Anyone looking for a trip to Europe in the next few months should check out the price war with the Chinese carriers.
Currently have return flights for around $1k but China Eastern can dip into the $680-800 range return. They all mostly decent carriers too but those prices are insane and better than many domestic Australian trips
Itās the 8 hour layover in Gangzhou that kills you. Small, narrow hallway, and super expensive. Unless they have upgraded. You regret every minute of it. If you can get a 9 hour plus layover on China Eastern, you get a hotel room, which is great.
Flown via China twice and now prefer to pay the extra to get there quicker. If I was 40odd years younger I would probably do it, but not now.
Absolutely itās not everyoneās cup of tea but for those where things are a bit tight or have families it was just a heads up.
Most other airlines are charging in the region of $1600-2200 do for a couple or family you can save potentially $2k plus which for some they would put up with the inconvenience. With China being visa free and easy to get around you can perhaps add a day or 2 stopover in to make the flights manageable. The flights price out similar on open jaw trips too which is appealing for some
That would certainly make the flight more palatable. Better to get a long layover with a free hotel than 8 hours in transit.
Aceman. Any intel into Vietnamās visa requirements Australia but not other countries?
Vietnam offers visa-free entry for citizens of several countries, with key groups getting extended 45-day stays until March 2028, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland
Itās up to individual countries to apply any restrictions and Australia hasnāt been able to negotiate visa free travel
We did invade them once, so I understand why we get no favours.
Plus to be fair, Kiwis are the only ones that can enter Australia without an eTA or visa.
Interesting.
Itās a bit of a North vs South thing there. Hanoi being in charge/rule.
A resilient country who have held their identity despite many challenges throughout history. Very complex relationships.
Looking at 3 weeks in Turkiye with the fam later in the year (assuming WW3 remains on hold). Will be a first visit. Prefer slow travel from a base rather than rushing around & ticking off the sights. Happy to self-drive where it makes sense. Interested in the South East for towns & history (Nemrut Dagi, Urfa, Mardin etc.) but maybe security is a problem & landscape monotonous - is it worth it? Def keen on doing some hiking (Lycian Way?).
At this stage, leaning towards some mix of Istanbul, Cappadocia, Lycian peninsula, SE. But thatās prob too much so something will have to give.
Any thoughts / recommendations from those who have been? @theDJR @tinhillterror @Aceman and others ā¦
Turkey is in my top couple places.
It was a while ago, and I canāt recall all the places, but, things I could recommend.
We took a boat down the Aegean coast. 3-4 nights. It was on the backpacker circuit, so it was a bit rough and ready. The āroomā was so hot and crusty that we (and the other 10 passengers) just slept on the deck each night under the stars. It was one of the best things Iāve ever experienced. Iām guessing it left a place called Fetihye (?) and ended at Olympos(?).
The crew spoke no English and looked like they had lived very hard lives. Missing fingers, scars like the Joker. But they were all really good. only one person almost died.
If I went again, Iād probably pay a bit more for a little bit of luxury. But at the time, it was the only option.
We did hot air ballooning at or near Cappadocia (Goreme?) which had to be booked a LONG way in advance. It was really awesome. But like most things in Turkey, there wasnāt any safety instructions, or much English spoken. the āpilotā was deliberately flying through trees (to show that he could pick fruit, of course!) and drag the basket on these Little Rock formations, that have stood for thousands of years.
Istanbul had some amazing stuff, but all of the really nice and exciting things were outside of Istanbul.
Food amazing, obviously.
People all pretty awesome. There can be a few sus guys at markets that creep on girls, but I donāt think they were actually Turkish.
You said youāre driving? Well, that would be āinterestingāā¦I never drive there, but as a passenger, they are easily the most insane drivers Iāve experienced. Perhaps self drive wouldnāt be as bad.
The Gallipoli area was really worth the crazy drive from Istanbul. Itās a beautiful place, and obviously the history that area has is impossible to ignore.
I think every little town we stopped just had something amazing to check out. Caves, Roman ruins, beaches, lakes.
LOL
That Fethiye to Olympos stretch is around the Lycian peninsula. You can also hike it on the Lycian Way, which is on the cards for us.
Interesting comment on the driving. I havenāt seen it described that badly before. Iām pretty comfortable driving o/s (Thailand, Chile, Mexico, South Africa etc.) but there are certainly places where I prefer to leave it to the locals (Vietnam). They have fast trains now too, but not super-useful connections that Iāve seen. Iām not feeling that inspired by Gallipoli TBH but that could change.
I donāt want to come home
Thatās a fair comment.
We have spent the last 12 days in south India. It was so beautiful and not like I was expecting. Kerala in particular was very beautiful, we did a houseboat on the backwaters and then stayed in a tea plantation in the hills at Munnar. Fort Kochi is also a great place to visit with the history of the area very evident
We are now in Varanasi which is our last stopover before we head to Kolkata for the 5 day wedding we have come to India for.
Are these prices all ex SYD/MEL?
And would you go a better cabin with them over a shorter say Middle East route to Europe in a cheaper class?
Got any photos of the houseboat. We are thinking of doing the same this year, it is a nice part of India.
I havenāt checked to see if the prices are still available or not but got my brother flights to Amsterdam next week for $960 return with China Southern.
Their business class sales prices werenāt super special though and Iād still rather pay a bit more to go with the best airlines via the ME
Here you go - including one of me struggling with a bit of a tummy issue. Nothing major - but the houseboat was a great place to be given it had an excellent toilet!
