Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trains.

[mattwrightzen]

I'm Just posting to introduce myself. I like visiting Europe especially Spain and am keen to have another holiday.

I'm looking for a cheap ticket to anywhere in Europe then I can High Speed Train it, Ryan air or Easyjet it to my preferred location. I like to travel hand luggage only. Not sure if I will be able to convince my girlfriend to do the same. Having a lighter laptop than I used to have will help (it's down 1.5kg). It's amazing how much stuff you can wear when you're presented with scales and an unrelenting customer service representativ.

Best ever offer I've seen to Europe was when AirAsia X used to fly there and it was $900 and something to London.

Regards,

Matt

 

[Hvr]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Welcome aboard mattwrightzen, lots of us here are fans of HLO (hand luggage only) and have enjoyed travel on fast trains as part of our flying.

Look forward to hearing about your travels.

 

[RB]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Gooday Matt. We are booked to visit Spain in 2014. I will probably have some questions for you as planning progresses

 

[mattwrightzen]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Likewise, If you find any cheap fares let me know. I keep missing them. I think I had seen something in the last year in the $1200-$1400 mark when you tend to pay $1600 if you're lucky but more like $1800-$2400 (for more direct flights).

That said I'm not that good at getting cheap flights and I don't want the Vietname Airlines experience where you swap from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

 

[RB]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Likewise, If you find any cheap fares let me know. I keep missing them. I think I had seen something in the last year in the $1200-$1400 mark when you tend to pay $1600 if you're lucky but more like $1800-$2400 (for more direct flights).

That said I'm not that good at getting cheap flights and I don't want the Vietname Airlines experience where you swap from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

It may be an idea to read up on LifeMiles on here & do the free join up before the next promotion. We are going to Portugal first so ended up booking a LM SYD via BKK to OPO as a 1 way.

 

[mattwrightzen]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

It may be an idea to read up on LifeMiles on here & do the free join up before the next promotion. We are going to Portugal first so ended up booking a LM SYD via BKK to OPO as a 1 way.

I have no idea what Lifemiles is -which forum to I read up about it on?

Cheers,

Matt

 

[RB]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

I have no idea what Lifemiles is -which forum to I read up about it on?

Cheers,

Matt

Make a start here http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ife-miles-new-ff-40866.html?highlight=avianca & also use the advanced search (topish right on screen on this site) using words that come up on the thread linked

 

[JohnK]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Welcome to AFF mattwrightzen!

I like to travel hand luggage only. Not sure if I will be able to convince my girlfriend to do the same. Having a lighter laptop than I used to have will help (it's down 1.5kg). It's amazing how much stuff you can wear when you're presented with scales and an unrelenting customer service representativ.

Hand luggage only as in only 7kg?

Pair of jeans weigh ~600gm. Pair of trousers weighs ~450gm. A business/casual long sleeved shirt weights ~200-250gm. A singlet weighs ~100gm. A t-shirt weighs ~200-400gm. Underpants weigh ~50-60gm. Socks weigh ~50gm. A half decent bag weighs ~2-3kg.

Almost impossible for any trip over 3-4 days as I would not want to restrict myself to wearing the same t-shirts over and over. I also prefer to wear proper trousers.

Good luck.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Welcome to AFF mattwrightzen!


Hand luggage only as in only 7kg?

Pair of jeans weigh ~600gm. Pair of trousers weighs ~450gm. A business/casual long sleeved shirt weights ~200-250gm. A singlet weighs ~100gm. A t-shirt weighs ~200-400gm. Underpants weigh ~50-60gm. Socks weigh ~50gm. A half decent bag weighs ~2-3kg.

Almost impossible for any trip over 3-4 days as I would not want to restrict myself to wearing the same t-shirts over and over. I also prefer to wear proper trousers.

Good luck.

I can get away with domestic HLO at about 10kg total (including 'personal item') if the trip is about 10 days or less, and I have at least one stay of 2 nights in the same place somewhere (so I can have laundry done).

As I always travel business overseas, my HLO (roll-aboard + laptop backpack) is more like 15kg for those trip and I can survive for quite a while on that.

 

[ashleyn]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

I can get away with domestic HLO at about 10kg total (including 'personal item') if the trip is about 10 days or less, and I have at least one stay of 2 nights in the same place somewhere (so I can have laundry done).

As I always travel business overseas, my HLO (roll-aboard + laptop backpack) is more like 15kg for those trip and I can survive for quite a while on that.

"get away with" ? By that you mean breaking the rules knowingly and not caring ? 7Kg is 7Kg, not 10 and certainly not 15 IMHO.

 

[TomVexille]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Welcome to AFF!

Also, how good are trains

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

"get away with" ? By that you mean breaking the rules knowingly and not caring ? 7Kg is 7Kg, not 10 and certainly not 15 IMHO.

OK, 7kg is 7kg. If we are talking Qantas, you are allowed two pieces on mainline services, each 7kg. Carry On Baggage Allowance | Qantas. 14kg.

And yes, I do regularly break the rules, knowingly, but I DO care.

You have a roll-aboard. It weighs 7kg. I have the same roll-aboard. It weighs 10kg. I also have a laptop bag - it weighs 7kg. Golly, gosh ... breaking the rules again by 3kg. What did the bathroom scales say about my own weight this morning? 75kg or 120 kg? So does 3 or 5 or 10kg hand luggage matter to a 747 or even a 737?

The weight limit I'm pretty sure relates to the issue of FAs possibly needing to lift the bag into the overhead locker. Its not about total gross weight (at least not until they start weighing pax and estimating total pax load to the kg ).

I'm the one you'll see frequently assisting FAs to get other people's bags up and down from the overhead bins. So I have no qualms about taking my 10+kg roll-aboard on board, as long as I wrangle it myself and if its really heavy, on the floor and not in the overhead lockers.

 

[JohnK]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

I can get away with domestic HLO at about 10kg total (including 'personal item') if the trip is about 10 days or less, and I have at least one stay of 2 nights in the same place somewhere (so I can have laundry done).

Hotel laundry services? Total rip off. I think with the Hiltons in Bangkok you wont get much change out of a 1,000 THB.

For me to do the laundry? Occasionally I may put underwear or socks in the basin but that is where I draw the line. I have no time to waste.

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Hotel laundry services? Total rip off. I think with the Hiltons in Bangkok you wont get much change out of a 1,000 THB.

For me to do the laundry? Occasionally I may put underwear or socks in the basin but that is where I draw the line. I have no time to waste.

I agree re a rip off. But (say) $50 I justify as a cost of the trip, not large in comparison with overall cost. I'm not a basin washer That's where you can get stuck with damp clothes on the next leg of your trip!

(and apologies to the OP for the distracted discussion ... but that's AFF :mrgreen: )

 

[JohnK]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

I agree re a rip off. But (say) $50 I justify as a cost of the trip, not large in comparison with overall cost. I'm not a basin washer That's where you can get stuck with damp clothes on the next leg of your trip!

Totally understand your thinking.

If you want to Hand luggage only then some extra spend on laundry is only loose change. I am quite happy to use up my 30kg luggage allowance and dont want to carry ~15kg with me around the airport.

 

[grussellt]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Hi mattwrightzen - welcome to AFF. We had a long trip to Spain (and Portugal) in 2008 and loved it. I hope you have discovered the Paradores and the huge savings using the 5-night card. We used them a lot but booked through an English agent at fraction of the prices quoted in Australia. The experts here will get you to Spain and back anytime!

 

[RooFlyer]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Totally understand your thinking.

If you want to Hand luggage only then some extra spend on laundry is only loose change. I am quite happy to use up my 30kg luggage allowance and dont want to carry ~15kg with me around the airport.

Leaving today for 8 days in UK. Checked bag of 13kg (mainly because of bulk - incl warm coat, folding umbrella, change of shoes) and carry-on laptop bag of about - ah! - 7kg.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

"get away with" ? By that you mean breaking the rules knowingly and not caring ? 7Kg is 7Kg, not 10 and certainly not 15 IMHO.

Who weighs their hand carry?

 

[JohnK]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Who weighs their hand carry?

Some airlines (not just LCC) weight carry on luggage. I have been asked to move some things from carry on bag to checked luggage.

In my experience this happens quite a lot in BNE international before security.

 

[Simo]

Re: Nice to be on board - I like visiting Europe especially Spain and High speed Trai

Welcome to the forum