2026 travel plans

[Forg]

“Lambs lettuce” and salsify also make this sad list of healthy veggies that are near impossible to find here. And I’m sure you could grow the former at least!

You can! We’re currently between houses, but our prior house had a veggie garden & my (German) better-half sourced lamb’s lettuce seeds.

We’ve seen it on occasion at Harris Farm or Panetta Mercato, although normally sold as mâche (and the seeds often sold as corn salad).

 

[Warks]

Got a few nights in Launceston at the end of June. VA had $79 one way tickets from Sydney so grabbed those and got an AirBnB for only a little over $100 a night in the heart of town. Cheap break. Will be nice and chilly by then but will be good to have our first decent look around town in a long time.

 

[Forg]

Got a few nights in Launceston at the end of June. VA had $79 one way tickets from Sydney so grabbed those and got an AirBnB for only a little over $100 a night in the heart of town. Cheap break. Will be nice and chilly by then but will be good to have our first decent look around town in a long time.

Launceston punches way above it's weight for food, drink, coffee, all the stuff I'm into!

 

[Katie]

OK, well here's the year so far:

• Started on the Disney cruise between SYD-HOB (still working on the TR, two more days of the cruise to cover)
• Jan - crashed Mr Katie's boys' week in Radelaide for the starting weekend. Ate lots and did lots, and Mr Katie got antsy because he was in Adelaide and not riding ... yet ... !
• Mar - WLG dinner with Mr Katie.
• Apr - Easter in MEL, conference trip to PIT and then a long weekend in SIN.
• Aug - not confirmed, but may be a 1-week trip to help the Teen relocate to a secret location for a College Program.
• Sept - CHC weekend
• Oct - YVR and CLT for conferences, back to back, and maybe a weekend with the Teen at the secret location in the middle.
• Nov - CHC overnighter
• Dec - Christmas/New Years trip to secret location to visit the Teen for Christmas week, then do some fun tourist stuff the following week in other locations. Don't need to be back in Australia for NYE birthday.

So 2027 needs to be the year of the Euro Christmas ... though that would be two Christmases in a row away from the Grandparent squad, siblings and niblings.

 

[kookaburra75]

Got a few nights in Launceston at the end of June. VA had $79 one way tickets from Sydney so grabbed those and got an AirBnB for only a little over $100 a night in the heart of town. Cheap break. Will be nice and chilly by then but will be good to have our first decent look around town in a long time.

Launceston punches way above it's weight for food, drink, coffee, all the stuff I'm into!

Another vote for Lonnie. If you like a steak, try out the Black Cow

 

[stu961]

Another vote for Lonnie. If you like a steak, try out the Black Cow

My brother lives just outside Lonnie... Rosevears pub is a stroll down the road, a vino and a bite to eat over looking the Tamar is rather special and so Aussie

 

[GarrettM]

Well I still don't have any travel plans for the rest of this year. Which is fine.

Everyone else in the family has something to look forward too though.

MrsGM will take Turdboy to Brisbane in the next school holidays to visit Bluey's World.
And in October she's arranging a trip to Borneo with MsChaos to see orangutans and baby turtles.

Of those plans I think I'm more jealous of the boy.

 

[Warks]

Just booked the Routeburn Track (NZ Great Walk number 7 for me) for the end of November. Bookings opened this morning at 0730 and if you were there 30 mins before you qualified for the queue with a number in line when it opened. Between the two of us we were something like 4000, 7000 and 9000th in line and were told it was over an hour to wait. But it moved fast and our 4000 in the queue browser got there in 25 minutes. Got our huts and paid. By the time the 7000 one got there 5 minutes later there was almost nothing left for the whole summer. Insane demand but this is much less than the Milford Track which we did last Feb. We've tacked on a return hike via the Caples Track to avoid the long bus shuttle at the other end of the Routeburn. Can't wait.

 

[RooFlyer]

I might even be able to convince the better-half ... and HBA is perfect because it's one of few places on the QF network that has a lounge but I don't have a little cry to myself when traveling with her due to the fact she's no longer QF Platinum.

That’s what I mean … other places I miss the lounge, but HBA we always went in & left shortly after ‘cos the general terminal was a nicer place to be.

Qantas has made your (and others') decision easier. The temporary lounge will be closed from July until 'early 2027'.

 

[bPeteb]

Our second trip to India is now locked in. Thankyou to everyone who recommended Magan. He is a truly wonderful person.

19/12/2026​	Brisbane	SQ y
	Singapore	SQ y
19/12/2026​	Delhi	The Connaught New Delhi
20/12/2026​	Delhi	The Connaught New Delhi
21/12/2026​	Mandawa	Castle Mandawa Hotel
22/12/2026​	Bikaner	The Laxmi Niwas Palace
23/12/2026​	Bikaner	The Laxmi Niwas Palace
24/12/2026​	Jaisalmer	Welcome Heritage Mandir Palace
25/12/2026​	Jaisalmer	Welcome Heritage Mandir Palace
26/12/2026​	Manwar Camp	Manvar Sevan The Desert Camp
27/12/2026​	Jodhpur	Ratan Vilas
28/12/2026​	Sardargarh	Sardargarh Heritage Fort
29/12/2026​	Udaipur	Jagat Niwas Palace Hotel
30/12/2026​	Udaipur	Jagat Niwas Palace Hotel
31/12/2026​	Bundi	The Hadoti Palace
1/1/2027​	Bundi	The Hadoti Palace
2/1/2027​	Ranthambhore	The Earth Ranthambhore
3/1/2027​	Ranthambhore	The Earth Ranthambhore
4/1/2027​	Jaipur	Alsisar Haveli
5/1/2027​	Jaipur	Alsisar Haveli
6/1/2027​	Agra	ITC Mughal A Luxury Collection
7/1/2027​	Agra	ITC Mughal A Luxury Collection
8/1/2027​	Delhi	SQ y+
9/1/2027​	Singapore	SQ y
	Brisbane

 

[RooFlyer]

@bPeteb the Jagat Niwas should suffice! But the bed was very firm!

Post in thread 'The view or two from my "office"'

Dec 7, 2019

This morning's office view of Lake Pichola, Udaipur from my hotel ( Jagat Niwas)





The office:

• RooFlyer

• 

 

[bPeteb]

@bPeteb the Jagat Niwas should suffice! But the bed was very firm!

Post in thread 'The view or two from my "office"'

Dec 7, 2019

This morning's office view of Lake Pichola, Udaipur from my hotel ( Jagat Niwas)





The office:

• RooFlyer

• 

Noice! We are prepared for board like beds. It'll take us back to our trip to China.

 

[Warks]

Just booking accommodation for the Istanbul stopover (3 nights) near the end of our trip. So many options. A bit different from the youth hostels and pensions I stayed in there over thirty years ago...
I saw quite a lot of Istanbul back then but my regret was not visiting Topkapi Palace as I thought it was probably too expensive (ha! - a few bucks then). Anyway I've discovered that they have rammed up the price for this attraction to around $A95! Will probably have to bite the bullet and pay, while grinding my teeth on that bullet, I may never be there again. I assume it's worth it. There's nothing else much like it in the world.

 

[Forg]

Getting closer to mid June trip to Yewrop … knees haven’t exploded yet, non-ME airlines haven’t yet started bailing in a major way due to the Trumpstein War, 4 weeks to go & the breath-holding has started …

 

[luxury-lizard]

We're off next week - for 6 weeks in Yewrop (fka Europe ) - 1 week in Malta, 2 weeks in Sicily, 2 weeks in the Dolomites and 1 week in Austria. Flights:

• SYD-CAN-IST on China Southern $3000 pp in J one-way (after cancelling 2 different awards, one on VA/QR and one on TG)
• IST-MLA $400 pp in J on Malta Airways
• MLA-Catania on RyanAir for about $80 pp +++
• Palermo-MUC $800 pp on LH in J
• MUC-SIN-SYD on SQ J award

 

[GDSman]

Next few months of travel firmed up:
May - HBA-SYD-YVR-YYZ-YYC-YVR-SYD-HBA - all in a week. 2 conferences in Toronto and Calgary (new city for me). Y+ over the Pacific...almost luxury
July - family holiday on an island in Fiji for a week...lovely
August - conference in CBR (whose idea was that)
Sept-Oct - HBA-SYD-YVR-YYZ-LHR-GVA-MUC-HEL-SIN-MEL-HBA - RTW, all in Y, across 2 weeks with conferences in Niagara and Bavaria...going to be tiring that one.
Will hit WP after missing out for many years.
Nothing after that (so far). Need to find time to get a new passport, probably August...

 

[RooFlyer]

Calgary (new city for me)

Used to be my second home! Doesn't sound like you'll be there long enough to do anything, but any queries, just ask. Where are you staying?

 

[markis10]

Lots of fun replanning things thanks to the orange ompalumpa.
Mid June headed to Bali for a week (staying with Marriott to restore Platinum) then to CGK
Then to Germany with QR, schedule changes mean STPC both ways in Doha. Accomodation with IHG to trigger second lounge pass. Back with classic award in J ex CGK with QF, double SC should trigger WP again (hello old friend) as I seem to be going the long way to BNE , thanks PC..
Japan in Aug sees SQ award in PE to HND, snagged QF26 back in J again classic award. Probably another China trip later in the year when it gets cooler, then end of Nov decamp to the northern hemisphere ideally LGK.

 

[GDSman]

Used to be my second home! Doesn't sound like you'll be there long enough to do anything, but any queries, just ask. Where are you staying?

Thanks @RooFlyer . True, not a lot of time there. Get in Wednesday night, staying at the Westin on 4th. In conference Thur/Fri but I have Saturday morning for a bit of sightseeing so any tips are very much appreciated. Was just planning on walking around downtown and grabbing some lunch before flying home. Also any good bars or restaurants in the vicinity would be good.