THE TRAVEL THREAD

[Grafter]

Miami!

[Dipset]

turkey here i come

[bay_u]

some pics frm paris... (not the bait eiffel, champs elysee etc) wouldve taken mroe pics on the 2nd day but i was so hungover frm the party the night before i jst stayed in the flat all day lolNotre Dameforgot which river this is, just liked the eyes grafittiGeorge Pompidu MuseumParis skyline my friends apartment that i stayed inview from apartment at nightin the morningand my fave pic frm my trip...

[MrJibbles]

Some good pics there, need to get one of those lenses.How much it cost for Paris? I'm searching on some for me and the misses as a surprise for the New Year.Paris is a beautiful city just want to go back and see a lot more of it.Still debating what to do next summer, got Tokyo, Australia or some where in Africa in mind.

[bay_u]

Some good pics there, need to get one of those lenses.How much it cost for Paris? I'm searching on some for me and the misses as a surprise for the New Year.Paris is a beautiful city just want to go back and see a lot more of it.

Paris is so expensive... i didnt even shop out there but to give the idea, a coke can is like one euro, the Jordan True Blues which was £85 retail here was 140 euros...didnt stay at a hotel cos i stayed in my friends flat which saved me a lot...oh yeah and i saw the President and Carla Bruni!!!!!!!!they were in the car tho... carla bruni is so hot.

[E.A.S.E]

For those interested5* Hesperia Hotel Barcelona over XMAS/NEW YEAR 50% OFF if booked by 14TH Oct.

[StreetDreams]

Going Tunisia with my girl on 14th October for a week. Won't be scorching hot, but still nice enough to go around in light clothing and shorts.Anyone been that can recommend me excusrsions or places to go?

I got back from Tunisia 2 weeks ago, been ill for the last week but not too sure if it's holiday related....I stayed in Sousse which I believe is on the East coast, nice beaches, watersports etcThe first few days I hated the place, I went with the wife and everywhere we went we would get hassled by traders/shopkeepers up untill the point where I am being pulled away from burying them cos they cross the line. Try to not make eye contact and even if they seem friendly and act like they know you or ask about a item of clothing your wearing - ignore them - it's all part of the hustle. REPEAT THIS TO YOUR GIRL 1000 TIMES.Visit Port El Kantoui, beautiful uptown place , you can do scuba diving, go on bottomless submarines etc etcYour hotel will most likely have someone for other activities such as quad bikes, jet skis, paragliding etc etc - also prices will start for example at 65 Dinah but can be brought down to 20 dinah, maybe even lessQuad Bikes - Paid 80 (around 35pound) Dinah for 2 people, got bumped as this was when we first arrivedCamels - 30 Dinah for 2 peopleJet Ski/Paraglide/WaterMattress - Paid 90 Dinah for 2 people for all 3 eachThat's a general price of things...Never got to go to Tunisse, it's about 2 hours drive from the beaches... maybe another time.Remember this though and repeat it to your girl, NOTHING IS EVER FREE IN TUNISIA!

[Em Dott]

Safe for that fam. Was coming into this thread to cuss that no one responded to me.We're going to a place called Hammamet. I'm only taking £200 in spending money. Is that sufficient?Going to do all those excursions. I hear you can haggle them down over a lot of stuff. What are the markets saying? I hear you can haggle them down over pretty much everything.

[Guest Lemons]

Going to Spain for a week on Monday.Going to play some golf with my Grandad and Uncle. Should be a laugh and joke.

[Rippy]

[seeing] double.

[Rippy]

Stat, how much were your flights to Beijing & with who?

[DAT_YOUT_FROM_E15]

goin st vincent for my birthday :Drum sun and backoffffffff

[MrJibbles]

Stat, how much were your flights to Beijing & with who?

I paid around the £530 odd mark I think, was with Fly Emirates, I can hook you up with a discount if you want, it's £15 but hey it's something.Total journey time is around 21 hours due to the stop off in Dubai.

[Rippy]

Oh dear. I'm going to have to think things through. (i.e. my total expenditure towards this trip is exceeding my limit).Knew I should have saved the Tokyo visit till next year!& Yeah I think my brother can get the same discount, but I will definitely get back to you on that, thanks.Minus shopping, how much money would you suggest be sufficient per day?? I guess for food & travel really.

[MrJibbles]

Well travel in Beijing is very cheap, if you some how manage to get an Oyster card (it's not called an Oyster card out there) I will say put on a fair amount maybe around 30-100RMB, your journeys will only be 2RMB (about 20p) and that is ANYWHERE on the subway, just get ready for ALOT of pushing to get on and off the subway, they just do not care, another thing they will stare at you like you've never been stared at before, you might feel uncomfortable at first but you'll be fine after a while, I found it pretty cool esp when I was being stopped for pictures.For a taxi now you're going to need your address in Chinese OR you will need to know it in Chinese other wise you're f*cked. What I can do is look for a taxi guide book which gives you address in both English and Chinese then they will be able to find certain places for you. Just get ready to be taken to the wrong place at times. Taxi fares start off at 10RMB (around £1), and sometimes it will just go up very slow. From the airport you can catch a cab and to the centre of Beijing where I was staying it might have hit 90RMB so that's £9! for a 45 minute journey. When you do go back to the airport they'll add on an extra 10RMB because you have to go through the booth.Food wise well you're spoilt for choice, McDonalds is cheaper than here, Pizza Hut far better out there and similar prices. restaurant wise hmm you will get Western places which are similar to here while Chinese places are cheaper. Just be wise about where you pick and eat, some aren't exactly the greatest. Street Market you will enjoy at first but when you walk back on it, it will kick up the sickness! Just normal shops you can get crisps, biscuits etc quite cheap.So a day you might need £20-£30, plus this Oyster type card you're good to go. Without the taxi travel guide you will struggle! Anymore questions just ask and I'll help provide any information I can.

[Rippy]

That's great.If that's the case with the taxi service, I'll try and learn certain phrases before I head off. I'm hoping when I get there I'll be able to find someone to accompany me for translation. Still got a while to go but need to make sure I'm fully prepared for this. (Going there for 4 months).Thanks anyhow! I appreciate it.One last thing, for now, do you know anything about phone usage out there? If I buy a chip or even a phone itself at the airport will that be fine? No worries otherwise, I can always Google/ask around.

[MrJibbles]

You will most definitely need to learn some phrases, that's why I'm looking to take up Mandarin for next year. 4 months you'll really enjoy it, when you flying out?The phone thing, you should be able to pick up a chip, just beware on things there is a lot of fakes in Beijing. My uncle bought a bottle of Grey Goose vodka from the airport and well let's say when you freeze it, it shouldn't end up like it did. They tend to make their OWN vodka so just be careful over things you do buy. What you might find is small electrical shops which sell the stuff, plus there is a massive mall that has a phone shop in.Just a warning, if you're staying in a hotel you're lucky because they will sort out the temporary stay forms, if not you will need to get one filled out. On the plane into Beijing they will hand you immigration and health forms, on the back of one it will explain you will need to go to the local police station to get bits filled out and you will be really lucky if someone speaks English there.

[Nola D]

if the peeps that went new york, what hotel did u stay in? and roughly what prices were u working with? also are hostels safe to stay in? thanks

[JLovely]

Where is a good place to go alone...january times i wana go away.

[Em Dott]

Can't believe I'm going Tunisia in less than 2 days. Still need to get some stuff.Street Dreams, I can only afford to take £200 in spending money. Is that enough to comfortably get by for a week out there or am I scraping by with it?

[Angelo]

if the peeps that went new york, what hotel did u stay in? and roughly what prices were u working with? also are hostels safe to stay in? thanks

Most hostels are safe to stay in so long as you have basic common sense. Just lock your sh*t up, and take whatever you can with you when you go.The hostel I went to has shut down now, and I won't even mention hotels coz it seems like you're on a budget if you're staying in hostels. The hotel I was at was around $120 per night - industry rate. So add another 25-40% on top of that. It was 20 seconds from times square.

Where is a good place to go alone...january times i wana go away.

Cuba.Actually scrap that - as an attractive young girl I wouldnt suggest that to be honest. In fact hell no.What do you want? Beach, cultural/historical significance or what?I've always wanted to go to Rome/Venice/Switzerland - and generally the poncier places in Europe just to get a feel for them. It's not too far a flight, and for a few days you can really feel like you've packed a lot in.I like sh*t like museums and buildings though so it may or may not interest you.

[StreetDreams]

Can't believe I'm going Tunisia in less than 2 days. Still need to get some stuff.Street Dreams, I can only afford to take £200 in spending money. Is that enough to comfortably get by for a week out there or am I scraping by with it?

I spent about the same amount (happened to walk into JD at Gatwick ) , hotel was all inclusive and even though I never ate dinner there I did sometimes eat breakfast and lunch. £200 is fine though, works out probally to around 420-440 Dinahs ...

[Em Dott]

Cheers bro. It's a half board thing so lunchtime is the only time we need to worry about spending money on eating.Also, I'm hearing about some madness how I can't take any Dinah back with me. Also read something quickly saying you can only change your money over there.Do I need to spend it all before I come back or change it back to pounds over there?EDIT: Just read up on it. I can only get the Dinar out there from dealers. If I want the money converted back to pounds, I need to declare it upon entry and keep all receipts for purchases made with dinar.

[Rippy]

You will most definitely need to learn some phrases, that's why I'm looking to take up Mandarin for next year. 4 months you'll really enjoy it, when you flying out?The phone thing, you should be able to pick up a chip, just beware on things there is a lot of fakes in Beijing. My uncle bought a bottle of Grey Goose vodka from the airport and well let's say when you freeze it, it shouldn't end up like it did. They tend to make their OWN vodka so just be careful over things you do buy. What you might find is small electrical shops which sell the stuff, plus there is a massive mall that has a phone shop in.Just a warning, if you're staying in a hotel you're lucky because they will sort out the temporary stay forms, if not you will need to get one filled out. On the plane into Beijing they will hand you immigration and health forms, on the back of one it will explain you will need to go to the local police station to get bits filled out and you will be really lucky if someone speaks English there.

Leaving around the end of February. Can't wait!& Everything you mentioned after makes me dread travelling alone even more. Lol.I will PM you futher questions in the next few months. I will look into that oyster card thing, also.Thanks again!

[E.A.S.E]

if the peeps that went new york, what hotel did u stay in? and roughly what prices were u working with? also are hostels safe to stay in? thanks

Most hostels are safe to stay in so long as you have basic common sense. Just lock your sh*t up, and take whatever you can with you when you go.The hostel I went to has shut down now, and I won't even mention hotels coz it seems like you're on a budget if you're staying in hostels. The hotel I was at was around $120 per night - industry rate. So add another 25-40% on top of that. It was 20 seconds from times square.

Where is a good place to go alone...january times i wana go away.

Cuba.Actually scrap that - as an attractive young girl I wouldnt suggest that to be honest. In fact hell no.What do you want? Beach, cultural/historical significance or what?I've always wanted to go to Rome/Venice/Switzerland - and generally the poncier places in Europe just to get a feel for them. It's not too far a flight, and for a few days you can really feel like you've packed a lot in.I like sh*t like museums and buildings though so it may or may not interest you.

Rome is gorgeous, Saying that though Barcelona has got some gorgeous historical sights too.