Looking For Travel Mate To Europe/us Apr-May '13

[dogslave]

Hi i would like to go on tour to Europe (pref 10-14days covering france/italy/switzerland) or US. It would be very ex to travel alone on tour so looking for anyone ard my age (24-35) to travel along.

Alternatively, i would appreciate if anyone could share with me his detailed iteneries so i could go f&e in the worst case where i have to travel alone. Thx

[Cosmo guy]

sound interesting and i have similar plan, but iam over 35

[dogslave]

hi how old r u? actually as long nt too wide age difference i m fine lah

[kokonutz]

I'm thinking of going to Poland in May '13 - for a week or so. Thinking of using the Emirates offer (http://www.emirates.com/sg/english/destinations_offers/special_offers/enjoy/perfect-start.aspx) - around S$953 for two-way trip to Warsaw, inclusive of fees and taxes.

But I gather you would be more keen on France/Italy/Switzerland?

I'm 30 next year btw...

Edited December 28, 2012 by kokonutz

[dogslave]

hey sorry for e late reply...eastern europe is not my primary destination for this year coz i wanna shop for branded stuff thats y i prefer london, paris...switzerland is mainly for e scenery

[tic-toc]

Kokonutz, 7 days are too many for Warsaw. Most of old Warsaw has been destroyed during WWII. So what can be seen are modern. You may like to travel south to Krakow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krak%C3%B3w

Just take a train from Warsaw central train station. cheap and comfortable

Edited January 7, 2013 by tic-toc

[dogslave]

tic-toc, do u have any suggested iteneries for uk/france/italy?

Edited January 9, 2013 by dogslave

[ctr77]

Europe is probably best seen by rail, although it depends on your flexibility and the countries you want to visit.

For some itineraries the Eurail pass provides the best value, but not for Italy-France-UK because in Italy you can get one way advance fares for dirt cheap.

Also the rail pass supplements in Italy are very high, and you can't use the pass on the Eurostar and within the UK.

10-14 days is not a lot of time but should be enough to see the highlights of the major city in each of those countries.

A possible sample itinerary is to fly in to Rome and travel upward - Florence, Pisa, Milan, maybe even Venice, etc.

From Milan and Venice there are daily overnight trains to Paris's Gare de Lyon station.

Then from Paris you can take the Eurostar to London and fly out from there.

[tic-toc]

if you travel from Rome up north to Florence, Milan or Venice, it is of course faster by train. Note.: It is faster but not necessarily cheaper. EG: fast train from Rome to Milan is Euro 99 one way. While by budget flight costs only Euro 19 (depends on the time and day and period)

However if to travel from France to Italy or any other European countries, it is advisable to check first the budget airlines : ryanair.com, easyjet.com.

Budget travel is very cheap. Cheaper than by train.

[ctr77]

Actually for Italy there is a new company (www.italotreno.it) that just started running high speed trains from Naples up to Milan/Venice since last October.

A one way fare from Rome to Milan starts from 35 Euro.

Also while budget air travel is another good way to get around Europe, some of the airports used by these airlines can be in the middle of nowhere.

For example, Frankfurt Hahn airport (used by Ryanair) is 120km west of Frankfurt and it takes a 2 hour bus ride to get there, vs. Frankfurt Main/International airport which is used by mainstream airlines and is less than a 10 minute S-bahn train ride from the city.

But I guess there is a fine line between budget, convenience, and speed, and everyone has to find his/her own sweet spot in the middle somewhere.

[dogslave]

thx guys for ur valuable inputs...i really hope to go w a buddy coz i m nt confident in travelling alone in europe...nevertheless my budget is $3-4k for everythg (travel/hotel/expenditures/shop), i dun mind restricting it to simple italy , do u all think thats enough?

[ctr77]

I am planning to go to Europe again sometime but it will probably end up being later in the year if that.

Then again it isn't hard to travel around Europe, even if you are alone.

Have you found your flights yet?

[dogslave]

no i m still in a dilemma. whether to sign up tpur package but if i were to do that, it be an extra $1k for single traveller which means my fares excluding other shopping expenses will aready b $4k

[dogslave]

the disadvantage of travelling alone: no fun (clean fun), difficult to take photo with urself in it, u really got noone to depend on if u r missing/needs help/ unwell

[Guest europe!]

the disadvantage of travelling alone: no fun (clean fun), difficult to take photo with urself in it, u really got noone to depend on if u r missing/needs help/ unwell

Hi i suggest u skip london and keep to the continent, i.e. italy,swiz and france. cos if u go london, taking eurostar train is VERY expensive. taking the coach or ferry is possible but cumbersome, not to mention the UK uses the sterling pound instead of euro. there's plenty to keep u occupied already on the continentwithout venturing into UK; u get to avoid the terrible weather in uk too, usually overcast and gloomy....

u can either work ur way down starting from paris or do the reverse from Rome. If it's ur first time in europe, i suggest u start from paris as it's less chaotic and likely to be safer than italy. two weeks are not a long period, so u need to be selective. The places i recommend are:

France: paris, (I'm not really a fan of France, so cant suggest many places, but u can make day trips out of france to outlying areas using te fast trains)

Switzerand: interlaken(Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen), zermatt(too see the Matterhorn),

Italy: florence, rome, venice

U may want to consider Germany as well, which has many bautiful scenery. And if u are there in Apr, consider going to Amsterdam's kerkenhoff gardens to see the tuplips.....

and be more careful when in italy....watch ur wallet closely when there....

[Guest Guest]

Look for travel buddy also must careful. Dun want to end up with a travel companion from hell. Must screen carefully. Not any tom tim and tammy is suitable.

[dogslave]

thx europe! for spending so much time in writing all ur valuable inputs...i think i might just stick to 10day italy trip...

guest - i agree with u, although i hope to find one travel buddy but i m nt that desperate

[ctr77]

What do you want to do in Europe? Sightsee? Shop? Nightlife?

If you want to sightsee, what do you like? Cities? Museums? Scenery?

Also -europe!- has a point about skipping the UK, unless you have more time (and money) you are willing to spend.

There is a lot to see in the UK but many of those things are not near London (ie. Stonehenge, Bath, Hadrian's Wall, Snowdonia, just to name a few).

Do you have to go in April/May?

[dogslave]

I think i can only make it for the period from 11May-30May'13. I found a cheap flight to Italy (rome) by Air Swiss its only $855. Can someone advice me if they have experiences booking land tour with Trafalgar as i am considering signing up for their Italian Discovery 2013 priced at USD2350per pax http://www.trafalgar.com/gsa/italian-discovery-2013

[ctr77]

I rarely travel on tour but I have heard that Trafalgar is very good, although very expensive.

I know a few people in Australia who have travelled with them to Europe and swear by them.

The Swiss fare is a very good catch and it includes all taxes and surcharges - I'm even thinking of booking my flights to Europe with them.

Only downside is that must book by 28 January and I'm not sure if I'll know my travel dates by then.

[zzzzzzzz]

if you want to buy branded, 4k maybe not enough.

its easy to do f&e alone. Been traveling alone for years and enjoy the freedom, want to go sauna go sauna, hook up go hook up, sleep in then sleep in, and no need to wait for others, different budgets etc... though the photos part are true, but then you can always meet new friends in hostel and travel around many single travellers in europe!

[dogslave]

thx for ur sharing zzzzzzzz