The Travel Thread

[TomAz]

Newark airport vs. car accident. I'd call it a tossup.

[faxman75]

Does anyone watch "No Reservations"?

I found yesterdays episode to be really interesting. Anthony had a couple people convince him to go to places he hasn't been before and he went for Saudi Arabia.

I like this show because they really get into the culture and have regular conversations and eat fast food and at restaurants and the locals alway show him around so it's different than the typical touristy stuff.

[elliemchale]

Does anyone watch "No Reservations"?

I found yesterdays episode to be really interesting. Anthony had a couple people convince him to go to places he hasn't been before and he went for Saudi Arabia.

I like this show because they really get into the culture and have regular conversations and eat fast food and at restaurants and the locals alway show him around so it's different than the typical touristy stuff.

OMG, holy repeat batman!
I enjoy Mr. Bourdain immensely. I want to grow up to be just like him.

[chairmenmeow47]

every post you make, i picture you talking out of your ass ace venture style

[elliemchale]

every post you make, i picture you talking out of your ass ace venture style

Good, because that's exactly what I do.

[faxman75]

OMG, holy repeat batman!
I enjoy Mr. Bourdain immensely. I want to grow up to be just like him.

He's really tall too. I guess we get new episodes soon. Holy DVR!

[unknown]

Or like one of these guys from South Park...

[elliemchale]

He's really tall too. I guess we get new episodes soon. Holy DVR!

He is rather tall... Compared to us short people.
I met him for a couple minutes in real life. I felt tiny.

[elliemchale]

Or like one of these guys from South Park...

Thanks, Lil. You're the best!

[rage patton]

I just had the most stressful time booking flights to Europe... but I did it!

I am flying to London at 2:55pm on August 19th. I will then be seeing The Specials on August 22nd (at V Fest UK) and Monotonix on August 24th. I will be spending my time in London with Chris (sonofhal).
On August 25th I will be leaving for Paris by rail and will spend the next 3 days enjoying the city. My fiancee has been there and she speaks French. So she will be my tour guide/translator. I will also be meeting up with Jeff (boarderwoozle3) one of the days, because he just so happens to be in Paris at the same time.
On August 28th-30th I will be attending Rock en Seine, a music festival just 20 minutes outside of Paris. Acts I am most looking forward to are Faith No More, Madness and The Prodigy. As well as many other acts including Yeah Yeah Yeahs and MGMT.
After this I will be heading down to Marsaille and will just enjoy the city and sights for the next 5 days. On September 6th I catch a flight at 6:30am from Marsaille and arrive back in Seattle at 5pm.

I am so incredibly excited right now you all have no idea. I could scream right now.

[amyzzz]

Wow, Josh. That sounds like an excellent time! This whole thread is a reminder that I need to get a passport. (or get 4 passports, really)

[TomAz]

The Specials on August 22nd

... Madness

you really need to find a way to see the english beat sometime.

also, great trip josh. But watch your wallet in Marseilles. Actually, here's a better idea. When you get to Marseilles, rent a car and get the fuck out of there. Go to Aix. Go to Nice. Go to the little tiny villages in the Luberon -- Gordes, Roussillon, etc. Go have dinner at Le Moulin des Mougins outside Cannes. cuz you know unless you're a junkie or a terrorist, Marseilles doesn't really have much for you.


PS Gordes may be my favorite place in the entire world.

[mountmccabe]

Tom are you going to see them at the Marquee on August 6 with Reel Big Fish? Did we already talk about this?

[TomAz]

Tom are you going to see them at the Marquee on August 6 with Reel Big Fish? Did we already talk about this?

no. who? english beat? no shit? this is news to me.

[boarderwoozel3]

Yes Josh! We'll have to work out the Paris logistics as we get closer. I still have to figure out where I'm staying anyway.

[mountmccabe]

no. who? english beat? no shit? this is news to me.

Yeah.

[TomAz]

eh. that's the Dave Wakeling version which is him and a bunch of nobodies. I might go to that still, but I don't consider it the real thing.

[JClemy]

I got to see the English beat for free one year when we went into a head shop and the dude behind the counter was like "You dudes want to see a band!" It was really good.

I have a few trips planned coming up. Next week(July 17th) I fly to Tokyo and connect to Okinawa on the 18th where I'm planning on spending a few days in Naha and then taking a boat to Iriomote for the solar eclipse. We'll catch a plane back to Tokyo on the 23 and take a Shinkansen(bullet train) to Eichigo-Yuzawa for Fuji Rock. Then we fly home on July 27th. We're home till August 6th and we fly to Tokyo and take a train to Chiba for Summer Sonic and back home on the 10th.

[MarkO]

Damn, you guys make me jealous. My trip last year went too fast and it will be a long, long time before I get to do a trip like that again.

For those traveling by train in Europe, I recommend looking into upgrading to 1st class.

[faxman75]

I recommend one way flights between countries. Super cheap and you can fit more into a day. While I am in Ireland I can fly to Brussels for 8 Euro each way. I have found one way fairs as low as 1 Euro. Ryan air and Easy Jet usually have good deals.

[whynotsmile99]

I'm starting to put together a rather sudden trip to Europe for myself in a few weeks.

Most likely will be flying into Germany (probably Frankfurt) and then will be meeting a friend in Prague. I'll have two weeks. I've been to Europe three times, but have not been to this central area. I want to see it all, which is not possible of course. Switzerland, how I'd love to see you, but think I'm going to have to let it pass on this trip. I'm trying to make it cheap as possible so I'm thinking Solvakia will take up some time.

Any tips/advice for a 2 week trip centered in Germany, with the possibility of hitting up Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic would be well appreciated.

[boarderwoozel3]

I recommend one way flights between countries. Super cheap and you can fit more into a day. While I am in Ireland I can fly to Brussels for 8 Euro each way. I have found one way fairs as low as 1 Euro. Ryan air and Easy Jet usually have good deals.

Yeah but Ryan Air adds on all kinds of fees. It comes out to the price of a southwest flight. Still cheap though.

[whynotsmile99]

I recommend one way flights between countries. Super cheap and you can fit more into a day. While I am in Ireland I can fly to Brussels for 8 Euro each way. I have found one way fairs as low as 1 Euro. Ryan air and Easy Jet usually have good deals.

jesus christ. 8 EUROS for a flight?! suddenly my boss's idea of flying to Ibiza from Barcelona before going to Germany doesn't seem like that crazy of an idea

[faxman75]

Yeah but Ryan Air adds on all kinds of fees. It comes out to the price of a southwest flight. Still cheap though.

True that's before taxes and if you check bags it's more as well. You just have to read close and make sure to read any boxes they have default checked when buying the ticket. I figure that brussels flight will cost about $60 round trip which is still cheap. I got a ticket from London to Amsterdam last year for 1 euro and it came out to about $22.

[faxman75]

I tried a random date in the middle of my ireland trip and it came up as 8 euros, I haven't purchased it yet though.

Check out

http://www.ryanair.com/

http://www.easyjet.com/

[algunz]

I guess this might explain why they're such a-holes when you're in their stomping grounds:

PARIS (Reuters Life!) – French tourists are the worst in the world, coming across as bad at foreign languages, tight-fisted and arrogant, according to a survey of 4,500 hotel owners across the world.

They finish in last place in the survey carried out for internet travel agency Expedia by polling company TNS Infratest, which said French holidaymakers don't speak local languages and are seen as impolite.

"It's mainly the fact that they speak little or no English when they're abroad, and they don't speak much of the local language," Expedia Marketing Director Timothee de Roux told radio station France Info.

"The French don't go abroad very much. We're lucky enough to have a country which is magnificent in terms of its landscape and culture," he said, adding that 90 per cent of French people did their traveling at home.

"So when they're on holiday they can be a bit stressed, they're not used to things, and this can lead them to be demanding in a way which could be seen as a certain arrogance."

French tourists are also accused of generally spending less than other nationalities when abroad.

De Roux said the French, not accustomed to leaving large tips at home where a service charge is automatically levied on restaurant bills, can seem "tight-fisted" compared with other nationalities.

The Japanese ranked top of the Best Tourist survey, with the British and the Germans judged the best of the Europeans.

But French tourists received some consolation for their poor performance, finishing third after the Italians and British for dress sense while on holiday.

(Reporting by Joseph Tandy; editing by James Mackenzie)

[faxman75]

I just booked a RT ticket from Dublin to Brussels. Total cost $28. What a deal! So I will spend two days in Brussels near the end of my trip to Dublin. Has anyone ever been? All I know is waffles and beer.

[chiapet]

I have but I honestly can't tell you much. I mostly kept near La Grand Place in the city centre, went to the Ancient Art museum (I really dig Flemish art), and drank a lot of beer. I usually keep track (at least mentally but thoroughly) of what I visit, but I felt out of sorts while I was there and just sort of wandered.

I think Jeff will have gone and been back by the time you go?

[faxman75]

Yeah, I will consult with him a bit. It's a long ways off, i'm just anxious to go.

I spent yesterday watching two awesome marathons. No Reservations and Expedition Africa. Both shows are highly addictive. That African trek is prety intense considering they are constantly trying to push forward through their journey while enduring the African wildlife and constantly searching for more water.

[chiapet]

I'm completely addicted to No Reservations. I have an enormous crush on Tony Bourdain.