F1 News & Discussions > F1 Experiences
Montreal next
Robem64:
Having been to the Spanish GP I'm hoping the Canadian GP proves more exciting for spectators at the circuit.
Looking back at previous posts I realise Scott asked me if last year was a special year or whether I'd retired and I omitted to answer. Well, I haven't retired but the biggest change was that my wife finally got into the F1 towards the end of 2016. All our kids are grown up so we don't have the ties apart from jobs to go to. We both love travel and F1 so this combines both.
On a practical point neither of us smoke and we also packed in drinking alcohol around three years ago - no other reason than the realisation it was not something we actually enjoyed anymore. So making a very conservative calc we may have got through 3 bottles of wine per week......which may have cost £20 which equals £80/month = £960 per year = a long way towards paying for a GP trip :)
So the top tips for getting to these races
* reserve accommodation as soon as next years provisional dates appear. Many sites and hotels allow reservations with no deposit and free cancellation. Get it sorted, without a bed then you're not going!
* once the race tickets are available then book them. Many of the races have early bird discounts which can save as much as 30% for some races. This means you can either get tickets cheaper than you expected or flip it round and get better tickets for same amount you'd budgeted
* once you've committed to your race tickets then start tracking flight prices. Don't be totally restrictive on which day you fly out but of course match any flight saving against an extra nights accommodation. I've also found there can be a pattern on some days of the week showing cheaper flights than others and I don't mean the day you fly - I mean the day of the week you make your booking. I set up a spreadsheet and that can show me the trends. Also check out alternative airports too....for example it's cheaper to fly into Houston than Austin from the UK but the distance is easily manageable. The golden rule is not to leave it too long....keep an eye on the trend but of course the closer it gets to race time then the prices start creeping up and they're very unlikely to come down from that points.
All these aspects have allowed me to travel and enjoy F1 in quite a few places and will continue to do so although I do only have one further current planned trip after Montreal (Singapore in September) as we've got some home improvement projects to fund later this year.
For now.....bring on Montreal and a good race. :good:
Scott:
Although I'm not sure I'll ever have my wife on board as a fan, we are about 4-5 years out from your position of having the kids out of the house (and wallet...hopefully). Perhaps then I can start planning more than my current once every couple of years GP holiday. I'm ok with going to races alone, or even better, meeting up with a fellow GPW-er sometime during the weekend. I think my wife has some ideas on solo holidays of her own. Perhaps life will work out ;) ;)
Andy B:
I used to be OK with going to races on my own but I'm missing having someone to share it with even though my wife said she would go to race day it doesn't work as I cannot get her a ticket just for race day alongside my three day ticket. I was going to Japan this year and had even booked the hotel but changed my mind, my eldest son is keen but his wife is not.
So I have to time and the funds but the inclination is waining.
Alianora La Canta:
I'd like to add some other tips:
4. Sometimes a direct flight is not the cheapest option (especially if going from Europe to a European race). Try a site like rome2rio.com to compare various combinations of travel options. For example, the cheapest way for me to do Hungary is:
- Fly to Prague
- Catch a night train from Prague to Budapest (which handily fixes the issue of comparing with accommodation!)
- Get 3 coaches back home, including a half-day stopover in Paris and a night coach
As a general rule, the less comfort you expect in accommodation, the cheaper and more flexible non-flight travel becomes.
5. Seriously consider whether you actually need checked luggage. That can get you a) stuck with planes/taxis and b) paying over the odds for the luggage (either in luggage fees or by being stuck with "mainline" carriers).
6. Check what time you can get off work before doing this. Granted, not an issue for retirees but definitely an issue for people who work in places where only a certain number of people can be off on one day. (For example, I can't have a full fortnight off for the Hungary gig - limiting my travel options going out - because of job requirements).
7. As far as "cheapest day of the week to book" is concerned... ...Tuesday is usually cheapest for leisure, prices gradually rising through the week. The weekend is the most expensive. (Monday is not cheaper than Tuesday because of business bookings.
8. If you are going to use a bus (as I do for lower-level races on a routine basis) please please please get the timetable before travelling. You need to know if you'll have to walk 5 miles instead of 2 to catch a bus, and also which side of the village has the best place to catch the bus from.
Robem64:
--- Quote from: Alianora La Canta on May 23, 2018, 08:17:21 AM ---I'd like to add some other tips:
4. Sometimes a direct flight is not the cheapest option (especially if going from Europe to a European race). Try a site like rome2rio.com to compare various combinations of travel options. For example, the cheapest way for me to do Hungary is:
- Fly to Prague
- Catch a night train from Prague to Budapest (which handily fixes the issue of comparing with accommodation!)
- Get 3 coaches back home, including a half-day stopover in Paris and a night coach
As a general rule, the less comfort you expect in accommodation, the cheaper and more flexible non-flight travel becomes.
5. Seriously consider whether you actually need checked luggage. That can get you a) stuck with planes/taxis and b) paying over the odds for the luggage (either in luggage fees or by being stuck with "mainline" carriers).
6. Check what time you can get off work before doing this. Granted, not an issue for retirees but definitely an issue for people who work in places where only a certain number of people can be off on one day. (For example, I can't have a full fortnight off for the Hungary gig - limiting my travel options going out - because of job requirements).
7. As far as "cheapest day of the week to book" is concerned... ...Tuesday is usually cheapest for leisure, prices gradually rising through the week. The weekend is the most expensive. (Monday is not cheaper than Tuesday because of business bookings.
8. If you are going to use a bus (as I do for lower-level races on a routine basis) please please please get the timetable before travelling. You need to know if you'll have to walk 5 miles instead of 2 to catch a bus, and also which side of the village has the best place to catch the bus from.
--- End quote ---
All excellent tips Alli :good:
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