2015 Europe Goal - Please help

Old Nov 30th, 2013, 10:55 PM
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2015 Europe Goal - Please help

Hi... I'm Mike and my wife is Nicky and we live in New Zealand.

We are 56 & 52 and planning to spend February to November 2015 in Europe.

We don't have any major preferences excepting that warm weather is essential.... so Southern France, Warm Italy, or Spain are all potential options for us as long as we are somewhere to use as a springboard to seeing it all while we are on that side of the world.

We need advice in all areas of decisions to be made. We would "like" to be near the coast in an epicenter environment close to travel options to treat our retreat as a European base for 10 months. Being Kiwis we don't particularly want to drive so trains etc. would be a bonus.

We obviously do not want to spend a fortune but are realistic also about the cost of living in a safe, pleasant and clean environment.

So..... Let's hear from you PLEASE???. All advice, suggestions and offers regarding places, prices, options and opportunities are welcome and will be treasured and replied to. If we are truly kidding ourselves.... Id rather know NOW than plan this for 15 months and have a disaster. Thanks in advance.... Mike and Nicky
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Old Nov 30th, 2013, 11:03 PM
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>>We are 56 & 52 and planning to spend February to November 2015 in Europe.
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Old Nov 30th, 2013, 11:37 PM
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It is not really warm anyplace in Europe in February and by November, can be pretty chilly in places. If you want only warm weather, and you can't stay that long anyway, cut the trip to April, May & June in Schengen Zone, and another month or so in England.

No much point in suggesting places to stay, etc. without knowing your budget in solid numbers.

There is no one place that you can use as a base to see the rest of Europe - just to big an area.
Consider four or five different bases, two or three weeks each, with a few days or so of travel from each base to the next?

Many major sights are not near coastal areas, so your bases might need to be closer to your sight-seeing interests.

On the plus side, trains and buses go everywhere, so you can pretty much get by without a car in many places. We haven't rented one in 10 years. Don't be afraid to rent a car though when it is needed.
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Old Nov 30th, 2013, 11:55 PM
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I have heard (but cannot verify) that New Zealanders have a way around the Schengen visa rules so check them out if you haven't already. Also, I have heard that it is possible to apply for a longer visa if necessary but they are difficult to obtain (again hearsay so speak to the official authorities). Check Lonely Planet's Thorntree which may have more information but you really need official advice.

That aside, do you want to travel constantly or occasionally from your base town? It makes a difference to how central your location is. Although Europe is small compared with Australia and NZ, it is still a huge area so don't underestimate how long it takes to travel from place to place. If you want to fly regularly, you obviously need to be within easy reach of an airport. I agree that train would be great - i'd do that too - much more relaxing (and environmentally better than a car).

It's a pretty open question you've posed with a ridiculous number of alternatives available to you. I think you should consider which country appeals to you most (culture, food, language, costs, etc.). Obviously you'll get more out of it if you can speak some of the local language - I find Spanish easier to learn than French, for example.

Do you plan to pay for accommodation in your base town as well as where you are visiting? That could be expensive. Perhaps you would be better choosing 3 or 4 bases in 10 months? Tell us more about how you see this working.

For specific locations, there are so many to choose from that I really suggest that you first get some photographic books from the library, choose some places of interest and research them. I know that may seem obvious but you have to narrow it down somehow and a visual impression of a place is a start.

Ten months will cost a bomb. However, accommodation is cheaper in Europe than Australia and I assume a similar comparison with NZ. Apartments and hostels can save you money. There are also ways to minimise your transport costs (e.g. advance purchase, slower regional trains, hiking, cycling). Buying from local markets and cooking 'at home' or picnicking will save substantial sums.

For historical weather, check the travel planner on wundergroun.com.

Good luck with your planning (and your visas).
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 12:05 AM
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Do check on the Schengen rules before doing too much more. Perhaps you have a British passport or similar that you haven't mentioned yet?

Accommodation becomes cheaper once you are out of the major cities so keep that in mind. Groceries may well be cheaper than they cost at home if NZ is anything like Australia where I live. Either way, you'd have cost of living expenses at home, so it isn't necessarily that much more expensive to be overseas, except that you are paying for accommodation, transport and entry into museums etc.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 12:22 AM
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Early on in the year it might be worthwhile basing yourself in Cyprus, Malta, the southern coast of Spain, the Balaeric islands or the southern coast of Turkey - all have a low-season tourist trade and therefore cheap flights. And spring starts earlier in these places! Turkey isn't in the EU or the Schengen area, so has that as an advantage.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 12:36 AM
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oops.... www.wunderground.com
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 04:02 AM
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From http://www.safetravel.govt.nz/destin...ropetips.shtml

"New Zealand has bilateral visa waiver agreements with many of the individual countries in the Schengen area. [see the link for the list, which includes France, Italy, Spain] These visa waiver agreements allow New Zealanders to spend up to three months in the relevant country, without reference to time spent in other Schengen area countries. The European Commission has confirmed that these agreements continue to be valid. [the emphasis on 'continue to be valid' is important, be sure to get the latest info before you finalize your plans] These agreements thus effectively override the Schengen area restriction (which would otherwise be imposed on New Zealand passport holders) of no more than 3 months out of a 6-month period in the Schengen area as a whole."

The rules as a whole are complicated and you should therefore visit the above site and read the whole thing. Regardless, as I read the thing - and I may have made an incorrect interpretation - holding a 'base camp' for the entire 10 months doesn't seem doable. You would still have to move around.

I would also, notwithstanding the bilateral agreements, be extremely cautious. From the above site (again, read the whole thing!) "Despite confirmation from the European Commission that the visa waiver agreements continue to be valid, border and immigration officials in Schengen area countries are occasionally unaware of this and question New Zealanders’ rights to stay visa-free in the Schengen area for longer than 3 months."

This sounds a lot like the kind of thing I heard once in line at UK immigration (admittedly, not part of Schengen, or the area that you plan on visiting, but it bears mentioning);
Border guard (hearing that visitor planned to stay 6 months): "We CAN let you in for up to six months. We do not HAVE to let you in for up to six months."

In the end, entry is up to the official. Ditto re-entry.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 04:26 AM
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Hii guys, I got a bit fixated on the term "epicenter environment" and after loads of Google I decided that I have no idea what it means. Any clues?

The whole visa thing as above will be crucial for your decisions. You might find Brighton (London by the Sea) might be a good base. Trying to stay warm might also attract you to the any of the countries along the Dalmation coast, not always warm but relatively cheap and less excited by the whole rules thing.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 05:48 AM
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In addition to potential visa problems, though Sue_xx_yy is correct about NZ exemptions, health are insurance could be a major problem. Unless your NZ health insurance covers you for all healthcare abroad you need seperate insurance. Most holiday insurance is limited to 90 days.
You need to check that thoroughly, as well as repatriation insurance should the worst happen.

Even with the NZ exemption though you could only stay 180 days in Schengen as I don't believe you can use the exemptions continuously - so say 90 days in Spain (where you would have to stay in Spain the entire time), followed by 90 days touring, followed by 90 days in France would not be allowed.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 07:46 AM
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The visa issue is going to be your biggest hurdle. And there is no such thing as an "epicenter environment" in Europe. It's a huge continent with many and varied countries, so choosing a single base to see it all is nonsensical. Not all of them are coastal obviously. And there's no guarantee of any warmth in any of them during several months of your proposed stay. You have insurance issues to deal with. Without a car you will be limited to cities and towns and could miss out on exactly what the Europe of many people's dreams is - the beautiful small villages that dot the landscape of every country on the Continent. In Europe, trains don't go to villages, and the local bus systems tend to be geared to school children and workers.

Good luck with this; it's not going to be easy.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 07:55 AM
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You might find some ideas at this website. These folks sold their house and are just traveling, much of the time in Europe
http://homefreeadventures.com/
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 10:46 AM
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Thank you for the replies to date. Pretty amazed at the fast response. Clearly we need to research the visa rules first and foremost. I was (wrongly) under the impression that the twelve month OE rules applied to everybody and I could travel relatively freely as young people do.

Our budget whilst not bottomless, is sufficient to achieve all of what we wish. We have a golden opportunity to rent our " very nice" NZ home for the period, which will go a long way towards the Euro accommodation expenses, and we will still have a business in NZ operating to keep the coffers going while we are away.

Thanks for the "move around" suggestions. We are starting to like the idea of moving around a bit actually but as we truly want this to be established prior to 2015, this becomes such a big organizational task. Anyway.... If that's what it takes, we will do it. I probably should have told you we have been to Europe three times previous so know the place enough to love Nice, and Paris, adore Venice, and want to see more of beautiful Spain, Southern Italy, and perhaps even Morocco. Long train rides are not a problem to us and because we are renting our NZ home out, this will balance our long term accommodation expenses while we "also" pay for accommodation costs while doing our trips around.

Does anyone know please how to rent the seasonal apartments in say Nice, Costa Del Sol or Sorento area out of season.? I have sent several queries away but had no replies. Anyway Thanks again. All food for thought. Hugs .... Mike and Nicky
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 10:53 AM
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Mikenicky, driving isn't that difficult. Initially hire a car somewhere fairly quiet so you can get the hang of it withiut the pressure of city traffic. Our first car hire was on Santorini which was perfect. The passenger needs to be a bit watchful that the driver isn't veering too close to the kerb, I dint know why that happens, but it does. Also, on freeways the fast lane not the right lane as you would be used to, we found that out the hard way! The second time we hired a car was at Pisa airport and my husband spent a few minutes chugging around the airport carport until he got his bearings.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 11:47 AM
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>>I have sent several queries away but had no replies.>. . . applied to everybody and I could travel relatively freely as young people do.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 01:43 PM
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Thanks Janisj. I did wonder if my enquiries may have been too early. I guess it was the student visas I had heard about.

Cathies .....Regarding driving. Not sure if our marriage could survive me driving the beautiful Nicky around Europe on the opposite side of the road to NZ. She is a nervous, back seat driver now. I can just imagine some of the dramas we would have. Lol.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 04:09 PM
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Well, obviously you know her well! be mindful though that you will be a little constrained without a car.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 04:25 PM
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Visa issues aside, you can't "see it all" from one base. If you have ten months consider ten different one month rentals. One month in each of ten different places is still way more than most tourists spend in a given place. You could for example spend February in Spain, March in the south of France, April in southern Italy, then by May through September it's warm so pick northern areas for that time period, finishing up back somewhere warm. Also, the UK could be during that time - and it would actually have to be for most or all of it unless you do work out some way around the 90 days in Schengen countries issue.
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 09:57 PM
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I have to reply to StCirq's comment above, which is not universally true.

She says: "Without a car you will be limited to cities and towns and could miss out on exactly what the Europe of many people's dreams is - the beautiful small villages that dot the landscape of every country on the Continent. In Europe, trains don't go to villages, and the local bus systems tend to be geared to school children and workers."

That may be true in some countries (such as France and Italy), but it is NOT true in others (for example Switzerland and Germany). In Switzerland and Germany, trains and busses and cable cars link villages and small towns to the transportation grid, so they are all wonderfully accessible. That's one reason I adore travelling in those two countries; I hate being tied to an emissions-spewing auto. Maybe one day, I'll be able rent an e-car to tour around France.

So, for the OP and others who want to travel to smaller places without driving, you can still certainly do it in Switzerland and Germany.

s
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Old Dec 1st, 2013, 10:08 PM
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Swandav2000 that would be fine, except that the OP wants warmer places.
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