 Poster: A snowHead
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We love the journey once we get the three hours to the chunnel done, we aim to arrive there by 6am, the firm we normally book with include flexiplus pass so we get a few snacks waiting for the next shutle, once on board its holiday time, usually stop over somewhere to have a look around a new town and a nights kip and get into resort by around mid day the next day, having a toll tag helps too
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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 look forward to it. The OH doesn't. She just sleeps most of it.
But I've always enjoyed getting to the airport, the flight, the first sight of the mountains....
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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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We've done the train the last few times and really enjoyed the journey. An hour to Ebbsfleet by car, carpark about 5 mins from the platform, no dragging the cases on and off transfer buses or through the snow 3 hours in advance of the flight. About 15 mins to get through customs, buy coffee and papers, and 30 mins later on the train. Then bucks fizz and croissant brekkie on the Eurostar whilst husband reads the guardian and I read a magazine - I never buy magazines bar when I go on holiday its a treat.
Cross Paris, only a couple of metro stops, and stock up on baguettes and beer. 4-5 hours playing cards, drinking beer, chatting or ignoring each other  Then we've arrived. 30 - 40 mins transfer, and time to open the first beer of the holiday
Im not sure why people think the train is longer or more complicated, OK a flight is 1.5 hours, but when you add on the hour to the airport, arrival 2 - 3 hours in advance to fight the car-park bus, check in queue, passport control etc. And then the other end, an hour to clear customs, collect baggage and find the way to the transfer coach, which can then be 2.5 hours drive. Door to door I might save an hour or so, but I arrive a lot less relaxed.
The journey is deffo part of the adventure
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@crosbie, we stayed in Vancouver, Tokyo and NYC on trips to Whistler, Niseko and Utah. The first 2 before the mountain and NYC after. These were included as a city stay and helped well with climatising and jetlag.
Been to many resorts in Europe always just in and out apart from our first couple of trips where we stayed in Sofia 3 nights and then onto Bansko. A couple of us have done the snow train but for ease and speed, flying is the way for just a week on the mountain.
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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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Don’t like air travel. Enjoyed travelling with friends in a car. Like airport to resort transfer by train eg to St Anton or Wengen. Quite liked travelling by public buses last year from Geneva to Les Deux Alpes - almost everyone on the buses was French, which helped the holiday feeling.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've had some really interesting journeys to skiing but its generally the first time to somewhere unusual (Milan to Alagna, Innsbruck to Suden am Ortler, Zurich to Engelberg and Zurich to Murren by train). Mostly it is a necessary evil though and in general I'd say the trips to the French resorts are less inspiring (but then I've done more of them).
That said, when the traffic is OK I do like Mont Blanc getting ever closer as I drive from GVA to St Gervais/Chamonix
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For me, one of the delights of road travel is the change from green/brown to white along the roadsides...I get ridiculously excited... and then making that first stop where you get out of your toastie warm vehicle into brass monkey temps! Love it!
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For the weekends I have no option but to fly & it’s a chore I don’t really enjoy, driving is a real joy for me
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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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for me, the journey is part of the holiday.
I have gone on ski trips via different methods, though the very first one was using the old T/O overnight party train from calais to moutiers then up to val thorens, and I think I remember the journey their and back the most even after nearly 30 years.
I Have flown with T/O transfer, flown and self drive, driven in one go overnight, Eurostar paris/overnight sncf to moutier.
But more likely nowadays we drive and stop one or two times on the way out, with a single overnight on the way back, although we have always had some sort of incident that have meant we have had to change plans.
once the accommodation is booked for this feb half term, I can then get on to the task of planning the journey, with booking.com you have so many options that you can book several hotels without committing early on, then whittle it down to your preferred option. I tried convincing the family to take the Thursday overnight ferry from Portsmouth to caen then drive to Albertville for the Friday night stop this year, but that went down like a lead balloon!!!
so it is back to Eurotunnel and overnight in st quentin, then Albertville before heading up the mountain first thing Saturday morning.
just need to decide on the final route down, do I go via lyon, cross country from bourg en bresse to chambery or via Annecy?????
just need to get xmas out the way so the real excitement can begin
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I've been planning the drive down for months. Definitely a big part of the trip, for me at least, if not quite all the family.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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For me, the journey is a necessary evil and rarely enjoyed. Though for the last 14 or so years it has had to fit round school holidays which doesn't exactly help. The only relatively pleasant trip was using the direct Eurostar (and before the school holiday constraint) but now we live in Yorkshire that is no longer a realistic option.
However now finally having our own little place to head for (see elsewhere on this forum) and daughter having finished school, a leisurely drive with stop-offs exploring new places may become an option.
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Journey there is invariably good and full of anticipation, whether by plane, boat, car or train, or invariably a combination of two at least.
Now I have retired, the trip back does not have the same sense of foreboding! My sympathy to most of you who have not retired. (I am nearer to death though )
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You know it makes sense.
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My daughter and family are driving to La Plagne, leaving Friday after lunch, picking up Dad at his school in Hove when he finishes later, driving to Eurotunnel and an overnight stopover in Reims. I'm organising an en route picnic for them - mini pork pies, cold chicken, cold sausages, ham sandwiches, carrot, cucumber and red pepper sticks, fruit, Welsh cakes. They are all skinny big eaters; that lot won't see them far into France.
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