Europe!
The time has come to finally make the great journey to the continent where medieval stuff actually took place (swords and castles and stuff). As it's usually a bitch to get this sort of event organised, I thought I'd get proceeding rolling. So far, by the sounds of thing, we've already had a few disappointing responses from members of the hills community, with Jim's excuse quite obviously being a cover up for him basically being married and finding that the whip has a very sharp sting. That leaves a small number of possible candidates from the HillsHood section of society who are keen and interested in this upcoming adventure. I for one am dead keen to get this locked in, as it will give me something to look forward to while driving haul trucks (surely one of the world's most boring jobs, just ask Trav) as well as allowing plenty of time for my leave to be booked in for, which is critical for getting time off it seems. Trav has also expressed a high level of interest, and while I can never be sure with Diji, it appears he is also planning to hop along for the ride. This leaves space for possible inclusions such as Lodge, who has also expressed an interest in travelling to the Northern Hemisphere once again.
Anyway, I have been doing a fair bit of research into the subject, and while I can't see the future, I believe that the dates I have used for scoping and costing are pretty decent, as they are during the uni break and mean that I only have to take 1 swing off to achieve the time outlined below.
Anyway we shall start off with flights, as they are a pretty critical part of the trip. Currently the best flights are with Malaysian airlines, which from memory aren't too bad an airline. The total cost for flights to London and back ends up being just under $1800 which is outlined below. The dates I have selected are mostly to allow myself to get back from site, sleep and pack before departing, while also arriving in London at the start of a day, which saves on a night's accommodation. The return trip is also from London, and gets back to Perth at 3pm on the Tuesday.
There are obviously other options with flights, like air Asia, which can be quite cheap if you buy your tickets in segments, although there isn't as much certainty about the flight times, losing baggage and you don't get meals or luggage included in the flight costs. In saying that, air Asia's premium class have beds and all the perks of the standard airlines first class at a similar cost to that of flying Qantas ($2000). I have looked at this as it would be good to get some sleep done on the flight, but the days which air Asia fly to Paris are not very suited to the dates I was looking at.
Anyway, onto the next topic, the holiday itself….
I propose we undertake a Contiki, as this takes care of all the accommodation and a lot of meals and travel for the trip. It will also stick us with other young'uns to make sure we aren't trying to kill each other by the end of the trip. Below is the dates and costs of one of the Contiki's which I feel would be rather swell. http://contiki.com.au/tours/119-european-impressions/itinerary
The price shown above can be reduced by around 200 bucks if we book before the 23rd of December this year, and if the general consensus is to change the dates, Cathay pacific are offering a deal up until the 23rd of December for flights until the 18th of June to be 1689 return from Perth.
Anyway the Contiki trip is up for debate, both where it goes, how long to do it for, and there are other things like bus about, which gives you a bit more freedom for where you go which I haven't had a good look at yet.
Using the 18 day contiki as a guide, there is a 2-3 day gap in the UK at the start, and 3 days at the end, which can be used for a bit relaxation. Alternately we could choose a different Contiki and spend a few days in the Greek islands before heading home.
