"Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread

[OldChelsea]

US to lift travel ban on fully-vaxxed persons from 33 countries, including the UK (pre-departure Covid test will still be required though): https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/16190595/us-uk-travel/

[OldChelsea]

When you resume flying, better mind those masks...the following was posted earlier today on Skytrax regarding an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Denver (spelling and other errors in the original):

Boarded the plane with no issues. Mask was not covering nose so I was asked to bring it up so I did. Don't really have an issue with the mask thing, just putting that out there. Sat down with wife and two children for our flight from Dallas to Denver. 5 minutes later as we are starting to move like any middle-aged man I'm out lke a light. Noise canceling headphones on sunglasses on hat down. Out! Probably because American Airlines stranded us in the airport overnight with to children from 11:45pm until 6am. So I am woke up to someone poking me so I turn to my wife and say yes? She was not the one poking me it was the flight attendant I could not her here that well so took headphones off and asked her what she was saying. So I promise you the next statement is true and not out of a movie. She said " sir while you are sleeping your mask needs to cover your nose" I apologized as I wasn't aware it had slipped off my nose as I slept. She said this is the third time she had asked. Don't remember the 2nd but none the less ok I get it. Don't go back to sleep and focus on my mask. It looked as though they were having another issue with a passenger that could not be solved so they were turning the plane around for him. When we arrived they removed that passenger and then they asked me my wife and two children to gather our belongings. We politely complied. After stepping off the plane they said that our refusal to comply with the mask requirements is why we were asked to leave. Apparently the flight attendant told them a very different story. That we were deliberately disobeying the flight attendant. To which my children told the manager that she was not telling the truth. As I was sleeping this was news to me. So here we are. They booked on the next American Airlines flight which doesn't make any sense. But just to clear the air I am not a anti masker and I am fully vaccinated as are my wife and two children (14 and 13). We started this journey in South Florida on a Wednesday at 4pm it is now 8 am on a Thursday and we are stuck in Dallas. This was supposed to be a 4 hour flight. It is sad that a flight attendant would have to lie to get what she needs done. A little kindness goes a long way.

https://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/american-airlines/

[imref]

yikes.

[Five Banners]

When you resume flying, better mind those masks...the following was posted earlier today on Skytrax regarding an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Denver (spelling and other errors in the original):

Boarded the plane with no issues. Mask was not covering nose so I was asked to bring it up so I did. Don't really have an issue with the mask thing, just putting that out there. Sat down with wife and two children for our flight from Dallas to Denver. 5 minutes later as we are starting to move like any middle-aged man I'm out lke a light. Noise canceling headphones on sunglasses on hat down. Out! Probably because American Airlines stranded us in the airport overnight with to children from 11:45pm until 6am. So I am woke up to someone poking me so I turn to my wife and say yes? She was not the one poking me it was the flight attendant I could not her here that well so took headphones off and asked her what she was saying. So I promise you the next statement is true and not out of a movie. She said " sir while you are sleeping your mask needs to cover your nose" I apologized as I wasn't aware it had slipped off my nose as I slept. She said this is the third time she had asked. Don't remember the 2nd but none the less ok I get it. Don't go back to sleep and focus on my mask. It looked as though they were having another issue with a passenger that could not be solved so they were turning the plane around for him. When we arrived they removed that passenger and then they asked me my wife and two children to gather our belongings. We politely complied. After stepping off the plane they said that our refusal to comply with the mask requirements is why we were asked to leave. Apparently the flight attendant told them a very different story. That we were deliberately disobeying the flight attendant. To which my children told the manager that she was not telling the truth. As I was sleeping this was news to me. So here we are. They booked on the next American Airlines flight which doesn't make any sense. But just to clear the air I am not a anti masker and I am fully vaccinated as are my wife and two children (14 and 13). We started this journey in South Florida on a Wednesday at 4pm it is now 8 am on a Thursday and we are stuck in Dallas. This was supposed to be a 4 hour flight. It is sad that a flight attendant would have to lie to get what she needs done. A little kindness goes a long way.

https://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/american-airlines/

Priorities

[JCA-CrystalCity]

funny.  I kept my mask on my nose when I flew Monday and dozed.  But I'm not middle aged anymore.

[Natsinpwc]

funny.  I kept my mask on my nose when I flew Monday and dozed.  But I'm not middle aged anymore.

Not sure if you have kids but they lie all the time. And especially at 13/14.  Sounds like the dude needs to invest in a mask that fits.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Not sure if you have kids but they lie all the time. And especially at 13/14.  Sounds like the dude needs to invest in a mask that fits.

the sound proof headphones = blowing off the flight attendant. 

[GburgNatsFan]

Probably best to wear a mask with two around-the-back-of-your-head straps.

Also, c'mon flight attendants.

When you resume flying, better mind those masks...the following was posted earlier today on Skytrax regarding an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Denver (spelling and other errors in the original):

Boarded the plane with no issues. Mask was not covering nose so I was asked to bring it up so I did. Don't really have an issue with the mask thing, just putting that out there. Sat down with wife and two children for our flight from Dallas to Denver. 5 minutes later as we are starting to move like any middle-aged man I'm out lke a light. Noise canceling headphones on sunglasses on hat down. Out! Probably because American Airlines stranded us in the airport overnight with to children from 11:45pm until 6am. So I am woke up to someone poking me so I turn to my wife and say yes? She was not the one poking me it was the flight attendant I could not her here that well so took headphones off and asked her what she was saying. So I promise you the next statement is true and not out of a movie. She said " sir while you are sleeping your mask needs to cover your nose" I apologized as I wasn't aware it had slipped off my nose as I slept. She said this is the third time she had asked. Don't remember the 2nd but none the less ok I get it. Don't go back to sleep and focus on my mask. It looked as though they were having another issue with a passenger that could not be solved so they were turning the plane around for him. When we arrived they removed that passenger and then they asked me my wife and two children to gather our belongings. We politely complied. After stepping off the plane they said that our refusal to comply with the mask requirements is why we were asked to leave. Apparently the flight attendant told them a very different story. That we were deliberately disobeying the flight attendant. To which my children told the manager that she was not telling the truth. As I was sleeping this was news to me. So here we are. They booked on the next American Airlines flight which doesn't make any sense. But just to clear the air I am not a anti masker and I am fully vaccinated as are my wife and two children (14 and 13). We started this journey in South Florida on a Wednesday at 4pm it is now 8 am on a Thursday and we are stuck in Dallas. This was supposed to be a 4 hour flight. It is sad that a flight attendant would have to lie to get what she needs done. A little kindness goes a long way.

https://www.airlinequality.com/airline-reviews/american-airlines/

[Count Walewski]

Still thinking Barcelona for Christmas if COVID permits. Flights to Lisbon are also cheap, but Portugal is currently requiring the EU vaccine passport, which Americans cannot get, whereas Spain requires a vaccine passport that Americans can easily get. (Both countries would in theory let me in without proof of vaccination if I submit to testing, but who wants that).

I've been tempted by extremely low fares to Paris and Amsterdam that week as well, but I figure that Barcelona is actually ideal for pandemic travel because the main thing to do there is admire architecture from outside. In Paris, we would either be forced to go inside a lot or to skip major attractions like the Louvre, which seems wrong. Malta is actually cheap to fly to as well but it's really rainy there in December.

Average temperature in Barcelona in December is 54 degrees F, but the way to look at that is that it's gonna be even colder anywhere else I might plausibly be.

[OldChelsea]

[...]Average temperature in Barcelona in December is 54 degrees F, but the way to look at that is that it's gonna be even colder anywhere else I might plausibly be.

I was in Barcelona in January 2017 (to avoid that year's presidential inauguration) and apart from a bit of rain the weather wasn't bad at all.

Not sure if I've mentioned this before in this forum, but if your departure from Barcelona El Prat airport is through the non-Schengen gates. be sure to do your eating/drinking and duty-free shopping before you go through security...for some reason almost all the duty-free shops and restaurants/bars are airside; once you clear security and reach the non-Schengen gates all you'll find is a Mickey D's, a Burger King, a cafeteria (so at least you can get a half litre can of Estrella Damm to nurse before you go to your gate), a small shop and that's about it.

[Count Walewski]

I was in Barcelona in January 2017 (to avoid that year's presidential inauguration) and apart from a bit of rain the weather wasn't bad at all.

Ha, I went to Madrid in January 2013 for very similar reasons. I recall it being very rainy - I suppose I was on the plains of Spain so what else should I have expected?

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I recall travel websites being very slow on 09 Nov 2016.

Anyone been to Basque Country/Euskadi?  I hear that San Sebastian is great, and that there isn't a bad meal to be found anywhere in the whole region (country?).

   

I was in Barcelona in January 2017 (to avoid that year's presidential inauguration) and apart from a bit of rain the weather wasn't bad at all.

[OldChelsea]

Ha, I went to Madrid in January 2013 for very similar reasons. I recall it being very rainy - I suppose I was on the plains of Spain so what else should I have expected?

At the time I booked that trip I had never been to Spain so began comparing matters meteorological between Madrid and Barcelona, and because the rain (and snow) in Spain stays mainly in the plain, thus leading to higher precip levels in Madrid in January, I opted for Barcelona. Still planning on visiting Madrid sometime though.

[Count Walewski]

I stayed up until 12:30 AM last night researching Andorra, which I tentatively plan to visit on Tuesday, Dec 28 as a day trip from Barcelona if COVID and other circumstances permit.

Near far as I can tell, the vast majority of tourists who visit Andorra do so as part of a standard "3 countries in 1 day" tour that every single tour company in Barcelona offers. These tours all depart Barcelona about 7:00 AM, stop at the small town of Baga in Spain, then stop at the small town of Ax-Les-Thermes in France for lunch, then enter Andorra from the north (where there is spectacular mountain scenery) before stopping in the Andorran capital city of Andorra la Vella. You get about 1 hour in each of those places and in total it works out to 9 hours of sitting in a bus and 3 hours of being outside of the bus visiting places.

I have booked such a tour, fully refundable of course: but I wondered if I could do better myself. And I believe I can.

The Spanish bus company ALSA runs an express bus between Barcelona and Andorra la Vella each day. The bus to Andorra departs at 7:00 AM and takes 3-ish hours to get there. The bus back to Barcelona departs at 7:15 PM and likewise takes 3-ish hours to get back to Barcelona. That would leave me with about 6.5 hours in Andorra.

Andorra has a surprisingly robust system of public transit buses that connect Andorra la Vella to surrounding villages. There's a town about a 20-25 minute walk south of Andorra la Vella called Santa Coloma that has a church from the 9th century that I'd like to see, as well as a historic old bridge (one thing I love about microstates is that their major cities are often within walking distance of each other!). A 15 minute drive north of Andorra la Vella is a charming small town called Ordino that has cobblestone streets and a number of old houses you can tour. I think I can fit both of these charming small towns into an itinerary that fits within 6.5 hours, though it may require some bus luck.

Most people visiting Andorra in the winter who are not just day trippers from Barcelona go there for the ski resort, which is also a bus ride away from the capital. But I was evacuated from the slopes last time I tried to go skiing so that whole side of the country is not for me.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Not sure how car rentals in Europe are right now (probably as scarce as here), but driving in the Pyrenees is a hell of a lot of fun 

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Decided to go to Greece for U.S. Thanksgiving.  The weather will probably be atrocious but the food will be good and at this point just going anywhere is appealing. 

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Decided to go to Greece for U.S. Thanksgiving.  The weather will probably be atrocious but the food will be good and at this point just going anywhere is appealing. 

my only advice is to make sure they use real moose in the moussaka.

[imref]

my only advice is to make sure they use real moose in the moussaka.

I bet you go to Panda Express and order the panda

[skippy1999]

Decided to go to Greece for U.S. Thanksgiving.  The weather will probably be atrocious but the food will be good and at this point just going anywhere is appealing. 

What part of Greece? My daughter went to santorini on her honeymoon and it looked beyond gorgeous!

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I think we'll flip a coin when we get to Athens.  It'll be pouring rain and gross but not here so all good 

What part of Greece? My daughter went to santorini on her honeymoon and it looked beyond gorgeous!

[varoadking]

What part of Greece? My daughter went to santorini on her honeymoon and it looked beyond gorgeous!

Small planet...our oldest and SiL honeymooned in one of my friends vacation home off the beach on Santorini...

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I bet you go to Panda Express and order the panda

I get the strangest looks when I do that. The only thing that tops it is when I try to pick up car parts at Chevy's.

[imref]

I get the strangest looks when I do that. The only thing that tops it is when I try to pick up car parts at Chevy's.

Subway didn't like my MTA card either.

[English Natsie]

Can't imagine what happens when you go to Wendy's...

[Natsinpwc]

Can't imagine what happens when you go to Wendy's...