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So I have a feeling you won't like this idea. Go to London and then play it be ear.
We were just in Peru where we did the Inca Trail with two young Irish guys. They had decided to do the trail at the last minute. We saw them again in Puno. Then they decided to go to La Paz. They were making it all up as they went along. It looked wonderful. |
>>>Day 38: Depart Dubrovnik for Rome<<<
How do you plan to travel? You seem to think you can just hop a train and be somewhere in an hour or two. I don't think you have looked at actual train schedules and how long some of these connections will take. |
This must be a troll :-)
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Ah, people who are such free spirits to be able to just wing it in Europe - I'm alternatively jealous and perplexed.
I totally understand wanting to have a schedule and knowing where I'm going next. It both helps me to see more where I am (nothing like a deadline to get things done), and also spend less time looking for where to sleep when I've arrived somewhere else. I do love knowing I'm heading towards a comfortable bed! My biggest worry about your plan is that you're focusing mainly on cities. While cities are nice, and obviously cultural centers, there's a lot to be said for seeing the amazing castles, villages and countryside in Europe. I've found it more likely to meet and talk to people out in the country. Consider narrowing down the number of countries and seeing more of each. Hez |
And here we go again....
If the three of you come home and are still speaking to each other then you will probably stay friends for life! I would be willing to bet a few bucks that after the first 7 to10 days you throw all you plans out the train window and do an altogether different trip. Buon viaggio! |
just to give you an idea of a different way of doing things, triathletesyd, my DD is about to do "the trip of a lifetime" to the Far East and Australaasia. [yes, i am green with envy, but pleased for her, obviously].
She and her GF have planned vey few stops that are less than a week in length, and they have been very selective about where they are going - disgarding many places they would love to see because they don't fit in to the overall schedule. Even with 4 months, they have recognised that they can't see everything. Heck, I have lived in europe all my life and haven't yet made it to Dublin, or Oslo, or Copenhagen, or..... sometimes, less is more. |
<This must be a troll>- if there is a troll here it is you tentek - get off your high horse - just because you do not agree with travel style that others, including me do all the time and think just fine no reason to say this must be a troll.
I find your comments to be a troll in fact. |
well I do agree that going to Europe you need not see all of Europe - like annhig hints at!
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like annhig hints at!>>
hardly a hint, pal. i know that i should be used to it by now, but i do wonder why [mostly] americans think that by cramming their trips full of capital cities and major sites, they have "seen" Europe. it's like me spending a fortnight in the US racing between NYC, Boston, Washington DC, Niagara and the Grand canyon, and thinking I've seen America. the "if it's tuesday, it must be Belgium" approach in fact. |
Just a couple of points.'
' 1) Do you have any clue as to what this trip will cost? My younger daughter went last summer with 2 friends and when they got to Barcelona met 2 young american women who had spent all of their funds, had maxed credit cards - and had 6 days left before their plane home. My DD and friends helpd one of them get in touch with parents who had to somehow send them a bunch of money (they had gone without ATM cards for god knows what reason). You need to sit down and do the research (chcking prices in hostels, for basic meals, the cost of sights and the cost of local transit in these cities) and be sure you have a large cushuion more than you need. 2) When I was 19 I went with my boyfriend for 5 weeks - we stopped in 10 cities and even so felt that we missed a lot of tings we want to see. Youth and strength don;t matter beyond a certain point. You can;t see the Eifel Tower in 20 minutes - no matter yuor age - or the Tower of London in 30. Everything takes longer than you anticipate. And you want to leave time for sitting in a cafe with a glass of wine or beer and watching the world go by - soaking in a little of the local culture. Agree you should cut your number of destinations in half - and have a day by day itinerary - with train schedules and budget based on actual costs in each speicifc city. (My DD spent about $8000 in 6 weeks - with no shopping, not a lot of nightlife and living modestly.) |
. it's like me spending a fortnight in the US racing between NYC, Boston, Washington DC, Niagara and the Grand canyon, and thinking I've seen America.>
Good analogy that we Americans do not think of even though Europe is much smaller - at least the area of Western Europe many American tourists concentrate on is a much more compact area and trains going up to nearly 200 mph make covering ground quick yes we tend to want to hit in one fell swoop every iconic thing we have ever heard about in Europe - Paris, London, Rome, Venice, Florence, Amsterdam, Neuschwanstein Castle, Munich, Switzerland, etc. Plan for future trips and scale down a bit geographically at least. But still the Fodor mantra that often says you 'must spend a week in Paris or it is not worth going there' I strongly disagree with - 3 days in mega tourist cities is fine IMO - less than that does not give much time to really get to know a city - and to me I have always found the the things I see in between visiting the Uber famous sights and towns are the things I enjoy the most - the train rides, the metro rides, the walks, etc. There is far more to Europe IMO than just seeing the Eiffel Towers, Vaticans, Colosseums, Leaning Towers, etc. |
<i>I totally would ditch Oslo, with no problems; but one of my friends who I am going with has that as their #1, because their whole family is from Norway, so we decided to go with it.. Any other good cities (or places in general) that we could go to in Norway? </i>
Is the friend interested in Norway in general or in Oslo? If Norway in general, than I would pick Bergen as an alternative. Unless you are all tied by an umbilical cord, there is no reason why the group cannot separate for a few days. We traveled with a friend in Spain by car, and she was more interested in Toledo than in going to Salamanca and then the Extramadura on our way to Seville, so she left us in Segovia and rejoined us in Seville. With low cost airlines connecting large cities, such separations should not be a problem. |
and to me I have always found the the things I see in between visiting the Uber famous sights and towns are the things I enjoy the most - the train rides, the metro rides, the walks, etc. There is far more to Europe IMO than just seeing the Eiffel Towers, Vaticans, Colosseums, Leaning Towers, etc.>>
i entirely agree with you, Pal, which is why I like staying longer in one place because once you've "done" the major sites, you are forced really to discover the place properly and therefore see and do things that are off the beaten track, but none the worse for that. [not sure forced is the right word but i hope you get what i mean]. but a programme like the above would suit neither of us, I think.. |
I still think you're crazy. You are all young. Surely over the next 50 years you'll have many opportunities to travel.
I'm 76, and I'm going to Spain (in a month, yeah!) for the fourth time. I've been all over the world, but the trips I've enjoyed most have been the ones I've taken in the past ten years when I've stayed in one country for two or three weeks. |
There is a 5 hour train from Vienna to Dubrovnik.
That is curious since there is not a train station in Dubrovnik. |
but the trips I've enjoyed most have been the ones I've taken in the past ten years when I've stayed in one country for two or three weeks.>>
with you there, peg. it's cheaper too. |
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