-specific for a start: On 7-29 june is Euro soccer championship in Austria and Switzerland... be prepared.

 

[Molondo]

You really like the G spot, don't you?

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: Molondo
You really like the G spot, don't you?

Trust me, if I had the opportunities that he had, I would be traveling even more!

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Molondo
You really like the G spot, don't you?

Referring to Germany? Or Greece?

I love them both! Italy, France, and Spain are close seconds. Switzerland is different from all of them IMO, but is a gem too.

I got a few PMs from people wanting travel advice. I will try to reply as soon as I can.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Jawo

Originally posted by: Molondo
You really like the G spot, don't you?

Trust me, if I had the opportunities that he had, I would be traveling even more!

Meaning if you had my vacation time you would travel more than I do?

 

[mugs]

Holy hell, you have a hard-on for Germany. :Q

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: mugs
Holy hell, you have a hard-on for Germany. :Q

Ich bin oft dienstlich unterwegs.

 

[everman]

Nice info, I'll pass it on to a friend going there this summer.

Anyone got a good guide for Australia?

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: everman
Nice info, I'll pass it on to a friend going there this summer.

Anyone got a good guide for Australia?

A colleague of mine will be going for a few weeks in May. Perhaps she can post a guide when she gets back. But otherwise, no, I don't have any experience in that neck of the woods.

 

[Farang]

My tip for European travel--don't. Go somewhere besides Europe, especially for long term trips. Cost is half in-country, can be the same for airfare. Culture is actually different as opposed to Europe which is basically America with older buildings. Backpacking around the Philippines or Vietnam or Peru will be much more rewarding and more educational as far as how the other half lives. You also get to live like a king---blow as much money as you want in bars, and eat whatever you want wherever you want.

With that said, I have taken exceptions to two major pieces of advice you give (didn't read most of it but these stood out). If you pay $1200 for round trip airfare to Europe, you are being ripped off. If you are a student you can get to London and back for as cheap as $450, without any luck your max should be $600 ($850 non-students). This is from the west coast. From London Ryan Air will get you to the mainland for as little as $20. If you plan on being a "backpacker," that is sleeping in hostels, you can get by comfortably on $40 per day. If you drink and want to be a bit more loose with cash, $60 is easy to do without much thought. $100 is ridiculous unless you're treating it like a 1-2 week vacation where you're treating yourself constantly. I doubt this advice is intended for that goal, though, because such a trip doesn't require so much planning.

edit: I should say there are exceptions, such as if you intend to spend a lot of time in Amsterdam or other select cities where accommodation is outrageous you will be hitting $100/day. Most cities in Europe, even the big ones, have 15 euro beds somewhere, though.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Farang
My tip for European travel--don't. Go somewhere besides Europe, especially for long term trips. Cost is half in-country, can be the same for airfare. Culture is actually different as opposed to Europe which is basically America with older buildings. Backpacking around the Philippines or Vietnam or Peru will be much more rewarding and more educational as far as how the other half lives. You also get to live like a king---blow as much money as you want in bars, and eat whatever you want wherever you want.

With that said, I have taken a couple of exceptions to two major pieces of advice you give (didn't read most of it but these stood out). If you pay $1200 for round trip airfare to Europe, you are being ripped off. If you are a student you can get to London and back for as cheap as $450, without any luck your max should be $600 ($850 non-students). This is from the west coast. From London Ryan Air will get you to the mainland for as little as $20. If you plan on being a "backpacker," that is sleeping in hostels, you can get by comfortably on $40 per day. If you drink and want to be a bit more loose with cash, $60 is easy to do without much thought. $100 is ridiculous unless you're treating it like a 1-2 week vacation where you're treating yourself constantly. I doubt this advice is intended for that goal, though, because such a trip doesn't require so much planning.

Airfare depends on the time of the year. Tell me where to get $450 RT to Europe between May and September. It doesn't exist.

As for my $100/day budget, my previous "guide" had it closer to $40/day, but if you consider a hostel in most western European places costs 35 EUR/night, that equates alone to $55/night with the current exchange rate. Throw in some transportation, museum passes, two super market meals, and yeah, you're looking at around $100/day. The exchange rate really hurts.

As for Europe being "America" with older buildings, I have to disagree. Yes, our culture has affected them in MANY ways, but it's still different, yet still plenty comfortable for first-time travelers. Compared to many places on earth, Europe is also quite "civilized". In any event, if you truly go to Europe, travel outside of an American tour group, and really get a chance to bask in the culture (preferably one) for a week or two, you will still have a chance to stand on the outside of America and look in, if you will. Knowing a foreign language certainly helps this process.

 

[Farang]

Europe is useful for getting used to budget travel, and I probably shouldn't knock it because I got my first travel experience via Eurail. I just wish I hadn't blown so much money there because for my 2-month European trip I could've got 6 months in somewhere like the Philippines.

"Civilized"? If you are traveling in Europe you will have a worse lifestyle, for the same amount of money, than you would elsewhere. I don't really know what else to make of that comment because it can mean so many different things, but being somewhere with a different definition of "civilized" is for me the whole purpose of travel.

Admittedly $450 is rare but with enough searching it can be possible. It depends a lot on the timing of your buy and what hubs you use, right now without much work I found $567 rt from New York to London. I said west coast, but again this was off the first travel site I tried (studentuniverse.com) and I didn't bother checking other hubs which is what often knocks off a hundred or more dollars.

Again it depends what cities you want to see in Europe. When I went I spent a lot of time in Sicily, Spain, Portugal, and was getting 10 euro beds often and easily. In Paris rooms were readily available off of the subway for 24 euro (split between two people that is quite good). Then I hit brickwalls like Amsterdam wanting $60/bed, so I used my rail pass to commute from Utrecht about 30 minutes away where I got a bed for 16 euro with free food and internet during high season. Utrecht was actually quite a nice town and the train ride was nice to rest after a lot of walking. But you are completely wrong when you say 35 euro / night in most western European places, only in a few cities do you get stuck with that kind of price.

 

[Farang]

oh, and the best advice of all if you want to go to Europe--buy a plane ticket and Lonely Planet's "Europe." Decide whether you want to RyanAir it or Eurail it. Pack a bag with a few changes of clothes, deodorant, a copy of your passport and whatnot, and go.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Farang
oh, and the best advice of all if you want to go to Europe--buy a plane ticket and Lonely Planet's "Europe." Decide whether you want to RyanAir it or Eurail it. Pack a bag with a few changes of clothes, deodorant, a copy of your passport and whatnot, and go.

Agreed that minimalism is best.

 

[Cristatus]

Interlaken FTW.

Although, I would make sure that you listen to the radio regularly (although not in English) and check out what the local announcements are for wherever you are traveling to. You just need to watch out for the name of the city on the radio. Also, watch out for any roads being mentioned.

I say the above because I experienced a snowstorm on the last day of my holidays just 4 days ago, and we weren't very happy about what happened to our cars (we were traveling with friends).

Also, if you're looking for a place to stay, check out Schwizi's (www.schwizi.ch). They can accomodate from 2 to 32 people.

edit: just a little bit of nitpicking, but GTaudiophile, the ? goes before the amount, just like the dollar, not after, otherwise nice post.

(C)

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: Farang
Europe is useful for getting used to budget travel, and I probably shouldn't knock it because I got my first travel experience via Eurail. I just wish I hadn't blown so much money there because for my 2-month European trip I could've got 6 months in somewhere like the Philippines.

"Civilized"? If you are traveling in Europe you will have a worse lifestyle, for the same amount of money, than you would elsewhere. I don't really know what else to make of that comment because it can mean so many different things, but being somewhere with a different definition of "civilized" is for me the whole purpose of travel.

Admittedly $450 is rare but with enough searching it can be possible. It depends a lot on the timing of your buy and what hubs you use, right now without much work I found $567 rt from New York to London. I said west coast, but again this was off the first travel site I tried (studentuniverse.com) and I didn't bother checking other hubs which is what often knocks off a hundred or more dollars.

Again it depends what cities you want to see in Europe. When I went I spent a lot of time in Sicily, Spain, Portugal, and was getting 10 euro beds often and easily. In Paris rooms were readily available off of the subway for 24 euro (split between two people that is quite good). Then I hit brickwalls like Amsterdam wanting $60/bed, so I used my rail pass to commute from Utrecht about 30 minutes away where I got a bed for 16 euro with free food and internet during high season. Utrecht was actually quite a nice town and the train ride was nice to rest after a lot of walking. But you are completely wrong when you say 35 euro / night in most western European places, only in a few cities do you get stuck with that kind of price.

I would also mention that I wrote this "guide" for general purposes.

Caveats exist for all sorts of situations and would make this "guide" a whole lot longer than it is.

 

[Farang]

No doubt there are exceptions but I don't think I'm being too unreasonable with my complaints here. I'm just a cheap ass when it comes to travel, go search studentuniverse.com and you can see that $567 price I'm talking about which alone should make you change your OP. For non-students, $1200 is also excessive. And like I said in my experience 35 euro is the exception, not the other way around.

That's why I just revert to saying--if you want to go to Europe, buy the Lonely Planet because it'll have all the info you could ever want.

Don't feel too bad I am the unbeatable airfare master

 

[everman]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: everman
Anyone got a good guide for Australia?

A colleague of mine will be going for a few weeks in May. Perhaps she can post a guide when she gets back. But otherwise, no, I don't have any experience in that neck of the woods.

I'll be leaving at the end of may for two months, taking classes for one month. I already have major destinations worked out, tickets, etc., but the details aren't all there (like what I'll do in tasmania and cairns)

Travbuddy.com is a good site btw, the blogs are good but the forums aren't very good.

 

[bigal40]

Great guide.
One other thing that you might want to do if you are interested in learning about the sites you see and the history of them is get the Rick Steves books. They pretty good and give all kinds of useful tips that are specific to each place you go(where the shortest lines are, the best times to go, etc)

 

[gordita]

awesome post.
very relevant.
we went to london and switzerland in summer of 05 and then to paris in 06.
i highly recommend Europe once-a-year or any place OUT of the US just to keep things in perspective.

this year, we have free mileage tix to go from jfk to milan for 9 days.

the thought of spending 3-4 days in rome and 3-4 days in venice, florence and tuscany is making me salivate.
however, we're not sure if we should go or not.
i have to pay my mba fees but i'm just waiting for some kinda sign from god.