Mainly info re off-season travel using apartments and travelling by car.
A week in each geographic area works really well as well as
satisfying some booking conditions ( generally Saturday to Saturday ).
A week may give adequate time to explore and enjoy the local areas and cultures.
New info on GPS, Google Earth and Internet, see headings below.
Try to limit the distances in your holiday.
Avoid wasting your holiday time in airports and carefully consider the following :
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Self drive, apartments and self catering : Holidaying at your pace discovering local attractions, privacy & low food/wine costs. Self drive & Hotels : Hotels can be expensive, no real privacy, no room to relax, no self cater, restricted or pay parking. Self drive & Motels : Highway Chain Motels are cheap, clean & modern but no room to relax and no self cater, parking OK. Self drive & B&B / Pension : B&B mainly UK. Often not cheap or modern, usually share facilities with owners and no self cater. Train travel : Accommodation generally restricted to expensive hotels near train stations. Costing is OK for single travellers. . . . . . 4 day France / Italy Eurail from Aus$376 pp, 4 day Swiss Pass Aus$398 pp 2nd Class, self drive is much cheaper for 2 or more. Back-packers : Usually group accommodations with a good support network aimed at younger travellers. Coach packages : Safe, tight touring schedule of cities and main tourist attractions, tourist traps, tips usually expected . . . . . Side trips and other add-on extras such as banquets, etc. are expensive. . . . . . Some Hotels are well positioned for post tour walks, etc.... "Ah, it's Friday, this must be Salzburg ?" Hitch-hike and stay with friends : Not recommended. Can be dangerous travelling & friends may become former friends. From June to August most of Europe is on holiday and it is very hot, roads, accommodation, restaurants and attractions are crowded and I advise going "off season" in March to May (Spring) or September to December (Autumn, but getting colder). Shoulder air fares are cheaper and "Early Birds" better still if you are organised early enough. Consider joining Frequent Flyer. B.A. have a World Traveller Plus class between Business & Economy which can be very attractive. Qantas introduced Premium Economy in 2008 to various International routes. 2008 saw fuel surcharges increased so book and pay early was the go. 2009 recessional climate provided flight "Specials" such as a child for free or half-price Business, but usually as last-minute options. As your air-fares are a major outlay I recommend booking through a good travel agent, not the internet, for back-up if things go wrong. Ever tried ringing some Help Line, especially from overseas ? Clothes needed include layers, warm coat, gloves, scarf, hat, walking shoes, umbrella and camera. There are also warm days. April 2007 was the hottest UK April since weather has been recorded (350 years). November 2009 floods ! Do not worry about language as your body language, and politely pointing to what you want works really well. In France, especially, basic words like "bonjour" & "merci" really help heaps. The Euro has made most of Europe easy in transactions. The item below is Apartments and the best way to use them is by self-drive as using train / bus / taxi can be very difficult. Driving on the "wrong side" in Europe is not difficult and Europeans generally are very fast but have very good road manners. Staying in the right lane, giving way to the right, driving fast but with due caution (so radar is rare), always giving way to pedestrians (who unfortunately flaunt this) are a constant source of amazement as Australian road manners are poor, lanes are not properly observed and not giving way, running red lights, erratic driving and road rage are prolific, there is preoccupation with radar being a speed deterent ? and pedestrians, cyclists & motor cyclists have to live dangerously. Experience it yourself ! For 2 or more driving is an adventure and quite affordable and yes, you will often get temporarily lost. Carefully consider buying a GPS but you will need European or USA, etc. maps available on SD card for some makes & models. Australian units only have Australian mapping installed and dirt roads may not be included. Some GPS can help you when walking or enable you to find where you left the car and there are Google Earth possibilities ! Peugeot and Renault have "lease" deals booked in Australia which are very good and can be much cheaper than renting. Your car is new and can be collected or dropped off outside France. There may be early bird reductions on this price. In 2003 we collected a Peugeot 206 diesel in Rome for AUS$200 which was cheaper than our fuel cost back to Paris. We rented a car in UK as it was much cheaper than using trains but note that the M1 and others can get grid locked for hours. The DriveAway Holidays brochure is a good reference but your Travel Agent should be able to get a very good rental price or the internet is now becoming good for booking car hire. Fuel is expensive but choice of a suitable size diesel works well. The boot should take all your cases to not attract thieves. Apartments booked at up to 300km intervals works well but use motorways to each, then enjoy local drives. Motorway tolls apply in France and Italy and some you pay only as you exit and credit cards are OK, a 10 day display Vignette purchased at garages as you cross the border or on the motorway is required in Austria & Czech, Swiss has a different duration, autobahns are free in Germany but the slow lane is usually about 100km/hr ! Good standard are generally about AUS$70 / night ( 40 Euro ) in villages or on farms and bookings are usually Saturday to Saturday. Most are an excellent standard and most supply linen in the price, heating can be extra and expensive in Italy. "Search Engine" words are France / "Gite", Germany and Austria / "Ferienwohnungen", Italy / "Agriturismo". Internet searches detail size, features, photos, prices and how to book. Search for your general interest geographic area. The owners are usually lovely house proud people and you have the luxury of your own privacy and space to do your own thing. $$$. Deposit and/or full payments can be expensive. Some properties use credit and your details sent in 2 separate emails usually works well or via phone call plus using Skype makes this a cheap option. Electronic Transfers I believe are virtually non-existent. Some properties use PayPal which works well if you are on the internet. Bank Drafts or Cheques are expensive but Western Union can work reasonably well. Some properties will purely trust you to be there at the appointed time and pay in cash, please do not disappoint them. A good alternative to apartments/ferienhaus/gites/agriturismo/etc. but usually more expensive is Logis de France, categorised and generally comfortable privately run hotels often with meals available. If travelling between apartments and you just need basic accommodation then look near major highways at major towns for Formula 1, Villages, Premiere Class, etc. Motels. These are self contained, basic, bed/s for 2-3, TV & shower/toilet. Prices are very good and it is wise to find one before 5pm. Usually a credit card transaction and some premises are fully automatic, ie; no book-in staff. Separate showers may be self-cleaning. Eateries are usually quite close. Breakfast is sometimes optional whilst large supermarkets usually have these facilities. Check COTA for excellent Travel Insurance savings and inexpensive Membership as the backup can be quite important. Restaurants are expensive and sometimes disappointing so apartments enable self catering and generally food prices are the same or better than Australia except meat and fish. Liquor prices are excellent and a huge range. Some clothing bargains. Make sandwiches for lunch to maximise quality sight-seeing time and cut costs. Toilets require tipping or charge except McDonalds who also have the cheapest (and OK) coffee, always carry some 50c coins. Most attractions charge 7 to 10 Euros but some things you just 'gotta see' and off-season at least you can get in ! Car parking has become a necessary evil, drive to the attraction, then look for the closest park, off season and Sundays sometimes are free but be careful, read the signs carefully. On season, forget it. Paris street parking is 2 Euro/hr and almost non-existant whereas parking stations are 3 Euro. We parked opposite the Louvre ! A monthly bus/metro pass in Paris requires a passport photo, well worth the cost. Supermarkets are found at the outskirts of larger towns and generally open Mon -Fri about 12 hours, Sat mornings, closed Sundays and smaller ones may close 12-2pm. Many only accept local currency and Visa, etc. cards are now more prevalent. It pays to ask before purchasing and the same applies to fuel. You must remember these limitations when moving from one apartment to another so buy your necessary food and wine on Friday before your Saturday move. GERMANY Bad Windsheim, vicinity Rothenburg on Tauber. Kur & Golf Apartment. Ute Wattenbach Impeccable apartments in easy walking distance to the interesting old town through spa clinic (Kur) gardens, wow ! Chieming, Lake Chiemsee, vicinity Salzburg. Ferienwohnungen. Anneliese Wennesz Spacious, comfortable apartments about 5 minutes easy walk to Lake Chiemsee and village. Close to Austrian alps. Trauchgau, vicinity Fussen. Ferienwohnungen Rositzke or Homeaway / Fewo-direct Comfortable apartment close to Austrian alps. Also apartments at Costa Brava, Lago Maggiore & Nordsee Altenau, vicinity Harz. Ferienwohnung Bergblick 2 comfortable apartments in an ideal part of the Harz Mountains. Bad Schandau, vicinity Czech Bohemian Switzerland. Ferienwohnung auf dem Bauernhof 2 comfortable apartments in a farm. Feriendorf Eichwald, by Gossersweiler-Stein in the Rhineland-Palatinate. Holiday apartment. Kurt Schneider Great apartment in a forest setting, central location for sight-seeing, accommodates up to 7, 3 bedrooms AUSTRIA Oberloiben, Wachau, vicinity Vienna. Ferienwohnungen. Karl Brustbauer Charming apartments next to the River Danube in the Wachau UNESCO heritage premium wine area with a great winemaker host. Poysdorf, between Vienna & Czech republic. Das Veltlinerhaus 3 Ferienwohnungen & 1 Zimmer, great hosts Poysdorf has unique attractions and scheduled entertainment in the Gstetten. Edelsbach, 20km from Graz, Southern Styria. Ferienwohnungen Pachler-Leopold 3 apartments. ITALY Castelli Romani area 50 minutes south of Rome and 8 km from Velletri, Agriturismo Croce del Tufo. Valerio Dellorco 100sq m 3 bedroom house for 6 people handy to Cori, Sermoneta, Frascati, Nemi, Castel Gandolfo, Tivoli, beaches, etc. Volta Mantovana, vicinity Lake Garda. Agriturismo Gardenali. Maria Carasi Spacious apartments in a vineyard with Venice or Lake Garda for day trips. Venice day parking was 20 Euros in 2007. Vicinity Ferrara, Rovigo, Padova. Nel cuore del Delta del Po. Agriturismo Forzello Maura Rocchi. Spacious apartments with Venice or Lake Garda for day trips. Small hamlet of Rolle, halfway between Venice & dolomites. Agriturismo I Piai di Rolle 2 storey country house surrounded by Prosecco Doc vineyards, suitable for 2 persons. Vicinity Vicenza, close to Bassano di Grappa, heart of the Veneto. Cas predemaule die Sotto choice of 2 apartments or a house Greve-in-Chianti, Tuscany, vicinity Florence. Agriturismo Falciani. Patrizia Falciani Individual apartments in a vineyard with views in Tuscany, between Florence and Sienna, who could ask for more ? Pietrasanta, Tuscany, vicinity beaches & Pisa, Viareggio, Alpi Apuane. Fabrizio Cattani Apartment for 6 at € 500 per week FRANCE Paris / Marais / St Paul Metro. Mary Anne Runciman, 08.83898050, great location, long term rent preferred Paris Flats. Australian owners, John Hempton & Jo Kalowski. Book & pay in Australia, from AUS $1,000 / week. Paris inner city near Bastille charming 2 bedroom apt, suits 1 - 4 persons, airport pickup. Ph 08. 8431 9584 after 7pm Paris Apartments Web : Rental France. Agent Pascal has a good reputation on several travel forums Paris. Hotel Dieu Hospitel Paris. In a hospital opposite Notre Dame. 126€ /night for 2 in 2009. Good Trip Advisor references Draguignan, Provence, vicinity St Tropez. Gite #1360. Daniel Del-Pia. Phone 0494684770. Gites de france, Var area Character and comfortable Gite in a vineyard, lots of day-trips, Monaco, etc. Patio lunches ? You bet ! Villefranche-sur-Mer, Nice Area, Cote d'Azur - Riviera. 42sqm studio, excellent views, terrace, 2 persons. Details Montferrier (Barthale), near Carcassone, Mirepoix, Foix. Gite #SR0088. Delightful comfortable 2 storey Gite in the fascinating Cathar region near Chateau Montsegur and ski area. Lourdes, Andorra, Toulouse day trips. Gites de France Talloires ( Balmette ), Lake Annecy, vicinity Geneva. Gite Rural #275003. Richard Mazille, in Haute Savoie. Not only a lovely apartment but what a view of Lake Annecy, 100m away, and close by alps drives, unbelievable ! Ferrette, vicinity Basel, Germany & Switzerland. Gite #5800. Fabienne Blauel, in Haut-Rhin. Well appointed, comfy, just outside town, view of the castle, day trips to Rhein Falls, Lucerne, Basel, Colmar, etc Lauzerte, Quercy Region, 1 hr North of Toulouse. Renovated cottage : Les Chouettes. Up to 4 persons. Views, quiet, great area, medieval towns. J & G McDonald, Victoria, Australia 03.98777513 SW unspoilt market town. Norma Carter refurbished stone house in wine region. Australia 08.82232707. Logis de France. Web : http://www.logis-de-france.fr (select required Department/area) Comfortable, friendly Hotels all over France, categories reflect in the prices. Gites de France. Web : http://www.gites-de-france.fr (select required Department/area) Gites (apartments or houses) all over France, the choices on the web-site will wet your appetite. Paris Travel etc., Information : Paris In Sites. Web : Linda Thalman's Paris In Sites All sorts of travel goodies CZECH REPUBLIC Hlasna Treban, adjacent Karlstejn Castle, 28km to Prague Web : Interhome Up to 7 persons, comfortable, good base for touring and handy to Prague. Currency generally Krona but can use some Euro. GREEK ISLANDS Santorini. Web : http://www.thea-apartments.gr/ 60 Euros per night in October which is a great time to visit, great ocean views, ferries no problem. RUSSIA St Petersburg. Web : Petersburg Lodging Good apartment locations, selection, details, prices. Larisa very helpful, also Visa invitations, airport transfers and testimonials FINLAND Lomarengas Agency. Cottage, farm, b&b selection, details, prices, festivals info, car hire. USA / NEW YORK Web : New York Large apartment in newly refurbished house "Smeralda" at Valley Stream, 10km JFK, 20km New York City, train and shops close, huge saving in rent compared to New York so rent a car at JFK for general use but use the train to Penn Station in New York, 35 minutes and US$17 return (US$8-50 for Seniors), great hosts. HONG KONG Web : Hoi Ming Mansion . 3 bedroom, quiet, refurnished apartment in Tsuen Wan with a view, bus terminal, supermarkets, Cafe de Coral restaurant & other dining in the complex, huge saving in rent compared to hotels and other apartments plus away from tourist areas, ideal location between Airport & Tsim Sha Tsui. SHANGHAI Web : John & Jenny's Shanghai Condo. 1 bedroom, fully furnished apartment, centrally located with all amenities. It is one of the most exclusive condominium complexes in Shanghai with spectacular balcony views. Walking distance to Yu Yuan Garden, convenient to Peoples Square (Shanghai Museum), Huai Hai Zhong Lu, Nanjing Lu (shopping) and the Bund. Buses and taxis are available at the complex. JAPAN Web : Weekly Mansion Osaka at Otemae. Various size apartments Other World-wide Accommodation : Web : Homelidays Organisation for access to private Holiday Rentals. 34000 rentals in 95 countries, self-catering & B&B Web : Vacation Rental By Owner Quick loading, easy to use, indicates capacity & prices Web : Holiday Rentals 45,000 self-catering holidays & villa holiday rentals across Europe & USA Web : InterHome 30,000 holiday rentals across 21 Countries Web : Owners Direct 27,000 holiday rentals worldwide Web : http://www.eurapart.com/budget.html European cheap hotels, budget chains & prices, air, car, etc info & links Web : http://www.expatriates.com A clear listing of apartments available around the World with features and contact details. Did you know there are about 750,000 Australians living overseas ? GLOBAL : Visa Link Global visa & passport info Get Up and Go, Seniors Card practical travel info Lonely Planet, World Travel Smart Traveller Travel problems, tips, advice World Expeditions Travel Car Rental World Wide Russian Visas. An "invitation / podtverzdeniye" is needed Tom Galvin's Travelogues. 300 articles & 2,500 photos for various Countries taken 2001-2005 AUSTRALIA : Adelaide Airport : Flight times, web cam, etc. Australia Travel Specials : Flights . Accommodation . Travel Auctions Adelaide Coachlines. 82932107 Banksia Tours : 83805687 Eureka Coach Tours : 82655911 National Harvest Labour Info Service Fruit & veg picking. 1800062332 Dereks 4WD Tours 86484006 Based in Flinders Ranges Melbourne : Apartments from $150. 1300 301 630 Tourism Australia. Travel & holiday planning Tourism Australia. Facts & figures about Australia Tourism Australia. Visa requirements, Dept Immigration & Citizenship Tourism Australia. Video footage of Australia Tourism Australia. Video footage of Australia Tourism Australia. Tourism research Tourism Australia. Info on key international markets Tourism Australia. Student Enquiries Tourism Australia. Student Volunteer Program Tourism Australia. Employment Opportunities, worldwide Tourism Australia. Positions in Australia Tourism Australia. Trade events ASIA : Asia Hotel Deals Asia Travelnotes Asia info Bali Hotels, resorts, villas China Travel Service (Aust) Circle of Friends Asia info Hong Kong Kayak & Hike Hong Kong Guide for budget travellers, heaps of good links & info Indochina Travel Japan Japan National Tourist Org. Sydney Japan Tokyo tours by volunteers Japan Kanagawa Prefecture Japan Saitama Prefecture Japan Chiba Prefecture Malaysia Tourism New Asia Pacific travel China, Vietnam tours Peregrine Adventures SE Asia Travel Taiwan Tourism Judly Int. train tour, etc. 1800880062 Travman Tours China, India tours Global Tours China tours INDIA : India Travel India Passport Travel 1800337031 India Ram World Travel India Travel by motorbike & coach 02.49751828 Kerala Ayurveda India. Ayurveda, Yoga Holidays & Medical Packages in Kerala. UK : Scotland 2007 Year of the Highlands events Britian Info Cornwall World's largest geodesic biomes UK Personal touring Frixo UK live road traffic information, updated every 3 minutes EUROPE : Cheap Airfares : Europe Ryan Air Cheap Airfares : Pisa Airport Usually no more than € 70 for a return ticket to Amsterdam, Glasgow, Paris, etc. Germany, Official Tourism site Germany, Castles Germany, Oktoberfest Germany, Berlin Holland, Amsterdam Finland MyPlanet Travel Agent : Baltic, etc. Paris Apartments from$140 Rome Bed & Breakfast Assoc of Rome. B&B's + Apartments. Info on Rome & Italy USA & CANADA : Las Vegas Visitor info Spectrum Holidays Alaska Marine Ferryliners trips Seattle Boeing Tours Seattle New York Village Guest House. Colleen Goujjane. No Smoking Trip Advisor Web site for user's reviews of accommodations World Wide, this one for Village Guest House above NEW ZEALAND : New Zealand Ski Deals New Zealand Seniors Card CHILE : LAN Chile Flies Sydney to Santiago, then domestic flight to : Ice fields of Chilean Patagonia. Travel Oct - Mar. GLOBAL FESTIVALS : Semana Santa. Guatemala - March Chariot Festival. Puri, Orissa, India - July Day of the Dead. Oaxaca, Mexico - October Shandur Polo Tournament. Pakistan - July Naadam Festival. Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia - June Losar Tibetan New Year. Tibet - February Kyoto Geisha Festival. Kamogawa River banks - May Pushkar Camel Fair. India - November Inti Raymi. Festival of the Sun, Peru - June Burning Man Festival Black Rock Desert, Nevada 2010 Commonwealth Games, Delhi 2010 World Expo, Shanghai 1/5 - 31/10 I have little knowledge of USA apartments but we extensively used ExitInfo, now known as Travel Coupon Guide free voucher books available from Denny's Restaurants which list Motels in that part of the States with special discount prices which are usually not disputed but on a walk up availability basis. These vouchers also have directions to find the Motels which make it real easy. Off season is easier. Another internet listing is Room Saver and the free booklet is available along the Interstates or try Super 8 Motels, generally a good standard. Outback USA away from the cities is great such as Grand Canyon and the National Parks, Yellowstone is a bit remote. Las Vegas is great and you do not have to gamble but do not go Friday or Saturday as accommodation prices are high. Sam's Town, Las Vegas, is good but off the Strip, room rates are good, quiet & spacious, check internet specials but best to hire a car at the airport prior via the internet even though there are shuttles available. Dollar rental is OK and also fine for New York as car can be returned to Manhattan handy to cruise ship terminal. GPS can be quite cheap at Walmart and other stores and include USA & Canada mapping being cheaper than buying your map in Australia. There are frequent internet specials for many cruises such as Senior Cruise Offers but usually advertised very early or late. The Inside Passage 7 day Cruise with Holland America Line ex Vancouver to Skagway, etc. can be excellent value, scenery, food and shows are great and they even have a no-tipping policy which Aussies love. Ferries are an alternative. Round off this Cruise by using a rent car to drive the Icefield Parkway from Banff to Jasper, and back again ! This allows plenty of time to stop and view the sights rather than zip through in the train. Some cruises have severely lacking procedures for initial boarding, port by port and final disembarkations which can really mar the cruise experience plus virtually compulsory tipping. Advise upgrading to an outside cabin and the lowest levels of the ships are fine, mid-ship is smoother if possible to request. In port excursions are generally over-priced. You cannot take alcohol on board many cruises as they want to sell it. On-board internet is over-priced.
Paris - Rome 1428kms, Paris - Frankfurt 600kms, Paris - Marseille 787kms, Calais - Paris 291kms, Madrid - Lisbon 623kms, Lisbon - Porto 305kms, Barcelona - Paris 1097kms, Milan - Paris 850kms, Munich - Paris 855kms, Munich - Rome 1319kms, Venice - Rome 531kms, Berlin - Paris 1057kms, Berlin - Munich 290kms, Zurich - Paris 668kms. Download Google Earth free to your PC makes planning your trip so much easier plus it is very interesting to view anywhere in the World. There is a new feature where you may be able to view buildings such as your house from photos taken at street level. Search areas have lots of tourist info & photos plus you can measure the distances. Google Maps are good. Mappy or ViaMichelin can produce strip maps including tolls and other useful info but just using a GPS is fine. You can email ( mouse right click ) a location that you have placemarked & titled in Google Earth. Buy a GPS before you go ( refer above for USA ) with good maps, Garmin is brilliant with 1 map for most of Europe. You will still need basic printed maps for orientation as new roadworks create some chaos and the Czech Republic at 2008 has minor errors such as trying to cross rivers on foot-bridges. In Czech, drive with headlights on, A to B can be slow, speed limits are observed, some roads sub-standard. Use the Quickest Route plus No Toll Roads GPS settings unless in a hurry as tolls mount up quickly. At 2008 Europe has little ADSL "Free" access, it is painfully slow and you register on line so use Internet Cafes in large cities. McDonalds may provide free WiFi, again just register on-line but be patient.... Starbucks provide access in USA and Libraries may also. Luxembourg is a "hot" city with access anywhere after you register. Some access may only be in the current language so difficult to interpret. SMS using a mobile is still a good and cheap way to communicate but does not work in USA. About 22 cents from Aus & 60 cents from Europe per SMS. Feedback and updates on this information are most welcome. Email
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