How to choose a destination
Oct 5th 2006, 5:18 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
How to choose a destination
Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
there once and considers it done.
Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
was running a seat sale with fares as low as €1. I was, and we had a
brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
get to and from Bordeaux for €13 each way. So I called her back to
tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our €13
fare is not really €13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
there once and considers it done.
Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
was running a seat sale with fares as low as €1. I was, and we had a
brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
get to and from Bordeaux for €13 each way. So I called her back to
tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our €13
fare is not really €13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
Oct 5th 2006, 7:28 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
Yawn
"Padraig Breathnach" <[email protected]> a �crit dans le message de
news: [email protected]...
> Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
> she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
> there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
> life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
> think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
> Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
> her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
> there once and considers it done.
> Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
> was running a seat sale with fares as low as ?1. I was, and we had a
> brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
> we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
> to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
> comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
> times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
> availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
> but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
> to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
> thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
> decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
> I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
> prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
> get to and from Bordeaux for ?13 each way. So I called her back to
> tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
> Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our ?13
> fare is not really ?13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
> you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
> quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
> the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
> amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
> France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
> So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
> trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
> so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
> --
> PB
> The return address has been MUNGED
> My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
"Padraig Breathnach" <[email protected]> a �crit dans le message de
news: [email protected]...
> Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
> she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
> there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
> life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
> think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
> Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
> her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
> there once and considers it done.
> Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
> was running a seat sale with fares as low as ?1. I was, and we had a
> brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
> we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
> to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
> comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
> times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
> availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
> but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
> to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
> thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
> decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
> I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
> prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
> get to and from Bordeaux for ?13 each way. So I called her back to
> tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
> Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our ?13
> fare is not really ?13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
> you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
> quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
> the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
> amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
> France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
> So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
> trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
> so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
> --
> PB
> The return address has been MUNGED
> My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
Oct 5th 2006, 7:40 am
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach wrote:
> Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
> she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
> there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
> life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
> think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
> Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
> her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
> there once and considers it done.
>
> Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
> was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1. I was, and we had a
> brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
> we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
> to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
> comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
> times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
> availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
> but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
> to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
> thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
> decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
>
> I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
> prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
> get to and from Bordeaux for �13 each way. So I called her back to
> tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
>
> Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our �13
> fare is not really �13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
> you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
> quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
> the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
> amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
> France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
>
> So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
> trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
> so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
And after all, Padraig, that is exactly what travel is all
about............fun.
Gerry
> Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
> she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
> there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
> life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
> think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
> Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
> her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
> there once and considers it done.
>
> Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
> was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1. I was, and we had a
> brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
> we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
> to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
> comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
> times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
> availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
> but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
> to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
> thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
> decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
>
> I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
> prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
> get to and from Bordeaux for �13 each way. So I called her back to
> tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
>
> Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our �13
> fare is not really �13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
> you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
> quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
> the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
> amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
> France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
>
> So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
> trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
> so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
And after all, Padraig, that is exactly what travel is all
about............fun.
Gerry
Oct 5th 2006, 8:51 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>think it sufficient to visit once.
Yeah, Vienna is of limited value but please consider going there
anyway and going up to Cesky Crumlov for a night or preferably two.
It's really nice, and you wont run out of things to do there. It's
only a couple of hours from Vienna.
Also, there are plenty of really charming, cheap, and non-touristy
places in Slovakia that are in easy reach. Start from Levoca and keep
heading east stopping at every town mentioned in the guide book.
Really nice, and really good value.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>think it sufficient to visit once.
Yeah, Vienna is of limited value but please consider going there
anyway and going up to Cesky Crumlov for a night or preferably two.
It's really nice, and you wont run out of things to do there. It's
only a couple of hours from Vienna.
Also, there are plenty of really charming, cheap, and non-touristy
places in Slovakia that are in easy reach. Start from Levoca and keep
heading east stopping at every town mentioned in the guide book.
Really nice, and really good value.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--
Oct 5th 2006, 9:16 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
Dave Frightens Me <deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:
>On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
><[email protected]> wrote:
>>Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>>she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>>there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>>life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>>think it sufficient to visit once.
>Yeah, Vienna is of limited value but please consider going there
>anyway and going up to Cesky Crumlov for a night or preferably two.
>It's really nice, and you wont run out of things to do there. It's
>only a couple of hours from Vienna.
>Also, there are plenty of really charming, cheap, and non-touristy
>places in Slovakia that are in easy reach. Start from Levoca and keep
>heading east stopping at every town mentioned in the guide book.
>Really nice, and really good value.
That looks like a heavy programme for four lazy days in November. I'm
thinking of just one day trip outside the city (using public transport
-- I'm not very interested in hiring a car) , and the recent
discussions here on Bratislava suggested to me that it might be a good
trip. Is that a good idea?
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
>On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
><[email protected]> wrote:
>>Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>>she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>>there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>>life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>>think it sufficient to visit once.
>Yeah, Vienna is of limited value but please consider going there
>anyway and going up to Cesky Crumlov for a night or preferably two.
>It's really nice, and you wont run out of things to do there. It's
>only a couple of hours from Vienna.
>Also, there are plenty of really charming, cheap, and non-touristy
>places in Slovakia that are in easy reach. Start from Levoca and keep
>heading east stopping at every town mentioned in the guide book.
>Really nice, and really good value.
That looks like a heavy programme for four lazy days in November. I'm
thinking of just one day trip outside the city (using public transport
-- I'm not very interested in hiring a car) , and the recent
discussions here on Bratislava suggested to me that it might be a good
trip. Is that a good idea?
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
Oct 5th 2006, 9:35 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
Dave Frightens Me wrote:
> On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
> >she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
> >there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
> >life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
> >think it sufficient to visit once.
> Yeah, Vienna is of limited value but please consider going there
> anyway
Vienna has huge historical and cultural significance, a world-class art
museum, one of the most beautiful palaces in the world, and lots of
great architecture.
> Also, there are plenty of really charming, cheap, and non-touristy
> places in Slovakia that are in easy reach. Start from Levoca and keep
> heading east stopping at every town mentioned in the guide book.
Just stop before you get to Bucharest!
> On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
> >she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
> >there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
> >life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
> >think it sufficient to visit once.
> Yeah, Vienna is of limited value but please consider going there
> anyway
Vienna has huge historical and cultural significance, a world-class art
museum, one of the most beautiful palaces in the world, and lots of
great architecture.
> Also, there are plenty of really charming, cheap, and non-touristy
> places in Slovakia that are in easy reach. Start from Levoca and keep
> heading east stopping at every town mentioned in the guide book.
Just stop before you get to Bucharest!
Oct 5th 2006, 12:43 pm
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
>Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
>her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
>there once and considers it done.
>Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
>was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1. I was, and we had a
>brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
>we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
>to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
>comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
>times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
>availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
>but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
>to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
>thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
>decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
>I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
>prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
>get to and from Bordeaux for �13 each way. So I called her back to
>tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
>Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our �13
>fare is not really �13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
>you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
>quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
>the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
>amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
>France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
>So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
>trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
>so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
I like both - long-term planning for major trips,
spontaneous reactions for others.
Unfortunately, there aren't many $50 fares to foreign climes
from here, so those tend to be long-range plans.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
>Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
>her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
>there once and considers it done.
>Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
>was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1. I was, and we had a
>brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
>we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
>to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
>comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
>times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
>availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
>but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
>to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
>thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
>decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
>I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
>prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
>get to and from Bordeaux for �13 each way. So I called her back to
>tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
>Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our �13
>fare is not really �13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
>you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
>quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
>the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
>amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
>France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
>So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
>trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
>so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
I like both - long-term planning for major trips,
spontaneous reactions for others.
Unfortunately, there aren't many $50 fares to foreign climes
from here, so those tend to be long-range plans.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
Oct 5th 2006, 2:50 pm
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
Alan S wrote:
> On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
> >she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
> >there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
> >life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
> >think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
> >Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
> >her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
> >there once and considers it done.
> >
> >Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
> >was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1. I was, and we had a
> >brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
> >we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
> >to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
> >comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
> >times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
> >availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
> >but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
> >to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
> >thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
> >decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
> >
> >I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
> >prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
> >get to and from Bordeaux for �13 each way. So I called her back to
> >tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
> >
> >Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our �13
> >fare is not really �13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
> >you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
> >quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
> >the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
> >amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
> >France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
> >
> >So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
> >trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
> >so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
> I like both - long-term planning for major trips,
> spontaneous reactions for others.
> Unfortunately, there aren't many $50 fares to foreign climes
> from here, so those tend to be long-range plans.
Nauru or Port Moresby maybe?
> On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
> <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
> >she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
> >there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
> >life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
> >think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
> >Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
> >her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
> >there once and considers it done.
> >
> >Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
> >was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1. I was, and we had a
> >brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
> >we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
> >to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
> >comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
> >times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
> >availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
> >but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
> >to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
> >thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
> >decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
> >
> >I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
> >prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
> >get to and from Bordeaux for �13 each way. So I called her back to
> >tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
> >
> >Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our �13
> >fare is not really �13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
> >you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
> >quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
> >the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
> >amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
> >France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
> >
> >So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
> >trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
> >so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
> I like both - long-term planning for major trips,
> spontaneous reactions for others.
> Unfortunately, there aren't many $50 fares to foreign climes
> from here, so those tend to be long-range plans.
Nauru or Port Moresby maybe?
Oct 5th 2006, 4:51 pm
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
On 5 Oct 2006 19:50:31 -0700, "Iceman" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Alan S wrote:
>> On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>> >she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>> >there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>> >life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>> >think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
>> >Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
>> >her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
>> >there once and considers it done.
>> >
>> >Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
>> >was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1. I was, and we had a
>> >brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
>> >we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
>> >to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
>> >comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
>> >times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
>> >availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
>> >but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
>> >to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
>> >thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
>> >decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
>> >
>> >I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
>> >prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
>> >get to and from Bordeaux for �13 each way. So I called her back to
>> >tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
>> >
>> >Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our �13
>> >fare is not really �13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
>> >you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
>> >quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
>> >the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
>> >amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
>> >France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
>> >
>> >So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
>> >trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
>> >so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
>> I like both - long-term planning for major trips,
>> spontaneous reactions for others.
>> Unfortunately, there aren't many $50 fares to foreign climes
>> from here, so those tend to be long-range plans.
>Nauru or Port Moresby maybe?
Port Moresby is about as inviting as a war zone, Nauru is a
lump of rock minus it's guano, and Bali has been crossed off
my list - if the bombs weren't enough, the Corby case was.
I've used up the frequent flyer miles from the first
northern trip going to Fiji and NZ. Now waiting for Qantas
or Air Caledonie to have some specials to Noumea.
I saw the crabs migrating on Christmas Island many, many
years ago - that was unforgettable - and visited the Cocos
and Keeling Islands (and Djakarta) on that same trip with
the military. Islands like that can be idyllic, but they can
also get just a wee bit boring after a while.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
wrote:
>Alan S wrote:
>> On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>> >she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>> >there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>> >life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>> >think it sufficient to visit once. So next month's trip is for
>> >Herself. Yes, I am self-serving enough to let her know that. I tell
>> >her that I would be happier to take her to Budapest, but she has been
>> >there once and considers it done.
>> >
>> >Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
>> >was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1. I was, and we had a
>> >brief discussion about taking advantage of it. She pointed out that as
>> >we don't greatly like high temperatures it might be a good opportunity
>> >to visit the south of Spain or some other warm place which might be
>> >comfortable for us in winter. She checked her diary and identified
>> >times that she could take a few days off. So I went online and found
>> >availability to Almeria, Alicante, Malaga, and Seville. Lisbon, too,
>> >but we have been there recently. Marseille, which seemed interesting
>> >to us, was not available on suitable dates. We hummed and hawed a bit,
>> >thought we needed more thinking time, and decided to leave the
>> >decision until the evening (the sale ends today).
>> >
>> >I did a little more research, and found that they had similarly good
>> >prices on destinations that were not flagged on their website. I could
>> >get to and from Bordeaux for �13 each way. So I called her back to
>> >tell her. No more hesitation -- a decisive "go for it". So I did.
>> >
>> >Of course, it's a trivial basis on which to make decisions. Our �13
>> >fare is not really �13. The add-ons more than treble the price, and if
>> >you have some flexibility, you can get deals about as good as that
>> >quite often. Further, the cost of travel is only a small component of
>> >the cost of a trip; accommodation, meals, and other spending will
>> >amount to much more -- and such things are generally more expensive in
>> >France than in Spain. So it's not really price-driven.
>> >
>> >So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
>> >trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
>> >so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
>> I like both - long-term planning for major trips,
>> spontaneous reactions for others.
>> Unfortunately, there aren't many $50 fares to foreign climes
>> from here, so those tend to be long-range plans.
>Nauru or Port Moresby maybe?
Port Moresby is about as inviting as a war zone, Nauru is a
lump of rock minus it's guano, and Bali has been crossed off
my list - if the bombs weren't enough, the Corby case was.
I've used up the frequent flyer miles from the first
northern trip going to Fiji and NZ. Now waiting for Qantas
or Air Caledonie to have some specials to Noumea.
I saw the crabs migrating on Christmas Island many, many
years ago - that was unforgettable - and visited the Cocos
and Keeling Islands (and Djakarta) on that same trip with
the military. Islands like that can be idyllic, but they can
also get just a wee bit boring after a while.
Cheers, Alan, Australia
Oct 5th 2006, 9:42 pm
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 22:16:55 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Dave Frightens Me <deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:
>>On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
>><[email protected]> wrote:
>>>Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>>>she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>>>there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>>>life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>>>think it sufficient to visit once.
>>Yeah, Vienna is of limited value but please consider going there
>>anyway and going up to Cesky Crumlov for a night or preferably two.
>>It's really nice, and you wont run out of things to do there. It's
>>only a couple of hours from Vienna.
>>Also, there are plenty of really charming, cheap, and non-touristy
>>places in Slovakia that are in easy reach. Start from Levoca and keep
>>heading east stopping at every town mentioned in the guide book.
>>Really nice, and really good value.
>That looks like a heavy programme for four lazy days in November. I'm
>thinking of just one day trip outside the city (using public transport
>-- I'm not very interested in hiring a car) , and the recent
>discussions here on Bratislava suggested to me that it might be a good
>trip. Is that a good idea?
Ah, four days. I now see the issue!
To be fair, it will be cold and probably you would be better off going
to a bigger city and concentrating on indoorish type stuff. As I am
sure you know, I don't rate Bratislava as being all that special, and
would probably prefer Vienna, even though I have been there before.
Actually what I would probably prefer is to rug up and wander through
the Slovakian hills and mountains!
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Dave Frightens Me <deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:
>>On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
>><[email protected]> wrote:
>>>Herself and I are scheduled to visit Vienna next month, mainly because
>>>she has for a long time harboured a wish to go there. I have been
>>>there before (some time ago, before Herself became a major part of my
>>>life) and in my mind Vienna is "done". It's one of those places that I
>>>think it sufficient to visit once.
>>Yeah, Vienna is of limited value but please consider going there
>>anyway and going up to Cesky Crumlov for a night or preferably two.
>>It's really nice, and you wont run out of things to do there. It's
>>only a couple of hours from Vienna.
>>Also, there are plenty of really charming, cheap, and non-touristy
>>places in Slovakia that are in easy reach. Start from Levoca and keep
>>heading east stopping at every town mentioned in the guide book.
>>Really nice, and really good value.
>That looks like a heavy programme for four lazy days in November. I'm
>thinking of just one day trip outside the city (using public transport
>-- I'm not very interested in hiring a car) , and the recent
>discussions here on Bratislava suggested to me that it might be a good
>trip. Is that a good idea?
Ah, four days. I now see the issue!
To be fair, it will be cold and probably you would be better off going
to a bigger city and concentrating on indoorish type stuff. As I am
sure you know, I don't rate Bratislava as being all that special, and
would probably prefer Vienna, even though I have been there before.
Actually what I would probably prefer is to rug up and wander through
the Slovakian hills and mountains!
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--
Oct 5th 2006, 10:41 pm
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 14:51:02 +1000, Alan S <[email protected]> wrote:
> Islands like that can be idyllic, but they can
>also get just a wee bit boring after a while.
I spent several days on Sanday, once you have memorised *all* the
roads it gets twitchy! It would have been better by bike.
--
Mike Reid
I will agree bendybuses are a good idea when they build bungalows on Mayfair
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
> Islands like that can be idyllic, but they can
>also get just a wee bit boring after a while.
I spent several days on Sanday, once you have memorised *all* the
roads it gets twitchy! It would have been better by bike.
--
Mike Reid
I will agree bendybuses are a good idea when they build bungalows on Mayfair
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Oct 5th 2006, 10:41 pm
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
>was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1.
It must be the forthcoming Ryan bid
>So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
>trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
>so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
too right, I call my trips holidays, i'll have none of this travel
nonsense. That might broaden my mind!
--
Mike Reid
I will agree bendybuses are a good idea when they build bungalows on Mayfair
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
>was running a seat sale with fares as low as �1.
It must be the forthcoming Ryan bid
>So what underlies our decision-making? The Aer Lingus seat sale was a
>trigger, but no more than that. The real motivator is caprice. Rightly
>so: our travel is, for the most part, undertaken for fun.
too right, I call my trips holidays, i'll have none of this travel
nonsense. That might broaden my mind!
--
Mike Reid
I will agree bendybuses are a good idea when they build bungalows on Mayfair
Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk"
Oct 5th 2006, 11:10 pm
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
Mike Reid <[email protected]> wrote:
>On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
><[email protected]> wrote:
>>Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
>>was running a seat sale with fares as low as €1.
>It must be the forthcoming Ryan bid
Ouch. Aer Lingus has transformed itself into a lowish-cost airline in
recent years, and have run seat sales like that from time to time.
Some people here might remember that I choose not to use Ryanair. If
they succeed in taking Aer Lingus over, my life will become difficult.
If Aer Lingus were to become another Ryanair they would lose my
business.
RTE, the broadcast service, conducted a vox pop at Dublin airport.
They found a number of Ryanair enthusiasts who are all for the move.
Some seem to believe that Michael O'Leary is a consumer champion
rather than a profit-driven businessman. They also found a number of
people who, like me, refuse to use Ryanair. The existence of such
people might be a significant factor in judging the business value of
a takeover: if a significant number of passengers walk away from Aer
Lingus, then it might not be a good investment.
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
>On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:18:11 +0100, Padraig Breathnach
><[email protected]> wrote:
>>Anyway, she phoned me from work to ask if I was aware that Aer Lingus
>>was running a seat sale with fares as low as €1.
>It must be the forthcoming Ryan bid
Ouch. Aer Lingus has transformed itself into a lowish-cost airline in
recent years, and have run seat sales like that from time to time.
Some people here might remember that I choose not to use Ryanair. If
they succeed in taking Aer Lingus over, my life will become difficult.
If Aer Lingus were to become another Ryanair they would lose my
business.
RTE, the broadcast service, conducted a vox pop at Dublin airport.
They found a number of Ryanair enthusiasts who are all for the move.
Some seem to believe that Michael O'Leary is a consumer champion
rather than a profit-driven businessman. They also found a number of
people who, like me, refuse to use Ryanair. The existence of such
people might be a significant factor in judging the business value of
a takeover: if a significant number of passengers walk away from Aer
Lingus, then it might not be a good investment.
--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
My travel writing: http://www.iol.ie/~draoi/
Oct 6th 2006, 4:10 am
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
Padraig Breathnach <[email protected]> wrote:
[]
> That looks like a heavy programme for four lazy days in November. I'm
> thinking of just one day trip outside the city (using public transport
> -- I'm not very interested in hiring a car) , and the recent
> discussions here on Bratislava suggested to me that it might be a good
> trip. Is that a good idea?
I think it's a very good idea. We spent a couple of nights there (after
4 in Vienna), but only really one full day in Bratislava- that is enough
time to see the interesting parts of the city. It's an easy daytrip of
course by train.
--
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
http://www.davidhorne.net/pictures.html http://soundjunction.org
[]
> That looks like a heavy programme for four lazy days in November. I'm
> thinking of just one day trip outside the city (using public transport
> -- I'm not very interested in hiring a car) , and the recent
> discussions here on Bratislava suggested to me that it might be a good
> trip. Is that a good idea?
I think it's a very good idea. We spent a couple of nights there (after
4 in Vienna), but only really one full day in Bratislava- that is enough
time to see the interesting parts of the city. It's an easy daytrip of
course by train.
--
David Horne- http://www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
http://www.davidhorne.net/pictures.html http://soundjunction.org
Oct 6th 2006, 4:19 am
#15
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: How to choose a destination
Heh. Wish prices like that existed in the US.
