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  #41  
Old Posted Feb 11, 2015, 7:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Doug View Post
I'd rather do the inexpensive and dangerous while young while leaving the more expensive and passive (as in comfortable) places until I'm older.
Ultimately it would be good to do both when you are young, as travelling when young is not the same when you are old, no matter where you go.
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  #42  
Old Posted Feb 12, 2015, 12:26 AM
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100% agree with this. Using one example, experiencing Berlin in your early 20s (broke, energetic, careless, and seeing much of the world for the first time), late 20s/early 30s (ideally with a little bit more cash but in the prime of your "scene-ster" days), and then in your 40s or older (different appreciation on life, potentially with kids) are all very different. To each their own though - no such thing as a bad travel experience if you come back in one piece!
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  #43  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2015, 8:10 PM
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Hey guys - Any tips, suggestions and/or advice?

To kind of reiterate the post post... I too am planning a trip to Europe for 3 weeks ish end of August into September. I have a wedding to attend in Scotland (Central). I was then thinking of hitting some of the cheaper more Eastern countries in Europe afterwards. Started looking at flight prices and it appears Istanbul is one of the cheaper places to return to YYC from.

I am looking at Edinburgh>Krakow>Budapest>Zagreb>Beograd>Sofia>Istanbul. Few days in each city.

Is this too ambitious? I realize that's quite the whirlwind trip. Any places I SHOULD go? And/or skip out? Train vs Bus travel? This is my first major solo trip as a young professional. I am in my mid 20s.

Thanks guys!

[EDIT] I have been to Europe once prior in highschool, (France & Tunisia) as well as a SE Asia tour with my then boyfriend after college

Last edited by googspecial; Feb 13, 2015 at 8:34 PM.
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  #44  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2015, 8:54 PM
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My wife and I did 3 weeks... Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Salzburg, Garmisch, Munich, Paris, London, Brighton, Salisbury, Wales and Manchester. We found we mostly had enough time, but we travel fairly efficiently and plan and book most things before we go. You definitely want to buy train tickets ahead of time for price. Look at maybe a flight form Edinburgh to Krakow to. Might be cheaper and a lot quicker. I haven't been to any of the places you listed though, so no help there.
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  #45  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2015, 9:36 PM
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Noted. Quick online search shows some very cheap flights EDI-KRK with Ryanair.
I have a strange desire to take the Chunnel though....

I assume you traveled mostly by train? And overnight ones at that?
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  #46  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2015, 9:42 PM
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Originally Posted by googspecial View Post
Hey guys - Any tips, suggestions and/or advice?

To kind of reiterate the post post... I too am planning a trip to Europe for 3 weeks ish end of August into September. I have a wedding to attend in Scotland (Central). I was then thinking of hitting some of the cheaper more Eastern countries in Europe afterwards. Started looking at flight prices and it appears Istanbul is one of the cheaper places to return to YYC from.

I am looking at Edinburgh>Krakow>Budapest>Zagreb>Beograd>Sofia>Istanbul. Few days in each city.

Is this too ambitious? I realize that's quite the whirlwind trip. Any places I SHOULD go? And/or skip out? Train vs Bus travel? This is my first major solo trip as a young professional. I am in my mid 20s.

Thanks guys!

[EDIT] I have been to Europe once prior in highschool, (France & Tunisia) as well as a SE Asia tour with my then boyfriend after college
That sounds like a great plan! I had a similar plan last summer (also my first solo trip, also mid-twenties young professional). I would book the flights and if you aren't sure how long you will be in places don't worry too much about the trains. I never booked a hostel more than a day in advance (sometimes not at all) and was completely fine, but it doesn't hurt for peace of mind if you already know where you are going.

Trains are reasonably cheap (watch out for weird European holidays that you don't know about and the trains are full randomly). Even if you book only a day or two in advance you'll be fine. Trains are certainly a great, unique part of the journey that you can't get in North America.

Buses are less nice and slower, but often ridiculously cheap. Worth considering if that's your angle.

If you are in the Budapest area, would be worth taking a day or two over to Vienna which isn't too much of a hike over (although not on your route at all). One of the nicest cities I have seen and lots of festivals, music and so on. I really liked it and was surprised given it's reputation of being more fancy. Great hostel crowd.

I maintained a similar pace as you seem to be suggesting, about 3-5 days in each city. I had more time so ended up stretching my favourite cities longer at the expense of the "monument chasing" approach of knocking off as many bucket list locations as possible. This approach worked for me, but there is no wrong way to travel though!

Happy travels!
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  #47  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2015, 10:12 PM
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Originally Posted by MasterG View Post
That sounds like a great plan! I had a similar plan last summer (also my first solo trip, also mid-twenties young professional). I would book the flights and if you aren't sure how long you will be in places don't worry too much about the trains. I never booked a hostel more than a day in advance (sometimes not at all) and was completely fine, but it doesn't hurt for peace of mind if you already know where you are going.

Trains are reasonably cheap (watch out for weird European holidays that you don't know about and the trains are full randomly). Even if you book only a day or two in advance you'll be fine. Trains are certainly a great, unique part of the journey that you can't get in North America.

Buses are less nice and slower, but often ridiculously cheap. Worth considering if that's your angle.

If you are in the Budapest area, would be worth taking a day or two over to Vienna which isn't too much of a hike over (although not on your route at all). One of the nicest cities I have seen and lots of festivals, music and so on. I really liked it and was surprised given it's reputation of being more fancy. Great hostel crowd.

I maintained a similar pace as you seem to be suggesting, about 3-5 days in each city. I had more time so ended up stretching my favourite cities longer at the expense of the "monument chasing" approach of knocking off as many bucket list locations as possible. This approach worked for me, but there is no wrong way to travel though!

Happy travels!
Thanks! Sounds like this will all be manageable then.

I have started some train route research, and Karkow>Budapest is via Vienna. I wasn't considering staying there only due to what I know of it being pricy. I'm sure there will be some layovers where I could do some exploring.

And yes - I am booking my flights next week. I have started a google map for my monument hit list as well
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  #48  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2015, 10:12 PM
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We used an overnight Amsterdam to Berlin. I think the cheapest ticket was around $80, 6 people in a 3x3 bunked cabin, and you weren't aloud to leave the cabin. We then rented a car until Munich, then took a high speed train to Paris that was way better than the first one, not an overnighter. Then the chunnel to London. It's OK, but if you are on limited time and budget you will probably want to skip it. You absolutely want to book it ahead of time, as anything closer than a month to travel date prices go up and up. I even think our high speed ticket to Paris doubled in price in the last couple weeks. Maybe some trains you can grab tickets for cheap within a few days, but not the ones we took.

Anyway, final train to Brighton, then rented a car for the rest of the trip. Trains can be great, but your are beholden to their schedules and visiting smaller places isn't always convenient. We found it was a nice balance between car rental and train for our trip.

When looking at train schedules, often consider the length of the trip. One train may leave 30 minutes earlier, but stops at every damn town and could take hours to get where you are going. Paying an extra 10 Euro for the express is often worth it.
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  #49  
Old Posted Feb 14, 2015, 1:21 AM
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Originally Posted by googspecial View Post
Thanks! Sounds like this will all be manageable then.

I have started some train route research, and Karkow>Budapest is via Vienna. I wasn't considering staying there only due to what I know of it being pricy. I'm sure there will be some layovers where I could do some exploring.

And yes - I am booking my flights next week. I have started a google map for my monument hit list as well
Nice call on the map, it's good to have some objectives while travelling, otherwise you'll get lost out there! Not that that is a bad thing.

I was in Vienna early August last year and it was comparable to other mid-sized cities during peak tourist time. I think my hostel was 20 euro for a 6 bedroom one, I found ones as low as 10 euro in Vienna but in more of a barracks style 20+ bunks. Under 8 beds is the right number I learned through painful trial and error

If you are hoteling it, I would guess Vienna is quite expensive though. If you want some ideas I wrote a amatuerish blog about it (from a young-person / urban-planning nerd perspective of course). Might give you some perspective.

I'll PM you the link in case you are interested.
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  #50  
Old Posted Feb 14, 2015, 5:42 AM
DarthMalgus DarthMalgus is offline
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North America:
Canada (6 provinces and all the cities over 500k) - still haven't done the Maritimes though
USA (about 35 states, including all the big cities except Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio and Pittsburgh)
Mexico (both east and west coasts, as well as Mexico City)
Honduras
Belize
Bahamas
Cuba

Europe:
UK (England, Wales and Scotland)
France
Germany
Italy (and Vatican)
Greece

Asia:
Turkey
China
South Korea
Japan
Indonesia

I figured out that according to many sources I have been to 13 of the 25 biggest metropolitan areas in the World (thanks in large part to visiting 3 in the USA, 2 in China and 3 in Japan). I have also lived in 3 countries and summered in the UK when I was growing up. Europe is great but honestly, Asia is where my heart is - I love the energy of the great Asian cities.

Generally I try to avoid the "all inclusive" thing and go to places which provide a cultural experience. I don't understand the tendency of my family, friends and colleagues to go to the Mayan Riviera year after year for their holidays. If we don't have the means for a big holiday abroad, will usually just take the family on a driving holiday to explore a part of the US we haven't been to before. Am finally at a point in life where my kids are old enough to appreciate experiencing different cultures, but of course it is very expensive to take a family of 4 on that kind of adventure - so we usually try to do one big trip a year if we can. Planning either South America or Australia for next year.

Last edited by DarthMalgus; Feb 14, 2015 at 5:59 AM.
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  #51  
Old Posted Feb 14, 2015, 7:26 PM
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Americas
Canada (6 + 1)
USA (45)
Mexico (10)
Bahamas
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Belize
Guatemala
Trinidad
Venezuela
Colombia
Peru
Bolivia

Europe
UK
France
Belgium
Netherlands
Germany
Austria
Italy
Switzerland
Monaco

Asia
Thailand
Singapore
Malaysia
Indonesia
Hong Kong
Japan
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  #52  
Old Posted Feb 15, 2015, 5:23 AM
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Poland, Bulgaria, Italy (Vatican), Czech republic, Slovakia, France, Monaco, Great Britain, Norway, El Salvador, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic.
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  #53  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2015, 5:27 PM
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Little help from the experienced folks. It's for fun as well:

If you're starting in Denmark and have two weeks to do whatever you'd like. Now, build your dream itinerary.

State your demographic and likes so your itinerary is justified. I'd reveal one but I don't have one haha.

And.... Go.
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  #54  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2015, 5:55 PM
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North America
Canada, 9 Provinces and NWT (Lived my entire life in Calgary, and have never been to Saskatchewan)
US, 45 States
Mexico
Bahamas
Jamaica
Costa Rica
Panama

South America
Brazil

Europe
United Kingdom
France
Netherlands
Germany
Switzerland
Romania

Africa
Egypt

Asia
Thailand
Cambodia
Malaysia
China
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