 Poster: A snowHead
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| archors wrote: |
£400 per person on flights is about 4 times what I spend but I suppose it depends when and where you fly.
Flying to Turin or Milan Malpensa outside of school holidays and renting a car is way cheaper than driving but I suppose there are benefits to driving and other factors to consider. |
As mentioned, tied to the school holidays and will always get the earliest flight out from Luton (based very close by) to Geneva. I could book the same flights this weekend at a fraction of the cost.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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@Roscoe, fair play. Drive then I reckon.
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@v1cky24, signup for Amex gold (40k points), take the upsell to platinum (+75k points), spend £6k (pre-pay your utilities and buy some shopping vouchers if necessary) and you'll have enough for business class for the netball. Using the Avios for economy can be quite marginal from a cost perspective.
I do Oz once or twice a year. It's a looooong time on a plane. But I'm sure someone on here will be along to recommend you drive 
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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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| alex_heney wrote: |
| Gored wrote: |
| RobinS wrote: |
| we booked Livigno and realised to fly we would have to leave home at 3am on Saturday, and arrive at resort at 11.30pm - I thought, I can drive faster than that! I left home at 7pm Friday, picked JanetS up from work, straight to Dover, she changed out of work uniform in the car, across France, by Switzerland it was light, and at resort before lunch |
I cant see how it would take the best part of 20 hours to fly from UK & get to Livignio.
+ sounds like a lot palava to save 2.5 hours. |
It can easily be 3 hour travel to the best airport in UK, plus 2 hours at the airport. Say an hour to get through the airport on arrival, then transfer from either Milan or Innsbruck can easily be 4 hours.
Hmm, I see your point, it can't realistically take more than about 13 hours. |
Thats what I kinda worked out. 3 hours travel to airport, 3hours at airport (as you leave early just in case...) 3hr flight, hour the other side to sort out bags, pick up transfer & 3hr transfer.
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As we go for a month driving is a no trainer but we did it for years for just a week trip, as others said there are ways to do it without a huge cost and savings on food etc can be made, if you like driving its a big part of the holiday,my wife prefers driving in france than the uk, I drive from near bath to the channel, we leave at 3 am so she sleeps then she drives from the channel I may or may not sleep , we stop for a snack and fuel when required , may leave the motorway for fuel , especially if wife is driving as I'm a far better navigator than her, she agrees over that. We go Fridays normally so need a hotel somewhere, if conditions are good we can get-together resort by 5 so book an ibis by the motorway, if snow or rain slows us up we will stop around 5 at wherever we are.
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| robs1 wrote: |
| I drive from near bath |
I suspect you are very local to me!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
may leave the motorway for fuel
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I never bother. the marginal saving is not worth the hassle. On the other hand I always used to start with some nice food snacks from home - good sandwiches, sometimes cheese and bacon scones, some fruit and chocolate. Probably saves at least as much as driving round some forlorn shopping centre looking for cheap petrol. We all have different ideas of priorities for spending!
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I'm always intestered to read the drive/fly debate. There are some very basic thresholds. 1, location in the UK, 2, number of people and the last one, where you are having your ski holiday.
The further you are from the crossing, the less likely it makes any sense.
I wonder what the tipping point is for number of people.... there are 3 of us and I never consider driving....
By driving you are really limiting where you holiday.... unless you significantly increase driving time and then that become a negative. An example would be as @Luigi says..... cheap flights to MXP/VCE and cheap Italian car hire. A whole new world!
I defo get it for the south coast guys but there is defo a hassle factor the further north you get. 6 hours from Mnachester to get to dover and then the massive stress of passing Birmingham and then going round the M25
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Wed 7-01-26 19:40; edited 1 time in total
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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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@Gored, the first one expires oct 27 and second one after that So I should be covered hopefully.
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| Quote: |
I wonder what the tipping point is for number of people
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for us it was about needing a car when we were there - and being there for weeks. Driving just for 6 days skiing is certainly a hassle, but so is flying for 6 days skiing. In terms of "cost per day" it is, of course, far more cost-effective to go for two weeks. 
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You know it makes sense.
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We're doing both this year - husband and I are driving probably on Sunday but we are going for nearly 3 weeks - self catering for 2 of them in Grand Massif then we will pick our 3 adult kids at Geneva and after a weeks catered chalet in Les Arcs we will drop them back at Grenoble. We will take their luggage - so they have 10kgs of hand luggage going (Jet2) but only small underseat bags coming back (Ryanair) - so their flights were only £42.33 return each!
We've driven several times before and it normally for 4 of us worked out marginally more than flying and hiring a car but recently car hire seems to have gotten a lot more expensive and transfers are extortionate so if we were 5 people flying I wouldn't have had the flexibility of flying in and out of different airports and the luggage was much more expensive than the seats
I really like not having to hang around airports and get overwhelmed with the queuing and waiting for luggage and we've had a couple of incidents with hire cars - being charged for damage we didn't do (luckily insured) and last year being given a completely different car to the one I signed the paperwork for (which was different again to the model I booked we didn't realise till we were 2 hrs from the airport and stopped for dinner. All very stressful. Spent a whole week wondering what would happen if there was an accident. Plus with the car I can take all the things that make self catering much easier than relying on a resort SPAR.
So on paper this looks like a good compromise - we are retired so have time to amble, the kids only have limited days off so flying works better for them
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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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| Gored wrote: |
| alex_heney wrote: |
| Gored wrote: |
| RobinS wrote: |
| we booked Livigno and realised to fly we would have to leave home at 3am on Saturday, and arrive at resort at 11.30pm - I thought, I can drive faster than that! I left home at 7pm Friday, picked JanetS up from work, straight to Dover, she changed out of work uniform in the car, across France, by Switzerland it was light, and at resort before lunch |
I cant see how it would take the best part of 20 hours to fly from UK & get to Livignio.
+ sounds like a lot palava to save 2.5 hours. |
It can easily be 3 hour travel to the best airport in UK, plus 2 hours at the airport. Say an hour to get through the airport on arrival, then transfer from either Milan or Innsbruck can easily be 4 hours.
Hmm, I see your point, it can't realistically take more than about 13 hours. |
Thats what I kinda worked out. 3 hours travel to airport, 3hours at airport (as you leave early just in case...) 3hr flight, hour the other side to sort out bags, pick up transfer & 3hr transfer. |
For my trip later this month, I'll be leaving home at 10am and should arrive in resort 9.5 hrs later at 20.30 local time, but I live only just over an hour from the airport, the flight is 2 hrs and resort is a 2hr drive at the other end. Will have lunch while waiting for the flight and a quick McDs for tea on the way up to resort...and it's costing us under £400 total for 3, so around £130pp return inc flights, 10kg bags, airport parking, car hire, fuel and tolls...
1000 leave home
1115 arrive airport parking
1130 arrive terminal
1230 lunch in terminal
1345 flight departs
1645 flight arrives (local time +1)
1800 depart car hire
1815 arrive McDs
1845 depart McDs
2030 arrive resort
That's how it played out last year, so hoping for the same again!! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@v1cky24, worth reading the headforpoints website for lots of ideas.
Short haul ski trips in school holidays remain one of the best uses of avios IME. You might save £700/person on a Sydney flight using 110k avios. The same avios could get you 10 returns to Geneva which in school holidays might be £500 each.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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| ScaredySki wrote: |
We're doing both this year - husband and I are driving probably on Sunday but we are going for nearly 3 weeks - self catering for 2 of them in Grand Massif then we will pick our 3 adult kids at Geneva and after a weeks catered chalet in Les Arcs we will drop them back at Grenoble. We will take their luggage - so they have 10kgs of hand luggage going (Jet2) but only small underseat bags coming back (Ryanair) - so their flights were only £42.33 return each!
We've driven several times before and it normally for 4 of us worked out marginally more than flying and hiring a car but recently car hire seems to have gotten a lot more expensive and transfers are extortionate so if we were 5 people flying I wouldn't have had the flexibility of flying in and out of different airports and the luggage was much more expensive than the seats
I really like not having to hang around airports and get overwhelmed with the queuing and waiting for luggage and we've had a couple of incidents with hire cars - being charged for damage we didn't do (luckily insured) and last year being given a completely different car to the one I signed the paperwork for (which was different again to the model I booked we didn't realise till we were 2 hrs from the airport and stopped for dinner. All very stressful. Spent a whole week wondering what would happen if there was an accident. Plus with the car I can take all the things that make self catering much easier than relying on a resort SPAR.
So on paper this looks like a good compromise - we are retired so have time to amble, the kids only have limited days off so flying works better for them |
Very much like our situation, free luggage and transfer for family  just as well we have double cab pick up to fit it all in
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Gaz_H wrote: |
I'm always intestered to read the drive/fly debate. There are some very basic thresholds. 1, location in the UK, 2, number of people and the last one, where you are having your ski holiday.
The further you are from the crossing, the less likely it makes any sense.
I wonder what the tipping point is for number of people.... there are 3 of us and I never consider driving....
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The tipping point for us was around 20 years ago, when we were in Andorra and the water pipes to our hotel froze. no fresh water all week for showering or flushing loos. Bottled water to drink. We were flying and couldn't just up and leave... we had to sit it out. By the time of transfer day, they decided we couldn't go UP to France to our planned airport so had to go DOWN to Spain. The airport wasn't really expecting us, the check-in/boarding was awful (everyone was quite smelly by this point!!!).
As we sat on the runway waiting take-off (1.5 hours after boarding) we decided never to fly to the Alps for a week-long ski holiday again (weekends are so short it makes no sense to drive).
Now... all these years later, it's only the 2 of us in the car... but we still drive. We can take as much luggage as we want, stop when we want, and most importantly... come HOME when we want!
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| Quote: |
As we sat on the runway waiting take-off (1.5 hours after boarding) we decided never to fly to the Alps for a week-long ski holiday again
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But would you drive to the Pyrenees? I've done it on my motorbike in the summer, but it looks a long drive for skiing.
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We are near Bournemouth, and tend to drive.
Local airport flights tend to be pretty pricey, and if we go via Gatwick, it'll be 9-10 hours door to door. Transfers are silly money, IMO, and renting a car is just easier.
Driving would be around 12 hours, but we'll take the Friday and stay over in Beaune. Gives us room to take whatever we want, and gives options in resort if we want to get out and about. As others have said, tend to do the return in 1 hit, unless we have the time to take the extra day skiing.
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I can't see myself flying to the Alps again unless I go for a package in the future. Once we're out of school holidays we can take it a tad more leisurely and stop in those paces we have to rush through at the busiest times. There are most definitely pros and cons to both but I prefer the freedom (comparatively) of the drive but I'll admit the drive home is a drag last two times we left at 0330 and turned the key of the front door by 1600 the same day so pays to set off for home earlier.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
Driving would be around 12 hours,
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I must be doing something wrong. It would take me almost that time to get from Les Arcs to Folkstone; 10 hours to get to Calais and a further 2 to get across the channel.
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Bournemouth to Andorra or Les Arcs driving times are huge, at 11 hour and 15 hours. That’s based on an unrealistic concept of zero jams in UK/France, no ferry/tunnel queues, empty roads in the Alps, no fuel stops, and no stopovers to sleep or eat. We’ve driven to/from the Pyrenees area from notably closer Sussex, it’s a day and half minimum.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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When we drove back from Les Coches we left at around 5pm Saturday local time. We drove to Chambery arriving 6:30pm. Had a leisurely mini shop in the supermarket, a fairly long meal and left just after 9pm). We then drove straight through (swapping drivers every ~2 hours) getting back home in Milton Keynes around 8.15am local time. With our car as we fill up before we go up the mountain, we can get home with one fuel stop.
That is obviously the dream ride. Like flying there are so many factors or variables. Some that you are in control, some that are not. But 12 hours is not extreme. Of course many choose to make it a longer trip which is reasonable too.
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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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| Origen wrote: |
| Quote: |
may leave the motorway for fuel
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I never bother. the marginal saving is not worth the hassle. On the other hand I always used to start with some nice food snacks from home - good sandwiches, sometimes cheese and bacon scones, some fruit and chocolate. Probably saves at least as much as driving round some forlorn shopping centre looking for cheap petrol. We all have different ideas of priorities for spending! |
Never used to but in Summer especially not only is it cheaper but quicker as well. In winter leave home full, fill at LeClercs on A4 south of Reims, second fill at supermarket near our hotel in Annemasse, same on way home. In summer fill in Dover then at Intermarche at Chalons sur Saone. Both supermarket stops are similar distance from motorway as a service station and in high season summer no queues, well worth it.
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A very female reply here - been driving to the French Alps since mid 1990's 2-3 times per year.
Even now with only 2 of us we still prefer to drive - the biggest reason - I can take as much gear as I like - memory foam mattress topper (incase bed not very comfy) pillows, skis, boards, hair dryers & straighteners, make-up mirror etc etc - I did say this was a girly reply!
We have now driven in a Tesla for the past 5 years - and it is so easy.
Living close to the tunnel a bonus.
Would it be cheaper to fly - mmmmm - debateable!
But honestly dont really care - dont have to risk germ filled planes and coaches!
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You know it makes sense.
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Living in Sussex I always costed it as worth it if there are 3 of you. If you book an apartment privately you generally get a better billet and able to shop off the hill for just a bit less cost.
It's not worth it for less than 3 people.
I still can't persuade my lot to drive though.
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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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We are a couple in our late 70s and have been skiing abroad since 1988, having now done over 130 trips and driven (from Scotland) over 50 times. Both ways to travel can work it depends on certain factors.
We did 1 week in Tignes in December flying with Easyjet. The total cost for 2 of us was £1200 including flights with ski bag, airport parking, transfers with Bens Bus and P&V apartment. We self catered so I don't count food costs and as we are over 75 get a free ski pass. The down side is that Easyjet cancelled our outward flight about 9 hours before it was due so we lost a day and had to pay for a new transfer as Ben's Bus doesn't go on Mondays. The only way to get there was to travel a day late. Outward journey took 14 hours door to door and return was 6 hours as we could pick up our own car at the home airport and drive 10 minutes home.
We are currently in Meribel valley for an almost 3 week trip. We drove out via Portsmouth/Caen, ferry cost £370 return with a cabin. Journey time was 8.5 hours due to traffic but should have been 7.5 hours. We both drive, just swapping over quickly. Satnav said the drive in France would be 8.5 hours but due to heavy snow and lack of road clearing it took almost 12 hours. Return tolls will be about £140 and fuel £300 so total cost of travel about £810 but we have a car here, brought out lots of luggage including ski luggage for son and family who are joining us flying with little luggage. In the scheme of things its worthwhile to us for a longer trip. We are also shopping much cheaper in the large supermarkets in Moutiers and will take back our allowance of alcohol.
We are hosting our wine tasting group just after our return and they cannot believe how cheap the wines are. Last time we did this we served one wine that cost 4 euros here and the exact same wine was £13 in Tesco.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I should add accomodation to our travel costs which is £1200 for 17 nights. That brings total for almost 3 week trip to just over £2000 compared with £1200 for a week.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Interesting thread demonstrating that it's not just about cost. Some people, including me, really quite enjoy the drive and dislike airports for short-haul flights. And the chances of catching some nasty bug are surely greater in planes? The older and more decrepit I get, the more the physical ease of driving appeals, too - no long walks with luggage, no shuffling along in queues. I don't ski any more, and find icy pavements terrifying. But if one of my kids was stuck in a French ski resort for some reason I'd jump in the car tomorrow and drive down. (With a set of crampons handy for those icy pavements....)
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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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| Origen wrote: |
| Interesting thread demonstrating that it's not just about cost. Some people, including me, really quite enjoy the drive and dislike airports for short-haul flights. And the chances of catching some nasty bug are surely greater in planes? The older and more decrepit I get, the more the physical ease of driving appeals, too - no long walks with luggage, no shuffling along in queues. I don't ski any more, and find icy pavements terrifying. But if one of my kids was stuck in a French ski resort for some reason I'd jump in the car tomorrow and drive down. (With a set of crampons handy for those icy pavements....) |
+1 not at all a phobia about flying, I just don't like anything about it,
Dragging lugfage from car to airport, security, crowds, uncomfortable seats in the airport, even more uncomfortable seats on the plane, etc etc etc
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@mogulski, it’s a tough life being a pensioner. Plenty of time, no student loans to repay, no national insurance, free lift passes, etc etc. Now if my joints didn’t ache life would be perfect.
Last year friends drove from north of Inverness to Alleghe to go skiing with their one year old daughter. It took 3 days each way. This year they are flying to meribel. Well not all the way. There are no direct flights to the altiport in meribel.
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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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I quite enjoy the drive, and often costs the same as just the transfers from Geneva with the added bonus that you can take as much luggage as you want (3 women in my household).
That said if its a ski weekend or just two of us I would fly, but as a family always drive.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@tangowaggon, if you can find seats at the airport that is.
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| Quote: |
Interesting thread demonstrating that it's not just about cost
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And there are certain ski resorts with lift passes that make a car in resort most useful. Chamonix, Val Cenis, Ski Amade resorts, Mayrhofen/Zillertal, Grimentz/Val d'Anniviers (for example) are all destinations where a vehicle in resort helps you to get to different mountains each day. Of course, you can hire a car from the airport - but it also makes driving from the UK a more practical option.
And then, as others have mentioned, taking food, stocking up with food and wine in a valley supermarket, being able to load up your vehicle with all your kit at home, being in control of your own journey (to some extent) - the numerous benefits of driving all start to support each other.
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I’ve never driven, primarily as it’s 6-7 hours to Dover without any traffic issues. I’m going to Canazei next week, it’s showing as just over 19th drive, even sharing driving I’d be knackered for a day or two. So it’s MAN-VCE hire car 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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I asked just out of interest how much a private ‘plane would cost from my local Brighton Airport (Shoreham) to Sion (for Verbier) would be. I thought the response of £1,100 was surprisingly reasonable until they said that was per person, each way. The mountain layout means it pretty much has to be a jet. So in all about £18K for an 8-seater. If you had that much money, I daresay you’d hire a couple of helicopters for the transfer from Sion to Verbier, as it’d only be another £2K or so each way.
Interestingly, both family and friends said they simply couldn’t do it, even if we’d won The Lottery, on the basis of both the environmental impact, and the morality of spending that much when the money could be spent more usefully.
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@LaForet, bizarrely - I wouldn't do it either as I enjoy the drive 
Obviously I'd have my own chalet with all my stuff there and take a more leisurely driver down however
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FAQ
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I’ve read the Sydney flights are like hens teeth though 
