Thetownend.com

Ok Ladles and Jellyspoons, I have a dilemma.

I have to attend a conference in Rome in May with some work colleagues. One has a fear of flying, think Mr T. and multiply.

The company have said they will send him by train with another colleague, well that was until they worked out a route and cost with an overnight in Milan of £600 each. They have said he'll have to go on his own.

Now I reckon two could go via road. I estimated it was about 1200 miles and would cost about £450 round trip for diesel plus an overnight stay somewhere which ought to be cheaper than his train and hotel and one persons flight added together.

Has anyone done this trip or know someone who has or could help work out a cheaper deal via train? I need to get him this info before Monday am as he has to tell HR what he intends to do. He does not have to attend but he's a mate and part of the team, it would be a dampener on the trip if he stayed home.

According to Google maps it would take about 20 hours, unless you know different.

Over to you guys and gals.

Regards

Fatbasher

Give him a glass of milk, but secretly spike it with Rohypnol. Then take him on the plane. Everyones a winner.

Whose car would you use, hire or your own private. You'd need to check your insurance covers you for work travel, you'd want breakdown insurance and sod putting 1200 miles on your own car. Plus, driving 1200 miles would be absolutely knackering in 2 days. Leave him at home 

I've done this trip, twice.

First tip, use a sat nav. Second, plan the route before hand, have an idea of the major cities on the route. Two things I failed to do.

It can be done in about 15/16 hours. Boring as fuck mind you.

Rome is an amazing city, tell him to man up and get on a plane.

Ask de.vita

Thanks for that. Can you expand on this info please? We'll share the driving and we both have company cars, naturally we'll take juts the one! We have sat nav in either car.

Dis you get lost in some of the cities and hence the sat nav to avoid them?

Regards

Fatbasher

This how bad he is. He is worried about high bridges and steep mountain roads like in the original Italian job so route planning would have to be done as you suggest.

Add in the cost of tolls too...

Oh and I'd skirt around the west and south of the alps if I were you. Keep to the motorway's if possible, they're pretty good over here and suprisingly clear of traffic unless you hit a beg city around rush hour. None of these cunts can fucking drive though.

I did get lost but that was due to not paying attention and me being a tight fisted twat that thought I would be fine without a sat nav. I hot a bit confused on the Milan ring road and also I got diverted in to the city of Rome, which took me 2 hours to get out of (I was heading just past Rome)

If you stay on the main motorways you will be fine. I'm not sure if you will be fined or not if you get flashed by a camera. I've yet to recieve a fine from anywhere in Europe.

Make sure you have a European safety pack with you as its law on the continent, triangle, high vis jacket etc. you can pick them up cheap enough on the ferry or tunnel.

Beware of the laws in Switzerland if you drive through there, they are apparently complete cocks and hit you with heavy fines just for not being Swiss. I have always driven through France and missed Switzerland on the advice of others.

Regarding high bridges and so on. I only remember them coming through the Alps. Other than that it's all quite flat.

Have a safe journey

Make sure your sat nav covers europe, otherwise it's a waste of time

Not wishing to be sarky Only Me but you are master of the blindingly obvious, but thank you anyway.

Sorry, it wasn't meant to come across as taking the piss.  Sometimes these basic things are just assumed, as not all sat navs cover europe.  Glad you are ok though  :thumb:

No worries.

I drove to the Isle of Skye (500 miles) and that was horrendous.

Fuck driving to Rome. I wish you luck.

 I once shared the driving to the north of Italy....but did it in a week, using mainly back roads...

If you have a third day to play with, I would use it.  Driving that distance over two days is do-able, but I doubt you would enjoy it much.  I drive 450 miles in a day a few times a year up to Scotland and it's OK, but I would not really want to drive any further than unless I really had to.  Reg's method sounds the best!

For years, I always used to try and find interesting routes to places, OK sometimes you just have to use the motorways, but it just makes the driving that much more interesting.

Alas time is not on our side. Need to be in Rome for Tuesday Lunchtime.

I plan to take a trip to europe with my daughter.....'let's do as many countries as we can' tour.

I am planning:

France....down to switzerland...northern Italy, Austria, , Germany, Luxembourg, holland Belgium.....blighty.

5 days.....any tips?

Drive on the right...

Do the Stelvio Pass in the Italian Alps...

I had a car like that once Reg.

cheers.

I would just take Ironside's advise - he's probably got a map of Europe on his wall.

Tell your work colleague to man up. Fear of flying? Surely he should be more scared of crashing, of which I would have thought would have been much more likely in a car than in a plane.

Particularly in France and Italy!

Mind you, if I were Arsenal manager I'd have put a tranquilliser dart into Dennis Bergkamp before every away game in Europe.

Speaking from experience assuming that he doesn't have to drive at either end I find that 2-3 valium a couple of pints prior to boarding, then topping up with wine mid flight just about does the trick!

This one...

[url width=640 height=420]http://www.ushmm.org/lcmedia/map/lc/image/eur86810.gif[/url]

 :D . I have the picture in my head of the opening titles to Dad's Army.

I live in France you silly old cunt.

Live or occupy. Depends on your point of view.

So Ironside's taken France, Eric stylee?

OK chaps. Stand down, he's decided that it's to much to expect everyone to run round him for this trip. Pity, I'd rather he goes than others but it's his "disability" and he accepts that those are the breaks.

Just a footnote about "manning up". Firstly I hope it was a joke. Secondly I would not say that to him. Thirdly when you break a leg, you can see physically that there is damage and that an operation and or cast will need to be done to fix it. When someone has a mental broken leg you can't see it can you? So how the fuck do you fix it? Just a thought. Having seen the effects of a mental disorder affecting what you and I would call A normal person like you and me one minute and then a gibbering wreck another for no apparent reason you do realise how fortunate you are. Admittedly his situation is as a result of a few really bad flights in the past and in a way it's not debilitating, annoying for yes, but not debilitating.

Until you have walked in someones shoes for a mile or two don't judge the comfiness of those shoes.

Thanks though to all those who offered advice, much appreciated.

Thats a fair point and it can't be underestimated. I had a similar issue and did something about it. There are courses of action to take so it doesn't restrict your ability to live life - I guess it depends how determined you are to overcome these challenges.

Who do you think you are kidding????