Yeah, I have. I'm waiting to see how flights shake out. I'd like to be able to fly into Chiang Mai, but based on the searches I've been running, it seems like they only release one, maybe 2, business class award seats on the flight from Guangzhou to Chiang Mai. Another issue is that there's only a 70 minute layover in Guangzhou, which gives me the heebie jeebies - a 40 minute delay would likely cause me to miss the connection assuming that they close the doors 20 minutes before departure. However, it seems to be no problem to fly to Phuket on business class the whole way. Then when we're done there, we can take an early flight to Chiang Mai that gets us in at 1130am.
Yeah. Beijing was pretty quick at our arrival times but they make you do it and I could see it getting backed up
That's really good to know. I'm surprised that Delta would even offer that ticket knowing that it's likely not enough time to make the connection. That pretty much seals the deal for me that I'll head to Phuket.
I got stranded in the mandatory customs for 8 hours because I didn't have accommodations for a 72 hour visa or my connection's boarding pass yet (it was 1am) I acted like an idiot until they finally just printed me my boarding pass and kicked me into the actual area so I could go through security and get to the lounge
Room 15 To add onto this, what is the minimum recommended stay in Reykjavik? I'm thinking of doing two days on the way back since flight times seem to be more convenient. Thinking of doing the golden circle.
That is a good idea. Are you doing the sleeper van thing or finding a corner to sleep in inside of KEF? The non secure area would be good enough for that IMO. Not really a busy airport. We stayed in the sleeper van one last night and parked just off of airport property. I can point post a jpg with the lot circled if you'd like. My flight also departed around that time. There was nothing special about KEF security. Just about average for the flights leaving the EU that I've taken before. I do not know if Iceland is part of Schengen (sp?) or not, but security seemed the same as within Schengen. You can either do the desk check-in (lines) or go to a kiosk (no lines). You won't get a sticker on your travel documents if you do kiosk and there is a chance you get stopped at your gate by agents, but they just ask you the same questions the desk check in people would have asked you... did you pack your own bags, are you mule-ing anything, etc. very straightforward. Jax Teller between the above and the below email I sent to an IRL friend, here's another Iceland post for the OP Spoiler General Reykjavik is a cool city, but the rest of the country(side) is far more worthy of your time. I read some accounts of people who came to Iceland, but never left Reykjavik (!!). Don't miss Hallgrímskirkja, and try to go earlier in the day before crowds arrive. If you want to drink any alcohol, look into packing it yourself. We bought a couple six packs of beer that turned out to be $18USD each, and it was just local Icelandic beer. Off premises alcohol is only sold in 'vinbudin' stores and they didn't seem to be open for many hours per day. Don't speed. We just got a couple of speeding tickets in the mail from remotely operated cameras. Get the extra collision/damage waivers insurance add-ons from the rental company. Our car had a scratch on it (still have no idea how it got there) which cost us an extra $900USD. Much of the country or roads have little rocks and sand which can also scratch up the car. Make sure you document any existing scratches/dents on the car before you accept it. The sleeper van we rented seemed to be one of the more common ways to do Iceland. It is converted to sleep 2 comfortably (but there are larger ones for 3 people) and came with heater, stove, dishes, etc. A Visa CC should be accepted pretty much anywhere in Iceland. Outside of tipping (see below) We never withdrew or converted any currency. Plenty of natural attractions and features are downright remote and require a little bit of effort to get there (eg Stokksnes, Dettifoss, Dynjandi in the Westfjords, etc). Everything we did was worth the detour, slow driving on unpaved roads, etc. Things to do I read multiple itineraries and THIS is my favorite write up. Some of the below highlights are fleshed out in there. Don't skip the Westfjords! A lot of (intentionally) unpaved sections on the highways, but the payoff is worth it. The Blue Lagoon is super touristy, but it was a great way to end our trip (since we were sleeping in the van, the showers were welcome). There are better more local options along the way, but my friend didn't want to 'spa out' twice. BONUS grocery stores are available in most of the larger towns. They will have most everything you need, English speaking staff, reasonably priced, etc. If the ice caves are open (only open in winter) then do those. Besides the Northern Lights, that's the #1 thing that I missed. Stokksnes - Really cool black sand beach (there are multiple). This one was isolated and the only people there with us were photographers. Seemingly hard to get to, but views of Vesturhorn are breathtaking I dove Silfra with Dive.is. They aren't cheap ($450 I think) but they include all gear and transportation from Reykjavik.The dry suit was a bit cumbersome, but not unpleasant or cold. I did forget to get Icelandic currency before they picked me up so I couldn't tip them. Still feel a little bad about that.
Hard question to answer. I think you'd easily enjoy four days of you had a rental car but two wouldn't be bad, plus like you said it's easy to get there now so you could always go again later. Solo could make the rental car expensive, so maybe you'd be better off booking tours to the golden circle and blue lagoon. I prefer not to do it that way but that might be a more cost effective option.
Very much appreciated. Awesome additional write up as well. We're planning on doing the Silfra snorkel as it's a bit cheaper and neither of us are certified.
Speaking of Yacht Week... I'm doing Ski Weekend April 6-9 in Aspen. Will report back, but I'd imagine it's a lot of skiing with sick apres and a ratio requirement. Edit: I try to ski for a day and now have like 2 pages to catch up on. Cripes almighty guys.
Wife and I just purchased tickets to Paris from April 15-30. I've never been to Europe so I'm super excited. We're thinking of spending 3 days in Paris, 2.5 in Rome, 2.5 in Florence, 2 visiting Cinque Terre, 2.5 in Nice, and back to Paris for 1.5. Would appreciate any info/advice on these destinations or any other must-see place.
Wife and I did Tulum two years ago, but I'm having a hard time finding a good family place that far down. Going with wife, our two kids and our parents. I was just able to lock in a great deal at The Fives and was wondering if anyone else had ever been.
I think the biggest pain in the ass here would be getting into Paris for three days, the first day of which you might be dragging ass, only to pack up to head to Rome to work your way back to Paris. Is there any way to fly into Rome and out of Paris? Seems like it'd be a hell of a lot easier. Two days in Cinque Terre is about right if you're on a schedule. If you're coming from the south take the train all the way north to Monterosso and then hike your way back down; go halfway and stay the night in Corniglia and then finish your way back down to Riomaggiore. Try to hook this up too; your wife will love it: http://www.angelosboattours.com/.
We have a direct flight to and from Paris on Delta, so that won't be changing. We arrive in Paris at 7:30 a.m. We could easily just hop on a plane and head to Rome right away, still have most of the day, and finish with 4 days in Paris. Might make more sense. Also debating Venice over CT. Any advice? I struggle with how much we should see. Personally, I like to chill more on vacations and don't need to always be running around. But, it will probably be awhile before I get back to that part of Europe so it might be best to see more place. Don't know how exhausting that schedule will be, though.
Traveling that much like every other day will take away from the experience unless you're huge into road tripping in general
Like others have said, think you're biting off more than you should. you'll be rushing too much. I think for a 2 week trip. Pick 4 places and then decide length based on what you like to do. Since its your first time in Europe, you're probably going to want plenty of time in Paris or Rome since there's tons to see.
-4 days in Paris -4 days in Rome -4/5 split between Florence and Cinque Terre -Back to Paris/back home Rome and Paris are massive, you need some time to explore and enjoy the city.
I would say Cinque Terre over Venice, easily. And if you enjoy chilling I'd definitely cut down on the number of days you have to pack up and move.
I don't know why he didnt/you wouldn't have the boarding pass for your connection. That's never happened to me
They have a restaurant there called the poop deck which is perfectly not terrible and you can buy a t-shirt that says poop on it. Also when I was there I saw Matt Damon. Feel free to put this write up in the OP.
Tell your airline at check in that you'll be applying for it. Get your next boarding pass if possible Happened to my friend coming home too. It was the next calendar day and a different carrier. Air China doesn't play well with its "partners"
I should be good. I'll be China Eastern the whole way and it's looking like the layover will be 6 hours. Obviously that sucks, but it will be nice to have time to shower in the lounge and walk around and stretch my legs. I know it's just an airport but I think it will be cool to see a bit of a Chinese airport.
Pending updated itinerary: 5 days in Paris, 3 days in Rome, 6 days in Florence. Might take a day trip to Venice and/or CT from Florence. But will see how we feel when we get there. Like the flexibility of this plan a lot more than cramming in more cities for shorter periods of time.
Good call. You'll enjoy settling in and not having to keep repacking and taking some long transit constantly
If you want to an easy day tour of CT I would recommend https://www.walkaboutflorence.com/ we used it on our honeymoon and really enjoyed it. They do a great job.
BamaNug how long was your nye trip? It seems like I am going to do something similar. Fly into Copenhagen, head to Berlin, then to Prague. I'm thinking 3-4 nights in each city. Did you fly into and out of the same airports or did you book multicity tickets?
Not terribly long, I flew out of NY late on December 26, landed in Copenhagen at noon on the 27th. Flew back on January 6 so about 11 days/10 nights. My itinerary was: Spoiler Dec 27 - arrive in CPH Dec 28 - CPH Dec 29 - early flight to Berlin Dec 30 - Berlin Dec 31 - Berlin Jan 1 - Berlin Jan 2 - Berlin--> Prague (take the train, it's only like 4 hours and the scenery is incredible) Jan 3 - Prague Jan 4 - Prague Jan 5 - Prague Jan 6 - Prague --> CPH --> home Some thoughts/recommendations: Spoiler -I found an incredibly cheap flight on Norwegian Air round trip from NY to CPH, so I had to fly back to CPH from Prague on the last day to fly home -I'd suggest a flight from CPH to Berlin, unless you want to stop in Hamburg for a day or 2. It's about an 8-9 hour train ride, and I don't recall a night train, so you don't want to spend a full day traveling. But Hamburg is about a perfect halfway point, but I was there for such a short amount of time I didn't want to try and cram in another city. But a flight from CPH to Berlin is like 45 min - 1 hour, and will cost you like $50-60 if you book in advance. -The train from Berlin to Prague is awesome, and super easy. Only takes like 4 hours and drops you off right in the city center. A flight from Prague back to CPH won't run you more than $100 on EasyJet/Norwegian Air/Ryanair -You could also look at just flying into CPH and then flying back from Prague, but you'll probably find better deals flying in/out of the same airport -If you're there in the summer, I'd probably cut a day off Prague and add another day in CPH. Definitely do 4 nights in Berlin, it was my favorite of the trip, and probably my favorite city in Europe (at the moment). Or, if you're there for 2 weeks, just add 2 more days in CPH and keep the relatively same itinerary. -Hostel One Home, in Prague, is one of the best hostels I've ever stayed at (if you like hostels). There are 2 of them, and make sure you're in the one in the city center. If you get around to booking I can help you out -BaxPax Hostel in Berlin was just alright. I'd probably suggest looking for a livelier hostel (if that's what you're going for). Definitely stay in the Mitte area of Berlin, though.
I'm thinking 5/24 arrive Copenhagen 5/25 Copenhagen 5/26 Copenhagen 5/27 Copenhagen 5/28 train to Berlin 5/29 Berlin 5/30 Berlin 5/31 Berlin 6/1 train to Prague 6/2 Prague 6/3 Prague 6/4 Prague 6/5 ? 6/6 fly to Copenhagen 6/7 fly to Reykjavik 6/8 Reykjavik 6/9 Reykjavik 6/10 fly to Boston I could cut out a day and fly to Reykjavik on 6/6, but I've heard later in the week is the best time to be there. Thoughts anyone?
That looks legit, but I'd still look at flying from CPH --> Berlin rather than a train. But if you have an extra day, could train from CPH --> Hamburg, spend a day and night there, then train from Hamburg --> Berlin. But as far as time in each city it looks really good.
Yea that's a possibility with that schedule since 6/5 is a free day. Or if I decide to fly to Berlin then I could push the Reykjavik leg up a day and get home a day earlier.
Could also just sort of leave it open-ended and decide when youre there. You may hate Berlin and want to leave sooner, or love Prague and want to stay longer. I know I've made the mistake of planning "too much" before and sort of pigeon-holing myself. But it's also necessary to some extent.