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Author Topic: European Tours II  (Read 92960 times)

mama squeak!

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #100 on: May 24, 2011, 02:37:06 pm »
@italiandoll, try checking Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Malaysian, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa (via Bangkok).

 :)

italiandoll

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #101 on: May 24, 2011, 04:28:38 pm »
^thanks mama squeak :)

goddessella

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #102 on: May 24, 2011, 09:40:58 pm »
@melodymedley - we were all pinoys but we met some pinoys from other tour groups, they were mixed in with foreign tourist.. my agent said, kung isa ka lang daw or konti lang kayo, they mix you in with foreign tourists.. iba iba kasi package nila, depending on the needs of the group. :D

regarding the eiffel tower - yea, the lines were crazy long, but if you pre-book like we did, there's a separate line and the wait's not bad at all. around 5-10 mins lang..

melodymedley

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #103 on: May 24, 2011, 10:34:14 pm »
@italiandoll: i bought my RT Economy MNL-AMS ticket via Cathay Pacific for only USD 1015. Pwedeng pwede na! May sale sila until May 31.My second choice was with Emirates which was around USD 1200 - last I looked.

@lavieenrose: Good idea on the excel file for the outfits. Can you share your basic clothing pieces? E.g. Coat - (how many?), Pants, Shirt.

Shoes? I am thinking of bringing three pairs of shoes.  1)Boots (I wear during the flight so I wont carry - hassle lang sa check-in), 2) comfy closed walking shoes 3) dressy shoes (no idea what). Problem ko is the Cinque Terre trek - might need to bring some sneakers. i just use Tribu sandals for local hikes eh.

Side question: Where/How do you do laundry? I plan to bring 7 pairs of clothing so mga 2x lang ako maglalaba during the trip. Any insights?

@mama squeak!: Thanks for the Frankfurt suggestion. I found a lunch time flight :) Haist. I am still torn whether I should go to Bacharach. Saw the town pics and they are really enchanting. More thiking whether I should proceed there.

Lots of tours can also be booked. Uffizi, Accademia can be booked online na. Just a matter of when i should book - after getting the visa probably. Pero dapat swak ang dating ko lagi sa destination ko - not much room for delays.

For those also planning, this website is really helpful:
http://www.italylogue.com/

goddessella

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #104 on: May 24, 2011, 11:28:07 pm »
@melodymedley actually, everytime two nights kami sa isang hotel, i wash my clothes myself.. i bought 5-6 pairs of leggings tho. easier to wash.. :D

shoes, i brought three: knee high boots (i wasnt able to wear 'em.. bwisit), my gold crocs prima flats (with the right accessories it can go from dressy to casual) and this bling-ed out gold TOMS.

i go to lots of treks here in the phils, instead of the usual trek sandals, i wear a cloth shoes (much like the ones sanuk or crocs sell, in my case i use the crocs) and/or my vibrams because i prefer wearing a closed shoe rather than expose my feet and toes to the sand. :D

lavieenrose

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #105 on: May 25, 2011, 01:28:27 am »
@lavieenrose: Good idea on the excel file for the outfits. Can you share your basic clothing pieces? E.g. Coat - (how many?), Pants, Shirt.

Shoes? I am thinking of bringing three pairs of shoes.  1)Boots (I wear during the flight so I wont carry - hassle lang sa check-in), 2) comfy closed walking shoes 3) dressy shoes (no idea what). Problem ko is the Cinque Terre trek - might need to bring some sneakers. i just use Tribu sandals for local hikes eh.

Side question: Where/How do you do laundry? I plan to bring 7 pairs of clothing so mga 2x lang ako maglalaba during the trip. Any insights?
:
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Lots of tours can also be booked. Uffizi, Accademia can be booked online na. Just a matter of when i should book - after getting the visa probably. Pero dapat swak ang dating ko lagi sa destination ko - not much room for delays.

For those also planning, this website is really helpful:
http://www.italylogue.com/

Hi :) For my clothes plan, I read somewhere that if you stay two weeks, you must use each piece of clothing twice; for a three week stay, thrice, and so on. I'm bringing mostly dresses since they're easier to pack and are less bulky. :) I rolled them up and secured with rubber bands, so my clothes only took 1/4 of my luggage. I will only bring 1 pair of jeans which I'll wear for the long flights. I'm actually quite unsure it might get too cold for short dresses, so I'm bringing cardigans and tights with me just in case. When do you plan to leave, and how will the weather be like? I won't bring a coat, since I find it bulky. :)

I'm also bringing three pairs of shoes, no boots though haha hindi bagay sa suot ko. I also only wear boots in winter. Hopefully it will be a relatively warm springtime.

Laundry- I plan to handwash lang since the clothes are mostly lightweight. Two of the airbnb apartments we book also have washing machines, so I will just be bringing sachets of laundry powder.

You can book Uffizi, Accademia, Bargello tickets here: http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/Uffizi/default.aspx
The other websites are more expensive since they're third party vendors.

lavieenrose

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #106 on: May 25, 2011, 01:34:01 am »
La Tour Eiffel made some improvements! One can book tickets online as long as you have a specific date and time you would want to visit/climb the tower. Ticket holders have their own special entrance, no more humongous queues. Check their website:

http://ticket.toureiffel.fr/letter-css5-sete-pg3001.html

Re insurance, lately all my travel insurances are with Blue Cross too. I just give my travel agent a call and voila! Delivered to my doorstep.   :)

Thanks for the link mama squeak! :) Will definitely check this out.

italiandoll

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #107 on: May 25, 2011, 04:17:57 pm »
@melodymedley : thanks! The thing is we'll be departing from CDG to MNL, so I can't book a RT fare from AMS, unless from CDG we go to AMS via train?  I checked CX, MNL-AMS-CDG-AMS-MNL would cost 784 USD + 948 EUR = around 93K PHP.  Waaaah!  For EK, it's around 84K PHP. 

melodymedley

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #108 on: May 25, 2011, 10:36:27 pm »
@goddessella - Hmmm... I guess I should consider bringing a pair of Sanuk for the trek

@lavieenrose - I will be there from the 3rd week of Sept til the first week of October so it is cold already (I hope not rainy). I'm not sure if cardigans will suffice for that weather. And I have this vision of having a pic in a coat so I might bring/wear one na sa flight. Hmmm. I have to double check the dorms if they have laundry places.

@italiandoll - you can commute from AMS to CDG via Thalys train. Around 3 hours and 20 mins ang biyahe. You check their link for details http://www.thalys.com/fr. Fares can go as low as 39 euros if you book early. My entry and exit it AMS. Will be using the train from Paris to AMS.

italiandoll

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #109 on: May 26, 2011, 08:55:01 am »
^thanks much melodymedley! ;)

i'm hesitant  coz i'll be with my whole family, my concern is my parents might find it too exhausting to go back to AMS via train.  But still, i'll check on that option and discuss with them ;)

we'll be there in Oct too and I haven't planned my wardrobe yet, too many things to research on!  The optional tours the operator is offering are kinda pricey too so I'd also check on going for some DIY tours instead of availing all tours directly from them. 

Sayang din the difference, that'll add up for shopping money so I'm hell bent on research. :)


lavieenrose

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #110 on: May 26, 2011, 02:33:26 pm »
@lavieenrose - I will be there from the 3rd week of Sept til the first week of October so it is cold already (I hope not rainy). I'm not sure if cardigans will suffice for that weather. And I have this vision of having a pic in a coat so I might bring/wear one na sa flight. Hmmm. I have to double check the dorms if they have laundry places.

I see, oo nga it will definitely be cold na, and you'll probably need a coat or something warmer than a cardigan.

I've been trying to get thalys tickets for a possible Bruges or Amsterdam day trip from Paris, but it's too expensive na! It's really a planning mistake, I should have booked much earlier.

mama squeak!

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #111 on: May 27, 2011, 09:03:16 pm »
Shoes? I am thinking of bringing three pairs of shoes.  1)Boots (I wear during the flight so I wont carry - hassle lang sa check-in), 2) comfy closed walking shoes 3) dressy shoes (no idea what). Problem ko is the Cinque Terre trek - might need to bring some sneakers. i just use Tribu sandals for local hikes eh.

Side question: Where/How do you do laundry? I plan to bring 7 pairs of clothing so mga 2x lang ako maglalaba during the trip. Any insights?

sis, you're leaving in September di ba? That's fall season na and temperature's getting cold. I suggest you just bring two pairs of shoes. One that you'll be wearing and an extra pair. Trust me you won't be needing the dressy shoes unless you have an invite to a party somewhere.

You will be walking A LOT! If you have a comfy pair of trekking/hiking shoes, bring that. If you want to be a little bit porma, bring flat soled boots. Forget about sandals, it's going to be cold. Your toes will be frozen. But do bring flipflops. You'll need that indoors specially in the banyos.

You don't have to worry about laundry. You won't be doing a lot of it anyway since it's cold you won't be sweating that much. Just bring laundry powder for your undies and shirts. Your jeans, you don't have to laundry those. One pair can be worn for a week, trust me. Unless you're the squeaky clean freak then, laundry it is.

For our 3 week Euro trip last year in September/October, these were the clothes that I brought with me:

2 pairs dark jeans (para di obvious yung dumi)
1 pair of black stretchy slacks (which I wore in the plane and everytime hubby and I dined in nice restos. can be worn as alternate to your jeans, easy to wash and no need to iron)
3 pcs turtleneck sweaters
4 pcs collarless shirts which served as my undershirt/thermals
1 pair jammies
3 pairs wool socks (black and white)
1 wool coat (black)
3 bras
1 pack of 12 disposable undies (very handy, dries easily. One undie can be washed 3 times before disposal)
2 pairs tights (can be used as thermals in case it gets really cold)
1 set of scarf/gloves/hat
1 pair black flat soled boots (this became my walking shoes)
1 pair black ballet flats (I wore on the plane and during not so hectic pasyal times)

Bring a small foldable umbrella as sometimes it can be wet. Bring alcohol in your checked baggage. For some reason I can't find rubbing alcohol in Europe buti na lang we always bring our own supply. Very handy in disinfecting specially in the banyos. Also bring alocohol in a small spritzer to serve as your hand sanitiser.

Since you're going solo, better to keep your baggage and hand carry to a minimum. Ang hirap magbitbit specially if you'll be taking trains and going up/down metro/train stations. One check-in bag with wheels and instead of your usual trolley handcarry bag, use a backpack. This can serve as your daypack na rin. It will also free both your hands to lug your bigger check-in bag.

Ano pa ba? If I remember something else I'll post it later.

 :)

mama squeak!

  • Guest
Re: European Tours II
« Reply #112 on: May 27, 2011, 09:18:37 pm »
Oh I just remembered about toiletries. Bring shampoos/conditioners/deodorant in sachets so as you go along you keep discarding stuff. You won't be burdened by bottles pa. So gumagaan your toiletry bag.

 :)

mama squeak!

  • Guest
Re: European Tours II
« Reply #113 on: May 28, 2011, 09:55:24 am »
@melodymedley : thanks! The thing is we'll be departing from CDG to MNL, so I can't book a RT fare from AMS, unless from CDG we go to AMS via train?  I checked CX, MNL-AMS-CDG-AMS-MNL would cost 784 USD + 948 EUR = around 93K PHP.  Waaaah!  For EK, it's around 84K PHP.

sis, check their website again. I just made mock bookings for 10Oct MNL/AMS then return 28Oct CDG/MNL and the fare came out to USD1045.00 only. You just have to pay the PH travel tax and airport user's tax at the airport.

When you make your booking, you have to choose the Multi-city/Stopover at the bottom of the booking page. Don't choose the One Way option, talagang mahal lalabas yun.

 :)

mama squeak!

  • Guest
Re: European Tours II
« Reply #114 on: May 28, 2011, 09:59:31 am »
@italiandoll: i bought my RT Economy MNL-AMS ticket via Cathay Pacific for only USD 1015. Pwedeng pwede na! May sale sila until May 31.My second choice was with Emirates which was around USD 1200 - last I looked.

Teka sis, didn't you try getting a Multi-City/Stopover fare? Para pagbalik mo from CDG ka na manggagaling. You don't have to take the train back to AMS pa unless you really want to do that. Konti lang naman difference, USD30 of the multicity with the RT, from the mock booking I did earlier.

 :)

italiandoll

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #115 on: May 28, 2011, 02:05:31 pm »
^oopps, i didn't do the Multi-City/Stopover fare.  Thanks so much mama squeak! ;)  will check on that ;)

melodymedley

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #116 on: May 29, 2011, 03:24:01 pm »
Teka sis, didn't you try getting a Multi-City/Stopover fare? Para pagbalik mo from CDG ka na manggagaling. You don't have to take the train back to AMS pa unless you really want to do that. Konti lang naman difference, USD30 of the multicity with the RT, from the mock booking I did earlier.

 :)

I did try before I booked.  :) However, panget yung CDG-MNL flight na available for Supersaver Economy. 2 stopovers resulting to 24hours of travel time. I opted to return to AMS na lang.

Thanks for the suggestions sa outfits.  :) I have tons of leggings but  I probably should buy more durable leggings next time. I plan to bring my flat boots, flip-flops and buy new pairs of shoes for walking (tambay sa kabilang thread).

Wah! 3 bras only? You survived? Well, I plan to bring the bandeau type bras. Nice suggestion on the disposble undies.

Re my Germany IT. I'm gonna do AMS-KOLN, Rhine River overnight in bacharach, back to KOLN. Then fly out via FRA or DUS. I saw two flights to VCE na afternoon ang dating. CGN flights to VCE arriving in the afternoon are quite pricey.  Yung mga budget aircrafts, gabi kasi ang dating.

Some other helpful websites I've been reading these past few days:
http://www.artoftravel.com
http://www.backpackeurope.com/tips/index.html


mama squeak!

  • Guest
Re: European Tours II
« Reply #117 on: May 29, 2011, 04:36:07 pm »

Wah! 3 bras only? You survived? Well, I plan to bring the bandeau type bras. Nice suggestion on the disposble undies.


sis, that's plenty enough. You can always wash them naman. And it's going to be cold, not much sweating plus you'll always be covered up naman. Di halata kung di ka naka-bra   ;)

wowry

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Re: European Tours II
« Reply #118 on: June 01, 2011, 04:27:57 pm »
Has anybody here been to Linate Airport in Milan? Mas malayo ba siya sa city compared to Malpensa Airport? TIA :D

mama squeak!

  • Guest
Re: European Tours II
« Reply #119 on: June 01, 2011, 05:52:54 pm »
^sis, mas malapit ang Linate to the city center compared to Malpensa.   :)

 

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