My New Itinerary for 2018 (More Or Less!)

[artnbarb]

I've scaled back my rather ambitious - and very expensive - visit for next summer, and here's what I'm thinking:

• June 20/21 - Fly to Ireland. Not sure if we'll fly into Dublin or Shannon, but I'm guessing Dublin is the most likely. We'll spend 2+ weeks in Ireland - I'm trying to end our stay in Ireland on a Saturday so we can fly to England where the changeover day is Saturday - I hope that's the case, and if not, I'll adjust our dates accordingly.
• Sat, July 7, fly to Bristol from either Shannon or Dublin, depending on cost and flight times. Pick up a rental car at the airport. Spend 3 weeks in Dorset.
• Sat, July 28, Drive to Sussex, probably Rottingdean, where we'd originally planned to stay. Stay here 2 weeks.
• Sat, Aug 11, fly from Gatwick to Rome.

I'm still not sure when would be the best time to visit the Isle of Wight, or if that may fall by the wayside.

This way I'll only need 2 vacation rentals. I've already made contact with the place in Sussex, and I think Pauline has (or will) speak to the people near her in Dorset, so I don't feel so pressured.

Following the RS itinerary, again, more or less, means that we'll be moving more often, but shouldn't have any problems booking in any given area. I'll have more flexibility if we want to stay an extra day somewhere, and we won't have to decide about where we'll fly out of right away. Thoughts?

 

[Ian Sutton]

Thoughts? I like it.

Isle of Wight? What you've done by going for longer rentals, is given yourselves the option of an overnight stay on the Isle of Wight, but you can now have it as an 'option', rather than a complicated detour to the itinerary. It may cost a fraction more, but gives you immense flexibility to decide in situ. Indeed you could (ferry dependent) take the ferry across and decide whilst on the Island whether you want to stay overnight or not!

I'm hoping you'll be greeted by the warm weather we've been having (almost exactly a year before you arrive), though the pollen is very high, so worth picking up some tablets if you suffer and it's as strong next year. The other recommended aid to combat this seasonal issue is to have lots of the local honey.

 

[Pauline]

and I think Pauline has (or will) speak to the people near her in Dorset, so I don't feel so pressured.

I will!

 

[artnbarb]

I will!

Thank you!

I'm comfortable with the dates I listed - if we want more or less time in Ireland we can adjust our arrival. I worked backwards to make sure we don't overstay in Italy, and arriving on Aug 11 works best - waiting until a week later runs into the holiday weekend, more traffic, etc, so I'm pretty sure the 11th is our best bet.

 

[artnbarb]

Getting back to travel........it seems that American Airlines/BA doesn't fly out of Gatwick. How is that possible? Or maybe it's because I'm trying to book with FF miles. I'm going to call to be sure. Driving to Heathrow isn't out of the question, just another 45 minutes driving, but still, I'm disappointed!

 

[aap519]

Gatwick Airport; From Google:

The airport is a base for scheduled airlines British Airways (BA), EasyJet, Monarch Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Virgin Atlantic and charter operators such as Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airways.

 

[Pauline]

BA flies out of Gatwick but most flights are from Heathrow. For us Heathrow is 30 mins closer (2.5 hour drive) but Gatwick's Sofitel is cheaper if we have to spend the night.

I will start a new thread for allergies and move these threads to it. Interesting topic!

 

[artnbarb]

Regarding AA/BA, only BA's partner, Vueling, flies out of Gatwick, and we couldn't use FF miles. If we stay in Rottingdean, Gatwick is about 45 minutes away, while Heathrow is just over an hour, so it's still a very manageable drive for either one, and we shouldn't have to spend the night.

I'm going to start watching the flights using FF miles - I discovered the routes change all the time! Some days you can find direct flights, and/or flights with great connections, and other days the schedules are crazy and complicated with long layovers and multiple changes. It's way too early to book anything, so I have plenty of time to see all the different options that pop up from day to day.

Good idea to move the allergy posts to its own thread - it is an interesting subject!