Holidays 2022.

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
I'd use booking.com rather than Airbnb, fewer charges and aren't causing such a housing crisis in towns.
I use them both. If I need a hotel then I use Booking. Com but for self catering properties it's Airbnb for me I'm afraid. It's the refund options right up to the week of travel that is the deal sealer for me, obvs need to check the correct options, but when covid kicked in we got an instant refund on an expensive place in San Francisco at the click of the mouse!

I think the housing crisis in towns affected by second homes predates Airbnb.
 

kilmaccumsey

Well-Known Forumite
Oh thanks so i much for that. We flying to Pisa and making our on way round would love to get to see where my great grandad was born but no trains where he lived. Mind you its up a mountain.
I speak no Italian so hoping to get a few phrases in beforehand.
Have been watching Stanley Tucci Italys programme very interesting. How they stay slim ill never know
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
Hi have you used the trains in italy just wondering if its pretty easy to get around
I've used the Italian railways to travel from Milan to Tirano, Milan down to Naples and back up the Adriatic coast as well as travelling via Venice to Yugoslavia (the latter being many years ago).

No real problems apart from understanding whether my tickets were valid for the train operator being used. This was probably more down to my total ignorance of the Italian language than the rail system to be honest.

The train is a great way to see countries and the experience and sense of achievement of travelling as and when you wish rather than a package holiday is worth any issues of ticketing or trepidation.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
I've used the Italian railways to travel from Milan to Tirano, Milan down to Naples and back up the Adriatic coast as well as travelling via Venice to Yugoslavia (the latter being many years ago).

No real problems apart from understanding whether my tickets were valid for the train operator being used. This was probably more down to my total ignorance of the Italian language than the rail system to be honest.

The train is a great way to see countries and the experience and sense of achievement of travelling as and when you wish rather than a package holiday is worth any issues of ticketing or trepidation.
I couldn't agree more with that last sentence.
 
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staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
I've used the Italian railways to travel from Milan to Tirano, Milan down to Naples and back up the Adriatic coast as well as travelling via Venice to Yugoslavia (the latter being many years ago).

No real problems apart from understanding whether my tickets were valid for the train operator being used. This was probably more down to my total ignorance of the Italian language than the rail system to be honest.

The train is a great way to see countries and the experience and sense of achievement of travelling as and when you wish rather than a package holiday is worth any issues of ticketing or trepidation.


Yes a few. We flew to Turin and got a train from Torino Porto Susa up to Aosta, with a change, can't remember where but all very civilised and easy to manage.

We also flew to Milan and got the Frecciarossa to Turin and then again up to the mountains to ski, Oulx for Sauze D'oulx ski resort if memory serves. Again no issues at all and very reasonably priced.

I don't speak a word of Italian but we had no problems at all. Booked the Frecciarossa online and quite early to get the good price, the others were local trains so we got the walk on fare.

The train network is extensive and efficient in my limited experience. Should be easy to find a train network map on the Web sonewhere

That's a coincidence , son just told me tonight that him and his girlfriend are thinking of 9 days holiday in Italy for the first time next year, travelling by train to various parts. Was able to tell him of the positive experiences mentioned on here :up:
 

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
That's a coincidence , son just told me tonight that him and his girlfriend are thinking of 9 days holiday in Italy for the first time next year, travelling by train to various parts. Was able to tell him of the positive experiences mentioned on here :up:
Glad I could help. Like I say I only did the North of the country but booking online was easy and the trains efficient and reasonably priced. Puts us to shame.
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Cancelled Teignmouth hotel next week with hubby having teeth out on Saturday. Will celebrate his 65th around Worcester instead .

Still got Paignton self catering booked for a couple of weeks after though to look forwards to . I'll be swimming in the outside pool and maybe a paddle in the sea across the road whether it's warm or not. :)
 
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staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Seems Stafford doesn't want us deserters there anymore! Tried booking a night in the Hough Travelodge for a works meet-up . After payment details put in and and Bank clicksafe checking it out ....'Access denied , not allowed on this server'.

Apparently it crashed as payment being checked out , so Stafford hotel had my booking on their system , but not complete :roll: After her ringing her supervisor as she was mystified (why can't things go bloody right for us???) , rang me back to say had to ring central travelodge to sort it . Done it all by phone now, so you have the pleasure of our company for a night in September folks :D
 
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staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
<~~~ Knocks everyone out of the way to stockpile bottled water in preparation of @staffordjas heading our way in September.
Just in case there's a pipe burst, of course.....................
I'll laugh if there is now ...... just as long as there isn't a burst in the cider pipes in The Sun that night.
 

kilmaccumsey

Well-Known Forumite
That's a coincidence , son just told me tonight that him and his girlfriend are thinking of 9 days holiday in Italy for the first time next year, travelling by train to various parts. Was able to tell him of the positive experiences mentioned on here :up:
I'll let you know. We are going for 17 days so hoping to see quite a bit via the train
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Oh thanks so i much for that. We flying to Pisa and making our on way round would love to get to see where my great grandad was born but no trains where he lived. Mind you its up a mountain.
I speak no Italian so hoping to get a few phrases in beforehand.
Have been watching Stanley Tucci Italys programme very interesting. How they stay slim ill never know
The top item on the BBC News website is about today's rail strikes but it is accompanied by a photo of a woman looking at a departure board in an Italian railway station.
I can make out the second and third as Genoa and Naples but aren't sure of the other four.
The only Italian station we've used is Domodossola which was with a week staying in Interlaken with a weeks Swiss Rail rover ticket, the best holiday we've ever had.
 

PeterD

ST16 Represent.
Part way through 5 days in Lancashire in a village called Freckleton. Absolutely idyllic and the plane person in me is happy being very close to Warton Aerodrome. In addition got the car out to Blackpool/St Anne's and today Lytham to look at their 1940s festival.
Loving it all so far, spent so much time in the past in St Anne's so great to get out in the car and see other places.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Part way through 5 days in Lancashire in a village called Freckleton. Absolutely idyllic and the plane person in me is happy being very close to Warton Aerodrome. In addition got the car out to Blackpool/St Anne's and today Lytham to look at their 1940s festival.
Loving it all so far, spent so much time in the past in St Anne's so great to get out in the car and see other places.
Mmm, to some of us on here, Freckleton means the substation, which seems to have been largely removed now, and one 'event' there in particular, which involved people running from the nearby trading estate as the world appeared to be ending.
 

PeterD

ST16 Represent.
Mmm, to some of us on here, Freckleton means the substation, which seems to have been largely removed now, and one 'event' there in particular, which involved people running from the nearby trading estate as the world appeared to be ending.
Aaah, well this one is between Lytham and Preston.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Aaah, well this one is between Lytham and Preston.
The substation was in Warton, really*, but called 'Freckleton', you can still see the foundations left on Google Maps, but the Street View car doesn't get far enough down the road to 'see' into the site.

*Off Highgate Lane. It was probably in more 'open country' originally, but got built around, and seems to have gone fairly recently, by the look of it.
 

PeterD

ST16 Represent.
The substation was in Warton, really*, but called 'Freckleton', you can still see the foundations left on Google Maps, but the Street View car doesn't get far enough down the road to 'see' into the site.

*Off Highgate Lane. It was probably in more 'open country' originally, but got built around, and seems to have gone fairly recently, by the look of it.
I used to frequent Warton a lot as there was a fantastic country music club there, when that closed I kept to St Anne's.
 
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