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#51 2 Nights in the Basque Country - Trip Report - March 2022

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Overview Flights: approx £85 each return from London Gatwick to Bilbao Hotels: approx £85 a night Daily Budget: Approx £100 a day for food, travel and entertainment for the two of us. Total Cost: Approx £540   2-Day Itinerary 11th March – Drive to Orio 12th March – San Sebastian 13th March – Atlantic Coast and Guernica 11th March – Drive to Orio Our flight to Bilbao did not land until around 11.00 pm and by the time we picked up the hire car, a Fiat 500 (just for a change) we realised there was little chance we would reach the hotel before midnight.  The drive from the airport to Orio, a village on Spain’s northern coast near San Sebastian, was a tough one as the rain was torrential and it was dark and we were both tired. Nonetheless, the navigation was straight forward until the last little bit where we were driving along a dirt track, the width of a single car, and trying to find the last turn to Agrotourismo Itxaspe where we would be staying. We eventually found it and the owner ha
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#53 3 Nights in Utrecht - Trip Report - April 2022

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Overview Flights: Approx £42 (+Avios points) pp for flights from London City Airport to Schiphol and Schiphol to Gatwick  Hotels: approx £95 a night Daily Budget: Approx £100 a day for food, travel and entertainment for the two of us. Total Cost: Approx £600   3-Day Itinerary 29th April - Flight from UK 30th April - Kasteel de Haar 1st May - Speelklock Museum and Keukenhof 2nd May - Utrecht Canals Getting There We had never flown from London City Airport before but we figured a weekend flight to Amsterdam would be a good time to try it as we could use our Avios points and companion voucher to travel cheaply. We both left work and made straight for London Victoria by train where we met up and switched to the tube to take us to the airport.  City Airport is pretty tiny and after just a few minutes we were through security and ready to grab some food. There is not a whole lot of choice here and the prices are extremely high, spending more that £50 for a pretty average burger and chips eac
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#52 5 Nights in Montenegro - Trip Report - April 2022

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Overview Flights: approx £100 pp for flights from Gatwick to Kotor and Podgorica to Gatwick Hotels: approx £90 a night Daily Budget: Approx £100 a day for food, travel and entertainment for the two of us. Total Cost: Approx £1000   5-Day Itinerary 18th April - Travel and explore Kotor old town 19th April - Kotor Fortress 20th April - Explore Budva 21st April - Day trip to Durmitor and Ostrog Monastery 22nd April - Travel to Podgorica 23rd April - Travel home Getting There Our original trip was supposed to last 2 weeks and involved us hiring a car in Podgorica, driving through Bosnia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and back to Podgorica. Unfortunately, Janina tested positive for Covid the day before we were due to leave so after a hectic day of cancelling everything, we sat and waited until she tested clear to see if we would be able to get away at all. In the end it turned out we could salvage some of the trip so we booked one-way tickets to Kotor with the aim of using our return leg
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#50 - 6 Nights in Malta - Trip Report - February 2022

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  Overview   Flights: Approx £80 each return from London Gatwick to Valletta Hotels: Approx £80 a night Daily Budget: Approx £100 a day for food, travel and entertainment for the two of us. Total Cost: Approx £1200   6-Day Itinerary   21st February – Explore Valletta 22nd February – Fort St Elmo 23rd February – Hypogeum, Tarxiem Temples, Three Cities 24th February – Gozo Day Trip 25th February – Horse Riding 26th February – Mdina 27th February – Travel Home   Getting There   There have been many ways we have chosen where to go on a trip, some by rolling a dice, some by the cheapest flight, and some with a particular draw to go there. For Malta, the main reason to go was for a little relief from the cold at home and as a stepping stone of my aim to visit every country in Europe by the time I am 40. That said, Malta is a cracking little country with a rich history and culture, influenced by the many civilizations that have journeyed to the island over
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