In the Details: Trips

Today is a day of rest (as yesterday was quite the opposite).  In this day of rest I plan on organising my room a bit better, doing laundry, and planning trips (and hopefully beginning to book).  Trips I have planned so far go as follows:


Trips through International Friends (internationalfriends.co.uk)
Oct 5-6 Northern Wales: £179 = $287

Price Includes

• Guided tour through magnificent mountain and coastal scenery of North Wales, including the Snowdonia National Park
• Visit to historic town of Chester
• Visit to Conwy Castle's outer walls
• Steam train ride into the mountains 
• Travel by luxury minibus - maximum 16 seats
• 1 night's accommodation in ensuite twin bedded rooms 
• Services of a tour guide for the duration of the tour
• Breakfast in the hotel on day 2

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: Chester, North Wales Coast, Conwy Castle Walls, Snowdonia Mountains, Steam Train Ride to Mountain.

Oct 25-27 Paris: £298 (for Paris with tour of Versailles, subtract £29 if you don’t want to see Versailles) = $480 or $430 without Versailles

Price Includes:

• Return London-Paris high speed Eurostar
  London to Paris - Depart London St.Pancras 07:31am, arrive Paris Garde du Nord 10:47am
  Paris to London - Depart Paris Gare du Nord 17:13pm, arrive London St.Pancras 18:30pm
  YOU MUST CHECK IN AT LEAST 30 MINUTES BEFORE DEPARTURE. WE RECOMMEND YOU ARRIVE AT CHECK IN ONE HOUR BEFORE DEPARTURE.
• Fully guided coach tour of Paris with your experienced guide on arrival, ending at your city centre hotel.
• River Seine cruise - see the sights of Paris from the Seine!
• 2 nights bed and breakfast in the 3 star Ibis Styles Paris Bercy. Accommodated in twin/double bedded rooms.
• Coach transfer on departure from your hotel to Paris Gare du Nord station
• Services of a tour guide for the full duration of the tour

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:  Take a cruise on the river Seine, see the Eiffel Tower, walk along the Champs Elysées, see the Arc de Triomphe, visit Montmartre (the area in which the film Amélie was made), take a photo of the Moulin Rouge (the home of the cancan) see the Cathedral of Notre Dame and explore the Louvre Museum!

Not Included - Travel by metro in Paris. On arrival we recommend you buy a 'carnet' of metro tickets. This allows 10 journeys in Paris by metro, and costs approximately £10. Your guide will assist you when buying the carnet. 

Nov 1-3 Scotland: £263 = $421 (this price includes trip to Highlands and Loch Ness)

Our tours to Scotland include:

Standard Tour Price (no upgrades selected)

• A two hour professionally guided tour of Edinburgh
• Traditional Scottish Guest house/hotel accommodation in central Edinburgh with breakfast
• Services of Tour Manager for entire duration of the tour  
• Return travel in standard class from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh by train

Loch Ness & Highlands Upgrade - £44 extra
Same as above but also including a 1 day tour into the Scottish Highlands and Loch Ness with an experienced driver/guide

Da Vinci Code & Borders - £36 extra
Same as Standard Tour  but including a 1 day trip to Rosslyn Chapel and the Scottish Borders

Our tours to Scotland don't include:

• Food, except breakfast at your hotel/guest house
• Entrance fees to attractions (unless otherwise stated)

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS: Come with us across the border to Bonnie Scotland, to an ancient land of mountains, lochs and glens and to its historic capital city of Edinburgh.  Hear the history of Holyrood Palace and Mary Queen of Scots, walk along the Royal Mile, climb to the monuments on Calton Hill, seeEdinburgh Castle (save time and buy fast track Castle entry tickets from your guide on the train), and the new Scottish Parliament building. Experience the breathtaking scenery of the Scottish Highlands and see if you can catch a glimpse of the mysterious Loch Ness Monster (Loch Ness & Highlands day trip must be booked as an optional upgrade).

All of the International Friends tours provide transportation from Canterbury to London, you just have to get up super early.

Trips on my own:

Well, with friends, but we have to plan them.

Oct 11-14 Brussels, Belgium - visiting family :)

Oct 28-31 Ireland: 

This trip has no concrete details, but one possibility is staying at a B&B that does trail rides (horses) through the Irish countryside in Donegal:

Donegal Equestrian Holidays – 2 Day Trail Ride 

• Day 1 – Breezy Mountain Trail
• Day 2 – Tullan Strand Trail
• 2 Nights B & B
• Available Weekends in June, September & October 2013
• Beginners welcome for bookings of 2 or more
• €250 per person = $337
• B & B only option for non riding friends & partners €70
• Payment in full required on confirmation of booking.

Or we could even do a 2 hour trail ride one day (€45 = $61) and stay in a hostel or different B&B/guesthouse for cheaper.

I may try to plan another trip to Ireland over a weekend in December and just visit Dublin, Killarney, Limerick, or Belfast (and the surrounding area of the city) as I have a book to help me plan that trip.

So those are my big trips, feel free to post ideas or comments either on Facebook or here if you are interested in going with or just have something to say (ie. advice).  SW and I are also thinking about doing some shorter trips around England (London - Harry Potter, maybe Doctor Who, and of course important history things/major sights, possibly Manchester, York, etc.).  Let me know what trips all of you are planning as well, they may be better than mine :)