European tours

[mama squeak!]

so better if DIY na lang para cheaper pala? ang mahal pala ng contiki???

Yes, for me I suggest DIY only if you have the time and patience to plan the trip. Well worth it. You can set up your budget and work from there. Lastly you get to choose how long you want to spend in one place at a time. Walang magmamadali sa yo kasi iiwan kayo ng bus. 

If you backread, there are a lot of tips posted about DIYing Europe. Tanong ka na lang if you have other questions.

 

[vhanya]

^kasama na rin pala minsan dinner and lunch plus river dinner cruise sa contiki so it's a lil more expensive. yun kasi kinuha na tour package ng friends ko. but there are contiki tours that are cheaper.

[goddessella]

Do you already know your airline?
I've carried a trolley suitcase + laptop backpack + purse + 1 checked-in suitcase without any problems. This is with Lufthansa and Emirates.

I just found out today emirates ang sasakyan namin . So emirates allow I carry on and one personal purse? Thanks lavieenrose!


Fabfabfab- yup na nga yung confusing eh. Kasi I read somewhere na nabalik na daw yung one carry on policy. I better ask my tour fascilitator to be sure.

^^ eeeek sorry they lifted the rule na pala nung 2008 pa...

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-01-06-heathrowbags_N.htm

i remember it was such a hassle kasi everytime we land to and depart from heathrow, i'd have to keep my purse inside the duffle para maging isang piece lang sya =)

[iggypop]

ive tried going around europe by joining a tour group (trafalgar - not my thing also), DIY, and by joining a cruise.  based on experience, cheapest and more convenient pag naka-cruise, yun nga lang 1 day lang per city...

sis fabfabfab re cruise, did you avail of the package from pinas?

[FabFabFab)]

goddessella, i flew emirates last november from manila-dxb-milan and i brought one carry on and one personal purse. =)

iggypop, yes we booked here lang thru the travel agency that handles that particular cruise line's bookings here in the Philippines.  Same price lang sa internet kaya okay.  We were able to avail of the Early Bird price pa without having to pay the amount in full.  We gave a deposit lang tapos a month before the cruise lang namin ni-settle yung balance. Unlike pag internet, book and buy. =)  We bought plane tickets on our own na lang din and went to the port on our own kaya we had a few days pa before and after the cruise to go around =)

[mama squeak!]

Fabfabfab- yup na nga yung confusing eh. Kasi I read somewhere na nabalik na daw yung one carry on policy. I better ask my tour fascilitator to be sure.

The one carry on policy in London was already lifted way back in 2008 pa. Yes, you can have two items in the cabin. One carry on bag and one personal item.

[goddessella]

goddessella, i flew emirates last november from manila-dxb-milan and i brought one carry on and one personal purse. =)

oh then it's definitely pwede. our trip's gonna be manila-dxb-netherlands i think, via emirates

The one carry on policy in London was already lifted way back in 2008 pa. Yes, you can have two items in the cabin. One carry on bag and one personal item.

i see! thanks! i mustve been reading some outdated materials. thanks for clearing it up!
how's the weather late april - early may in netherlands, france, italy, rome, germany, switzerland?

is it okay if i just bring lots of leggings, a smart blazer, and layers na lang ako ng tops and jeans + leggings if malamig?

[mama squeak!]

^Late April is spring time in Europe so it won't be as cold as the earlier months. Layering should keep you warm in case it gets a bit cold. You should be fine with your planned get up.

 

[goddessella]

okay. thanks mama squeak!

now i just gotta figure out how to make leggings chic, as ive read europe is more dressier than the US.

[snowflakes08]

Does anyone can recommend a good hotel in Barcelona and also DIY itinerary?

[mama squeak!]

^sis, backread ka nasa reply #46 . May GT sis na nakapag-Barcelona na. Probably you can PM her to help you with your itinerary.

 

[Frenzied]

My cousin who is based in london is inviting us to visit, would London be a good base if we want to visit other european countries like france, italy, etc. Though no concrete plans yet but we are considering it ( not soon though). We need to plan thoroughly para sulit our trip.

[mama squeak!]

^sis, it can be a jumping point or end point of your tour but as a base for a continental European tour medyo mahirap. What countries do you plan to go to?

[FabFabFab)]

snowflakes08, it's so easy to go around Barcelona..  with the help of a map, we walked lang actually from one tourist spot to another... from the area where Duana de Barcelona and Monument a Colom are, we walked lang through the whole street of La Rambla.  Madadaanan mo na dun yung La Boqueria and Font De Canaletes.  Just right after is Plaza de Catalunya.  From there, we walked lang going to Passeig de Gracia to see Gaudi's Casa Batllo and Casa Amatllier.  Walking distance nalang din yung Casa Mila. After that is the only time we took the cab going to La Sagrada Familia and cab ulit going to Parc Guell =)

Aside from Barcelona, Ive only been to a few places in Spain (Madrid, Toledo and Palma) pero for me, Barcelona is the best.  Hindi magulo, hindi din sobrang boring =)

Frenzied, i tried going around EU before and London was our base, only because I took some classes there so I had to go back to London talaga.  Yun nga lang, taking the train was never an option for us kasi we can't afford to waste long hours on the train kaya we ended up spending a lot for plane tickets.  mama squeak is right, it can be a starting point but i won't recommend na bumalik-balik ka doon. =)

[Frenzied]

Thanks for the inputs Fab and Mamasqueak!

[mama squeak!]

Hi ! Has anyone try driving in Tuscany?  My friends and I are planning to rent a villa near Siena and tour the neighboring towns.

sis, have you found your rental villa already? I've found one in Poggibonsi, an hour train ride away from Florence. It's actually in between Siena and Florence. A good base to drive around the Tuscan hills. Hubby and I with a couple of friends are planning to stay for a week.

I found the villa on this website: www.homeaway.com

 

[Mhoirae]

sis, have you found your rental villa already? I've found one in Poggibonsi, an hour train ride away from Florence. It's actually in between Siena and Florence. A good base to drive around the Tuscan hills. Hubby and I with a couple of friends are planning to stay for a week.

I found the villa on this website: www.homeaway.com

 

Hi ! When are you planning to go?  My friends and I are having second thoughts, driving may be too challenging for us.
Please tell me how it goes for you.

[mama squeak!]

^Ay sayang naman, sis! Adventure din yun     We're still in the planning stage and still deciding whether to go in April or September next year (Godwilling!). But we're leaning more towards the spring season so mga April. I'll be updating this thread as we go along in the planning. Excited na!

Please update us also on what you finally decide to do para we can pick up tips.

 

[baliya15]

plan namin ni bf icelebrate our honeymoon sa europe. tipid ang wedding,bongga ang honeymoon.hehe. pero matagal pa naman, backread at research muna ako..

[mama squeak!]

For those ladies going or planning on a European tour, if you'll be in the area of Florence you can check out the outlet stores where some luxury brands are being sold. Here's the website of one:

 http://www.themall.it/TheMall2_1.html

There is also a Prada outlet store called Space nearby (no website available).