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Post by solaria on Jul 9, 2017 0:50:06 GMT
at last! We have agreed, in principle, to head for Europe and perhaps Uk next May and June.
we are looking at TT Italy's Great Cities from 18 -27 May as they stay 3 nights in each place which will give us time to see what we want,,especially in Florence.
Then we will travel(don't know how as yet) to Vienna from Venice where the tour ends. 3 days in Vienna before a river cruise from Vienna to Basel with Avalon Waterways.
thus ends on 11 June. Seeing as we are 'over there', we are looking at flying into either Edinburgh or London as there are sights we did not get to see when we were last there. We can have 4-5 nights then fly home.
haven't contacted a travel agent as yet. just been looking on line at all the possibilities. picked out a hotel in Vienna but choices for London or Edinburgh are myriad! One problem is that the hotel room we had last time in London was VERY tiny! would definitely not be able to swing the proverbial cat! And I do not like showers over the bath!! I know some time ago there were suggestions for hotels in London on this forum but I can't seem to find that thread. So, suggestions please.
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Post by purvis on Jul 9, 2017 13:44:13 GMT
Solaria: Last fall my son and I stayed at the Hampton by Hilton on Waterloo Road and it was very convenient as one could easily walk to the London Eye. Parliament Hill, etc and Waterloo station was only 5 minutes away which meant one could reach the rest of London easily by Underground. The price has gone up considerably since our visit but still worth looking into. The year before that we stayed at Premier Inn in the same area. Purvis
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Post by solaria on Jul 9, 2017 22:00:12 GMT
thanks for your reply Purvis. The Hampton is a little too expensive for us and the Premier Inn doesn't have a room for our time frame. I did however find a Hotel which is right 'up my alley' so to speak. much to Eddie's dismay I told him the name if the hotel -Library! I love books and libraries but he never reads books! very quirky interior.
We are still trying to find an option for Scotland as we haven't decided which place to go as yet though I think he's erring on the London side. The thing is we don't want a poky little room and would rather have a stand alone shower than one over a bath as a lot of them have - very annoying.
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Post by chech on Jul 10, 2017 11:57:03 GMT
Wow! That all sounds like a great trip! A bit of everything.
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joyb
Junior Member
Posts: 59
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Post by joyb on Jul 10, 2017 13:48:35 GMT
Looks like a wonderful trip. I checked out the river cruise itinerary and it looks amazing. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
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Post by solaria on Jul 10, 2017 23:23:47 GMT
well now we have put our 'orders' into TA and she's the same one that organised us all all our other tours! she had left but returned this year so I said it was because she knew she would have us again! and Eddie upped our days in London to 7. Said we wouldn't want to rush so pace ourselves each day. we will be purchasing London Pass cards this time. The waiting this time will be extra long but I will have time to brush upon my Italian and get some walk practice in. As we are now in the country, we have to drive to get anywhere but we can go to a park or the lake and walk there.
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Post by purvis on Jul 11, 2017 14:04:57 GMT
Hi: Since you plan on spending 7 days in London it might be worth your looking into renting an apartment instead of staying in a hotel. Often the difference in cost is made up by not having to eat out as often and many have washer and dryers in them which is great during a long trip. Purvis
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Post by purvis on Jul 11, 2017 14:28:29 GMT
Solaria: Just for kicks I went on Booking .com for info on renting an apt. in London for a period of time in May/18 and they listed "Studio 2Let" at 36-37 Cartwright Gardens. With free cancellations the price for seven nites is @1,391.00 Cdn. Don't know what that is in your currency. I just typed in apts. for rent in London and the name came up. As I said in previous post worth looking into . Purvis
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Post by marielouise on Jul 11, 2017 14:33:21 GMT
We stayed at Templeton Court aparthotel in London, close to Earls Court Underground station. The apartment was modern and had a washing machine, we were in a large 1 bedroom, which was very nice but there was no door to the bedroom. If we visit London again we would stay there again.
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Post by solaria on Jul 11, 2017 21:46:09 GMT
Solaria: Just for kicks I went on Booking .com for info on renting an apt. in London for a period of time in May/18 and they listed "Studio 2Let" at 36-37 Cartwright Gardens. With free cancellations the price for seven nites is @1,391.00 Cdn. Don't know what that is in your currency. I just typed in apts. for rent in London and the name came up. As I said in previous post worth looking into . Purvis thanks for that. We did look briefly at apartments and it would be about half price of a good Hotel. But we would still be on holiday so I still want the service with breakfast 'on tap' so to speak. I showed Eddie the prices of hotel vs apt and he wasn't phased by the extra price so who am I to argue. 😇 the idea of washer/drier was tempting but laundramats are fun and we met interesting people while there last time.
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Post by tassiedevil on Jul 12, 2017 5:14:35 GMT
I have tickets to next year's Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April. Have accommodation booked, ferry booked (it was a lot cheaper to take the ferry and drive up rather than fly and rent a car). Also booked accommodation for stops on the way up and then back down. Also bought a theme park ticket valid for 12 months, starting last month, for the price of a single entrance ticket! Can be used to gain unlimited entrance into 4 parks during the 12 months! Bargain!
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Post by solaria on Aug 1, 2017 20:33:41 GMT
well its all on now! Flights paid, including Venice to Vienna, and Zurich to London. Hotels also paid. Library didn't work as reviews said it was very noisy around that area. Booked the Windermere near Victoria station. Hotel in Vienna is Stefanie. also have bought Travel Insurance in case anything happens that prevent us from going. Hopefully not, but our neighbours were going to Europe around the same time this year when a few days before they were due to leave Bruce got sick and it was kidney stones! Was in hospital the day they should have flown out! This must have shook Eddie some as he went to the Doctors for a general check up! This is a fellow who hates going to the Doctor! Over 8 years since the last time! Anyway he has an 'all clear' so that's good.
Now its just the wait. Have a countdown widget -288 days to go! Gives me time to brush up on my Italian (duolingo) and I am also trying a basic German for Vienna.
Oh, and I bought a new camera! Just a compact Canon Powershot. It has wi-fi and I can send copies of pics to smartphone or cloud backups as I didn't want to take tablet with problems over taking them on some flights. Didn't want to lose or have to pack my Surface Pro in check-in luggage. The less stuff the better. I'm going to try and pack sparingly 😉
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Post by chech on Aug 2, 2017 12:02:59 GMT
Awesome! The countdown begins! And yes, if you can upload to the Cloud, that is a perfect option! It's far more reliable than a phone. And have enough cards so that you don't have to use one twice. Then you have two copies of your photos at the very least. Another hint I tell people is not to delete photos on the camera. It increases the risk of corruption. Doesn't happen a lot, but there is definitely a risk. Memory is cheap. It's just as easy to leave the shots on the card until you get home and put them on your computer. You also can see the photo more clearly on the larger screen so you don't risk deleting one that is actually okay. And when you are done with the card, format it in the camera. Don't delete the photos on the computer and just insert it. Use the format function on the camera.
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Post by solaria on Aug 2, 2017 20:27:31 GMT
Great tips! many thanks.
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Post by kiwigrandma on Aug 12, 2017 8:47:20 GMT
Feeling excited. Booking to do Trafalgar tastes and sounds of the south. Then to Washington, Boston, and New York. Happening in May 2018, all going well. Just hoping situation with nth Korea doesn't escalate. Any tips always appreciated. Went to ny a few years ago but plenty to see there.
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denise
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by denise on Sept 22, 2017 5:47:41 GMT
Insight's Treasures of the Balkans - 18 day tour in May 2018. Looking forward to going to lots of new places. 220 days to go!
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Sept 25, 2017 2:13:21 GMT
Insight's Treasures of the Balkans - 18 day tour in May 2018. Looking forward to going to lots of new places. 220 days to go! You should enjoy this. I was on the original tour, when it was the BB members President's tour, back in 2010. It's been tweaked a bit since then, for the better I think.
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denise
Junior Member
Posts: 86
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Post by denise on Sept 25, 2017 8:12:55 GMT
Good to hear Pauline - did you do a review of this tour? It would be great to read of your impressions of this trip.
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taskaz
Junior Member
Posts: 46
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Post by taskaz on Sept 28, 2017 0:32:52 GMT
Have tentatively rebooked Trafalgar's European Supreme for May 2018 and got fabulous airfares in Singapore Airlines Earlybird sale. Wasn't worth it to use Trafalgar's promotional fares as we get more off with their earlybird discount. Fingers and toes crossed for May!
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Post by solaria on Sept 30, 2017 4:06:43 GMT
Our Travel agent just sent me the link to register our details for the Trafalgar tour of Italy. so, although its still 228 days to go, it feels closer and more definite! By the time we go it will be 5.5 years since our last travels. Way too long! Passed a sports shoe store in the 'villagio' today so went in and bought a nice new comfortable pair of walkers. The ones I wore last time are definitely passed their prime. 😎
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taskaz
Junior Member
Posts: 46
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Post by taskaz on Sept 30, 2017 5:30:52 GMT
How exciting solaria - makes it seem real once you register. I noticed that Trafalgar's website has just got a new function called "My Trafalgar". I read the spiel about it and now can't remember where I read it :-( I have registered for it and you can put your booking reference in also and I believe it will give you further details and info re your trip at some stage and there may even be a possibility of linking with others on your trip (not sure if that will be offered or not). I haven't got my booking reference number from my travel agent yet but will pop it in when I do. I think they start putting info in once it gets closer to your tour date.
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Post by chech on Sept 30, 2017 10:50:47 GMT
Monograms (Globus' sister company) does the My Monograms thing. It lets me see my documents when they're available and purchase optionals among other things. The nice part is that since it gives precise timings of the optionals, it allows me to plan what to do with my free time. No connections with other people though.
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taskaz
Junior Member
Posts: 46
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Post by taskaz on Sept 30, 2017 18:16:57 GMT
It does sound pretty much the same chech. Probably where Trafalgar got it from I'll be interested to see how it all works. I think I read that Trafalgar don't start putting info in til around 45 days before your tour.
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Post by chech on Sept 30, 2017 23:00:17 GMT
That sounds about right for TT. With Monograms, some of the stuff is there right after I book like the list of optionals which I can book up to 2 weeks prior to the tour. Then the documents will show up about a month ahead of time but I also get a copy from them in the mail.
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taskaz
Junior Member
Posts: 46
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Post by taskaz on Oct 1, 2017 7:49:42 GMT
Remembered where I saw the info re "My Trafalgar" - it's on the second last page of the new 2018 Europe and Britain brochure. Apparently it includes "pre-trip updates, plus meet your Travel Director and travel companions online." Looking forward to seeing how it all works
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Oct 20, 2017 5:03:12 GMT
Good to hear Pauline - did you do a review of this tour? It would be great to read of your impressions of this trip. Hi Denise, I've been busy over the past few weeks and have only just gotten back to logging on here, so have only just seen your question. Yes I did write a review which was on the Insight BB, which is no more. Overall, I loved the tour, as it went to places that Insight didn't normally go to. The itinerary has certainly improved since our experimental tour.
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Post by tassiedevil on Nov 20, 2017 22:01:27 GMT
Well it is 129 days to go until I leave for the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games. I have all accommodation booked, tickets to the games purchased, theme park tickets and will now also be "competing" at the games! While the marathon is being run on the last day of the games I will also be out on the course running! Except I will only be running 5km of the course rather than the whole 42.2km, we get to use the official start and finish line! Looking forward to it all.
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Post by chech on Nov 20, 2017 23:11:36 GMT
That's awesome!
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Post by bet on Dec 21, 2017 21:09:53 GMT
A month to go until another trip to Thailand and back home to NZ.
I'm also planning on Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia in August 2018 for my 40th although it was meant to be Peru so that will have to wait another year.
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Dec 23, 2017 5:35:41 GMT
A quick trip to Canada in May with my husband and then in September a solo 5 days in Malta, then a 20 day tour of Greece with Bunnik tours. Starts in Thessaloniki, takes in Crete and finishes in Santorini. Pauline
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