Anyone got any travel planned?

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Nunthewiser said:
This morning booked a one-way Orlando to Copenhagen flight for me , SWMBO and the Y2kid. $224/ea. That happened to be the last day on their schedule (6 June) and the last day of school for the daughter.

Where we go from CPH or how we get back is TBD. Not many of the budget euro airlines have published schedules yet. I had thought we could connect on a Veuling flight to Florence, but with only two hours to get through passport and security, I don't think so.


We will all likely visit SWMBO's parents in Odessa Ukraine this Christmas, and do something else over Spring Break (Cuba?)
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I flew in yesterday to Copenhagen on Norwegian Air Shuttle's new Boeing 787 service. We picnic'd instead of buying their food, and the plane was magnificant.

If I was wanting to get to Florence, I could have taken their Orlando-London flight and then taken a EasyJet.com flight into Pisa for cheap. You can get anywhere cheap in Europe on EasyJet out of London.

We're flying home from Bergen, Norway thru Oslo--total round trip $775.

If you're looking for nonstops all over Europe, put the airport name in Wikipedia and it tells you which airlines fly there and where they fly to.
 
Nunthewiser said:
Any complaints on Norwegian, aside from the price?
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Not Nunthewiser here, but we just flew Dreamliner on Norwegian Orlando to Oslo and back.
Very nice plane. Decent seats. USB, 110 and 220V chargers in your seat.
Plenty of room for your carry on (important, as they change $89 per cross-Atlantic leg for checked in luggage).
I really liked increased cabin pressure, especially with stuffed sinuses.

The only small complain I have is lack of Norwegian transfer desk in Oslo, so if you have a connection and don't get your boarding passes for US flight on your first leg, you'll need to wait for the gate agent to assign your seats and by that time a lot of good seats will be gone.
 
braumeister said:
Coeur d'Alene is a neat place, or you could go just about as far north, up to Bonners Ferry. Elk Mountain Farms is AFAIK the world's largest hop farm (owned by Budweiser). This should be right around harvesting season, so you could see quite a show if you can get in.
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Great info. Thanks! We have a week with no agenda so should be able to go in both directions.


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Though we are very much creatures of the B.C. coast, and have a love affair such things as towering Douglas fir forests, orca pods, salmon/halibut/crab/prawn fishing etc... once in a while (usually a couple times a year) we head inland to explore the B.C. interior. So DW and I are heading out tomorrow for a week long driving trip into B.C.'s heartland - lakefront wineries are going to be a focus of this trip. :)

Too bad the weather forecast is looking a bit dodgy...though this region needs some rain BADLY.
 
We are heading out next month to Rockland ME to go on a 6 day schooner trip. My DH has never been to New England. We are driving and leaving 4 days early, but do not know which route we are taking. Went to AAA and received 2 maps of NE states and he needs to look at and decide what he wants to see, as soon as he gets back from his current trip.
 
Central America, California, and Hawaii still to come in 2015. A couple of 2016 trips already on the schedule. Even though my family moved around somewhat while I was growing up, DH and I still love to travel and at 65 and 66 want to get it done while it's still fun and the $$ aren't needed elsewhere.
 
For now, I've been able to sate my wanderlust with day-trip motorcycle rides of the point and shoot variety. Just picking a direction that looks favorable weather-wise and head out for a 250 mile ride, taking my time for coffee breaks and photo-ops.

Last weekend of September we’re doing a three day tour to Southwestern Wisconsin with a group of friends. When we get back from that, it’s time to feed the cats (local helper for that too, they get upset if any of the bottom of the dish is visible, no matter how much is left), do some laundry, and then a day or two later we are off to the Mount Rushmore area for five days in early October.

We also just booked 10 days in the Dominican Republic for February 2016. Cold weather getaway, 5 couple going on this trip - they better have the swim-up bar stocked well!
 
Sea Kayaker said:
Though we are very much creatures of the B.C. coast, and have a love affair such things as towering Douglas fir forests, orca pods, salmon/halibut/crab/prawn fishing etc... once in a while (usually a couple times a year) we head inland to explore the B.C. interior. So DW and I are heading out tomorrow for a week long driving trip into B.C.'s heartland - lakefront wineries are going to be a focus of this trip. :)

Too bad the weather forecast is looking a bit dodgy...though this region needs some rain BADLY.
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Send me a PM if you want to get together!
I do recommend you consider waiting until the smoke coming up from Washington State has abated somewhat. The air quality is dreadful at present.
 
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Meadbh said:
Send me a PM if you want to get together!
I do recommend you consider waiting until the smoke coming up from Washington State has abated somewhat. The air quality is dreadful at present.
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Wow, that very generous! I have a pretty good idea where you are located, so if we are in the vicinity a PM will be incoming!

We had pretty awful smoke conditions here on the coast about a month ago...it's been clear lately, but I know very well what you are dealing with. :(

I am still bummed I missed your visit to "my island" a while back.
 
Sea Kayaker said:
Wow, that very generous! I have a pretty good idea where you are located, so if we are in the vicinity a PM will be incoming!

We had pretty awful smoke conditions here on the coast about a month ago...it's been clear lately, but I know very well what you are dealing with. :(

I am still bummed I missed your visit to "my island" a while back.
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Several new wildfires have just broken out around here. I am going to pack a few valuables, just in case I have to evacuate over the next few days. :(
 
No rain so far. A small shower is forecast for this evening with heavier rain overnight.
 
Meadbh said:
No rain so far. A small shower is forecast for this evening with heavier rain overnight.
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It's been pouring all morning here on the coast. It's definitely coming your way Meadbh...DW and I were tempted to cancel our trip, but decided we are still going to do it. We hit the Coquihalla highway in a few hours.
 
Heading back to Las Vegas in a few weeks now that schools are going back in session and the summer vacation season is over. About 3 days and 1400 miles each way. I may stop by the Grand Canyon again on the way there since it "may not" be wise for me to stop by any "high places" on the way back. :)

Unlike last time :facepalm:, I hope to bring back a lot of Ben Franklin souvenirs.
 
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Leaving next week for 11 day Alaskan cruise, with a few days in Seattle on the front end, and a few in Vancouver on the back. Very excited!
 
Will be headed out to Vancouver in 2 weeks for an 8 day trip with friends who have a timeshare out there. Any recommended "must sees"? We plan to see Butchart Gardens. My wife is a horticulturist. We have a rental car. Do we ferry the car across to vancouver Island or better to just ride across and take a bus etc? Our condo is in Downtown Vancouver.
I appreciate any ideas for things to do and see. Thanks
Tom


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twolfy;1629513 Do we ferry the car across to vancouver Island or better to just ride across and take a bus etc? Our condo is in Downtown Vancouver. [/QUOTE said:
A lot depends on what you're planning to do on Vancouver Island. If you're just going to Butchart Gardens or Victoria, you could make a case for taking the ferry as a passenger. It's still a bit of to navigate to the ferry stations on either side (Tsawassen on the mainland, Swartz Bay on the island). It's also a half hour between Butchart Gardens and Victoria. But once you get there it's easy to explore Victoria on foot.

Anywhere else on the island, it would be a lot easier to have a car. But the car on the ferry isn't cheap, about CN$55 each way. It's not really a day trip, unless maybe to the gardens and back directly.

I like a little farther north on the island - Comox, Campbell River. And the two small towns on the west cost - Tofino and Uclulelet. I have friends on the island, so get there pretty much every year.

This page explains the travel options from Vancouver: Location, Address & Directions | The Butchart Gardens
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Also taking a car on the ferry probably requires a reservation. Walk ons usually don't. And more queuing for cars - on and off.
 
audreyh1 said:
Also taking a car on the ferry probably requires a reservation. Walk ons usually don't. And more queuing for cars - on and off.
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Absolutely. It's a lot cheaper to take the ferry as a passenger, but you would have to figure out logistics at each end. It's a beautiful trip if the weather is good.

You can also book tours of the Butchart Gardens directly from Vancouver. Four package tour options are advertised right on the Butchart Gardens website.

The Butchart Gardens | Travel Packages

If you don't fancy a package, you could take the bus that goes onto the ferry. Or you could even fly across on a seaplane.

http://www.butchartgardens.com/visit/location

If DW is a horticulturist, she may also be interested in the Milner Gardens and Woodland, near Qualicum Beach.

https://www2.viu.ca/milnergardens/

She might also like to visit Cathedral Grove, an old growth forest.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/macmillan/

However, this would require at least one night's stay on Vancouver Island and taking your car on the ferry.

http://www.bcferries.com
 
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Next week I'll be in Sydney and Melbourne. It's my first time in Australia :) hooray! I'd like to stay longer but I'm taking my partner for his birthday and he needs to get back to work.

I checked out of work in May of this year and have been making solo trips to various places on my "to-do list". So far I've visited Shanghai, Manila, Hangzhou, Palawan (Philippines), Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.


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BellBarbara said:
Leaving next week for 11 day Alaskan cruise, with a few days in Seattle on the front end, and a few in Vancouver on the back. Very excited!
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we are on the same cruise!
We went 2 yrs ago to Alaska on the Solstice, great ship.
We are meeting my brother and sister in law in Seattle for a few days
before the cruise. They live on the west coast so it will be nice to see them
and Seattle is always a great place to visit. Looking forward to it!
 
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