Wilson European Vacation - 23 May to 9 July 2011

[csueb31]

Hi, I haven't quite got my head around where you are driving and why, but just wanted to warn you about car seats (if you didn't already know).

I have travelled to Europe twice and the UK once with young children (soon to be twice), as well as Canada. I have had significant problems with Europcar, who refused to give me a car seat for a one-way rental. As you can imagine, arriving at 6am in Zurich with a 9 month old baby, I was not happy and eventually (after tears) they brought out a very old and I'm sure illegal seat for me to BUY from them for about $200AUD!. It was at least 15 years old. Their reasoning was that Autoeurope (similar to Driveaway) can only "request" car seats, they are NOT confirmed. And Europcar are different companies in each country. They did not think their seats would be returned with the car.

We have previously had problems with Europcar, where the car we hired from Frankfurt broke down in Western France. We had to wait 2 days for someone to drive from Germany to pick it up (by tow truck), it could not be repaired in France.

I tell you these tales to demonstrate that (1) Europcar can be less than ideal in a number of different settings, mostly involving more than one European country and (2) car seats for kids are difficult.
Of course because I booked with Autoeurope I didn't know it was Europcar till I had paid. That's the problem with Driveaway, Autoeurope etc.

What I do now is - take the EU/UK car seat I bought to replace the 15 year old one
- take details of the nearest stockist of car seats
- research independent hire if possible
- rent from a large company like Hertz (even their seats are variable)

I guess just at least be aware that there MAY be problems. Particularly for your 4 year old - are you happy for them to be in a foam (backless) booster seat? If not then at least make sure you request a forward facing seat (if they are less than 18kg and not too tall).

When we went to Canada it was easier because we could use tethered car seats there. We took a convertible seat and a backed booster (I have 1,3,5 year olds). And hired a forward facing.

For the upcoming UK trip - not sure what we will do. But my company choice is being largely based on what car seats they advertise.

HTH - good luck with the planning! Sounds like it will be a busy trip!
Sue

 

[QF WP]

Having just done Munich to bamberg on the autobahn - right past nurnberg. I would suggest that the middle lane would be best. Inside lane seemed to be full of trucks travelling at about 100-110. We were mostly in the middle lane at 130 to 150. This was in a Seat people mover thing with winter tires. Interesting experience doing 130 and having a Smart fly past us.

Will probably stick to the middle lane then - 110 to 130kms/h is my comfort point

Just on the nurnberg/Munich/fussen/stuttgart thing. Your ordering seems a bit out as you would be travelling back and forward a bit. I don't know enough about the trip to be definitive, but if you fly to Munich then I would suggest Fussen before nurnberg. The obvious problem is that you miss the 2 days of sightseeing between Prague and nurnberg.

Flying to MUC, picking up the lease car and then driving back to NUE doesn't phase me - even Mrs LW thought it made sense. Yes it means we miss the drive PRG/NUE, but there's always next time. The bigger issue is that Nurnberg is the Best Flex Rate, but it's where I am trying to catch up with 2 friends. We can reduce that to 1 night adn then drive through to MUC or Fussen for the second night. Stuttgart is Advance Purchase so we don't want to lose on that prepaid stay.

Although I can see you point of view with maybe going straight to Fussen, seeing the castle that afternoon and then driving back to MUC & NUE - just makes it a big day of driving on that day, which we want to avoid (having done 500kms back to Adelaide in a day last year put paid to long drives with kids in the car).

 

[QF WP]

Hi, I haven't quite got my head around where you are driving and why

Sometimes when I look at it, I'm not sure myself...

but just wanted to warn you about car seats (if you didn't already know). I have travelled to Europe twice and the UK once with young children (soon to be twice), as well as Canada. I have had significant problems with Europcar, who refused to give me a car seat for a one-way rental. As you can imagine, arriving at 6am in Zurich with a 9 month old baby, I was not happy and eventually (after tears) they brought out a very old and I'm sure illegal seat for me to BUY from them for about $200AUD!. It was at least 15 years old. Their reasoning was that Autoeurope (similar to Driveaway) can only "request" car seats, they are NOT confirmed. And Europcar are different companies in each country. They did not think their seats would be returned with the car.

We have previously had problems with Europcar, where the car we hired from Frankfurt broke down in Western France. We had to wait 2 days for someone to drive from Germany to pick it up (by tow truck), it could not be repaired in France.

I tell you these tales to demonstrate that (1) Europcar can be less than ideal in a number of different settings, mostly involving more than one European country and (2) car seats for kids are difficult.
Of course because I booked with Autoeurope I didn't know it was Europcar till I had paid. That's the problem with Driveaway, Autoeurope etc.

Hmmm, I was looking at Europcar's rates, so pehaps I need to re-think :shock:

What I do now is - take the EU/UK car seat I bought to replace the 15 year old one
- take details of the nearest stockist of car seats
- research independent hire if possible
- rent from a large company like Hertz (even their seats are variable)

I guess just at least be aware that there MAY be problems. Particularly for your 4 year old - are you happy for them to be in a foam (backless) booster seat? If not then at least make sure you request a forward facing seat (if they are less than 18kg and not too tall).

Hertz is my number one program, as I have never had a problem with them. Yes, am happy about having my daughter in a booster - we've been talking about it at home as well. She ready to move from being a toddler to being a young lady.

For the upcoming UK trip - not sure what we will do. But my company choice is being largely based on what car seats they advertise.

We're looking at Hertz for London hire as well, similar thinking about the seats as well.

HTH - good luck with the planning! Sounds like it will be a busy trip!
Sue

Thanks csueb31 for all this handy information, everything is falling into place ATM.

 

[medhead]

Although I can see you point of view with maybe going straight to Fussen, seeing the castle that afternoon and then driving back to MUC & NUE - just makes it a big day of driving on that day, which we want to avoid (having done 500kms back to Adelaide in a day last year put paid to long drives with kids in the car).

I haven't really read the whole thread but the bit I did read you mentioned 2.5 days to drive Prague to nurnberg. I was thinking that you had that time up your sleeve if you are flying to Munich. So you would still leave Prague on the same day (or maybe a bit later) do fussen overnight and then get to nurnberg at the same time.

I would definitely agree not to do fussen in a day. next time I go there I'm doing overnight as I want to climb around the hill and get some photos from the front of the castle. Whereas the usual easy bridge provides side views.

 

[csueb31]

Glad to be of some help. Just wanted to clarify what I meant about booster seats. I hope I won't offend you, car seats seem to be a contentious issue.

I just meant that for some car hire companies, booster seat means a little foam cushion you sit on (with no back). These are quite dangerous, and although are sold in Australia currently, they are no longer being manufactured or sold due to the high risks in accidents. So the best "booster" seats, have backs and a guide for the seat belt to ensure proper harnessing across the chest (if the seatbelt goes over the vital organs it is also quite dangerous).

So, to cut a long story short, just check what they mean by a "booster" seat. The ones with backs are much safer.

On other topics, I concur about avoiding long drives. the worst holiday moments we've had have been on long drives with kids, especially little ones!

Are you taking a car seat on the flights?

I would also recommend looking into packing cells - google Eagle Creek Packing Cube - I got mine from theluggageprofessionals.
I pack each child's stuff in one of these, so that at destination I can whip it out and find what I need quickly, rather than sorting through a suitcase looking for PJ's etc. I do the same for myself and my DH and have one for shirts etc to reduce creasing. Sounds like a gimmick, but it has really made travel (especially multi-stop) much easier.

Happy travels!

Sue

 

[QF WP]

I haven't really read the whole thread but the bit I did read you mentioned 2.5 days to drive Prague to nurnberg. I was thinking that you had that time up your sleeve if you are flying to Munich. So you would still leave Prague on the same day (or maybe a bit later) do fussen overnight and then get to nurnberg at the same time.

Aaah, now I understand what you mean, as I wrote:

I'm thinking we get a hire car for the first 2.5 days drive from Prague to Nuremberg, then south to Munich (Airport) and switch cars, then west to Stuttgart.

perhaps what was missing was a comma after "days", as we are thinking of renting the car for 2.5 days, in which we would drive Prague to Nurnberg on the first morning (4th June) and have 2 days in Nurnberg, then drive down to Munich airport and hand the hire car back (thus the 2.5 days) and then pick up the leased car. However, that is only one of the options I am considering.

I would definitely agree not to do fussen in a day. next time I go there I'm doing overnight as I want to climb around the hill and get some photos from the front of the castle. Whereas the usual easy bridge provides side views.

I believe you are talking driving NUE/MUC/Fussen and then try and see the Castle [all in one day] - if so, then yes, we have agreed that is crazy. I want to give Vicky and Charlotte lots of time in the castle. Jack and I are along for the ride .

 

[medhead]

I believe you are talking driving NUE/MUC/Fussen and then try and see the Castle [all in one day] -

I wasn't really suggesting that, but with my misreading on the 2.5 days thing, then it does sound like that is my suggestion.

There is also another castle near fussen, hohenschwangau, and it is actually completed. (Unlike neuschwanstein) Ludwig watched construction of neuschwanstein from here so you can get some good views incorporating both and the forggensee. Haven't done it myself but this is also supposed to be good for a swim, depending on time of year.

 

[QF WP]

Yes, I know about hohenschwangau, but I haven't told here about it - I think one castle in a day might be enough - and on this trip (considering it's her trip), what Mrs LW wants, she gets (the things I do to keep my wife happy )

 

[QF WP]

Woo hoo, just checked the Irish Passport Tracker site and in the last 2 days, they have authorised, printed and dispatched the new passport back to the Australian Embassy.

Things are coming together!

 

[QF WP]

Irish Passport arrived today (well, it probably arrived earlier, but I was in PER) and confirmation from DriveTravel.com that our booking for a Citroen C4 Exclusive 1.6L Auto Diesel e-Hdi with GPS had been confirmed ($2,172.75 for 27 days, not too bad). Spoke to Celeste in MEL today and got email with Contracts this afternoon.

Pity that we couldn't get a Peugeot 308SW Premium Pack HDi Auto 2.0L - booked out (so they say :-|). We were both looking forward to driving one.

Now to go and get the International Drivers Permits.

Many thanks to all who recommended.

 

[V1213]

As promised, a quick look at Bordeaux-Paris train fares.

Booking direct with SNCF (Voyages-sncf.com : Voyage en train, en avion, rservation d'htels et sjours) with ticket pick-up within France (ie. from a ticket machine at the station in Bordeaux), although e-ticket (print at home) is also an option:
From €111.00 for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 3-11) in 2nd class or
From €145.00 for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 3-11) in 1st class.
These are the non-flexible "Prem's" sale fares and may not be available on all departures.

If you need to book in English you can do so at Welcome to TGV-Europe.com, although the fares are a little higher, at €132 and €160 respectively. These include free delivery by post to Australian addresses, which you can't do with the cheaper prices above.

By comparision, booking from SNCF's Australian joint-venture partner, Rail Europe - Rail travel planner Europe - Train travel in Europe (Eurostar is:
From $322.00 for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 3-11) in 2nd class or
From $516.00 for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 3-11) in 1st class.
These are also non-flexible fares and there is pretty much no justification for their extremely excessive prices.

 

[QF WP]

V1213, I was meant to re-visit the TVG fares tonight but got stuck on Hertz car hire in London; so many thanks. Will have to look at the eticket printed at work version. HAve to look at the difference between First and Second class, the price really isn't that much different.

The Amex bill arrived today, so all the pre-paid accom is there. Wasn't as bad as we thought it might be, thanks to the AUD.

 

[ellen10]

Great information from V1213. I always book the TGV tickets through the TGV English site. You can sellect Australia as your originating country and print up your own tickets. Just be sure to spell names on the tickets correctly. You can even select your seats. I find it very easy to use and prices much better than RailEurope or Railplus.

We bought PREMS, the earlier you book them the better the price. I always try to book 90 days out. First class is my favourite and has more space i.e. less seats and more easier luggage storage. However for a 3h 30m trip 2nd class would be ok. My rule is, anything 5 hours plus, always first class.

 

[grussellt]

.........but got stuck on Hertz car hire in London.

Buyer beware. Have a Google Search on "hertz" and car rental problem. The Guardian has spent quite a lot of time looking at the industry and clearly none of them are perfect. The biggest problem with Hertz seems to be that you often don't know when your car will turn up (or at all). Especially travelling with children I would contact the rental office the day before and confirm all arrangements.

 

[V1213]

We bought PREMS, the earlier you book them the better the price. I always try to book 90 days out. First class is my favourite and has more space i.e. less seats and more easier luggage storage. However for a 3h 30m trip 2nd class would be ok. My rule is, anything 5 hours plus, always first class.

Yes, the European train booking window is usually a rolling 90 days and the earlier one books, the better.

I'll admit right now that I'm not a fan of the TGV onboard product. The design has basically not changed in their 30 years of operation, and the "new" product is more annoying than comfortable for me. The service in TGV First, especially in comparison with almost every other decent European railway system, leaves a lot to be desired. That said, First does have the benefit of space... although little else compared to other trains, which will provide snacks/meals, at seat service, reading material, good seats etc.

 

[QF WP]

Great information from V1213. I always book the TGV tickets through the TGV English site. You can sellect Australia as your originating country and print up your own tickets. Just be sure to spell names on the tickets correctly. You can even select your seats. I find it very easy to use and prices much better than RailEurope or Railplus.We bought PREMS, the earlier you book them the better the price. I always try to book 90 days out.

Yes, the European train booking window is usually a rolling 90 days and the earlier one books, the better.

Tonight's the night, so we are booking 56 days out.

First class is my favourite and has more space i.e. less seats and more easier luggage storage. However for a 3h 30m trip 2nd class would be ok. My rule is, anything 5 hours plus, always first class.

I'll admit right now that I'm not a fan of the TGV onboard product. The design has basically not changed in their 30 years of operation, and the "new" product is more annoying than comfortable for me. The service in TGV First, especially in comparison with almost every other decent European railway system, leaves a lot to be desired. That said, First does have the benefit of space... although little else compared to other trains, which will provide snacks/meals, at seat service, reading material, good seats etc.

With 2 kids, space is imperative, so First Class it is - I don't see the differential in fare great enough to select Second Class - although the AUD has fallen a little.

 

[QF WP]

.........but got stuck on Hertz car hire in London.

Buyer beware. Have a Google Search on "hertz" and car rental problem. The Guardian has spent quite a lot of time looking at the industry and clearly none of them are perfect. The biggest problem with Hertz seems to be that you often don't know when your car will turn up (or at all). Especially travelling with children I would contact the rental office the day before and confirm all arrangements.

grussellt, it was more a "stuck" because I was having trouble with the booking last night. Contacted my 15* TA and he tried to work out the problem with me, but felt it was easier to get my Hertz details and do the booking for me. He then fixed the problem in my profile.

I'll take your advice and contact them the day before we are picking up, to confirm. Not had a problem with them in Australia, so hoping that it remains true overseas as well.

 

[QF WP]

As promised, a quick look at Bordeaux-Paris train fares.

Booking direct with SNCF (Voyages-sncf.com : Voyage en train, en avion, rservation d'htels et sjours) with ticket pick-up within France (ie. from a ticket machine at the station in Bordeaux), although e-ticket (print at home) is also an option:
From €111.00 for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 3-11) in 2nd class or
From €145.00 for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 3-11) in 1st class.
These are the non-flexible "Prem's" sale fares and may not be available on all departures.

If you need to book in English you can do so at Welcome to TGV-Europe.com, although the fares are a little higher, at €132 and €160 respectively. These include free delivery by post to Australian addresses, which you can't do with the cheaper prices above.

Hmmm, wanted to book tonight but realised that my laptop doesn't have the printer drivers installed for our HP printer at home, so at this late hour, going to delay booking until tomorrow at work. Prems sale price look good, will have to opt for the printed e-tickets.

By comparision, booking from SNCF's Australian joint-venture partner, Rail Europe - Rail travel planner Europe - Train travel in Europe*(Eurostar is:
From $322.00 for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 3-11) in 2nd class or
From $516.00 for 2 adults and 2 children (aged 3-11) in 1st class.
These are also non-flexible fares and there is pretty much no justification for their extremely excessive prices.

Their justification is that they want a healthy mark up for dumb (but wealthy) Aussies who don't do the research...what do they say about a fool and their money. Not me :shock:

 

[Dantine]

Sorry I cannot comment more on your destinations as I am unfortunately not as well travelled as some on the forum, and almost everything I could have added pretty much has been already!

With all printed tickets (and any other travel documents), where they do not email you a PDF, use a PDF virtual printer to create one and email it to yourself. It might save a lot of frustration to have a digital copy available from any computer worldwide.

I use PDFCreator (but don't install the toolbar), but there are plenty of other free ones out there.

I can only reiterate the importance of booking early for train travel, each country is different, but 30 days from memory is a cut-off for many discount fares. The big western European railways (eg. SNCF/DB/Thalys) are in my experience particularly adept at yield management on the fast trains, and I have seen some scary prices quoted for last minute journeys, particularly from the Germans who try very hard to run the ICE trains like an airline.

 

[QF WP]

T minus 41 hours and counting.

Work is finished (spent until 4.15am this morning there, finalising everything). All bills are paid and all we need is internet access to pay them when we are in Europe. We have sufficient starter cash (GBP200 and EUR300) and my wife has a UK bank account an access card. Dropping funds in there tomorrow.

Now it's the final checks and packing tomorrow. This should be fun

It's actually a little daunting. I've never spent that long away from Australia and my family before. Will our marriage survive? Will the kids survive?