General Travel Advice group posting on GLOBOsapiens

Advice, advice, advice!

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estick Joined: Apr 06 Points: 8 Posts: 2 Posted: 2006-04-21 01:20:00    Hello there. This is my first post; and I've just joined, so if I've got this whole thing in the wrong context- please let me know. I'm just looking for some advice on planning my first 'real' trip away alone. My idea is to get the car ferry from Dover, England. Then drive through Amsterdam into Belgium. I'd be leaving the car at a relative's house at this point, then traveling round by train. I'm a complete newbie to all of this, so ANY advice at all will be welcomed with open arms. Many thanks, Simon. :) --- Simon - eStick.network Reply    Reply with quote    Contact estick   marianne Premium account Joined: Sep 03 Points: 20248 Posts: 349 Posted: 2006-04-21 09:50:00    Simon, First of all welcome to Globo, secondly I may be able to answer your question. You say that you will take the car ferry from Dover. To which port? Calais in France or Zeebrugge in Belgium? Your itineray means that you will first pass through Belgium and then get to the Netherlands. More onfo about Amsterdam: http://www.globosapiens.net/travel-information/Amsterdam-1979.html If you want to start your trip in the Netherlands you can go via Harwich - Hook of Holland. More onfo: http://www.stenaline.com/gb/stena_line.html If you are travelling round by train in the Netherlands this is the Dutch Railways site: http://www.ns.nl There is also an English version. If you need more advice about what places to see in the Netherlands, let me know. Have a great trip. Marianne --- “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Robert Louis Stevenson Reply    Reply with quote    Contact marianne   st.vincent Joined: Mar 06 Points: 2322 Posts: 23 Posted: 2006-04-21 10:50:00    Welcome to GLOBO Simon, it looks like you have an exciting European trip coming up. You can get information about different cities by clicking on "Guides" in the yellow toolbar and searching via the relevant countries. You will then find reports and tips that have been written by other members. From a transport perspective I wonder if you have considered using Eurostar to start your journey, unless of course you need to get the car to your relatives place. I appreciate you'll have to get down to London but once there it is easy. Eurostar leaves from Waterloo station and you can get direct into Brussels Midi station in less than two and a half hours. Fares start at around £30. Once there you can link up with trains to almost anywhere in Western Europe. Have a good trip and hopefully you will stay with this website and write some reports telling us all about it. Best Wishes Clive Reply    Reply with quote    Contact st.vincent   mortimer Premium account Joined: Jun 04 Points: 15075 Posts: 528 Posted: 2006-04-21 11:40:00    Hi Simon For concrete advise you should try to be a little more precise. How long do intend to travelling round? Which countries would you like to visit? Whats your interest/objective for this trip? Do you plan do do Europe by train because you are a train addict? ... Just to start with a few things that came up to my mind. This site might have useful information for you: http://www.interrailers.net/english/ Hope this helps Have a great day. Martin --- Today is the first day of the rest of your life, enjoy it! Reply    Reply with quote    Contact mortimer   davidx Premium account Joined: Dec 04 Points: 34719 Posts: 440 Posted: 2006-04-21 11:50:00    Hi Simon and welcome. It's always good to see another English person from north of the Watford Gap. An alternative route to the Netherlands would be from Hull to Rotterdam. http://www.directferries.co.uk/hull_rotterdam_ferry.htm Marianne is like an inexhaustible mine for knowledge of the Netherlands so I'll leave that - anyway I have only been to Belgium pretty recently. Before I come to that, I'm not clear whether your rail journeys are meant to be in Belgium only or from there to other countries. Come back if it's the latter. If you are mainly concerned with rail travel in Belgium, perhaps you would like to start with http://www.b-rail.be/nat/E/tarifs/passes/go/, from where you can get to the home page. The Belgian railways put much of Europe to shame, not with the flashiness of their trains but with their frequency and punctuality [my experience anyway.] Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of Belgium is well covered by http://www.visitflanders.co.uk/ and Wallonia, the French speaking part by http://www.belgiumtheplaceto.be/ which also covers Brussels. If you find you want more advice on Belgium, feel free to contact me directly. --- Grieve not for that which you cannot do but rejoice in that which you can. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact davidx   estick Joined: Apr 06 Points: 8 Posts: 2 Posted: 2006-04-21 17:05:00    Fist of all, thankyou all for your warm welcomes. In reply to mortimer's post; How long do intend to travelling round? - Aslong as it takes, I'm taking a year off, to be safe. Which countries would you like to visit? - Holland, Spain, France, Greece, Iceland, Germany, Italy, anywhere else that's recomended. ;) Whats your interest/objective for this trip? - To see the World! To have an adventure. :) Do you plan do do Europe by train because you are a train addict? - Not at all, I've heard of [enternamehere], some Europien rail card, where you can travel on any train in any country apart from the one you bought it in? __ @Davidx, I think what I said above really covers my intentions regarding train useage, but it would be nice to have some more information on Belgium itself- so I'll take you up on that offer. :) Thanks again everyone, Simon. --- Simon - eStick.network Reply    Reply with quote    Contact estick   marianne Premium account Joined: Sep 03 Points: 20248 Posts: 349 Posted: 2006-04-21 17:14:00    Simon, I think this is the rail card you mean: http://www.interrail.net/ Marianne --- “I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Robert Louis Stevenson Reply    Reply with quote    Contact marianne   ronellevan Joined: Jun 06 Points: 476 Posts: 18 Posted: 2006-11-06 22:40:00    For a long trip like this, and one you don't have any fixed plans for, I would say take it as it comes. Loosley plan the trip around the coutries you want to visit. A general route that you will take and some time frames around each country. Plan the start of your trip well, how you're going to get there and where you will spend the first night. Then use local, and other travellers', advice and knowledge to lead you where you go next. Reply    Reply with quote    Contact ronellevan