Where To Go On Holiday Next?
Posted
So I’ve reached the “I need a holiday stage” of year, given that it is a whole two months since I was on an aeroplane, and am wondering where to go next.
I have a big list of places that I want to go to, so I don’t need any recommendations. You want the list? Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Gothenburg
Luxembourgh
Granada
Valencia
San Sebastian
Cordoba
Ronda
Bilbao
Athens
Naples
Florence
Saltzberg
Sarajevo
Odessa
Fareo Isles
Kotor
Tallinn
Porto
Vilnius
Dubrovnik
Oslo to Bergen
Montpellier
Kraków
Český Krumlov
Ljubljana
Sofia
Prague
Sicily
Buenos Aires
Montreal
Marrakech
Medellín
Chicago
Istanbul
Bari
Sardinia
Tel Aviv
Madeira
Tirana
Tbilisi
Plus I want to go to every single European Capital Of Culture.
Spain
So I have to go back to España. There’s a few Spanish things that I find rather charming, you may have heard me mention it – particularly my love of tapas. And sunshine. And beer. And it being relatively affordable.
Maybe mid-late September would work best, I reckon. I was thinking maybe Valencia or Zaragoza as my friend in Madrid could easily visit me then also…or I could visit her on the train, of course. Bilbao or San Sebastien actually appeal more but are quite a mission on the train to/from Madrid – though it could be quite an interesting adventure – a few days in Bilbao, then get a train to Madrid for a couple of days. Hmmm.
Though the more I think about it, the more Bilbao appeals. Do you still have to wear a mask on trains in Spain?
That said, Bilbao isn’t the cheapest place to stay – £90 is the best I can find for a hotel, or if someone stays with me then £75 a night for Airbnb. On the flip side, flights are £165 including bags, and sangria is practically free in Spain.
I reckon I could do a holiday there for less than £1,000.
Dubai
A friend of mine moved there 10 years ago and I promised to visit him. Alas I was on shit wages so could never afford it – then as soon as I started earning more – PANDEMIC.
Now I have no excuses, even when I finalise my purchase of an overpriced flat in Croydon.
Anyway, I should go. I’ve been looking at flights – direct with Emirates is a rather ouchie £550, or with one stop in Turkey, flying with low-cost Pegasus is £250. Hmmm. Hotels actually seem pretty cheap in Dubai – if I was going in summer (lol as if) then I can get one for less than £40 a night – a properly really good hotel. They seem closer to £60 in my more likely time of November, but even that seems a good deal…maybe they get cheaper nearer the time?
I’ve not thought about spending money. This is going to be the most problematic one to afford…but I really want to go. I might need a sofa though. Hmmm.
I don’t want to think about how much Dubai would cost, but I guess I could do it for £1,500?
Norway
I’ve actually found a place in Oslo doing Sunday roasts called The Little Pickle – it looks great too. Though I even found somewhere in Dubai for a Sunday roast, which includes women dancing in bikinis. Yes I am going to places partly because I can review a Sunday roast. Stop judging.
Anyway, I think the holiday to Oslo is the one I most want to do – and the one I’ve done most research on.
Basically, I want to get the train from Oslo to Bergen, because the landscape looks stunning.
The train is just the price of a pizza and a beer, apparently, but then again a beer is twice the price of London, or something stupid, so I hear. Though interestingly, the NOK has weakened recently, so going to Norway isn’t quite as expensive as in recent years – you can thank their somewhat lower interest rate rises for their weakening currency. Maybe this is a sign?
Flights to Norway are super cheap – I should be able to do it for £150 including bags. Hotels are not cheap – £100 a night, or more if I decide to stop somewhere on route from Oslo to Bergen. If someone comes with me, then Airbnb places come into play, which would take it down to a more respectable £75 a night each.
It does feel like a £1,000 holiday and I might need to buy a sofa. And a breakfast table with chairs. Do I need curtains? Fuck, I definitely need a bed and a mattress.
Booked
I think I might need to be realistic. My annual bonus might fund one of them, but I’m also pretty sure that is funding solicitor’s fees, moving fees, a sofa, a bed, a mattress, and various other things I’ve allocated it to, as if I’m a Labour politician promising every week to pay for a new pledge with “oh we’ll scrap non-dom status to fund that”.
Plus, M&S might not pay a bonus. Maybe results aren’t good enough, though I doubt it. Maybe they’ll conclude that because I didn’t stack shelves for 7 days last year, I didn’t do my job as a software engineer sufficiently well and therefore I don’t qualify.
I could always have a month off drinking. That could fund a holiday…or at least the hotel/flights part of it.
Decisions, decisions.
Though since I started writing this post a couple of weeks ago, I’ve booked a weekend in Wales. And now probably going to Paris in July – though the Eurostar I can fund through 21 years worth of Nectar points, just about.
Possible that I need a spreadsheet more than I need a holiday right now.