Erith says:
I'm going to be in Niagara Falls, but I've decided to have my birthday dinner in Paris!!!!!!!
We are going to hire a scooter in Thailand!!!!!!!!
This is going to be fun!!!!!!!!
Friday, May 18, 2007
More planning...
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Itinerary
Marcus says:
Below is a summary of our itinerary:
There were two reasons to stop in Thailand - one was to break up what would otherwise be a very long leg to Europe and the other to ride an elephant. We're heading up to Chiang Mai for this, but I'm currently checking out flights. We were going to take the train from Bangkok, but it takes 12 hours and we wouldn't see much countryside as they run overnight anyway, so flying will give us an extra day to spend in Chiang Mai or possibly a beach resort near Bangkok. Either way, I'd love to rent a scooter and spend a day tootling around the countryside.
We're also looking for places to stay in Rome - a friend has recommended Villa Lituania (http://www.villalituania.com). Apparently it's clean, inexpensive and overall, very satisfactory. I've emailed them about a booking, as they don't seem to have caught up to the online booking thing.
Rome is going to be difficult to plan, no matter what. It's one of those cities that I think really require weeks to do it justice, but we simply don't have that kind of time. Over the coming weeks, we're going to compile lists of things that we could do in each place we visit, so that even if we don't know exactly what we're going to do from day to day, at least we have a list of options. The good thing is that we hopefully won't waste any time - the bad thing is that we'll miss out on seeing some things that we thought were interesting enough to put on the list.
Oh well, it's all in how you look at it - a half-full glass might not be as good as a full one, but it's a whole lot better than an empty one.
Below is a summary of our itinerary:
- Wed 20 Jun 2007 at 10:00am Depart from SYDNEY
- Wed 20 Jun 2007 at 4:25pm Arrive at BANGKOK
- Mon 25 Jun 2007 at 12:20am Depart from BANGKOK
- Mon 25 Jun 2007 at 6:50am Arrive at ROME FIUMICINO
- Fri 13 Jul 2007 at 8:30am Depart from LONDON HEATHROW
- Fri 13 Jul 2007 at 11:25am Arrive at TORONTO ON
- Sun 15 Jul 2007 at 9:00am Depart from TORONTO ON
- Sun 15 Jul 2007 at 11:10am Arrive at CALGARY INTL AB
- Wed 25 Jul 2007 at 11:10am Depart from VANCOUVER BC
- Wed 25 Jul 2007 at 2:03pm Arrive at LOS ANGELES
- Sun 29 Jul 2007 at 10:39pm Depart from LOS ANGELES
- Tue 31 Jul 2007 at 6:10am Arrive at SYDNEY
There were two reasons to stop in Thailand - one was to break up what would otherwise be a very long leg to Europe and the other to ride an elephant. We're heading up to Chiang Mai for this, but I'm currently checking out flights. We were going to take the train from Bangkok, but it takes 12 hours and we wouldn't see much countryside as they run overnight anyway, so flying will give us an extra day to spend in Chiang Mai or possibly a beach resort near Bangkok. Either way, I'd love to rent a scooter and spend a day tootling around the countryside.
We're also looking for places to stay in Rome - a friend has recommended Villa Lituania (http://www.villalituania.com). Apparently it's clean, inexpensive and overall, very satisfactory. I've emailed them about a booking, as they don't seem to have caught up to the online booking thing.
Rome is going to be difficult to plan, no matter what. It's one of those cities that I think really require weeks to do it justice, but we simply don't have that kind of time. Over the coming weeks, we're going to compile lists of things that we could do in each place we visit, so that even if we don't know exactly what we're going to do from day to day, at least we have a list of options. The good thing is that we hopefully won't waste any time - the bad thing is that we'll miss out on seeing some things that we thought were interesting enough to put on the list.
Oh well, it's all in how you look at it - a half-full glass might not be as good as a full one, but it's a whole lot better than an empty one.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Progress...
Marcus says:
This was a fairly productive week - I heard back from the US consulate that my application for a visa had been approved, so I dropped my passport in to the consulate and booked the tickets. I was glad that I'd waited, as the price changed on May 1. The two travel agents that I'd been dealing with came up with prices that changed in opposite directions - one went up and the other down. As the difference was a thousand dollars, there was no question as to which I'd choose. (Drop me a line if you want their email address - they seem cheap and have come to me by personal recommendation.)
Prices going down seems to be the order of the day - I've been looking for a car in Canada and just thought that I'd try Rent a Wreck to see how much they would want. For less than $300 I can get an intermediate sedan for 9 days with a couple of thousand free kilometers. Until I saw that, I was half resigned to buying some old battle horse that I wouldn't mind abandoning in Vancouver, but for that money I'd be better off renting. The price of petrol in Alberta is around $.90 to $1.10 and around $1.00 to $1.20 in BC, so something economical makes more sense than buying some old tank, much as I'd love to cruise through the mountains in something huge again. Besides, there's the reliability issue - hitchhiking or hopping a Greyhound from Chilliwack to Vancouver with Erith would not be a good look.
Next two cabs off the rank are travel insurance and an International Drivers Permit (IDP). I don't know whether I'll need an IDP, but for $25 it's probably worth getting it before I leave anyway.
This was a fairly productive week - I heard back from the US consulate that my application for a visa had been approved, so I dropped my passport in to the consulate and booked the tickets. I was glad that I'd waited, as the price changed on May 1. The two travel agents that I'd been dealing with came up with prices that changed in opposite directions - one went up and the other down. As the difference was a thousand dollars, there was no question as to which I'd choose. (Drop me a line if you want their email address - they seem cheap and have come to me by personal recommendation.)
Prices going down seems to be the order of the day - I've been looking for a car in Canada and just thought that I'd try Rent a Wreck to see how much they would want. For less than $300 I can get an intermediate sedan for 9 days with a couple of thousand free kilometers. Until I saw that, I was half resigned to buying some old battle horse that I wouldn't mind abandoning in Vancouver, but for that money I'd be better off renting. The price of petrol in Alberta is around $.90 to $1.10 and around $1.00 to $1.20 in BC, so something economical makes more sense than buying some old tank, much as I'd love to cruise through the mountains in something huge again. Besides, there's the reliability issue - hitchhiking or hopping a Greyhound from Chilliwack to Vancouver with Erith would not be a good look.
Next two cabs off the rank are travel insurance and an International Drivers Permit (IDP). I don't know whether I'll need an IDP, but for $25 it's probably worth getting it before I leave anyway.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Figured out!
Erith says:
Yesterday, we figured out where we were going and for how long.
Marcus says:
As Erith said, yesterday we started planning the amount of time in each place in order to book the tickets with as accurate dates as possible. What has become apparent is that we aren't really going to have much time to look around, particularly in Europe, where we'll only have 17 days. All the same, I think that the route looks pretty efficient - we'll certainly be getting the most out of the time we have. I've also been pretty generous about scheduling travel days, so, we may be able to recoup some days with late-afternoon or evening flights.
On one hand, I feel that 11 days in Canada might be excessive, but on the other hand if Erith follows the path of countless other Australian youth, she'll head back to Europe under her own steam in another decade or so. Canada is a place of exquisite beauty, but I think it's best experienced with one who is familiar with the lay of the land. Erith thought of something that she wants to do - go for a horse ride in the Rockies. I must admit, that sounds like a lot of fun to me as well, though my last ride reminded me that my horse-riding muscles are way out of shape...
Yesterday, we figured out where we were going and for how long.
Marcus says:
As Erith said, yesterday we started planning the amount of time in each place in order to book the tickets with as accurate dates as possible. What has become apparent is that we aren't really going to have much time to look around, particularly in Europe, where we'll only have 17 days. All the same, I think that the route looks pretty efficient - we'll certainly be getting the most out of the time we have. I've also been pretty generous about scheduling travel days, so, we may be able to recoup some days with late-afternoon or evening flights.
On one hand, I feel that 11 days in Canada might be excessive, but on the other hand if Erith follows the path of countless other Australian youth, she'll head back to Europe under her own steam in another decade or so. Canada is a place of exquisite beauty, but I think it's best experienced with one who is familiar with the lay of the land. Erith thought of something that she wants to do - go for a horse ride in the Rockies. I must admit, that sounds like a lot of fun to me as well, though my last ride reminded me that my horse-riding muscles are way out of shape...
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Before our trip
Erith says:
Hi, I'm Erith! My dad and I are going for round the world trip this year! Before our trip I was so excited because I haven't been to any of the places yet. Before we go on our trip we need to do these things, pack our bags, get plane tickets, and organize how many days we stay where. All together I have saved $92.70 in silver coins.
Hi, I'm Erith! My dad and I are going for round the world trip this year! Before our trip I was so excited because I haven't been to any of the places yet. Before we go on our trip we need to do these things, pack our bags, get plane tickets, and organize how many days we stay where. All together I have saved $92.70 in silver coins.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Welcome to our blog!
Marcus says:
Erith and her dad Marcus are going on a trip around the world, spanning the school holidays in June 2007. We've started this blog so we can keep a diary for our family and friends. Of course it's going to be much more interesting once we start traveling, but we need to get our technology set up so that we're ready to go.
The astute will realise that the name of this blog was taken from the Bill and Ted movie - it's a particular favourite of mine if for no other reason than the superb use of the time machine to eliminate what would otherwise have been setbacks. Although our expectation of having similar means for smoothing out our own journey is low, we are confident that circumstance will similarly smile on us.
We're planning to take only a small bag each, so we can carry them on the plane with us. Although we have some definite destinations, we want the freedom to change our plans based on how we feel when we wake up in the morning. I want to shape the holiday generally, but beyond that I intend to act more as Erith's chaperone, encouraging her to explore the world with my assistance. Of course this comes with a price, though hopefully not too onerous one. Erith will need to document our travels, organise a budget for herself and understand the process of crossing international borders. Basically, she'll need to learn to travel - a skill that will hopefully serve her well as her life progresses.
We're going to Thailand to ride an elephant, satisfying one of Erith's objectives. From there, we'll fly to Europe for a few weeks, then to Canada for perhaps ten days or so. We have a lot to do and not much time to do it, so we're going to be nimble and make the most of our time. Drop us a line if you have any suggestions, questions or recommendations!
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