From acabb95591738ba47bb64c493025e5c968ac2ddd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Brendan Golden Date: Thu, 29 May 2025 20:31:02 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] trip: report on the trip with the good/bad and what can eb improved --- Events/2024-2025/Euro_Trip/Report.md | 130 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 130 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Events/2024-2025/Euro_Trip/Report.md diff --git a/Events/2024-2025/Euro_Trip/Report.md b/Events/2024-2025/Euro_Trip/Report.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e9e58cf --- /dev/null +++ b/Events/2024-2025/Euro_Trip/Report.md @@ -0,0 +1,130 @@ +# Report +This report is to encompass all which went well as well as what could be better. + +## What went well +### Accommodation +Kiez Hostel was just fantastic. + +I had asked if we could leave our bags on teh first day when we arrived in Berlin (we were arriving in at 11:00-12:00 and checkin was 17:00-19:00). +Instead they allowed us to check in when we arrived! +They didnt have to do this but they did. + +We did have access to a kitchen and fridge. + +Toilets/Showers were also really good. +Hot water was plentiful and we had 4 bathrooms we could use. (1x female, 1x male, 3x gender neutral). + +They had lockers in teh room we could use. + +Location was also really good, near the train station (and tram/bus) but on a quiet street. + +They also allowed us to leave our luggage there on teh last day after checkout as well as being able to use the common area to regroup before we headed to teh airport. + +#### Recommendation +Go there again, no arguments against it. + +One issue was that in our shared room one person set an alarm for 05:30, 05:45, 06:00 which rang for two mornings, and didnt get up then. +We had to tell him to knock it off on teh second morning. + +### Public Transport +The public transport in Berlin was amazing. +Getting teh 7 day pass for €52 was fantastic. +It allowed us to ride _**all**_ the public transport jsut by getting onto teh vehicle. +There was no need to tap on or off, just by _having_ the ticket gave us the right to do so. + +#### Recommendation/Reminder +To make the ticket valid it must be stamped to be validated. +While we were never checked ourselves going between zones B and C is where the most checks happen. +The fine is €60 if its not validated and may include calling the police. + +### Paper copies of all documents +All copies of the tickets were printed off (aside from teh return flight tickets) before we went to Berlin. +This helped us immensely since we werent relying on digital devices who's battery could fail. + +#### Recommendation +Print off all the tickets ye can before travelling and put them in a folder. +Use the files on nextcloud as a backup, you can sync files to have a local copy if needed + +### Museum Pass +It got us into the three museums we wanted to (Technik/Spectrum/Communication) at an overall reduced cost and provided the ability go go into 27 other ones for free. + +#### Recommendation +Since the pass is only valid for 3 days offer to folks to renew it for another 3 days later in teh trip when there is free time. + +### Food/Drink +Food in Berlin was pretty good and cheaper than the same option in Ireland. +We were in a quarter with a lot of nationalities, leading to a diverse range of food options. +One quirk of this was that the region we were in was full of vegan options. + +The kebabs were all fantastic, like amazingly good. + +Alcohol was cheap (<€3 per bottle) and freely available, to teh point where shops would have a bottle opener on the drinks cooler. +Drinking in public is also legal so it was common enough to get a drink and go for a wander around the city. +Remember to leave teh bottles under a bin to allow folks to collect the return value. + +Cans of monster were merely €0.77 + +#### Recommendation +* Try everything ye can. +* Inform folks before going that they may not be able to find "Irish" foods +* Bring cash. + +## What didnt go well +### Late planning +Although some of the initial planning was done last summer the bulk of the planning was left until Christmas 2024. +The final sign off of approval was late March early April, which gave us little time to get folks to sign up to the trip. + +#### Recommendation +Do most of the planning in summer in order to get approval early and start advertising it in Semester 1. + +### Visas +Germany was (in practice) not issuing Schengen visas via the Irish embassy. +They had 0 appointments available for folks to book, meaning no-one who didnt have an EU passport (or an equally permissive one) were able to get the required visa. + +#### Recommendation +If it is advertised in Semester 1 then international folks may be able to obtain teh visa in time, if its Semester 2 it may be too late. +May be different for various countries. + +### Numbers +We had 9 of the planned 20 people join us for the trip. +Some of this can be explained due to Visa issues (outlined above) as well as the late planning. +Some folks who had initially expressed interest subsequently made alternative plans. + +#### Recommendation +Honestly 9 folks was pretty decent taking into account the previous two issues (Visa/ lack of time). +If advertised earlier I would easily expect it to get up to 15 folks without issues. + +### Overbooking the Flight +Due to the fear of not getting teh flights at a reasonable price if we left it until later and that they may be sold out we pre-booked 20 seats. + +#### Recommendation +Still a good idea to pre-book, thought might be better after deposits are taken for a better grasp of numbers + +## What to do better +### Flights +Aer Lingus was teh right choice for airline due to teh fact it gave us nearly two extra days in berlin due to flight times over Ryanair. + +However we were on the basic price which was grand but "cost" us in two things. +* No Carry on +* Online Check In was 48 hours before flight + +Adding an extra €30/person (at most) would have allowed us to Check in two weeks before the flights which would have meant we could have had paper copies before departure. +it would have also allowed us to have better grouping of seats on teh flight as well as permitting us carry on luggage. + +Having carry on would have also prevented an issue when we arrived back in Dublin where a member of the trip picked up the wrong suitcase leading to spending teh next day returning it and obtaining their own one. + +#### Recommendation +If possible pay the extra for ``Plus`` instead of teh ``Saver`` we went for. +Going as a group may allow ye to get it at a cheaper price. + +### Cash +Germany/Berlin still operates heavily on cash, to teh point where it felt like a complete culture shock. +Most shops still accept card, but normally set a minimum of €5 or €10. +Additionally many places only accept German cards for contactless. + +Tips are normally 10%. + +Toilets normally have someone in charge of them and they expect ~€0.50 for their use. + +#### Recommendation +Bring cash and find a local ATM that ye feel safe using. \ No newline at end of file