2026 travel plans

[RSD]

First time ever departing MEL T2 (won’t be rushing back - a bit third world TBH with all those low ceilings similar to T1 and T3 - they really ought to knock down and rebuild the whole thing….But at least all the terminals are co-located - sort of.

Having the main terminals all in one building is certainly a huge plus for Melbourne - particularly if you have a tight connection - or end up having a tight connection due to delays.

 

[Melburnian1]

But this next one is looking like maybe I’ll plan a bit differently. Maybe arrive in a place & spend 4-5 days there just looking around locally there, then probably use a train to head straight to the next place where we’ll spend 4-5 days. Not even really trying to find things to look at in between, obviously not a rule set in stone but a bit different to previous trips which were mostly planned around moving most of the time - and which probably means more surprise locations BUT also means lost time in prepping to leave & finding your way to accommodation & that initial sussing-out of the local transport yadda yadda. Effectively going to maybe 5-6 places for 4-5 days apiece, rather than passing-through a bunch of places but not necessarily having time to check ‘em out (but sometimes you do).

Kinda thought it’d be interesting to ask what youze frequent travellers thought on the difference - going to “a few places” but for “a longer time”, as opposed to yelling Road Trip (albeit needing to pre-book accommodation along the way)?

@Forg , even in so-called off-season but increasingly popular September to November or March to early May, I find it's essential to book European accommodation in advance. Years ago I used to arrive at a station and find an hotel easily. You may still be able to do this but disliking shunting myself from hotel to hotel until I find one with rooms at an acceptable price, I've moved away from that modus operandi.

Paying in advance by a few months (if possible) typically saves money. I book non-refundable (cheapest) but acknowledge this can be risky, although thus far touch wood I've not had a problem.

Can I recommend a Eurailpass, preferably first class? This gives you flexibility, even though the cost can be higher per day than purchasing individual station-to-station tickets in advance. Depending on the train, Eurailpass may require a supplement. Some countries such as Germany and the UK typically do NOT have mandatory seat reservations, others such as France do on many trains. Paper (mailed to us from Netherlands to Australia) or smartphone passes are available.

The Eurail(dot)com site occasionally has 15 to 25 per cent off. If you are staying four to five days in a place, an 'X days in Y period' non-consecutive pass may suit unless you plan on doing lots of rail trips to other cities/towns while based. The Man in Seat 61 website is excellent while for urban travel, the Urban Rail site run by a Mr Schwandl is terrific. Latter also shows tram routes in a very large number of cities and larger towns, not just Metro maps.

First time ever departing MEL T2 (won’t be rushing back - a bit third world TBH with all those low ceilings similar to T1 and T3 - they really ought to knock down and rebuild the whole thing

A few years ago, I asked an airport manager about that.

The reply was 'there are airline offices above, so we can't do.' But I agree with you: MEL T2 is drab and uninspiring, rather than airy as some airports are. None though worldwide can match the architecture of numerous railway stations.

 

[SYD]

Having the main terminals all in one building is certainly a huge plus for Melbourne - particularly if you have a tight connection - or end up having a tight connection due to delays.

OT: Fortunately living close to SYD and rarely ever needing to connect to depart Oz or get to my final destination is a luxury, I know. But the refurb they did to SYD T1 a while back was a breath of fresh air.

Ironically, MEL T4 is probably the most modern. T1 is trying hard with some refurbs but it’s still a 1980s shell. T3 has had a lick of paint, but is basically the old 1990s AN terminal (as is SYD T2….). Depressing.

I’d never been to MEL T2 before and despite the refurb going on, you can tell that it looks like lipstick on a pig.