Meihan83

chazzarelli : "pack light - REAL LIGHT" yes we know hun, we have to travel really light, we have discussed this, we even think of wearing the same jeans for 5 days before changing -- see we think in details !
Please stop thinking that we dont know what we r doing, coz we DO know what we r committing into n taking into consideration of all things (including suggestion from this forum)... geezz this forum is eating me

zeppole

meihan,

You can't tell people what to think.

You don't know what you're doing. It's too obvious. Even to you. That's why you are here. You've never been to Europe before.

If you are going to run over budget and not care, okay. People were taking you seriously that you have a budget.

Get travel insurance.

Meihan83

Sorry if i sounded angry before, i had busy day at office, my internet doenst work for half day + we may have some schengen visa problem here as in our country it needs approx 1.5 month to get issued which makes it really2 close to the date we r going to start the trip. its too risky. My husband is still working on it n the worst we can expect is to delay our departure. But anyhow we r leaving for Europe sooner or later.

sigh this is getting too personal...

Meihan83

zepolle : "You don't know what you're doing. It's too obvious. Even to you. That's why you are here. You've never been to Europe before " We know what we r doing, what we dont know is Europe, thats why i m here, trying to get some more insights of Europe
Bout the travel insurance, its so so so rare for Indonesian to get a travel insurance while on vacation hahaha. we think of it as waste of money, if sh*et happens (we pray it wont happen), then so be it... maybe its cultural / lifestlye difference with europeans, u guys probably have higher standart of health / security towards yourselves

Meihan83

lindy27, cjbpjb, Mom, Fashionista, charness, zepolle : thanks for ur inputs, it will be taken into consideration when we r detailing our plan.

zeppole

Didn't mean to get personal, but having landed in the hospital on two separate trips -- one to Asia, one to Europe, years apart -- I recommend travel insurance to every traveler.

If your travel is pushed into colder weather, it will make it harder to pack light and wash clothes. (That's a European insight for you.) If you are thinking of buying what you need over here as suggested by Fashionista, you need to leave time to shop if you need to find jeans under 20 euros. But if the operative plan is to spend whatever money it takes to solve whatever problems arise, be it dirty clothes, illness, not having fun or being hungry -- don't feel a need to defend it. That is insurance. Your bank account.

Fashionista

zeppole is right. In Europe you really need travel insurance - if something goes wrong it could bankrupt you.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-...vel-insurance/

kfusto

"In Europe you really need travel insurance - if something goes wrong it could bankrupt you. "

I agree but I imagine this advice will be ignored as well. Now that they have figured out they cannot get a visa in time, all this may be irrelevant anyway.

suze

Nothing personal. It's just on this forum when you mention a specific budget for the trip, but then list things that will cost more than that... people point it out. Same about the near impossible itinerary. When you posted a plan that is going to be very aggressive to pull off, people pointed it out. That's why most people come to these forums, for advice from people who've done before, the thing they are planning to do.

socaltraveler

It's only getting personal because you are making it so - geeez.

You are getting an incredible amount of excellent advice here, including people who are spending a fair bit of time looking up the train schedules that seem to baffle you.

No plane tickets, no reservations and the notion that once a week you will eat a steak (in Europe) for culinary plans. And now, apparently a visa issue.

Again, way too much, way too little budget and a refusal to understand some very basic things about European travel - good luck.

tenaya

I live in Ireland and used to live in Scotland. My view is that you are spending a vast amount of money to see very little of either. If the itinerary is written in cement I suggest Aer Lingus Paris to Cork with whatever hours you have spent in that extremely pleasant very walkable small city; short train trip to Cobh (pronounced Cove) for an overnight ... then fly Ryanair to Dublin and spend the few hours there and continue via Ryanair to Edinburgh.

I would take the train from that city to London -- by and large the same duration without the hassle.

LSky

Maybe the VISA delay is a good thing. Going to Munich is Sept to have a beer at October Fest is going to be work and if you don't drink, why bother? It's crowded with a lot of drunk people- oh joy.

If you want to see snow, go in the winter. You'll have time to buy a warm coats.

scatcat

Meihan-I don't ever set a budget for my trips, but I do carry 2 ATM cards. I do not have unlimited funds, but I also don't keep up with every dollar I spend. And I am not a foodie at all. I can eat a banana for a meal and be perfectly satisfied. So, since you know in advance that you will not be dining every night at a restaurant, you should not have a problem. You can buy ham and bread in a grocery store. That will probably be quite economical for the four of you.

I have seen college kids sleeping in seats on trains and on the steps at Venice. I do not recommend either of those. But it was probably quite an adventure for them. Maybe you can pull this off without a glitch. And maybe your next trip you will choose the places you liked the most.

franco

<sorry.. I thought you were saying 4100 per each couple.. my bad.>

chazzarelli - not your bad, not at all. You were saying 100 € without hotel, trains, souvenirs. meihan's budget is 146 $ all inclusive. A-L-L I-N-C-L-U-S-I-V-E. Which leaves her, in comparison with your standard budget, 10 € for trains AND hotel per day.
Even if your budget may be a bit generous (I'm quite always spending less than 100 € per day and person without accomodation and transport, and they will spend less again from what she has posted so far), meihan's budget is still a bit pathetic, bachelor in accounting aside.

Sarastro

A real treat to read.

One can only hope that the movie will be as entertaining as the thread.

ParisAmsterdam

Whatever you do, DON'T drop Lourdes as you are going to need a miracle to complete this trip alive and in one piece!

Raven01

Plenty of folks have chimed in that your itinerary is difficult - I agree with that. I also believe, like someone posted above, that you will spend a lot of time and money to get a day in a city in Ireland - only you can choose if that is worth it. For me, it would not be.

I have been to Europe years ago studying abroad, and am going again. I have, like you, done research - specifically on Edinburgh, London, Paris, Rome - for a September trip. Based on that research, $50.00 USD per person per night for a hotel is just not going to cut it. I researched hotels versus hostels, but the cheapest I found was in the neighborhood of $150 USD per night. Keep in mind, and more experienced travelers can comment on this, that I believe European hotels are often just for two people - they are not made like American hotels which would sleep four. Hostels might be available, but I did not look into them.

Also, prices are only getting higher, September is coming ever closer, and you really need to book things ASAP to stay even remotely close to your budget. I had a tight budget too - but booked early in advance for train and hotels to take advantage of the lower rates. That helped me to stay in budget.

And cheers to Fodors posters, as that whole thread really was a good read.

scatcat

ParisAmsterdam....That is just too funny!

Continental_Drifter

Raven - You are correct that most hotel rooms are for two. Most tourist class hotels have a few triples and even a few quads. They are often billed as "family" rooms.

Meihan - Good luck on your visas.

janisj

"<i> . . . .most hotel rooms are for two. Most tourist class hotels have a few triples and even a few quads. They are often billed as "family" rooms.</i>"

True - but most hotels only have a few quads/family room and they are often the first to book up. Trying to find quads in all those cities at this late date might be a very tall order.