No longer going-- So I will be going to Switzerland. Help me figure out my itinerary?

[bisous]

It didn't work out. That's okay. Thank you for dreaming with me. Almost as fun as going!

************************************************** ***

Or maybe not! My DH was communicating with my MIL. Together they both have ADHD and I think there was a series of miscommunications! Apparently they'll gift us one set of tickets, up to 100,000. Still incredibly generous and we're trying to make it work but it is really hard to just have one ticket. I found a fare for 60000 miles and proposed that we could get two tickets and pay the difference in miles between the 120000 and the the 100000. (Don't know how that works!) I hope we can go, but if we can't afford it, we just won't.

So cross fingers and say prayers and positive thoughts?

************************************************** *******


To my utter shock, my MIL will be gifting us with miles that will allow us to travel to Switzerland which will allow me to attend a wedding reception for my sister. She also said she'd watch my kids! I'm extremely grateful and so excited.

I don't know how to plan for this trip! I don't know how many days to be gone to make it worth it. I don't know what else we'll do! It will be on a Saturday in July. We don't know for sure how many days DH can get off. He has plenty of vacation time but will be taking off time for our family vacation to Mammoth and a to be a leader at Scout Camp.

Another factor is cost. We will definitely look into Air BnB but we need to figure out how long we'll be gone and where we are going.

It will be held in Lugano. The closest airports are apparently Milan and Zurich. I'm a little partial to Milan. One possibility for our itinerary is to drive from Milan to Southern France where I served as a missionary twenty years ago. Another possibility is that we do Zurich and see a country I've never been to before.

Any ideas of where to even start to plan this thing? Thank you so much.

[mommy111]

Since you've been to France and haven't to Switzerland, I would vote for going to a new country :) Switzerland is absolutely beautiful and so worth the travel. Rail across Europe is convenient and relatively inexpensive but so are flights now. Maybe check TripAdvisor and top 10 places to visit in or close to Zurich? Or maybe look at the itinerary of some guides tours to see what the must dos are. I travel to Switzerland in the winter, usually, for work and spending evenings at the outdoor markets (in my case the Christmas markets) is one of my favorite pastimes. And from my childhood, street performances in Geneva have to be one of my most lasting and fun memories, we would pay a piddling as kids to go into one of the street circuses in the summer and stay there for hours enjoying ourselves while the show just repeated over and over :) I don't know if they do that any more there

[elbert]

We were in the Bernese Oberland region, based on Wengen, a few years ago and absolutely fell in love with the area. You may want to look into that region. It felt very "Swiss".


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[mmsmom]

That is awesome! I would try to go for a week if you can.

Look into flights today and book them first. Using miles in July will be very difficult and availability will dictate where you fly into. You will likely not have any choices.

[Kindra178]

Lugano is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Best Italian food. You will feel like you are in Italy. I'm so excited for you!

Can you fly to Zurich and spend three or four days there? A day trip to Lucerne would be cool if you can fit it in. Then take the train to Lugano from Zurich. From Lugano, goto Italy and fly out from there.


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[Philly Mom]

Lugano is one of the most beautiful places in the world. Best Italian food. You will feel like you are in Italy. I'm so excited for you!

Can you fly to Zurich and spend three or four days there? A day trip to Lucerne would be cool if you can fit it in. Then take the train to Lugano from Zurich. From Lugano, goto Italy and fly out from there.


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This is a very good idea to fly into Zurich and out of Milan. This sounds like an amazing trip. I would leave Friday night and plan to return on Sunday to maximize days away.


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[bisous]

Thanks guys for the ideas!

My event in Lugano is on a Saturday. If I do Friday night to Sunday I think I might be cutting it close on either end? (Since Lugano is not near an airport). I like the idea of flying in one way and out another. Maybe we fly mid week (uses less miles) and do the Zurich/Milan split thing that Kindra is talking about? That would give us maybe two days of travel, two days in each city and one to two days in Lugano? That's hard for taking off work though and don't know how that will affect lodging options?

[ged]

Amazing! So happy for you. The Ticino area is Italian influenced. Id fly into Zurich to see a bit of other regions in Switzerland if possible (frencn and german regions are there as well), but otoh, definitely look into travel time between cities. Not necessarily a straight shot to many of the places, esp along the mountains and lakes. Maximize your time there, no question.

[Kindra178]

Thanks guys for the ideas!

My event in Lugano is on a Saturday. If I do Friday night to Sunday I think I might be cutting it close on either end? (Since Lugano is not near an airport). I like the idea of flying in one way and out another. Maybe we fly mid week (uses less miles) and do the Zurich/Milan split thing that Kindra is talking about? That would give us maybe two days of travel, two days in each city and one to two days in Lugano? That's hard for taking off work though and don't know how that will affect lodging options?

Can you do Monday to Monday? You will fly out Monday night, arrive in Zurich Tuesday, goto Lugano on Friday and Sunday go to Milan. If you have been to France already, why not pick just two areas of Switzerland to focus on - Zurich is German and Lugano (Ticino) is for all intents and purposes Italy. The contrast between the two areas is amazing. Order a pizza in Lugano and the waiter will join you at your table. Zurich is very prim and proper. The streets are so clean you can practically eat off them. FYI - there is great Italian food in Zurich too. It's so fun to eat dinner late at night in crowded restaurants!

[DualvansMommy]

I'd look into airfare using the miles gifted to you first. That'll most likely determine the availability, airport to fly in/out and lastly probably help you decide how many days you can be away for.


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[Philly Mom]

Also keep in mind, that when you use miles to fly internationally, you still have to pay the taxes. Taxes vary by airline and city. For example, with American miles you can fly on american or BA to London. The taxes are much higher on a BA flight.


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[bisous]

Also keep in mind, that when you use miles to fly internationally, you still have to pay the taxes. Taxes vary by airline and city. For example, with American miles you can fly on american or BA to London. The taxes are much higher on a BA flight.


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Yes, we'd be responsible for paying the taxes so we'll keep that in mind!

[vonfirmath]

I'd look into airfare using the miles gifted to you first. That'll most likely determine the availability, airport to fly in/out and lastly probably help you decide how many days you can be away for.


Agreed. We booked our tickets to fly inside the US back at the end of January for first week August and were already running into flights filling up.

[HannaAddict]

Check the flights asap as others said. I will be pleasantly surprised if you have any options unless you use the max miles possible and even then it may be hard. Good luck though! Once you have secured tickets in your hand, check out the Rick Steve's books on Switzerland as he's great in general but especially good since you are on a tight budget.


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[bisous]

I'm seeing plenty of tickets for the various options we've tried. We're trying to nail down dates. My FIL has 500,000 miles! (We won't need all of them obviously!)

[Percycat]

I am so happy for you. I hope you and your husband have a wonderful trip!

[squimp]

Dang that is a lot of miles! I love Italy and would try to swing a trip there, Florence, Venice and Rome stood out to me.

[niccig]

Yay MIL!!!! I agree to book ASAP. Expect taxes/fees to be about $300/person. That's what I pay when use miles to go to Australia.


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[specialp]

I am THRILLED for you! Do the most you can and have a blast! I was so torn on your last post because I couldn't see how it was possible with the the miles and budget you had, yet DH and I took an "opportunity" on a budget our 1st year of marriage with everyone telling us not to go because it was right after 9/11 so nerves and fear were high. We take a few combination work/trip vacations + regular vacation a year and every single time, DH & I end up talking about that crazy, budget trip we strung together in a short time frame and had the time of our lives. I have nothing beneficial to add but just so very happy for you!

[bisous]

Just had to update the OP! Though everyone was trying so hard to be kind, we had a miscommunication and may not be able to go after all. I have a last ditch plan to see if it will work but if it does not then we'll stay home this trip. Not the end of the world of course but it would be awesome if we could work it out. Crossing fingers, prayers and positive thoughts welcome!

[mommy111]

Just had to update the OP! Though everyone was trying so hard to be kind, we had a miscommunication and may not be able to go after all. I have a last ditch plan to see if it will work but if it does not then we'll stay home this trip. Not the end of the world of course but it would be awesome if we could work it out. Crossing fingers, prayers and positive thoughts welcome!
Positive thoughts headed your way! Such a bummer MIl backed out.

[bisous]

Positive thoughts headed your way! Such a bummer MIl backed out.

She didn't really though. She and DH just misunderstood each other.

Yeah, we aren't going. I'm okay though because I'm going to plan way ahead and when we go we'll really be ready!

Thanks for following along!

[Liziz]

Ugh, I'm bummed for you, but just look at this as early prep for the trip you'll take in another year or couple years!