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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 9:07 am Post subject: Best inexpensive ESL-er vacation spots |
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Wow, nine days without any posts. I hope this is because everyone is outside enjoying the warmer weather.
Since spring is here and many of us teachers have vacations coming up (Easter, Majowka), what are your favorite places to travel for a reasonably priced holiday weekend?
Criteria:
-The trip must realistically cost a maximum of 800 zloty for a weekend (all inclusive).
- Going to some backwater village to visit your in-laws doesn't count, even if your wife has brainwashed you into thinking your love every minute there and they have the best home-made ice cream in the world. |
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sharter
Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 5:57 am Post subject: erm |
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MOD EDIT
Or go to the mountains and stay in a pokoj goscinne and go hiking/skiing ...depending on how the weather is. |
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hrvatski
Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Posts: 270
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Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2012 8:23 pm Post subject: |
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Belarus and back |
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lundjstuart
Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 211 Location: Warsaw, Poland
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 5:37 am Post subject: |
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The visa to Belarus alone is around $100. On the other hand, everything else there is super cheap. |
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sharter
Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 8:12 am Post subject: or |
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MOD EDIT: Post references or links to porn or porn sites on the forums and you'll be banned. This will be your only warning. |
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hrvatski
Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Posts: 270
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:41 am Post subject: |
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I see the Belarus idea is derailing.
So I would like to suggest hot springs around the border of Slovakia/Poland, or trying to find a cheap return ferry ticket to Ystad or Malmo in Sweden. You will of course want to take ample supplies of kielbasa with you to avoid purchasing anything in Sweden. You could also drive to Germany, to remind yourself of what roads are supposed to be like. |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA
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Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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L'viv, Ukraine is an interesting city with lots of good pubs. Cheap too and you don't need a visa. It's about an 8 hour bus ride from Warsaw.
The only catch is that the wait at the boarder. They sometimes keep you there for up to three hours just to show they can. |
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sharter
Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place
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Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 5:24 am Post subject: erm |
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Forget Berlin for a weekend...I was there 4 weeks ago. A cheap but nice hotel ie Motel 1 is 60-80 Euros a night. Train from Poznan to Berlin about 150Zl each way. That's 650Zl if you stay 1 night. May as well stay at home mate. |
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Jack Walker
Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 412
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 1:45 am Post subject: |
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I think the fact that the Polish forums have become dead is a sad refelection on the typical ESL instructor's life in the country.
Not much changes in Poland day to day, and the lack of dynamics and excitement amongst general society is commonplace.
I mean I loved it there, but the fact that I didn't seem to be advancing socially or professionally factored in my decision to leave.It's a good place to spin your wheels while life goes on.
I think you'd need a 1000zl bill minimum to weekend happily somewhere in the country. If you live in the south you've got the tatras and in the north the baltic sea in season. You wouldn't want to spend all day traveling somewhere for a weekend jaunt, so location and proximity are vital to any travel plans. |
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sharter
Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 4:25 am Post subject: erm |
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You could do the death camp-salt mine trip ie Oswiecem, Wieliczka and stay in a hostel.
I'm with Jack on this one although I think life gets pretty routine wherever you are. I just got sick of the partying and fakeness of it all. It was/is ironic that after years of living there the only people I stay in touch with regularly are my expat mates and the odd beauty . Poles bring can you down with their dour outlook on life. As for the women? I don't think I've met a less generous lot over the 17 years I've been going there. |
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Jack Walker
Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 412
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:43 pm Post subject: Re: erm |
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sharter wrote: |
You could do the death camp-salt mine trip ie Oswiecem, Wieliczka and stay in a hostel.
I'm with Jack on this one although I think life gets pretty routine wherever you are. I just got sick of the partying and fakeness of it all. It was/is ironic that after years of living there the only people I stay in touch with regularly are my expat mates and the odd beauty . Poles bring can you down with their dour outlook on life. As for the women? I don't think I've met a less generous lot over the 17 years I've been going there. |
Yes Sharter,the salt mines are amazing.I think it's 40-50zl for admission if I remember correctly? Book in advance though as it gets pretty busy during holidays.
Bieszczady is a cool area, but it's so isolated and hard to get to. I remember driving there back during winter break of 2005 for some skiing and downtime,but it took all day to get there with the terrible country roads and traffic.
The Karpacz table mountains are fun for hiking and relaxing but generally crowded so choose wisely and book things in advance.
Speaking of Poles,I've never met a group of people that find it so hard to keep in touch. The mentality is outta sight,outta mind. Some great people that I'd known for 7 plus years never or rarely email or skype. They all seem too busy trying to make ends meet to be sociable to their old foreign friends. |
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sharter
Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 2:13 pm Post subject: er |
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Or maybe you were just good for practising English and buying them beers. |
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Jack Walker
Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 412
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:11 pm Post subject: Re: er |
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sharter wrote: |
Or maybe you were just good for practising English and buying them beers. |
Ha! Maybe....but I usually only bought drinks for myself! |
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sharter
Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place
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Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:19 am Post subject: ha |
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You must have gone native then. |
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dynow
Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 1080
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Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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where's blasphemer when you need him.
he'd tell you about a 3 week trip with food, lodging, transportation costs, beers every night and ice cream for the kids, all for 567.93 zlotych. |
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