 Poster: A snowHead
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Fuel prices are still cheaper than the UK, don't know about tolls only done it once through France and I don't think it was too bad but that was a long time ago.
Need to look at Norwich since its not so far from me if I decide to fly.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I think this is a perpetual argument that has different answers depending on when, where, where from, whether you are self catering,have your own apartment etc.
I drive 9 times out of 10 and avoid Saturdays. perfectly pleasant experience as Pam says.
Sometimes we take the Eurostar direct to Lyon from Ebbsfleet and rent a car. Very pleasant and again avoid the british tourists by avoiding Saturdays.
personally, I don't like airports and the flying process so avoid that where I can.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The more frequently you drive it becomes easier to avoid some of the problems. eg. Half term traffic into the Tarentaisse is horrendous but is quite easily avoided with experience and planning.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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This. It's all well and good driving from the south of England for a weeks holiday. A complete nightmare from N.E. Scotland. It'd take about 20 hours of driving from where I live to get to VT (if I was lucky with traffic and weather). Stuff that. Early flight on Sat morning from Edinburgh to Geneva and the Sunday flight back. Pick up a cheap hire car from the airport. That will always be preferable (and cheaper if planned and booked in plenty of time) to driving from home.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@swiftoid, I'm with you, driving from Yorkshire is a massive headache, and I'm talking from experience. Fair play to all those in the south east who have the tunnel only a short drive away, but I'll take the plane thanks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just got tolls debited £146. Tesco has contributed to Easter Chunnel so until next years planned mini breaks it's drive all the time for me. I enjoy it !!
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@swiftoid, I drive from edinburgh. You say early morning flight on Saturday, I assume you mean the. 6.30 easy jet flight. What time do you have to leave home to get that
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| Jonny996 wrote: |
| @swiftoid, I drive from edinburgh. You say early morning flight on Saturday, I assume you mean the. 6.30 easy jet flight. What time do you have to leave home to get that |
0600 EJ flight a week on Saturday. I leave home at 0750 on the Friday, go to work, then drive to Edinburgh when I finish and use a hotel/parking deal. On 11th March I fully expect to be skiing in the PDS by lunchtime (as I have been the last three years doing same trip on the same week).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Just come back from Les Arcs, family of four drove down in our VW California, got too Bourg Saint Maurice 6pm on the Friday, went out for dinner, did some shopping, had a real good nights sleep in the van then up at 8am, drove up to Arc 1950, picked up skis and lift passes and then straight out on the slopes, nice and quiet great day had by all. Then on the following Saturday checked out of room put all our luggage back in the van and then went skiing again for the day. For us it's not just the extra days, its that those extra days are the best days when you have to go in the school holidays.
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Having done both (although not driven in winter yet just summer in the Alps) I can only go by my experiences. I love driving in France and I love getting off the motorway and exploring the A roads (appreciate in winter this might not be as much of an option!), for me it's a road trip. We live in Yorkshire so have tended to do Hull Zeebrugge which is perfect but expensive. It starts the holiday off right away and then leaves a 8-9 hour drive from Zeebrugge the following day but as you dock around 8am it's doable. Plus as the ferry departs early evening you can leave late afternoon.
We flew to Geneva at Christmas, someone mentioned paying for fast track etc. If you can afford this then this is only way I think I could cope with flying at the moment (we didn't and it was crazy busy). It's not the fun activity it used to be where you were sat having a G&T in a bar with an hour to go until your flight, it's a hellish mess of queues that you don't even know what on earth you're queuing for! Having said that we've just bought an apartment so should be able to just take hand luggage in future which should make it quicker.
Manchester to Geneva was around 9 hours door to door factoring in 3 hours before check in (we left early as it was Christmas), coming home Geneva - Manchester was over 11 hours door to door - security took us over an hour and was hell.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| vjmehra wrote: |
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Airports can be a PITA I agree, my point is they don't have to be
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You're right in everything you say apart from that.
If there are lengthily delays that is nothing you can do about, don't get me wrong, personally I think its better than being stuck in a car, but its not true to suggest its fully in your control, sometimes flights get massively delayed or cancelled, its just bad luck and no amount of preparation can stop that. |
True that you're not in control of the delays, but you are in control of how you respond. Our flight back from Innsbruck in January was delayed by around 5 hours (note I can't even remember how long). It was clearly very snowy, so we didn't go through security until the incoming flight had landed. We mostly had a pretty chilled time, with drinks vouchers courtesy of Monarch. I was amazed how much some people let a delay like that wind them up. It's a great time for a crossword or a good book.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
I love driving in France and I love getting off the motorway and exploring the A roads (appreciate in winter this might not be as much of an option!), for me it's a road trip. |
Me too. For us it's not a case of 'flying V driving'. We fly then drive.
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It's not the fun activity it used to be where you were sat having a G&T in a bar with an hour to go until your flight, it's a hellish mess of queues that you don't even know what on earth you're queuing for!
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I've been a bit down on Edinburgh airport recently but that's not the experience we get there. The worst problems are normally on return - baggage reclaim can be a shambles.
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You know it makes sense.
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Ref spending at services etc. We don't. Wife packs car up with goodies for the trip, plenty of drinks and tasty pies from local butchers. I do make a point of getting a few coffees en route, but probably doesn't come to more than a tenner overall.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Horses for courses. Depends mainly on how many will be in the car and how far you have to travel - in the UK or once across the channel.
Like others here, I'm old enough to remember when the flight was almost part of the holiday. Now it's a chore to be endured.
But when you're <30mins from Gatwick and the cab fare is about £30 each way, including tip, the plane usually wins...
And getting up at sparrowfart is worth it if only because you can collect your hire skis that evening and be ready to go the next morning.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We have the flying thing down to a T. We live 25 minutes from Stansted, so arrive 45 minutes before take off, with hand luggage only. Flight to GVA is typically 75 minutes, 15 minutes to get off and get out, another 15 and we are in our hire car and on the motorway. The drive to Val is typically 2h15.
With no delays we can do it door to door in 5h15. If on the 6am flight, we arrive for lunch and ski for the afternoon. If on the 21.25 flight back on Sunday, we get 2.5 days on the hill out of a 3 day trip.
I drove twice in the summer and like the drive. For a trip of over a week, I would drive but for short trips, sub 8 days, it's so much easier to fly.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@bar shaker, that's my view, sub 7 days fly, more drive but then like you we do have the luxury of arriving & leaving when you want avoiding the mad change over days I hear about.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Quote: |
@bar shaker, that's my view, sub 7 days fly, more drive but then like you we do have the luxury of arriving & leaving when you want avoiding the mad change over days I hear about
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ditto but I'd probably do it for 6 days in peak season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| jedster wrote: |
| Quote: |
@bar shaker, that's my view, sub 7 days fly, more drive but then like you we do have the luxury of arriving & leaving when you want avoiding the mad change over days I hear about
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ditto but I'd probably do it for 6 days in peak season. |
True, as the cost of car hire would be high.
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