Topic: Holidays 2024 - What's your plans?

[AndyInVA]

My cousin regularly visits BVI and would recommend Tortola.
I'm just back from a cruise around the Caribbean, can recommend Aruba (beautiful white beaches and crystal blue sea), Grand Cayman (tax free) and Curacao (just a stunning island but don't visit the museum)

Thanks for the heads up. I know nothing about the area at all and am looking for a quick fun trip over New Years

[ToneLa]

Going to London in early jan with the mrs

but June bonus = MAYBE SOMETHING A BIT WARMER

[Sudden Death Draft Loser]

Probables:

June - Glastonbury Festival
August - Beautiful Days Festival, Shambala Festival (back to Back)

[ToneLa]

A new EU digital border system that will require fingerprints and facial scans to be taken from British travellers on first use is expected to launch next autumn, according to reports.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/19/eu-fingerprint-checks-uk-travellers-british-passengers-entry-exit-system-facial-scans

[Sudden Death Draft Loser]

A new EU digital border system that will require fingerprints and facial scans to be taken from British travellers on first use is expected to launch next autumn, according to reports.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/19/eu-fingerprint-checks-uk-travellers-british-passengers-entry-exit-system-facial-scans

My Irish passport becomes more valuable by the day.

 

[rob1966]

A new EU digital border system that will require fingerprints and facial scans to be taken from British travellers on first use is expected to launch next autumn, according to reports.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/19/eu-fingerprint-checks-uk-travellers-british-passengers-entry-exit-system-facial-scans

As someone who travels into the EU 3 or 4 times a year, if it helps speed things up after the 1st visit I'm all for it, I doubt the knuckle dragging fuckwits and racist c*nts who voted for Brexit will want prints and facial scans though, "oh aye you robbing c*nt, you're wanted" 

[.adam]

Booked a long weekend in London for March, Krakow in May for four days and then ten days in Italy in June.

London will be a food focussed weekend with the plan to book a couple of nice tasting menus.

Krakow is with wife's family for my sister-in-law's 30th. Should be good fun.

Italy plan is a few days in Florence exploring some other towns in Tuscany then hiring a car to drive down to Rome (where we fly home from). Planning a vineyard stay, possibly in Umbria, with a few trips out to other towns/villages.

Bigger trip this year is now looking like Mexico in November. Not booked yet but thinking of flying into Mexico City and having a week or so there. Will visit Puebla and a few other places in the area then catch a flight out to Cancun for a bit of beach time before heading home. Erring on the side of Isla Mujeres for that part.

[Chakan]

Colombia next week, and then a trip to South Africa (Cape Town and Kruger Park) in October.

[CraigDS]

Fucking off to Spain for 6 months from April ish time. Rent a villa there, drive down with the dog, spend the mornings doing some work and rest of the time enjoying the weather.

Guess it's sort of a holiday

[.adam]

Colombia next week, and then a trip to South Africa (Cape Town and Kruger Park) in October.

Disfrutes!

[Chakan]

Disfrutes!

Gracias!

I'll enjoy it all! Colombia we are just relaxing, and doing some things my wife needs to do.

SA Cape Town will be the appetizer, while the Kruger will be the main course. I love the Kruger so much. Plus new camera so looking forward to it!

[Crosby Nick]

Absolutely fuck all.

[Jebediah]

Currently out of work, so all holiday plans are very much on hold. Had planned a grand tour of Albania, as last year's 3 week jaunt around the mountains of Bulgaria was such a success.

[bryanod]

Meant to be in Lanzarote but we were all sick last week and couldnt go! Trying to find 2-3 weeks somewhere before summer....guess south Spain most likely for some warmth. 

[SamLad]

Colombia next week, and then a trip to South Africa (Cape Town and Kruger Park) in October.

where in Colombia, Chakan?  Cartagena is great.

[Chakan]

where in Colombia, Chakan?  Cartagena is great.

Medellin and then Rio Negro. My wife has a couple of things she needs to do in Medellin then we are visiting family in Rio Negro.

[SamLad]

Medellin and then Rio Negro. My wife has a couple of things she needs to do in Medellin then we are visiting family in Rio Negro.

great weather in Colmbia right now ... 30C+.  disfrutes, amigo.

[Chakan]

great weather in Colmbia right now - 30C+.  disfrutes, amigo.

Yup escaping the 0-10C here at the moment! Gonna be bliss.

Gracias!

[redgriffin73]

Anyone any thoughts on Bratislava? What would be the ideal time for a shortish visit as part of a wider holiday, two days, three? Is there plenty to see and do?

[gazzam1963]

Booked last year for this April , cruising from Dubai to Southampton it was booked with the idea of calls in Oman and Jordan to visit Petra as well as cruising through the Suez Canal . With all the issues in the Red Sea had to make a decision wether to cancel and lose deposit or pay the balance and take the chance .

Been told we can cancel if it gets worse and has to divert with a refund or future credit ( usually 120% ) or we can pick it up and travel around South Africa that way , only issue is instead of 21 nights it will be more 28 so paid the balance and see how it goes

[rob1966]

Fucking off to Spain for 6 months from April ish time. Rent a villa there, drive down with the dog, spend the mornings doing some work and rest of the time enjoying the weather.

Guess it's sort of a holiday

If I was single I'd do that, love to piss off abroad and get away from here.

Just over 4 weeks til Tenerife, when the kids were in primary school we'd have been flying out this Saturday for 2 weeks, I miss those days. Got a night in York booked for all 4 of us, me and her doing the ABBA voyage thing in May, so a night in London, doing RIAT with the eldest in July, so got a night in Cheltenham to add to the August holiday as well now

[Party Phil]

don't visit the museum

You can't leave us hanging like that. What happened in the museum?? 

[rob1966]

You can't leave us hanging like that. What happened in the museum?? 

He had a bad night

[Chakan]

He had a bad night

[The G in Gerrard]

Fucking off to Spain for 6 months from April ish time. Rent a villa there, drive down with the dog, spend the mornings doing some work and rest of the time enjoying the weather.

Guess it's sort of a holiday

That sounds great. You definitely doing this? You retired??

[CraigDS]

That sounds great. You definitely doing this? You retired??

Yeah def doing it. Myself and gf both work for ourselves, enough where hours would only be a handful in the mornings and rest of the day is ours. We don't have kids yet, so we just thought why not, let's do it why we can and fuck off somewhere else for a bit.

Just looking for places now, want something big enough to have family / friends come and stay too ideally.

[The G in Gerrard]

Yeah def doing it. Myself and gf both work for ourselves, enough where hours would only be a handful in the mornings and rest of the day is ours. We don't have kids yet, so we just thought why not, let's do it why we can and fuck off somewhere else for a bit.

Just looking for places now, want something big enough to have family / friends come and stay too ideally.

Fair play. Why Spain in particular? Nice re both your work then. It has crossed my mind but was advised that salary payment would be different due to living/working in a different country. Seemed alot of hassle / paperwork to do for me and Mrs in our roles.

More time for the ACCA thread as well then

[CraigDS]

Fair play. Why Spain in particular? Nice re both your work then. It has crossed my mind but was advised that salary payment would be different due to living/working in a different country. Seemed alot of hassle / paperwork to do for me and Mrs in our roles.

More time for the ACCA thread as well then

We both love the way of life in Spain in general, loving the food and wine there def helps! Plus we'll likely be south coast so weather is nice for a huge part of the year (and always better than here!).

And yeah, I really need to get back in there. I've been off here a lot in general the last 12 months but will get back in there before end of the season.

[TheRedBaron]

Doing Vietnam in April for two weeks so I'll try and see how much I can do. Has anyone been recently with a bit of an itinerary?

[SamLad]

Doing Vietnam in April for two weeks so I'll try and see how much I can do. Has anyone been recently with a bit of an itinerary?

Hanoi and HoChiMin are very interesting but crazy busy and crowded. crossing the road will scare you shitless the first couple of times but there's a knack to it - google it and you'll see.

the Old Quarter in Hanoi is a great area imo.

try Hoi An - lovely place, great for visitors.  and Hue is a nice (smaller) place but not tons to do in comparison.

Halong Bay - highly recommended.

[rob1966]

We both love the way of life in Spain in general, loving the food and wine there def helps! Plus we'll likely be south coast so weather is nice for a huge part of the year (and always better than here!).

And yeah, I really need to get back in there. I've been off here a lot in general the last 12 months but will get back in there before end of the season.

So you can't go back into Europe until April 2025 if you do 180 days in Spain?

[The G in Gerrard]

So you can't go back into Europe until April 2025 if you do 180 days in Spain?

How come?

[CraigDS]

So you can't go back into Europe until April 2025 if you do 180 days in Spain?

Will be getting a visa whilst out there, but yeah otherwise I couldn't go anywhere in Europe for another 6 months if I spent 6 months in Spain.

[CraigDS]

How come?

Max 183 days in Europe per 12 month period, even if you split that up into 10x 18 days.

[The G in Gerrard]

Max 183 days in Europe per 12 month period, even if you split that up into 10x 18 days.

That applies if you even own property in Europe?

[rob1966]

That applies if you even own property in Europe?

Yep - I remember Miriam Margoyles going mental during covid on a tv interview from her place in Italy and saying she was forced to return to the UK due to Brexit

[CraigDS]

That applies if you even own property in Europe?

There are visas depending on investment into a country, but I'm not completely sure if this is backdated (don't think it is).

[rob1966]

There are visas depending on investment into a country, but I'm not completely sure if this is backdated (don't think it is).

Remember them Brexit voters having to leave Spain a few years ago? Think they had to apply for residency or something. How I laughed at the idiots as they cried.

[rob1966]

Had a panic just now as thought we'd need an ETIAS, but its 2025 before we need these

[TepidT2O]

California July/August….Santa Cruz area… cannot come quick enough in this weather