Where would you go?

PamBeesly524 · March 2016

H is graduating next May with his PhD, and we want to celebrate by going on some sort of trip. We've thrown out ideas like Australia (although I don't think we can afford the flight) a cruise, a tropical location, or a road trip across the US.... So basically we're all over the place with what we want to do.

Have any of you guys been on an awesome vacation that you recommend? Or, where would you go if you had two-ish weeks to travel? We're not looking to break the bank but we are ok with spending a moderate amount for a good experience.

kimmiinthemitten · March 2016

Where do you live now? What kind of vacationers are you? Are you lay on the beach and chill people, partiers, tourists, adventure junkies?

WinstonsGirl · March 2016

I told DH that when I graduate (hopefully this summer) that I want a trip cos we haven't really travelled since I started school. We went to a talk on East Africa last night, so that's my plan, but it'll be expensive. I told DH we'd have 2 years to save anyway, so we could do a big trip. The plan is to climb Kilimanjaro and then do a bunch of safaris before ending in Zanzibar to do some diving.

We've also done a lot of Europe and parts of the middle East and Russia if you want info. I spent 2 weeks in China too.

southernbelle0915 · March 2016

1) Marathon site seeing tour of Europe
2) African safari
3) Patagonia, Macchu Picchu & Easter Island
4) Austrailia, New Zealand & some tropical island (Bora Bora, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Cook Islands)
5) Thailand, Philippines & Hong Kong

These are two week trips on my list, at least.

And things I would totally be planning if we didn't have a baby.

PamBeesly524 · March 2016

@kimmiinthemitten We live in Boston...We've primarily been beach layers (we've been on a Caribbean cruise together and went to Jamaica for our honeymoon), so we tend to lean towards a beach/relax vacation... We're thinking this time around we might like to explore for a change.. But if someone has been to a fabulous island or something we're open to that too!

pinkcow13 · March 2016

We went to Australia on our honeymoon, and absolutely LOVED it. I would definitely recommend going there. If you don't want to spend as much (the flight is pretty pricey, obviously) you can go somewhere tropical like Dominican Republic, or Jamaica. Or, something I would be interested in is California. I've been to LA and San Diego, but would also like to check out San Francisco and Napa Valley. You guys can also spend a weekend in Vegas.

ElcaB · March 2016

Honestly, I don't love cruises. (Don't get me wrong, if someone offered me one I'd totally go, but they're not the best.)

I've always wanted to go to Alaska --- such a cool state!

OliveOilsMom · March 2016

Hawaii! There is something for everyone there. Each island has its own flavor to it. You could hit up 2 or 3 islands over 2 weeks time. You would be able to do your sit on the beach or adventures there.

kvruns · March 2016

Hawaii would be a good mix of exploring and beach time. Or somewhere in Europe where you can hit a cool beach area for a few days and then sightsee too

ShesSoCold · March 2016

H and I took two weeks for our honeymoon. He doesn't like to fly and we both would like to see all of America before we leave the country (seeing all the national parks is our bucket list). So we drive from Chicago to Key West and stopped along the way. We spent four days in the Great Smoky Mountains national park, then a day around Tampa, FL (swam with manatees and went to a hockey game), two days in the Everglades and then four days in the keys. At home, we're lay around and do nothing kinds of people, but not on vacation. I feel like I'm missing something. So the four days in the keys was nice to relax a little but I wish we'd planned a little more, activity-wise.

lyndausvi · March 2016

Road trip.

I'm lucky enough to have travels to a lot of places around the world. I still have a few more places I want to check out, but first I want to do a road trip through the more of the states.

My sister and her family has hit all 50 states. My parents are down to their last 7 or so. This summer they are coming out to CO to see us, then road tripping it up to Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah.

This/that part of the country is amazing during the summer. Actually, I like CO way better in the summer. We are heading back to Moab (utah) in a few weeks. It's so beautiful.

ShesSoCold · March 2016

lyndausvi said:

Road trip.

I'm lucky enough to have travels to a lot of places around the world. I still have a few more places I want to check out, but first I want to do a road trip through the more of the states.

My sister and her family has hit all 50 states. My parents are down to their last 7 or so. This summer they are coming out to CO to see us, then road tripping it up to Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah.

This/that part of the country is amazing during the summer. Actually, I like CO way better in the summer. We are heading back to Moab (utah) in a few weeks. It's so beautiful.

SO jealous. I think Utah will be out next road trip. H and I LOVE road trips. Our drive from Chicago to Montana was terrible for the first half (WI, MN, ND are about as bad as NE and IA) but I could have driven around MT for like six months. WY and ID are on my soon to-do list too.

lyndausvi · March 2016

ShesSoCold said:

lyndausvi said:

Road trip.

I'm lucky enough to have travels to a lot of places around the world. I still have a few more places I want to check out, but first I want to do a road trip through the more of the states.

My sister and her family has hit all 50 states. My parents are down to their last 7 or so. This summer they are coming out to CO to see us, then road tripping it up to Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah.

This/that part of the country is amazing during the summer. Actually, I like CO way better in the summer. We are heading back to Moab (utah) in a few weeks. It's so beautiful.

SO jealous. I think Utah will be out next road trip. H and I LOVE road trips. Our drive from Chicago to Montana was terrible for the first half (WI, MN, ND are about as bad as NE and IA) but I could have driven around MT for like six months. WY and ID are on my soon to-do list too.

I love Moab and I'm not really an outdoorsy person. I mean I like to hike, but I'm not hard core. It's just so beautiful out there. I can't wait to take my nephew there.

climbingsingle · March 2016

I would go back to Italy if I had two weeks. Or possibly another Mediterranean cruise.

KatWAG · March 2016

If I had two weeks, I would go to Vietnam and Cambodia. Maybe with a few days in Tokyo. Everyone I know who has been has raved.

I might also consider England and Ireland, depending on the time of year.

scrunchythief · March 2016

Malta/Sicily! I went there when I was 17 as part of a People to People tour. The beaches are amazing, especially in Malta. Plus, there's tons of history right on those islands. And you could take a train to Rome or Florence for a few days too.

madamerwin · March 2016

I vote road trip! There are so many places in the US that you will never see from a plane... When I was in college, my (now-ex) BF and I drove from CA to the east coast and back again - 30 states in 6 weeks. We stopped at places like Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, Niagra Falls, Cape Cod, the Outer Banks, Memphis, New Orleans, Austin, and the Grand Canyon. It was an amazing trip. We camped a few times and stayed at cheap motels, but we knew people we could stay with in about half of our stops. All said, it only cost a couple thousand dollars and was really, really fun.

PamBeesly524 · March 2016

@pinkcow13 did you do New Zealand too while you were there? It's always been a dream of mine to go - part of me thinks that we should do it now while we can (before we buy a house, start a family, etc.) but the other part of me cries at the expense!

You guys are all making me want to leave RIGHT NOW! Hawaii is a good idea.. a mixture of beach and exploration. I also like the idea of a Mediterranean cruise.

@scrunchythief I did P2P too when I was in 6th grade! We went to the British Isles.

pinkcow13 · March 2016

No, we just went to Australia. We spent one week in Sydney, and another week in Port Douglas. I definitely want to go back though, and make it to New Zealand next!

sunset30 · March 2016

With 2 weeks, and being on the East coast and looking for something different, I would totally recommend a safari. We did one when I changed jobs and had a month off; and it was the best vacation of my life. They have different experiences depending on budget so you can go basic to extravagant. We did ours in South Africa.

Jells2dot0 · March 2016

I'm heading to New Zealand for two weeks later this month. The exchange rate there is awesome right now. We've spent 3 weeks in Australia as well when we got married. I've also been to Tahiti multiple times(Bora Bora, Moorea, Tahiti, etc), Fiji, the Cook Islands, and Hawaii (multiple times). Whenever we have two weeks, we pretty much always head to the South Pacific. Next year, we're planning on doing a 17 night cruise from Bali to Fiji on the Paul Gauguin.

The only time we didn't go to the South Pacific when we had two weeks was when we went to Mauritius and the Seychelles (Indian Ocean). The flights to the Indian Ocean tend to be pricier than to the South Pacific. Mauritius is less expensive than the Seychelles once you get there.

We go to Europe a lot, but we always limit it to a week or so. One thing we have not done there is a river cruise. We keep talking about it and then something happens and we can't make time to do it. Probably because it always gets overridden by a trip to the Pacific

So, my point- let me know if you have any questions about any of those areas!

ETF because I don't make sense today.

PamBeesly524 · March 2016

@Jells2dot0 That all sounds amazing! I've also looked at European river cruises - definitely on the table right now!

kimmiinthemitten · March 2016

My first two thoughts were a North East tour, but living in Boston that's obviously not it haha. Montana and the surrounding states was going to be my other suggestion. It's gorgeous up there in the summer. Eat some Buffaflo, lay on a lake, attend a real pow wow.

Many other thought was Miami/ Key West / Bahamas or a tour of California.

ILoveBeachMusic · March 2016

I have had several friends do river cruises in Europe (Budapest or Prague to Amsterdam) and highly recommend them. DH and I want to do one. I could easily spend two weeks in Italy!

monkeysip · March 2016

Geez... where do I NOT want to go?

My biggest desire is to go back to Italy. I spent 4 weeks there years ago, but I really want to go back with H. It's so special to me, and I want to see more of it (like the island of Capri). And I really just want H to enjoy it.

I'd also love to go to Japan. Or Australia. Or other places in Europe, like England or Germany.

Or I'd love to do a road trip across the US.

But no money + baby = no vacations in the near future lol.

Wherever you go, have fun!

JoanE2012 · March 2016

PamBeesly524 said:

@Jells2dot0 That all sounds amazing! I've also looked at European river cruises - definitely on the table right now!

We did a European river cruise a couple years ago before Christmas to see the Christmas markets - it was so magical! We're going on our 2nd one next month through the Netherlands and Belgium. We love it, but it is VERY different from ocean cruises.

ernursej · March 2016

We went to Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Norway) for 2 weeks and loved the experience. Depending on where you went and how you traveled, it actually wouldn't be crazy expensive. It was a very different world from what we usually do for vacations and I would go back in a heart beat.

drid · March 2016

I don't know if you're one for mountains, but Banff, Alberta is absolutely beautiful! It's a cute little mountain town with four or five ski hills nearby, lots of lakes for summer activities, hiking, hot springs. It's one of my favourite places to go.

I also spent two weeks in September in the Netherlands and Germany. We started in Amsterdam and did some sight seeing, and then we flew to Munich, rented a car and did a road trip loop into Austria and back (Austria was so picturesque!) and then ended up back in Munich for Oktoberfest which was the most amazing experience ever. Even if you're not a big beer drinker, there's so much to see and do, and the roasted chickens are to die for!!

CMGragain · March 2016

Road trips are living hell with my DH, so I am the cruise queen. 21 cruises, so I would look at Italy and Greece. What is your budget?

ernursej · March 2016

drid said:

I don't know if you're one for mountains, but Banff, Alberta is absolutely beautiful! It's a cute little mountain town with four or five ski hills nearby, lots of lakes for summer activities, hiking, hot springs. It's one of my favourite places to go.

I also spent two weeks in September in the Netherlands and Germany. We started in Amsterdam and did some sight seeing, and then we flew to Munich, rented a car and did a road trip loop into Austria and back (Austria was so picturesque!) and then ended up back in Munich for Oktoberfest which was the most amazing experience ever. Even if you're not a big beer drinker, there's so much to see and do, and the roasted chickens are to die for!!
___________________________

Ah! Stuck in a box!

I'm a local and absolutely love Banff. Lake Louise and Jasper are also close. OP - you could take the Rocky Mountaineer train between all three to really explore.

MesmrEwe · March 2016

Florida! Especially during NON-Tourist season! Disney IMO is more fun to go to as an adult than with/as a kid.. Epcot especially and now with the apps it makes the trip there actually enjoyable - it's great to go when you've got money to do things like a nice dinner for example or a Chef's table. There's the Cocoa Beach/NASA... I also like the Gulf side of Florida - there's the Ringling Museum, there's flying trapeze in Venice with Tito, there's Tampa, Ft. Myers...

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