Chan Brothers Or F&E
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mickeymickey\" post_id=\"1913084\" time=\"1559485286\" user_id=\"94276:
Right now, too much info/ data overload / decision fatigue.
Hii all, I am planing to take my teenage boys for a vacation in late Nov or early December. Some of my friends are telling me that I should take a package tour group if I intend to go Europer for the first time . However , I am quite at a lost. as in EU there will be lots of walking to do and I may have my elderly mum coming with me, She is mobile but prefer to be on wheel chair
I am also thinking of doing a Free and Easy to either London /Canada or just Melbourne . I am more into shopping and sight seeing . My younger one wants me to take him to Spain to see his favourite stadium (with tour grp ) . I am not sure where to head to but I really wanted to see snow. As its going to be my first destination with a flight of more than 5 hours, I am still considering what to do .
Any recommendations of a place to go for lots of sight seeing ? great shopping ? I cant drive too . TIA for all advise. :thankyou:
Firstly, I think you need to decide on a destination. Right now, you have:
1. Europe (it's a continent - you will need to decide where in Europe - Which countries? Which cities?)
2. London / Canada (Canada is a country - you will have to decide where in Canada. Departing on your decision, flight from London to Canada will take anywhere between 8 hours to 10 hours)
3. Melbourne
4. Spain (it's a country - you will have to decide where. Which stadium? Camp Nou is in Barcelona, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is in Madrid - in Madrid, also can visit Estadio Metropolitano, venue of this year's UCL Final)
Once you have settled on a destination, you will have to work on the number of days you can spare. More days in one destination mean more time to cover more sights, to cover a number of destinations in the same amount of days mean less time to cover everything or you will have to pick and choose destinations.
Both destination / days budgeted will be tied to the decision of whether to do F&E or tour packages. The other consideration would be your mum:
1. If you are thinking of multiple destinations in a short period of time, or to cover a large land area over a short period of time, e.g. Europe, London / Canada, you should consider tour packages since all the transport arrangements, food and lodging are taken care of and you just have to focus on your mom.
2. If you are only considering single destination or country, e.g. Melbourne, Spain, you can consider F&E. Multiple destinations in Europe are also possible for F&E, e.g. London / Paris, Madrid / Lisbon, but you can't be too ambitious being a first timer and travelling with elderly.
Assuming you are going for F&E, with the destinations / time budgeted, you can work out an itinerary. Given your mom's or your concern about her mobility, you can pick points of interests (POI) that do not involved a lot of walking or walking to get to, which means there will have to be some give and take. That said, most major POI in the world are wheelchair accessible, so there's no need to be overly concerned.
Given a large group with diverse interests (TBH not sure your mom will be that keen to see a football stadium) and age range, you will have to work out their wants and needs - what are the must dos? The good-to-dos? The can-dos? The dos-if-we-have-the-time? Again, there will be some give and take, not everyone will have their wants satisfied. Have fun! -
Hi there , thank you for your reply. yeap you are right let me decide in this few days. However my kids are telling me to take F &E and i tell them its not Singapore. what if the taxi driver brings us anywhere else ? ahahhaa… well let me plan out . But i think i will just pick London free and easy for now, or Melbourne.
If I choose London,may I will take the Eurostar. Do share with more more ideas if you have visited this 2 countries -
mickeymickey\" post_id=\"1913108\" time=\"1559527339\" user_id=\"94276:
I'm not kidding but getting lost is part of the fun!
Hi there , thank you for your reply. yeap you are right let me decide in this few days. However my kids are telling me to take F &E and i tell them its not Singapore. what if the taxi driver brings us anywhere else ? ahahhaa... well let me plan out . But i think i will just pick London free and easy for now, or Melbourne.
If I choose London,may I will take the Eurostar. Do share with more more ideas if you have visited this 2 countries
Both London and Melbourne are easy peasy for F&E. Public transport is good and friendly in the cities. For UK, you will probably end up city / town hopping using the trains. For Melbourne, if you are thinking of heading out of the city, e.g. Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley, etc, you will need a car. Once you have decided, you should head over to the respective threads for https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=11143 and https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=9346. Plenty of experts and ideas there
Taking the Eurostar to Paris and incorporating Paris as part of your trip to London is a good idea if you don't intend to cover the rest of the UK. It takes just over 2 hrs for the train ride. Their tickets work like LCC airfares, book early (maximum of 180 days ahead) and avoid Friday or Sunday if you want cheaper tickets. -
floppy\" post_id=\"1913113\" time=\"1559529260\" user_id=\"97579:
I'm not kidding but getting lost is part of the fun!mickeymickey\" post_id=\"1913108\" time=\"1559527339\" user_id=\"94276:
Hi there , thank you for your reply. yeap you are right let me decide in this few days. However my kids are telling me to take F &E and i tell them its not Singapore. what if the taxi driver brings us anywhere else ? ahahhaa... well let me plan out . But i think i will just pick London free and easy for now, or Melbourne.
If I choose London,may I will take the Eurostar. Do share with more more ideas if you have visited this 2 countries
Both London and Melbourne are easy peasy for F&E. Public transport is good and friendly in the cities. For UK, you will probably end up city / town hopping using the trains. For Melbourne, if you are thinking of heading out of the city, e.g. Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley, etc, you will need a car. Once you have decided, you should head over to the respective threads for https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=11143 and https://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=9346. Plenty of experts and ideas there
Taking the Eurostar to Paris and incorporating Paris as part of your trip to London is a good idea if you don't intend to cover the rest of the UK. It takes just over 2 hrs for the train ride. Their tickets work like LCC airfares, book early (maximum of 180 days ahead) and avoid Friday or Sunday if you want cheaper tickets.
Hi there thanks for the reply. Seems like UK is very expensive, I was just looking at their Mcdonald burger prices ahhahaa .. i think i will best settle for Sydney for now, but i am a bit lost about taking the train to Melbourne. Should I get accomodation via AirBnb or get a hotel stay... -
mickeymickey\" post_id=\"1913136\" time=\"1559538652\" user_id=\"94276:
Is Sydney // Melbourne your final answer? Confirmed? Double confirmed?
Hi there thanks for the reply. Seems like UK is very expensive, I was just looking at their Mcdonald burger prices ahhahaa .. i think i will best settle for Sydney for now, but i am a bit lost about taking the train to Melbourne. Should I get accomodation via AirBnb or get a hotel stay...
It’s not difficult to book the XPT train: https://transportnsw.info/regional-bookings/. The train from Sydney (Central) to Melbourne (Southern Cross) will take you under 11 hrs. If you are pressed for time, you can consider a flight from Sydney to Melbourne. Not expensive if you booked early.
Hotel / Airbnb / apartment is really personal preference and your budget. -
Lots of good advice from floppy. Just want to add that with a wheelchair-bound elder, I would probably either go with self-drive or a tour. Public transport, even in western countries, is not always so straightforward with a wheelchair. I don’t know Melbourne, but London public transport is not an easy place to get around with a wheelchair, and driving is difficult, and taxis very expensive. Also, as in most European cities, because of the old city centres and narrow streets, a lot of walking is required, and some places will not be easily accessed with a wheelchair. If you are not familiar, it’s best to go on a tour and let the guide worry about the access.
I have found that airbnb is generally cheaper than booking multiple hotel rooms, but that also depends on what you book, where it is etc. Your choices may be more limited because of the no. of people and the need for wheelchair access. London is expensive; other parts of the UK are less so, but may not be so interesting. Does your mother want to do a lot of sightseeing, or does she just want to spend time with the family? Perhaps you need to plan 2 separate vacations - one with your mother (single easy-access location), and one without (so you can do the stuff your sons want). -
OT: I like Airbnb bec it is like a home.
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slmkhoo\" post_id=\"1913175\" time=\"1559554575\" user_id=\"28674:
Have to agree. London / Paris and some of the historical cities in Europe have a bit of walking and are not always wheelchair friendly. Stairs, cobblestone walkways (nice but try wheeling over it), and narrow five foot ways (or whatever they call it) can be challenging for wheelchairs.
Lots of good advice from floppy. Just want to add that with a wheelchair-bound elder, I would probably either go with self-drive or a tour. Public transport, even in western countries, is not always so straightforward with a wheelchair. I don't know Melbourne, but London public transport is not an easy place to get around with a wheelchair, and driving is difficult, and taxis very expensive. Also, as in most European cities, because of the old city centres and narrow streets, a lot of walking is required, and some places will not be easily accessed with a wheelchair. If you are not familiar, it's best to go on a tour and let the guide worry about the access.
...
Sydney / Melbourne, on the other hand, is a lot easier to manage with wheelchair. I think the reason could be partly due to them being younger cities with more modern public transport system. In those two cities, the only transport that I think would pose a challenge to the wheelchair would be the trams in Melbourne - not everyone of them has a low floor. More info provided at the https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/more/travelling-on-the-network/accessibility/wheelchair-access-and-mobility-requirements/. -
starlight1968sg\" post_id=\"1913176\" time=\"1559554982\" user_id=\"14025:
Same here, but with mobility issues, the homes available might be more limited. In my upcoming trip, several of the airbnb units I booked are walk-up apartments - they were cheaper than similar ones in the area, presumably because of that? Since my family are all OK with stairs, I've taken advantage of that!
OT: I like Airbnb bec it is like a home.
Also the poster's family is travelling in a larger group - a lot of places take 2-4 people, with fewer choices for larger groups.
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