who wants to meet up

wherediditallgo

I'm in London, but I don't mind going as far north as Manchester or Birmingham, or as far south as Brighton. Only thing is, I don't drive & I can't carry heavy bags for too long, so I can't be miles from a connecting station otherwise I'll be on the floor. . If someone else was driving from London though, I'd be happy to join up with them & split the petrol costs.

Dates-wise, the last two weekends of each month are best for me, as I could travel on the Friday, & get blotto early enough to recover for work on the Monday. _party_ :dance::dance:

Not sure about camping though - I haven't been in a tent since my Girl Guide days, & something tells me they don't come with a comfy bed, my usual four pillows & a double duvet. Waking up stiff & aching in the morning for no good reason isn't a great way to start the day. If enough of us are going, we might be able to get a decent rate on a group booking for somewhere like a Travel Lodge, Thistle Hotel or a good B&B. And if there should be any karaoke on or near the premises, even better.

Cornishpixie_2

Hi, At this rate we're going to have 500 mini reunions, can't we do T.V. link;) I am ofcourse at the !!! end of the country:rotfl:
Hey They won't let me say the A*s word oops!

wherediditallgo

This sounds like it could be a really good break for everyone.

One thing I think we should remember though is that our budgets are going to be quite varied, especially those newly BR. If someone's going to do a poll, can they add some budget selections, so that people can anonymously enter their maximum budget per night without feeling embarrassed that they might not be able to afford to go, then we can get an idea of what people can afford & work on finding something within or nearest to that. I'm happy to go the cheapest route (except tents - not for love not money) if that means that more people will be able to make it.

dalip

Well i think manchester or birmingham would be central enough for most people. I will check out a few "hotels" today and get back to you all. Also if we are talking summer don't forget that's peak time so maybe if we leave it till sept/oct time it may be cheaper and gives us more time to save.

I think rich may well be the expert on hotel rooms;)

LilyBart

Another Londoner here. I'd love to meet up, though the time-frame you're talking about sounds like it might bump right into the court-date/moving/OR interview scrum (all still theoretical after yesterday's day of horrid phone calls). I have to be in Mancs for work May 10, so already have hotel and train sorted through my client but I guess that'd be too much of a scramble for everyone else, especially those who have to organise childcare.
Lily
ps dalip, I don't think Mancs or Birmingham have a summer peak time in terms of hotels - I mean, they're not Marbella or Corfu! That said, the Autumn might be more sensible logistically.

LilyBart

Update: OH says Leicester is officially the central point in Britain. (Curry, anyone?) Also says hiring mini-buses/coaches would be cheapest - one from Waspeze heading North, one from Persolvo heading South. Um....
I've been there once for work. Don't recall any tourist attractions.
Re hotel rates in general, what you have to watch out for is major sporting events or stadium concerts. Been stung a few times in Cardiff when my dates have clashed with football/rugby/Boyzone concerts.

dalip

Cheers lily. Another thought is if some people don't mind sharing a twin room may cut the costs. It all needs discussing so will take a while to organise:D

LilyBart

No problem.
Cornishpixie, just realised the notional coach would have to start with you, then swing round to Brighton, then up to London. Gosh, what a long drive! Maybe train is best. Also, I discovered yesterday that the word beginning with A is not the only one you can't post. I was trying to use a perfectly harmless 8 lettter synonym for irresponsible that begins with F and ends with "ckless". Bizarre!

FeelingLow

i dont mind sharing rooms (just depends on who with!!!)

Persolv0

Morning all :hello:

Ive been thinking out of the box a little on this idea and wondering if theres a DFW option available that can come in to play.

Instead of trying to decide a central point would it be cheaper in the long run to pinpoint a city/town that is serviced by plenty of bus companies,train station and and a decent airport to take advantage of any cheap promotional tickets etc(not suggesting dublin but as an example edinburgh often has Ryan air flights for under £20 pounds in the quiter months.)

On the accomodation front its generally cheaper in hotels that are a little out of the big cities and a block booking at a budget price is more likely in the Autumn than the summer.

Sooo ...decide on a date then have a friendly competition to see who can get their the cheapest pro rata and share any promotional news of cheap flights,buses or train journeys run by the companies or in the newspapers.

Final point before i run out the door to get to work on time....i wonder if Martin or another personal finance guru could be coaxed into doing a free talk :j

Anyway better go to work:eek: