"newbie"

[Bulya]

On 01/12/2023 at 19:12, InnerVoice said:

I visited Tasmania back in February and thought Launceston was a lovely place, and one I might consider in retirement - but you've just put me off it now!

The only place I’ve been to in Tasmania and it seemed to be OK, but that was 32 years ago!

[Bulya]

On 03/12/2023 at 08:30, not a hillbilly said:

Yes, initially that's what I thought 15 years ago.  It does look nice but things have gone downhill a lot in the last 7 years - housing prices up a lot, quite a few shops closed.  After much searching, I've found a good plumber, car mechanic & a reasonable house painter but unable to find a competent handyman or electrician.  Aurora (electricity provider) actually handed out plug-packs for you to test your own house for electrical safety as building codes before the 1990's were often ignored.  Unless built in the last 10 years, all homes need bringing up to Australian mainland standards.  Local council known for having more bureaucrats than any other & general sloppiness in government (you wouldn't believe the things I've found out in the past year !).  This town is not at all progressive.

I would recommend either Hobart (best selection of shops & activities) or north coast towns.

 

If you're into booze & food Tassie is good.

And the best and most reliable used car parts supplier (wrecker) in Australia 

[Bulya]

13 hours ago, Blue Manna said:

"Bagging"? Don't think I've heard that before. Is it a Tassie term?

Nope, used Australia wide 

[calNgary]

16 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Others got me banned. Only on here for today as spotted by chance a mention of myself (obviously in glowing terms) Not a pet subject, but a very hard reality. I would say our democracy is in danger. But not matter too many with other interests, not equating mine on this forum , so will disappear again. Not rambling I can tell you. But anyway I do not discuss the real issues on a a forum as this. I'm out. 

ummmm, you haven't been banned ???????????? 

You were placed on moderated due to the content of some of the posts YOU posted. But lets not take a posters thread off topic anymore

           Cal x

[not a hillbilly]

On 05/12/2023 at 20:32, Blue Flu said:

AS for tours in UK, have you thought about Rail? A Brit Pass is cheaper when retired and allows you the freedom to use the entire network at will. I'd suggest take a look at Norfolk , but obviously have no idea of your particular interests. I do think that UK has certain advantages over Australia in the age. The closeness of things and places, better walking ways, cheaper travel and greater possibilities to get by car free. More elderly people and generally more talkative. 

 

I do like rail, traveled extensively on a Euro rail-pass back in '81.  Would go to Norfolk as my mum's family came from there way back in time - have a famous relative's pottery-painting work in a museum there.  Have traced father's family back to 1703 in Gloucestershire so want to visit his farm which still exists.

Unfortunately no close relatives in UK now as they've moved to other countries like US, Cyprus & Czech Republic etc.

[Blue Flu]

10 hours ago, not a hillbilly said:

I do like rail, traveled extensively on a Euro rail-pass back in '81.  Would go to Norfolk as my mum's family came from there way back in time - have a famous relative's pottery-painting work in a museum there.  Have traced father's family back to 1703 in Gloucestershire so want to visit his farm which still exists.

Unfortunately no close relatives in UK now as they've moved to other countries like US, Cyprus & Czech Republic etc.

I thought I'd give you the curtesy of replying to the post you responded to mine. Yes Euro rail travel was big back in that era. I know/knew Norfolk rather well in the past. It has a large retired population . I was thinking Cromer or Sheringham could be ideal places to meet like minded places, on the coast with easy access to Norwich, one of the better English cities. 

But Cyprus, that's a place I've been looking at, only been there once, but keep in mind Northern Cyprus. It is cheaper than the main part, with loads of English retirees decamped there. You could get a cheapish flight from UK to Cyprus and book into a B & B or take a room in a house . There are a number of activities aimed at the Brits retired there and you can get an idea online as what it offers. 

Have no knowledge of Gloucestershire or Czech Republic but both easily doable. So much more to do in that part of the world. Travel can seem more difficult as we get older. For me, it is the increasingly inability not to be spontaneous. Having to prebook so much in fear of missing out or paying too much in season. 

[ramot]

1 hour ago, Blue Flu said:

I thought I'd give you the curtesy of replying to the post you responded to mine. Yes Euro rail travel was big back in that era. I know/knew Norfolk rather well in the past. It has a large retired population . I was thinking Cromer or Sheringham could be ideal places to meet like minded places, on the coast with easy access to Norwich, one of the better English cities. 

But Cyprus, that's a place I've been looking at, only been there once, but keep in mind Northern Cyprus. It is cheaper than the main part, with loads of English retirees decamped there. You could get a cheapish flight from UK to Cyprus and book into a B & B or take a room in a house . There are a number of activities aimed at the Brits retired there and you can get an idea online as what it offers. 

Have no knowledge of Gloucestershire or Czech Republic but both easily doable. So much more to do in that part of the world. Travel can seem more difficult as we get older. For me, it is the increasingly inability not to be spontaneous. Having to prebook so much in fear of missing out or paying too much in season. 

My brother has lived retired in Cyprus for over 20 years and seems happy enough. I have visited several times. and I find the countryside stony and bleak, and much as I love him the expats I have met are not for me.  Tax rate was low when he moved there, don’t know if still low. Avoid places like Ayia Napa at all costs plus be careful of other inclusive holiday spots. Fares are not cheap from UK,  winter fares eg January cheaper. 

[Marisawright]

12 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Travel can seem more difficult as we get older. For me, it is the increasingly inability to be spontaneous. Having to prebook so much in fear of missing out or paying too much in season. 

That's not just a factor of age, actually.  I remember Eurailing back in the '90s, too.   We had only a rough idea where we wanted to go.  Each morning we just rocked up and hopped on whatever train we fancied.  I recall taking the overnight train from Barcelona to Geneva, planning to take a trip on the lake, only to find it totally fogged in.  So we jumped on the next train out, which took us to Interlaken, then onto another train...we had the most amazing day, criss-crossing Switzerland, gawping at the spectacular mountain scenery.  

We never had a problem finding accommodation on that holiday, either.  We would head for the local tourist office, which was generally able to book a hotel for us, usually at a 'last-minute' rate.  We stayed in some gorgeous hotels for very little.

I tried to do it again in 2011 and it was a totally different experience.  Although the Eurail pass still covers the cost of the ticket, most routes now require you to prebook a seat (sometimes at quite a large extra cost).  So it's no longer possible to jump on a train on impulse, you have to go and queue up at the ticket office first. And a couple of times, the seats were fully booked so we couldn't travel.

As for accommodation -- you'd think internet booking would make it even easier to find last-minute hotels, but the opposite has happened.  Hotels now reserve their special offers for 'early bird' customers, and if you arrive and need a hotel for the night, you pay top dollar. Many of the tourist offices have closed down, and those that are still open, don't do bookings any more. 

We found the same limitation when we were in England in 2015.   In the pre-internet days, I used to visit my family in the UK for 6 weeks every 2 years.  I always reserved my last week for a holiday for myself, which I never booked in advance.  I would just pick up a cheap 'last minute deal' from one of the local travel agents during my stay.   The main motivation for moving to England was to be able to travel frequently to Europe, but we soon discovered that to get cheap fares and hotels required considerable advance planning.  The 'last minute' postcards in travel agents windows had disappeared.

[InnerVoice]

2 hours ago, Marisawright said:

That's not just a factor of age, actually.  I remember Eurailing back in the '90s, too.   We had only a rough idea where we wanted to go.  Each morning we just rocked up and hopped on whatever train we fancied.  I recall taking the overnight train from Barcelona to Geneva, planning to take a trip on the lake, only to find it totally fogged in.  So we jumped on the next train out, which took us to Interlaken, then onto another train...we had the most amazing day, criss-crossing Switzerland, gawping at the spectacular mountain scenery.  

We never had a problem finding accommodation on that holiday, either.  We would head for the local tourist office, which was generally able to book a hotel for us, usually at a 'last-minute' rate.  We stayed in some gorgeous hotels for very little.

I tried to do it again in 2011 and it was a totally different experience.  Although the Eurail pass still covers the cost of the ticket, most routes now require you to prebook a seat (sometimes at quite a large extra cost).  So it's no longer possible to jump on a train on impulse, you have to go and queue up at the ticket office first. And a couple of times, the seats were fully booked so we couldn't travel.

As for accommodation -- you'd think internet booking would make it even easier to find last-minute hotels, but the opposite has happened.  Hotels now reserve their special offers for 'early bird' customers, and if you arrive and need a hotel for the night, you pay top dollar. Many of the tourist offices have closed down, and those that are still open, don't do bookings any more. 

We found the same limitation when we were in England in 2015.   In the pre-internet days, I used to visit my family in the UK for 6 weeks every 2 years.  I always reserved my last week for a holiday for myself, which I never booked in advance.  I would just pick up a cheap 'last minute deal' from one of the local travel agents during my stay.   The main motivation for moving to England was to be able to travel frequently to Europe, but we soon discovered that to get cheap fares and hotels required considerable advance planning.  The 'last minute' postcards in travel agents windows had disappeared.

Do you remember when you could get dirt-cheap last-minute flights at the airport, if you didn't mind where you went? I remember on one occasion back in the 90s heading off to Gatwick in the middle of January, thinking I might get a week in the Canaries. Ended up getting a return flight to Antigua for less than two hundred quid. The flight went via the Dominican Republic on the way back and was delayed for some reason, so I ended up having to go straight to work from the airport in my shorts and T-shirt. Happy days!

[Blue Manna]

2 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Do you remember when you could get dirt-cheap last-minute flights at the airport, if you didn't mind where you went? I remember on one occasion back in the 90s heading off to Gatwick in the middle of January, thinking I might get a week in the Canaries. Ended up getting a return flight to Antigua for less than two hundred quid. The flight went via the Dominican Republic on the way back and was delayed for some reason, so I ended up having to go straight to work from the airport in my shorts and T-shirt. Happy days!

We need a recession.

[not a hillbilly]

Hotels ????  Back in the day, apart from YHA, I slept in railway culverts (Germany) & on park benches in the snow (nth Norway).

I probably couldn't survive that nowadays

Did get one room at a regional hotel as it was also a YHA - 1st class accommodation at YHA price !  Didn't use the sauna tho

[not a hillbilly]

2 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Do you remember when you could get dirt-cheap last-minute flights at the airport, if you didn't mind where you went? I remember on one occasion back in the 90s heading off to Gatwick in the middle of January, thinking I might get a week in the Canaries. Ended up getting a return flight to Antigua for less than two hundred quid. The flight went via the Dominican Republic on the way back and was delayed for some reason, so I ended up having to go straight to work from the airport in my shorts and T-shirt. Happy days!

Don't you just hate those mystery tours ?  Just the other week there was that cruise from Sydney to NZ -- refused entry as the ship's hull wasn't cleaned -- redirected to Hobart ! 

[BendigoBoy]

8 minutes ago, Blue Manna said:

We need a recession.

Well, we certainly need interest rates to be closer to a healthy 5.5-6.5%, I'll concur.  Sick to death of interest on my savings being below inflation for nearly 20 years.

[InnerVoice]

9 minutes ago, BendigoBoy said:

Well, we certainly need interest rates to be closer to a healthy 5.5-6.5%, I'll concur.  Sick to death of interest on my savings being below inflation for nearly 20 years.

Clearly you don't have a mortgage!

[BendigoBoy]

Just now, InnerVoice said:

Clearly you don't have a mortgage!

Indeed.  Never have, never will.

[Blue Flu]

9 hours ago, Marisawright said:

That's not just a factor of age, actually.  I remember Eurailing back in the '90s, too.   We had only a rough idea where we wanted to go.  Each morning we just rocked up and hopped on whatever train we fancied.  I recall taking the overnight train from Barcelona to Geneva, planning to take a trip on the lake, only to find it totally fogged in.  So we jumped on the next train out, which took us to Interlaken, then onto another train...we had the most amazing day, criss-crossing Switzerland, gawping at the spectacular mountain scenery.  

We never had a problem finding accommodation on that holiday, either.  We would head for the local tourist office, which was generally able to book a hotel for us, usually at a 'last-minute' rate.  We stayed in some gorgeous hotels for very little.

I tried to do it again in 2011 and it was a totally different experience.  Although the Eurail pass still covers the cost of the ticket, most routes now require you to prebook a seat (sometimes at quite a large extra cost).  So it's no longer possible to jump on a train on impulse, you have to go and queue up at the ticket office first. And a couple of times, the seats were fully booked so we couldn't travel.

As for accommodation -- you'd think internet booking would make it even easier to find last-minute hotels, but the opposite has happened.  Hotels now reserve their special offers for 'early bird' customers, and if you arrive and need a hotel for the night, you pay top dollar. Many of the tourist offices have closed down, and those that are still open, don't do bookings any more. 

We found the same limitation when we were in England in 2015.   In the pre-internet days, I used to visit my family in the UK for 6 weeks every 2 years.  I always reserved my last week for a holiday for myself, which I never booked in advance.  I would just pick up a cheap 'last minute deal' from one of the local travel agents during my stay.   The main motivation for moving to England was to be able to travel frequently to Europe, but we soon discovered that to get cheap fares and hotels required considerable advance planning.  The 'last minute' postcards in travel agents windows had disappeared.

The internet has distorted travel and complicated the experience in many ways. People can read commentary now and have opinions influenced before setting foot in a place. Less need to communicate with others. Be that travellers or indeed locals .

Increasingly people I know in Europe, possess a van. All find that as a cheaper option to paying for a hotel or bed and breakfast. Most all those people are hardly on low incomes, but find travel costs simply too inhibitive.  

 

[Blue Flu]

3 hours ago, BendigoBoy said:

Indeed.  Never have, never will.

Somehow I believe that. 

[Blue Flu]

4 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Clearly you don't have a mortgage!

They're so last century.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Blue Flu

[Blue Flu]

4 hours ago, not a hillbilly said:

Hotels ????  Back in the day, apart from YHA, I slept in railway culverts (Germany) & on park benches in the snow (nth Norway).

I probably couldn't survive that nowadays

Did get one room at a regional hotel as it was also a YHA - 1st class accommodation at YHA price !  Didn't use the sauna tho

Germany had top quality YHA back in the day. Only thing was you had to be out all day . German camp grounds found excellent. Another even better place is Norway where can free camp. Are YHA's popular still today? No idea. German railway stations were popular places to spend the night, if not bothered getting bothered by heroin addicts and the like. Whole sections of 'lost' German youth of the time tendered to end up in railway stations. Hitch hiking was massive at the time as well. Something else that has gone the way of the dodo. 

[InnerVoice]

5 hours ago, not a hillbilly said:

Hotels ????  Back in the day, apart from YHA, I slept in railway culverts (Germany) & on park benches in the snow (nth Norway).

I probably couldn't survive that nowadays

Did get one room at a regional hotel as it was also a YHA - 1st class accommodation at YHA price !  Didn't use the sauna tho

Are you sure it wasn't the YMCA you were stopping in? 

[Blue Manna]

10 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Are you sure it wasn't the YMCA you were stopping in? 

Go on. Do the dance. You know you want to.

[not a hillbilly]

On 08/12/2023 at 13:38, BendigoBoy said:

Well, we certainly need interest rates to be closer to a healthy 5.5-6.5%, I'll concur.  Sick to death of interest on my savings being below inflation for nearly 20 years.

True, but don't expect it to happen.  Paid cash for my last & current house, screw the banks !  Putting my money in house upgrades as rising prices are ensuring better returns.

The trick is to live simply within your needs & income - something most people nowadays don't do.  Far too many Techno-wankers wasting money on the latest gadget which is no better than the last one at doing things like making phone calls.  My flip-phone is 25 yrs old & still does what I need.

[BendigoBoy]

2 hours ago, not a hillbilly said:

True, but don't expect it to happen.  Paid cash for my last & current house, screw the banks !  Putting my money in house upgrades as rising prices are ensuring better returns.

The trick is to live simply within your needs & income - something most people nowadays don't do.  Far too many Techno-wankers wasting money on the latest gadget which is no better than the last one at doing things like making phone calls.  My flip-phone is 25 yrs old & still does what I need.

We're of a similar mind, my friend. I have a cheap little Android phone, my development machine is seven years old (and still a powerhouse), and I write software for a living. People walk around with veritable super computers from 20 years ago in their pockets and use them for looking at cat videos and porn.

 

We are marching into an era where people will be living in tents on the ruins of great buildings because me, me, me, now, now, now has done sod all except make rigour, hard work and saving look like a dirty, wasteful way of being.

[InnerVoice]

On 08/12/2023 at 12:38, BendigoBoy said:

Well, we certainly need interest rates to be closer to a healthy 5.5-6.5%, I'll concur.  Sick to death of interest on my savings being below inflation for nearly 20 years.

It just occurred to me that if you've had your money in savings over the last two years then you done a helluva lot better than anyone contributing into their pensions. You may not have kept up with inflation, but you're still ahead of just about everyone else!

[BendigoBoy]

2 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

It just occurred to me that if you've had your money in savings over the last two years then you done a helluva lot better than anyone contributing into their pensions. You may not have kept up with inflation, but you're still ahead of just about everyone else!

Not trying to be ahead of anyone mate.

Just trying to be autonomous and a Good Australian.