National Trust on a budget
(Places to see) Pennywise
Knowing that we would spend some time in the UK we bought a good touring guide which included historic houses, many of which we hoped to visit. Planning a simple 5 day drive out of London we checked off the properties we wanted to see and got a shock when we added up the price. Entrance to many of the houses and grounds was around £5 to £8.50 (£17 for two) and it was obvious that it wouldn’t take much to spend a hundred pounds or more!
Then I took a look at the National Trust website and found an annual membership for two at just £57.75. We covered the cost of the card in the first week. Effectively every other visit was free which made the card a bargain. More good news is that the card could be used in other countries which had reciprocal arrangements with the National Trust.
If you're planning to travel for a while and like the idea of visiting some fabulous properties it makes sense to buy a card at the start. Annual cards are the best value but you can also buy one for 3 months.
Eurostar is the way
(Getting around) J.Karvelas
Travel between London and Paris (and Brussels in Belgium) has never been so easy and so fast. Taking the train is now faster that going by air, if you compare the time from city centre to city centre. Since 14 November 2007 all Eurostar trains have been using a new line on the English side starting from a redeveloped St Pancras station. The English section of the London – Paris line was always the slow part but now the new line, know as High Speed 1, can match that of its continental partner. Travelling at around 300 kmh the journey takes just over two hours - the record being 2 hours 3 minutes 39 seconds from Gare du Nord in Paris.
Now compare that to flying. By the time you allow for additional airport security checks, aircraft taxiing time and clearance those going by train are probably halfway to their destination. Then the plane delivers you to an airport where you must negotiate the crowds and find a train, bus or taxi to get into the city. By the time the air traveller finally arrives downtown the Eurostar passenger has unpacked her bag, enjoyed a cocktail at the bar and is now dawdling along the Champs Elysees.
No, I don't work for Eurostar or own shares in it. But after years of flying I'm now a convert to this service. And if the CEO of Eurostar is true to his word that they will match airfares (with the discounts) then I'm sure that he'll reach his target of 10 million passengers per year by 2010. Checking their website as I write this there are some very attractive specials and weekend packages.
Next time you travel between Paris, Brussels and London try the train – my guess is that you'll never go back to the air. Not only is it comfortable, fast and convenient but it's also giving the planet a break by producing just 1/10th the CO2 per passenger compared to flying (source: Eurostar research).
November 2007
It does exactly what it says on the tin
(Recommended tours) Oystergal
CHIANG MAI PHU THAI TOUR
I managed to stumble across a wonderful tour agent that did exactly what we asked, didn't try to rip us off and was incredibly helpful with information on our additional travels through Laos & Vietnam.
Although not necessary to some this office is TAT licensed & can arrange
Tours, Treks, Visa Arrangements & Hotel & Ticket reservations.
Location:
71 Ratchadamnern Road
Tel: 66-53-206540
www.cmpttour.com
Email: meowmai2005@yahoo.co.uk
They want a reputation for quality service, we definitely received that.
October 2007
Swiss Pass for public transport
(Getting around) Paul
A visit to Switzerland is not complete without at least one trip by train. The old line about Swiss railways always being on time is absolutely correct. Not sure how they do it when the rest of the world fails (try Italy’s railways for example), but if the timetable says you arrive at 1037 hrs then that’s the time you’ll arrive.
The trains are modern, have 1st and 2nd class and smoking and non-smoking sections. They are also comfortable, safe, clean and come complete with big panoramic windows. The trip from Zurich to Italy via the Gotthard Tunnel is a favourite of mine with the train rushing down valleys alongside white-water rivers and waterfalls cascading within metres of your window, and then emerging from tunnels to postcard scenes of old timber houses surrounded by contented cows.
Then there are the funicular railways taking you up impossibly steep slopes to impossibly beautiful summits. Even the commuter trains are great.
So make full use of the railways, ferries and Alpine post-buses as well as trams and city buses by purchasing a Swiss Pass (from 4 days to 1 month) or a Swiss Flexipass (3 to 8 days within a month). There’s also the Swiss Card which may suit your needs. The Family Card allows children under 16 to travel free with a parent.
Purchase before arriving in Switzerland by logging on to Switzerland Tourism at www.myswitzerland.com. You’ll find full details and prices so that you can decide which is the best suited to your needs. Your travel agent should be able to assist.
January 2007
Changi Airport
(Other) Josh
Changi Airport at Singapore is the major transit point between Asia and Europe and most airlines use it as a feeder and refuel stop. It's a huge place and if you're on a short stopover it can be a great spot to freshen up. Forget wasting time in the duty free stores (not particularly cheap) and instead head up the escalators where you can get a shower for a reasonable price. There's no time limit and after a long flight the chance to have a shower and shampoo is a luxury.
If there's time you can also get a massage, manicure or even work out in the gym if you're really keen.
If you then have more time to kill you can catch a movie, enjoy the free internet or even crash out in the quite zone with free sleeping seats.
www.changi.airport.com.sg will give you more details.
No waiting at the Louvre
(Great deals) Chris Millett
Thanks to the RATP there's now no need to join those despairingly long queues of people trying to get into the Louvre. (RATP is the authority responsible for public transport in Paris.) Purchase a combined RATP – Louvre ticket for €12.50 and you'll get two RATP transport tickets (metro, bus, tramway, and RER) and a no-wait entry to the Louvre. It's also valid on the same day for the Musée Eugène Delacroix. As a bonus ticket holders receive a 10% discount at the Louvre's cafés and restaurants.
To purchased just go to any RATP station or Paris Tourism Office (there's one at Charles de Gaulle airport terminal 2F, also Gare de Lyon and Gare du Nord. Your guide book should list them all).
So if you want to spend your day looking at art rather than standing in the queue head for any of the places mentioned about and ask for the combined RATP – Louvre ticket.
January 2008
Saving with City Pass
(Great deals) Lyn B.
Before arriving at your European destination log onto www.europeancitycards.com and check out the great deals available by buying a city pass. Offered by 43 different European cities the cards combine free or discounted access to various attractions and discounts at businesses and restaurants. Free public transport is generally incluced - depending on the city.
On a recent visit to Amsterdam we purchased a "I amsterdam Card" which gave us free entry to 26 museums, unlimited bus, tram and metro travel and even two different boat tours of the canals. We visited the Van Gogh Museum, the Historisch Museum, the Dutch Resistance Museum among others. There are many restaurants and hotels offering 25% discount on meals to card holders. And if you're arriving by car the card gives you free parking in the city which is probably worth the cost of the card by itself.
We paid €53 for a 3 day pass – 1 and 2 day passes are also available. One of the great bonuses of the card system is that you don't have to join the ticket queues at any attraction that's included and you also don't have to worry about trying to work out what tickets you need for the public transport. Just wave the card and off you go - it makes you feel a like a VIP!
We're off to Zurich in June and I've just had a look at the Zurich Pass which seems to be even better value. It will be the first thing packed before we go.
Airline food
(Getting around) Jeeves
Want to know what you'll be eating on your next flight? Visit www.airlinemeals.net to view thousands of in-flight meals on every route imaginable. Some meals look like something you'd find in a top restaurant. Others, well, take a cut sandwich. Or stay at home.
The surprising thing though is just how good most of these meals look. Imagine for a moment a restaurant with 400 guests, all seated in a long skinny passageway, all wanting their food now! Add to that that all the food has to be pre-cooked and served up to 10 hours later!
Makes me start to appreciate just how good the food is - considering.
Tall Flying
(Getting around) Gerry Moran
I read with interest the Travel Tip on how to get the best seats when flying (The Seat Guru). Being tall I try to get the emergency exit row when possible. I tried the Seat Guru and found it excellent for identifying these seats, depending on the configuration of the aircraft. Amazingly Seat Guru knows every configuration flying.
Most airlines allow on-line seat booking up to 72 hours prior to take off. What I now know is that emergency row seating cannot be pre-booked using this system. When I quizzed the staff on this they explained that they need to ensure that everyone seated in these rows is willing and able to assist in case of an emergency. They also need to ensure that only able-bodied passengers are allocated these seats.
As it’s a safety issue this makes good sense. If there is an emergency those passengers seated in the emergency exit rows will be called upon to assist with releasing the door.
So if you’ve got long legs and like the extra room afforded by the emergency row the thing to do is to check with Seat Guru and not go online for your seat allocation. Arrive at the check in early and ask nicely for the seat you want, and remember, never the window seat as the door protrudes into your space.
April 2007
Solo travel for females
(Getting around) Carmen H
Recently when meeting with a few girlfriends the conversation got around to times when we’d travelled solo and it was interesting that we'd shared common difficulties. Lessons we agreed on to ease the path for solo female travellers were:
1. Leave your jewellery at home. The exception being is to wear a simple wedding ring, even if not married.
2. Do not carry a handbag. Use a bum-bag or small day-pack instead.
3. Likewise, carry your camera inside the bag and not over your shoulder.
4. Never say that you’re travelling alone. Instead, “I’m meeting my husband who arrived earlier for a business meeting.”
5. Never assume that a uniform (hotel, driver, police) makes the wearer trustworthy.
6. Avoid eye contact with male strangers.
7. All staff has access to room keys. If at all concerned, prop a chair against the door to your room at night.
8. Wear clothing similar to what the local women wear.
9. Be careful about going out alone at night. If you can, go with a group or another solo female – look for them at the hotel breakfast. My guess is that they’ll appreciate your approach.
10. Walk with purpose. Work out where you’re going before getting out on the street. Stopping to study the guide book along the way will attract attention in many parts of the world.
11. Take care when using taxis, particularly at night.
12. Don’t allow anyone to buy you drinks.
All fairly simple but worth considering. This is not to say that females should not travel alone, or heaven forbid, avoid males altogether. The vast majority of people you meet when travelling will be wonderful and welcoming. But during our travels we had each experienced moments of unwanted attention. Sometimes this was as simple as being a tall blonde female visiting Beijing, something of a rarity still. Other times it was more intrusive.
By taking a little care and following a few simple rules solo travel can be relaxing and enjoyable.
February 2007
Eurail passes
(Getting around) Paul
Driving in Europe can be a nightmare with its unfamiliar road rules, foreign languages and heavy traffic – to say nothing of the problem of parking once you arrive at your destination. We found the best alternative was to travel by Eurail and rent a car at our destination if needed.
For the main part train travel is safe, fast, comfortable and affordable. And Eurail passes offer significant savings on single ticket fares.
There are several different passes depending on your needs.
Eurail Global Pass provides the most extensive travel possibilities with practically unlimited travel in 18 Eurail Global Pass countries stretching from the Mediterranean right through Europe and Scandinavia to the Arctic Circle.
It allows unlimited consecutive-day train travel throughout 18 countries and is good for 15 days, 21 days or 1, 2 and 3 month increments, allowing travel on any day within the chosen validity. The Eurail Global Pass is available for 1st class only.
Eurail Global Pass Flexi offers 10 or 15 days of travel within a 2 month period but travel days do not need to be used consecutively.
Eurail Select Pass lets you choose any 3, 4 or 5 Eurail countries, provided that these are directly connected by a participating Eurail rail company or shipping line. This allows you to create your own tailor-made pass to suit your needs. Options include 5, 6, 8 or 10 non-consecutive days of travel within a 2-month period. 1st class only.
Eurail Regional Pass is ideal for if you are only wanting to visit a couple of countries. There is currently a selection of 18 different Regional Passes and are generally available in 1st class, 1st class saver and youth 2nd class but varies depending on which region you choose.
Eurail National Pass is a single country pass, perfect if you want to see one entire European country in a shorter timeframe! Available in 1st class, 2nd class and youth 2nd class with a slight variance between countries.
Some passes offer discounts for two or more people traveling together.
More information is available at http://www.eurail.com/ which is the official website – avoid the other so-called official sites which are resellers.
September 2007
Silent night
(Getting around) stefi
Dreading the drone of the aircraft? Sick of fumbling under your seat for earplugs that have fallen out for the umpteenth time? Annoyed with the muffled sound you get when using those freebie-airline-headsets?
On my last long haul flight I decided enough was enough and invested in some noise-cancelling headphones. I couldn't believe the difference they made!
And you don't have to spend AU$ 600 for a set of BOSE ones (unless, of course you can afford it...) They sell them on the plane for around AU$ 36. Maybe not as good, but certaintly good enough if you only travel once in a while.
In laymen's terms: When switched on the headset it produces white noise of the same frequency that counters and significantly reduces the aircraft drone.
To my delight the headset came with a battery (needed to turn on the aircraft noise cancelling function) and a 2pin jack to use in the armrest for the inflight entertainment. (You can remove it if you later want to use the headset at home etc.)
The inflight audio was crisp and I could clearly hear all dialogue without having to turn the volume up to max. For some peace & quiet I just pulled out the plug and relaxed!
One tip though - at your first stopover buy a spare battery...
November 2006
The Seat Guru
(Getting around) Bob Green
Ever sat next to the bulkhead on a long flight and wondered what you’d done to deserve your fate? Or endured the seat next to toilets where sleeping is impossible due to the constant flow of fellow passengers looking for relief?
You promise yourself that next time you’ll charm the booking clerk, flash your best smile and hope for something better.
However, the solution is at hand. It’s a brilliant website called www.seatguru.com that lists just about every aircraft of every airline and gives you information that will ensure your next flight is much more enjoyable.
In a plan view of the aircraft seats are colour coded as ‘good’, ‘be aware’ and ‘poor’. You can see the location of exits, galleys and toilets. Pitch (leg room) and width is shown for all seats. This alone will often tell you why some airlines are cheaper than others. The difference between a pitch of 34 inches (good for economy) and 30 inches is enormous after a 15 hour flight.
So before rushing off to the airport, print out a plan of your flight, put on your best smile and say to the clerk, there, I want that seat. Better still many airlines allow you to book your seat online prior to the flight – have the print out next to you when you do.
Happy flying.
July 2007