5 day Ibiza bender. I was there for a week in 2013. Heaven at the start and hell by the end.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque%E2%80%93Cathedral_of_C%C3%B3rdoba

One of my favourite places in Spain (if you're into the history stuff).

Outside Mat Ryan's window. Fapping.

Agree on this, only thing I enjoyed there was the football.

Agreed. And Granada (not far away).

Add Seville in and you have a great 5 days in Andulusia. Seville is my favourite city in Spain, and Cordoba and Granada are good too. I would recommend visiting Cordoba on the train from Sevilla and not staying the night in Cordoba.
If your more of the outdoors type, head into the Sierra Nevada mountains (Trevelez, home to great Jamon and good hiking) and the tiny untouched beach villages to the East of Cabo de Gata (recommend Las Negras)

Yeah. I love all of the southern parts of Spain.

Bowden, if you are headed that direction, all 3 cities would be great.

Im vouching for all of this, Southern Spain is awesome, I would definitely recommend Seville could easily spend five days just there, however I think a train to Cordoba is like 1.5 hours which isn't too bad for a day trip and Granada is around a 3 hour drive but worth it for Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada is amazing, still snow on the peaks in the middle of last summer too.
I would also suggest Madrid, it is so good plus for the history buffs, you can easily do a day trip to Segovia and another to Toledo, both absolutely fantastic.

Looks like something out of game of thrones

I too will vouch
Absolutely loved Granada.
If you're staying in albaicin (old part of town) beware the wheels on your suitcase.
It's also a complete maze and the cars can't get down there so my advice is come with a map when you arrive.

Worth it though. An amazing vibe there and the markets and bars etc are awesome

All this talk makes me want to go again... Will discuss with the wife...

Oh man, I was away for 5 months and got back in January
It's hitting me more and more how much I wish I was back there
That was an expensive trip though and I guess reality is gripping it's dirty old claws into me

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

I'll be based in Madrid for 8 days - 27th May to 3rd June.

Problem is I'll be working during the day most of the time so won't be able to travel too far from Madrid. I will have one full day off though which I'm planning to spend in Valencia :)

Bugger... that makes it tough to really do any day trips i suggested but heaps to do at night as everything is open and everyone is out til at least midnight everynight.
Also you miss out on a laugh by 2 days. Real Madrid host their annual charity match this year i think it's against ajax. Last year i went thru played liverpool. bunch of oldies having a kick around. Roberto Carlos zidane etc... about $20 for the best seats.

Defer your flight back for a few extra days for travel :)

Ahh damn - that would have been cool. I don't think there's football of any kind being played in Madrid during my time there :(

Already taking time off afterwards but will be heading to Malta instead :)

Me and a friend (both 19yrs old) are planning on a South East Asian holiday early Decemberish for 3-7 days.
I wouldn't mind doing the usual Aussie tourist thing in Bali but I'd really like to see somewhere a bit different. For example what would a budget of say $1500 each get us on a holiday in Singapore or the Philippines for say 1 week?
Furthermore if anyone could offer some advice on cool places to go in SE Asia or other SE Asian travel tips on a relatively low budget that would be greatly appreciated.

(Forgive my ignorance as I haven't had to plan an OS holiday by myself before :d )

Vietnam and/or Thailand. Singapore is a bit too modern but if you like city life and eating - then go for it.

That would have been unreal to go to!

Bowdz and I both went to Hutcho's testimonial match, CCM oldies vs CCM young ones, and that was enough of a laugh in itself.

Travel friends.

Who has hired a car and driven from England to Scotland (or visa versa)? Tips, recommendations, etc?

Remember they drive on the left over there.

Drive from Edinburgh to Fort William. It's lovely driving around the highlands.

Edited by scott21: 22/7/2016 03:12:06 PM

looks like a backdrop from 'Apocalypse Now'

I really fancy Iceland. Landscape looks amazing. Also interested in Israel.

lol that's Paronella Park.

-PB

Agreed. Some of the most amazing countryside I have seen the Highlands.

I did the other way though from Inverness to Fort William. Then the steam train to Mallaig was beautiful too, far out. Memories.

Missed this 2 months ago. 

My wife and i did the drive last year... only had 7 days but we did...
- car hire from Heathrow
- Stonehenge
- bath
- worcester. Stayed in a great place in Worcester that allowed us lots of space to relax after a few hectic days in London. So good to wash some clothes! 
http://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/woodside-worcester.en-gb.html
- manchester
- york
- glasgow
- loch lomond/stirling
- edinburgh

We hired with enterprise. Was around $200 for the car for the week. i20.

Scotland was amazing and wish we had time to get into the Highlands but had to squeeze so much in. 

If you want to save money try Vietnam. It's an incredible place plus i'm pretty sure its the best currency in the world for exchanging our dollar. I remember once purchasing two phos, two beers, a bottle of rum and a large bottle of coke for like 15, 000 dong, which is less than an Australian dollar. 

But SE Asia (bar Singapore and the major tourist parts of Thailand) is generally pretty cheap to travel around.

Some friends and I hired a car and drove around Scotland for a week or so. We camped for free most nights. Pretty sure its legal. Isle of Skye and the Cairngorms national park were personal highlights. Also saw the Edinburgh derby in the Hearts pub, which was great.