Travel to Europe. Have some questions..

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Gwynzer
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by Gwynzer »

For travel around the UK, busses are dirt cheap but boring as sin and take foreever. Trains are nice, but super expensive unless you book way in advance.


Scotland is nice, I think I'm the only one here though, and that's up in Aberdeen. Not as touristy as some areas but still quite nice. Lots of castles and stuff. I'm just by the airport too, and travel to the bus/train stations is easy.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by mrBLUE9 »

Gwynzer wrote: Scotland is nice, I think I'm the only one here though, and that's up in Aberdeen. Not as touristy as some areas but still quite nice. Lots of castles and stuff. I'm just by the airport too, and travel to the bus/train stations is easy.
I thought you lived in Edinburgh, Gwyn! Was already set on visiting you someday because I love that city, will have to stop by Aberdeen too then. I would go there if I were you, Haruky! :D
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by fUNh1t »

haruky wrote:@funh1t: I would love to visit Russia sometime though I'm not sure if it is possible due to the distance of where it is. Where in Russia are you?
I live on Ural mountains, so not really great place for tourism. Just keep in mind just in case.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by CaptJagermeister »

@Stonie: Yes! I'd like to link up with you if I make it down to Netherlands! Though, to be honest, I'm not much of a smoker, cig nor other green things. :mrgreen: Would love to share a nice cold beer though!
I'd like to join you guys if possible since I'm also from the Netherlands. If I had my own place I'd let you crash on my couch but sadly I still live with my parents.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by A Docile Sloth »

As Gwyn said, buses are cheaper but slower and trains are faster and more expensive. Although you can sometimes get cheap tickets for trains if you know where to look. Megatrain often have some decent deals on train fairs but they are only on the Stagecoach Group trains (East Midlands Trains, South Western and possibly East Coast) and they can sometimes be more expensive than a normal ticket. I usually check with National Rail or The Train Line to check they are cheapest. I don't know how the Euro Rail thing works on trains in the UK so that may also be a cheap way of travelling.

Megabus and National Express are probably the biggest bus companies that do inter city buses. Their sites will give you an idea of how frequent and useful their buses are.

I should probably also point out (as I didn't say before) that the Oyster card only works in London. Once you are out of London, you can't use it for travel.


Fish and Chips with salt and vinegar from a proper chippy. If you are in the UK you have to eat a proper British meal. Bonus points if you eat them with your fingers or one of those little wooden forks. Extra bonus points if you have a deep fried Mars Bar or spam fritter.


I'd lend you my couch but I'm leaving London in a few weeks and the country in a few months. So the cuddle part may have to wait till I know what I'm doing k:cry:
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by Gwynzer »

To blue and haruky, I'm quite happy to make the journey to any other Scottish city and I'll easily drive you to/from Aberdeen at least one of the ways. That can be a good trip in itself. There's the choice of the coastal or highland routes, both are gorgeous and castley


Aberdeen is good for fish and chips. We've got a bit of a fishing industry in the city (now its mostly oil), and fishing is the primary industry in many of our surrounding towns.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by MONGO_abaday »

depends where you want to start your travel in the UK. I live quite near Bristol air port so can always pick you up from there if you did consider flying to it which is probably unlikely. Else for public transport like sloth and others have said trains are the fastest but not the cheapest. Buses and coaches are way cheaper but take longer. I've always been a train person personally but that's just me. (the British public transport system is not known for being that efficient but it gets the job done :lol: )

Yes fish and chips are a must have British tourist food. Get them here in the South West by the sea! The standard London fish & chips are too expensive and poorly done in my opinion due to them knowing they can flog them to tourists. Plus fish and chips are better known for being consumed by UK tourists by the sea-side. (Just beware of dive-bombing Seagulls :lol: )
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by Gwynzer »

In Scotland you get Deep Fried Haggis and Chips. Nom.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by ZombieToof »

Jokerle wrote:
In regards to Italy, what are some areas you recommend visiting?
some quick thoughts:

visit Venice, it might not be around forever :lol:
Verona if you're into Romeo and Juliet...
Rome
visit the Mediterranean sea somewhere
If you want to meet more Germans go to Lago di Garda (Gardasee) :roll: :P
Buy local, freshly made ice cream
Venice is one of the most impressing places to go to, at least when it's not too hot. In Rome you can do sightseeing tours for a week at least.

I can recommend going to Firenze (Florence). The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most incredible museums in Italy and the city is full of interesting places.
The central route Milano, Parma, Modena, Bologna, Firenze is pretty nice. It has a mild climate, good food and it's good to chill out and enjoy the countryside. From Firenze you can go to the west coast and visit Pisa and the leaning tower (which I did not find too interesting to be honest) and the marble quarries around Carrara.

I prefer the western coast a little further into the south. Go to Naples. The national museum there has a closed exhibition of erotic art which is interesting and quite funny. Eat pizza and look out for rather functional pizza places full of local people. These are the best. Also test a lot of pastry (and bring some to Germany if you visit Italy first :).
A little north of Napoli is Caserta which has a palace with incredible gardens.
With a city train you can reach Pompeii from Napoli, an ancient city that was completely burried in lava 79 AD, forgotten and excavated in the 19th century. You can walk through the ruins for a day and will have only seen a part. If you like hiking do a 1 day tour to the Vesuvio, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii and that is still active.

The cost south of Pompeii is the Costa Amalfitana, a steep cost with beautiful towns and cities. You can travel down the cost by bus (SITA). Visit Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravella and Salerno. From Sorrento you can do a boat tour to Capri. Along the cost are a lot of hiking trails. If you get into one of the towns up in the mountains the climate is rather mild and fresh even if the cost is hot.
The cost is full of backpacker hostels. Seven Hostel is a nice and cheap place if you want to stay in Sorrento. I stayed up in the mountains at http://www.beatasolitudo.it/ for a while which I liked a lot (It was the hottest summer of the decade - don't go to southern Italy in July or August!). But that was ages ago so don't blame me.
In Conca dei Marini make a boat tour into the Grotta dello Smeraldo. Some of the boat tours combine it with an excursion to one of the otherwise unreachable beaches. Also do some of the tasting events with local food, eat ice cream and try Limoncello, a local citrus liqueur.

The Costa Amalfitana is a popular travel destination for British tourists so you'll have an easy time.

A little down the cost is Paestum, again one of the highlights if you are interested in antic culture. But Rome and Pompeii are usually enough to cover that part of Italian history.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by haruky »

@jokerle: You know, you've made some really good points. Italy just might be worth a visit as well. I'll definitely try and find a way to fit it into my travel plans here. Considering I'm planning to spend a few months traveling, I think I can make it happen!

@Gwynzer: I was thinking the subway system and not just trains. I'm guessing they're separate entities? How long would it take to bus from London to Scotland area? Quite a while? I'd really like to visit some non-touristy areas! And see castles! I've never seen one before. Maybe I can make a stop there and we can both come down to London and meet the other GC folks. I've got a feeling I'm going to gain some serious weight on this trip.

@Funh1t: Woah. The Ural mountains? I really don't mind visiting non-touristy areas at all! How is it to getting there via public transportation?

@CaptJagermeister: Sure thing! I know a few others that live in that area, maybe we can all get together.

@Sloth: Those links are super helpful! Gwyn was right though. trains are quite expensive. The buses are significantly cheaper, but... they're also like 13 hours long. I have a lot of time so that isn't too much of an issue. Guess I'll need to bring a good book or bring some entertainment with me. Also, I'm not planning on traveling until next year! I decided to get an early headstart on the planning so I can check to make sure it's even feasible. I'm a bit of a planner with a lot of things...

Where are you going out of country?? Doing some traveling yourself?

@MONGO: Ooh. Bristol! Sure thing! I will definitely let you know if I do end up going there. Sounds like it might be the best place to get those Fish and Chips. For some good food, I'd do almost anything. It seems like fares are cheap and the trip itself isn't too long either!

@Zombie: Wow. This really helped really make a decision to head to Italy. Might just have to do add this to my itinerary.
Costa Amalfitana looks absolutely beautiful... Wow. Thanks for all that information, Zombie!

A question for the UKers, how easy is it to get from the UK to the mainland of Europe? From the looks of it, the ferries are actually more expensive than taking the Eurostar. Though, it is more scenic.

I'm still trying to figure out what my route is going to look like. With my plans starting in the Philippines, I think I'm most likely going to do a East to West route. I'll probably be taking a plane from Thailand to get to Turkey or Greece. From there, I'll probably be using only land-based transportation. I plan on ending the trip in either France, the UK, or Spain and taking a flight back to the states. Still trying to figure it all out going off of everyone's suggestions and what not!

Thanks again for all your tips!
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by Jokerle »

haruky wrote: A question for the UKers, how easy is it to get from the UK to the mainland of Europe? From the looks of it, the ferries are actually more expensive than taking the Eurostar. Though, it is more scenic.
scenic? It's mostly water :D

I would try to find super cheap flights, e.g. you can fly for 20-40 euros from Frankfurt to "London" using Ryanair. There should be multiple other cheap airlines as well.
I can fly from Brno (CZ) to Eindhoven (NL) with sexy Hungarian stewardesses for sometimes 30euro.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by A Docile Sloth »

haruky wrote: A question for the UKers, how easy is it to get from the UK to the mainland of Europe? From the looks of it, the ferries are actually more expensive than taking the Eurostar. Though, it is more scenic.
You can catch the Eurostar from London and travel into the continent from there. It leaves from St. Pancras Station so there are easy connections with the South East and the Midlands. St Pancras is right next to Kings Cross so access to the East Coast and Scotland is also easy. Euston station is a bit further down the road from St Pancras (10-15 min walk) and give access to the West of the country. I don't know if any buses run from outside London to St Pancras. There are also stops between London and Dover; Ebbsfleet and Ashford.

For ferries, you have to get to the ferry port but you get to see the White Cliffs of Dover. On a clear day, you can see England and France at the same time.

Flying can also be cheaper, as Jokerle said. Easy Jet, Flybe and Ryan Air are the budget airlines that come to mind for cheap flights. Of course, it depends where you want to be and train or ferry may well be cheaper. Plus, they aren't always as close to your destination city as they'd like yo to think.
Where are you going out of country?? Doing some traveling yourself?
No, not travelling. I'm moving to The Netherlands to study for a PhD.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

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haruky wrote: @Funh1t: Woah. The Ural mountains? I really don't mind visiting non-touristy areas at all! How is it to getting there via public transportation?
You can get pretty much anywhere on buses. There is an airport near Yekaterinburg, which is about 1,5-2 hours on a bus (4-5$) from Nizhniy Tagil where I live.
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

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fUNh1t wrote:You can visit me in Russia, because I'm bored.
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Gwynzer
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Re: Travel to Europe. Meet some of yous.

Post by Gwynzer »

Man I just love Jackie Chan fight scenes.
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