Latest posts for the topic "Budget trip for young couple"

Budget trip for young couple

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:21:00 GMT

Hi all,

First post! Let me introduce myself (breifly).

Im Sami, and I love skiing.

Eh...I had one amazing day on Mnt Cairngorm during Easter this year, now Im hooked. Now my partner, she learnt to ski about 12 years ago wen she was a kid (private school)...we had an hour or so at Xscape a couple weeks ago (not amazing) and it seemed to come back to her quite quickly.

So basically, we are both beginners.

Im looking to have a week in the alps some time in Jan '09.

To be honest...the price is one of my main considerations...I just started paying off my student debts and what not...Id say aroun GBP1000 for everything for both of us.

Not too picky about night life (apres ski?), and ideally id like to stay close to the slopes. ski in/out looks amazing but maybe save that for another year!

I live in Glasgow, hence the name, but could fly from other uk airports for a better deal.

So yeah, any advice and/or recommendations would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Sami

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:34:37 GMT

I am useless with Europe but someone will be along to help you out soon. I'm from Helensburgh, you should try and get to Glencoe this season, only an hour for me!

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:01:19 GMT

You are from Helensburgh?

I spent a good part of my childhood growing up there!!

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:07:40 GMT

Have sent you a PM Sami.

I really must try and ski Scotland this year, havn't done that since Glenshee about 1982 when i was still at school.

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:09:15 GMT

Sami, if you're willing to hang on until the last minute you'll be sure to get a luxury holiday for a budget price. there are very good deals to be had :thumbup:

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:25:31 GMT

Tino_11, Small world!

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:32:00 GMT

Too right, I was born in Alexandria, lived and went to Primary School in Rhu!!

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:34:24 GMT

Hi Sami,

I have just booked up for the 3rd January in Niederau(!) with Crystal and paid about that for me and a friend, and that includes everything, flights, hotel (HB), transfers, ski school, ski hire, boot hire and lift pass.

If you book through a TO such as Thomsons/Crystal their Learn to Ski packages are great way to save money, (save you about GBP100) that includes your hire, lift pass and ski school. Also at the minute they are taking off GBP150 travel supplements when you fly to Innsbruck (Does anyone know why? Not that Im complaining!!!) so the deals are pretty good right now!

Good Luck finding somewhere and have fun!!!! :D

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:43:20 GMT

Also its worth checking the price all the way through to booking for a few hotels (even if they seem more expensive).

We got a better deal on a hotel that on first prices appeared expensive, however, when we got all the way through the booking it worked out cheaper than some of the hotels that had a lower price estimate (as some hotels have room supplements charged per person per night, which even if its only GBP10 that adds GBP140 onto the holiday price!), so its worth pricing a few hotels all the way through to booking to see if they work out cheaper!

(I hope this post makes sense as its difficult to explain coherently!)

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 09:06:48 GMT

RossF wrote:Tino_11, Small world!

Spent some interesting times in Helensburgh during my time with the Royal Navy whilst working in Faslane.

I'm harking back to the days of the infamous and original Akash curry house and a lady I think was called Big Nancy who used to frequent the ale houses of Helensburgh. Not that I had any intimate knowledge of Nancy but was introduced to the scary 'lady' and that was enough for me. :shock:

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:20:06 GMT

wow thanks for all the replies folks.

im at work so i dont have much time to post

RossF: I'l be visiting anywhere in scotland that has snow this season, as many times as i can afford to! so if theres snow and the price is right no doubt il make a visit - il let you know if im planning to.

Rustyinn: Thanks, il get back to you about that.

caron-a: Im not sure if i could manage that, il need to book my time off work in advance so the sooner i know the better, plus if i book a certain time period then cant find a good deal im screwed! plus...id love to know im going and when so i can get excited about it...motivation to get through each day of my first line technical support job (its not that bad but still im used to being a lazy student).

GeordieSki: Im glad by budget is realistic! i was worried it might not be enough for anywhere but bulgaria (which ive read about and been thoroughly put off).

re: your 2nd post i think i understand, do you mean price the whole thing myself instead of via a TO and compare the prices? i was considering this but i dont know how good an idea it is being by first ski trip...im sure its doable tho so thanks.

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:21:45 GMT

tino_11 wrote:Too right, I was born in Alexandria, lived and went to Primary School in Rhu!!

Flippin eck, one of my clients lives in Rhu - very grand house at the top of a hill overlooking the Loch; a bit James Bond in style to be honest with remote controlled window blinds and all that. Hes about 30ish, wonder if you know him.....

Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:26:08 GMT

sami_glasgow wrote:Hi all,

First post! Let me introduce myself (breifly).

Im Sami, and I love skiing.

Eh...I had one amazing day on Mnt Cairngorm during Easter this year, now Im hooked. Now my partner, she learnt to ski about 12 years ago wen she was a kid (private school)...we had an hour or so at Xscape a couple weeks ago (not amazing) and it seemed to come back to her quite quickly.

So basically, we are both beginners.

Im looking to have a week in the alps some time in Jan '09.

To be honest...the price is one of my main considerations...I just started paying off my student debts and what not...Id say aroun GBP1000 for everything for both of us.

Not too picky about night life (apres ski?), and ideally id like to stay close to the slopes. ski in/out looks amazing but maybe save that for another year!

I live in Glasgow, hence the name, but could fly from other uk airports for a better deal.

So yeah, any advice and/or recommendations would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Sami

Sami, welcome.
Firstly, if you go first week in January, you will find the cheapest prices, and also the slopes are about as quiet as they ever will be, so its a fantastic time to go.
For beginners, you want good snow so think about slopes at or above 2000m. Obergurgl, Obertauern and Filzmoos spring to mind for good places to learn in Austria. Cervinia in Italy, Serre Chevalier in France and Alpe d'Huez - all worth considering too.
Expect to pay around GBP300pp for a week for flights and self catering, although you might find some better deals if you shop about on the net. I went to Mayrhofen for GBP159 last year B&B, so it can be done.
It might be worth considering a budget chalet, so that you know what you are spending before you go. Remember a lift pass might well sat you back GBP100-GBP180 depending on where you go.
Have a look at Isola 2000 in France as a perfect place for you to consider.
Good luck, let us know what you find.

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:39:09 GMT

sami_glasgow wrote:
re: your 2nd post i think i understand, do you mean price the whole thing myself instead of via a TO and compare the prices? i was considering this but i dont know how good an idea it is being by first ski trip...im sure its doable tho so thanks.

Hi Sami,

No, I knew I should have made myself clearer, even I got confused reading it back.

When you go on the TO website and search for a particular holiday you will get the price list of all the hotels/holidays available. When I booked, there were 2 hotels, one came up as GBP430, one came up as GBP470. When I priced up the full holiday (with ski hire etc) the GBP470 holiday worked out cheaper, as the GBP430 holiday had room supplements which added GBP70 to the price.

Basically I was just meaning to get the FULL holiday price for a few hotels before deciding on what looks the cheapest at first glance. But do go for the Learn to Ski package, it saves loads of hassle for your first holiday!

Let us know how you get on!
:D

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:42:50 GMT

Sam, be sure to, I am cheap for lessons as well;)

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:34:06 GMT

ah i just realised

i have to factor in all the clothes aswell!

So far I have....a jacket and 2 hats.

Im guessing il need (per person):

warm socks (2 pairs per day?)
waterproof trousers (how many sets would 1 do the week?)
stuff for your legs underneath (what do you guys use?)
thermal t shirt (again how many?)
thermal jumper (same as above)
jacket (1?)
goggles
hat (1?)
gloves (1?)

i guess the more trips you have the more clothes you have but whats the minimum you would advise for my first trip?

thanks all

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 08:58:08 GMT

For my first ski holiday I got completely kitted out at TK Maxx for about GBP130, that included Jacket, Salopettes, Thermals (Although I didnt need them as it was so warm!), ski socks, gloves, goggles.

I only got 1 jacket and 1 pair of salopettes, they would dry overnight. Only needed 1 pair of ski socks per day, normal socks for night....its unlikely you will be outside that long at night!!! Underneath I would just wear leggings and a T-shirt (thermals were to warm!). Nothing that really breaks the bank! Your jacket and salopettes are prob the most important and expensive things! Go raid your local TK Maxx!!! :lol:

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:05:18 GMT

Tesco seemed to have a range of budget ski wear at the Snow Show yesterday, I would presume it's available in their larger stores or online.

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:26:19 GMT

Right, budget version below.

sami_glasgow wrote:ah i just realised

i have to factor in all the clothes aswell!

So far I have....a jacket and 2 hats.

Im guessing il need (per person):

warm socks (2 pairs per day?) 2 pairs for one week, just wash em in the shower every night
waterproof trousers (how many sets would 1 do the week?) one
stuff for your legs underneath (what do you guys use?) one, buy in resort dependant on weather - approx 20 quid should do youthermal t shirt (again how many?)
thermal jumper (same as above) [color=red]onejacket (1?)one, you have one
goggles one
hat (1?)one
gloves (1?)one

i guess the more trips you have the more clothes you have but whats the minimum you would advise for my first trip?

Sunglasses, preferably something that will not shatter, UVEX do glasses that are both very good for UV, and are not so unnatractive quite cheaply. There is nothing worse in my opinion than goggle on a fine sunny day!

thanks all

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:37:04 GMT

Hi Sami,

For our first ski trip we took roughly what everyone has said above, however I would suggest 3 pairs of socks rather than 2 (one to wear, one clean for the next day and one drying.) We only took two each and with a lack of radiator space to dry things on (including thermals) we often had to resort to hairdryers in a morning to get them completely dry )

Booking a ‘learn to ski package' as GeordieSki has suggested will save you money (around GBP100 if I remember correctly), as will raiding the shelves at TK Maxx. We found that we did need the thermals (Sauze D'Oulx, 2nd week of January) however as everyone has said it will depend on when and where you are going. They didn't seem to be very expensive and we managed with one set each (I think we paid about GBP20 for a top/bottoms set.)

Anyway, hope you have a fantastic time :D

Lynn

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:52:30 GMT

awesome, thanks everyone!

so now i know what i need, just need to find my bargain!

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:46:22 GMT

Hi Sami, I got a last minute deal with markwarner for 2nd week in Jan at Les Deux Alpes for GBP400 half board from Edinburgh..............fantastic snow, great hotel & food, ski hosting brilliant, resort a bit quiet but we were there for the snow.
Went back again in Feb and hopefully again this winter!

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:38:27 GMT

ah right yeah

i really need to speak to my work and find out how taking time off is arranged - im a temp so hopefully it should be easy(ish).

i guess if i dont need to give much notice to take the time off i could hang on until the last minit but....id hate to do that then either not be able to take time off or not be able to find a good deal for the dates i have

ahh decisions.

the important thing is it _can_ and _will_ be done! one way or another...

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 11:34:40 GMT

rustyinn wrote:Tesco seemed to have a range of budget ski wear at the Snow Show yesterday, I would presume it's available in their larger stores or online.

I had a gander at their stuff, and it was pretty poor quality, and not particularly fashion conscious in terms of colourways and styling.
If you are prepared to pay GBP50 for a ski jacket from Tescos, I would certainly suggest spending GBP10 more and getting a branded one from TK Maxx, which will be far better in terms of materials, quality of manufacturing, and styling too.

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:22:00 GMT

Tony_H wrote:

rustyinn wrote:Tesco seemed to have a range of budget ski wear at the Snow Show yesterday, I would presume it's available in their larger stores or online.

I had a gander at their stuff, and it was pretty poor quality, and not particularly fashion conscious in terms of colourways and styling.
If you are prepared to pay GBP50 for a ski jacket from Tescos, I would certainly suggest spending GBP10 more and getting a branded one from TK Maxx, which will be far better in terms of materials, quality of manufacturing, and styling too.

You have a good point, I didn't look into it to closely as i didn't need any kit. just saw a few of the price tags on the way past the stand.

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:50:07 GMT

sami_glasgow wrote:ah i just realised

i have to factor in all the clothes aswell!

So far I have....a jacket and 2 hats.

Im guessing il need (per person):

warm socks (2 pairs per day?)
waterproof trousers (how many sets would 1 do the week?)
stuff for your legs underneath (what do you guys use?)
thermal t shirt (again how many?)
thermal jumper (same as above)
jacket (1?)
goggles
hat (1?)
gloves (1?)

i guess the more trips you have the more clothes you have but whats the minimum you would advise for my first trip?

thanks all

Hi Sami, dont forget a decent pair of walking boots, timberland or hiking boots, it can be very slippery walking around resorts. I always take 2 jackets and 2 sallos, one set to ski and one set for everything else.

Budget trip for young couple

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 12:43:18 GMT

Just a thought - Christmas is coming so ask for socks/gloves for pressies? Also how about Freecycle - some people go skiing once with all the newly bought gear and then never go again.

Budget trip for young couple

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:49:29 GMT

jastem wrote:Also how about Freecycle - some people go skiing once with all the newly bought gear and then never go again.

good point. it's very normal in this neck of the woods to lend and borrow ski clothing :thumbup: [I particularly like borrowing my sister's spyder gear :D]

Budget trip for young couple

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:07:55 GMT

caron-a wrote:

jastem wrote:Also how about Freecycle - some people go skiing once with all the newly bought gear and then never go again.

good point. it's very normal in this neck of the woods to lend and borrow ski clothing :thumbup: [I particularly like borrowing my sister's spyder gear :D]

hmm yeah well i have friends/family who ski so i will consider that

altho im pretty much 100% that i will ski alot in the future

ive been hooked since my first experience and literally dreampt of being on the slopes again

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 13:44:26 GMT

mallsorts, Hi welcome to J2ski :D If you want to advertise on here, there is a section called "Ski Accommodation Offered" . It's on the Forum front page.

Re:Budget trip for young couple

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:55:30 GMT

hi folks

so ive found my holiday and thought id let you all know what i decided...

im going to la tania with rustyinn (aka dave)

i found his offer too good to resist. ski in/out, catered chalet.

they have added a green run back to la tania which passes right by the chalet:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=la+tania+green+run+plan+fontain&emb=0&aq=f#

ive gone over budget regarding the overall price (by some bit) but i think it will definately be worth it.

i am now looking into insurance, and wondering if anyone has advice on where to get it from (im sure there are plenty threads on it so il have to do a bit of digging).