14-18 day highlights of Europe which tour company is best
Dec 15th, 2015, 01:31 AM
#41
I AM SO EXCITED by everything i've read here!!!
Thanks to everyone who has offered advice!!>>
Martoon - that made me smile, as I was about to chime in with everyone else to urge you to DIY, and now I don't have to. Congrats for taking all this advice positively - Fodors is a great resource and of course you are free to take or leave what people here say as you please.
Absolutely right on the expedia site - round trip means in and out of the same airport, multiple destinations [or sometimes multiple cities] means open jaw. That holds good for airline websites too. You've got plenty of time to research where you can get the best deal for flights, what the best route for you is, etc.
and in the meantime, enjoy Alaska.
Thanks to everyone who has offered advice!!>>
Martoon - that made me smile, as I was about to chime in with everyone else to urge you to DIY, and now I don't have to. Congrats for taking all this advice positively - Fodors is a great resource and of course you are free to take or leave what people here say as you please.
Absolutely right on the expedia site - round trip means in and out of the same airport, multiple destinations [or sometimes multiple cities] means open jaw. That holds good for airline websites too. You've got plenty of time to research where you can get the best deal for flights, what the best route for you is, etc.
and in the meantime, enjoy Alaska.
Dec 15th, 2015, 02:21 AM
#42
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I use Kayak.com instead of Expedia to search flights.
But use these sites to check / find, then book direct.
Never with a third party site for a flight - if naything happens, you have an additional filter, and you lose a lot of flexibility. Always book airtickets with the airlines themselves.
On the contrary I use expedia to book hotels - they have a large installed base of partners and they have a good aftersale service.
Alaska is one of my dreams... enjoy planning !
But use these sites to check / find, then book direct.
Never with a third party site for a flight - if naything happens, you have an additional filter, and you lose a lot of flexibility. Always book airtickets with the airlines themselves.
On the contrary I use expedia to book hotels - they have a large installed base of partners and they have a good aftersale service.
Alaska is one of my dreams... enjoy planning !
Dec 15th, 2015, 02:37 AM
#43
good point on how to use Kayak, etc. Pariswat.
For hotels I like booking.com for its ease of use and good cancellation terms, but I'm sure that most of those hotel consolidators have their pros and cons.
For hotels I like booking.com for its ease of use and good cancellation terms, but I'm sure that most of those hotel consolidators have their pros and cons.
Dec 15th, 2015, 03:10 AM
#44
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booking.com is excellent.
I switched to hotels.com which I find makes recommendation for hotels they shouldn't keep in their database, but what I like is that they give 10% discount on my reservations, that I can use after 10 bookings. For a comparable price as booking.com (I checked nearly all the time).
I crosscheck reviews from hotels.com, booking.com and tripadvisor when I've got the time and I never book below a satisfaction index of 4,0 on 5 (for both first sites, on TA i just read several reviews to get a feel).
I switched to hotels.com which I find makes recommendation for hotels they shouldn't keep in their database, but what I like is that they give 10% discount on my reservations, that I can use after 10 bookings. For a comparable price as booking.com (I checked nearly all the time).
I crosscheck reviews from hotels.com, booking.com and tripadvisor when I've got the time and I never book below a satisfaction index of 4,0 on 5 (for both first sites, on TA i just read several reviews to get a feel).
Dec 15th, 2015, 03:17 AM
#45
I used hotels and booking in Tandem during a Danish and French trip.
Finally gave up on hotels, insufficient coverage, weird deals that when you clicked through were never as good as they first said and contractual terms were in conflict with the advert. On about the third "free breakfast" means E12 per person I just stopped.
Finally gave up on hotels, insufficient coverage, weird deals that when you clicked through were never as good as they first said and contractual terms were in conflict with the advert. On about the third "free breakfast" means E12 per person I just stopped.
Dec 15th, 2015, 03:55 AM
#46
I usually book direct with the airline - or use FF miles - but have used consolidator tickets from onetravel.com on occasion. Rarely even look at expedia, I use kayak.com or itasoftware.com to check available flights. I usually use booking.com for hotels in Europe, although I also check eurocheapo and venere on occasion. In Asia agoda.com. Again, booking direct with the hotel/B&B/pension can sometimes get you a better price. Note to OP - you may want to look into getting an affinity credit card with one of the airlines, or one that gives you "points" you can use for flights. (Mine is for AA.)
Dec 16th, 2015, 12:33 PM
#53
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I know i'm way ahead of myself, but, a lot of the fun that i have is planning. How about day trips from London, and from Paris. What other places would you recommend. I remember Bruxelles and Versailles were mentioned. Would Normandy be a day trip. How about Stonehenge from London?
Dec 16th, 2015, 03:03 PM
#54
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From London, Oxford or Cambridge can be lovely, York if you want to go further afield. My weirdest overnighter from London was to Glastonbury, eccentric new age capital of Europe.
Versailles is usually overrun by crowds, but they concentrate on the palace, while the gardens are almost empty!
A few years ago, they restored Marie Antoinette's make believe hamlet, where she went to live the "natural life" so beloved by French philosophy at the time. It's lovely, a real idyll.
Giverney, where Monet painted his waterlillies is a nice day out, but so are expeditions to the large parks/forests of Paris.
From Paris, the TGV south opens up some beautiful cities and countryside to you.
I don't know if I would do Brussels for a daytrip, it's 1.5 hours by Thalys, so it's easy. You could also do an overnighter to Amsterdam: go there in the morning by Thalys, return the next day in the early evening. That gives you almost two whole days with easy train rides there and back.
And remember, Paris and London are separated by a 2.5 hour train ride only, so it's easy peasy!
imo, if you have a few weeks in a city, an overnighter or two is nicer than a number of daytrips. It's easy booking hotels online, you can take an overnight bag, store the rest of your luggage at the station.
Versailles is usually overrun by crowds, but they concentrate on the palace, while the gardens are almost empty!
A few years ago, they restored Marie Antoinette's make believe hamlet, where she went to live the "natural life" so beloved by French philosophy at the time. It's lovely, a real idyll.
Giverney, where Monet painted his waterlillies is a nice day out, but so are expeditions to the large parks/forests of Paris.
From Paris, the TGV south opens up some beautiful cities and countryside to you.
I don't know if I would do Brussels for a daytrip, it's 1.5 hours by Thalys, so it's easy. You could also do an overnighter to Amsterdam: go there in the morning by Thalys, return the next day in the early evening. That gives you almost two whole days with easy train rides there and back.
And remember, Paris and London are separated by a 2.5 hour train ride only, so it's easy peasy!
imo, if you have a few weeks in a city, an overnighter or two is nicer than a number of daytrips. It's easy booking hotels online, you can take an overnight bag, store the rest of your luggage at the station.
Dec 16th, 2015, 05:04 PM
#55
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I apologize in advance if this has been suggested before but on this board, you can query and get the names of wonderful tour guides in virtually all cities who do great work for reasonable prices. I can offer names in Rome and Seville for sure.
Dec 17th, 2015, 05:43 AM
#59
If that's the Global Greeters Network (http://www.greeters.paris/?lang=en ) they don't take donations, although you might take a small gift. You pay for the greeter's transport, if any, while they are with you. I have bought my greeter coffee or a meal as well, depending on the timing.
