What to do? what to do.... (Any seasoned travelers out there?)

[Kurt_eh]

After taking minimal vacation days last year, I carried over almost 3 weeks of vacation time. Combine that with one week of this year's vacation, and I got approved for a 4 week vacation.

I've got somthing planned for the final week, so I'm looking for around 3 weeks' worth of fun. I never did the "take a trip thing (tm)" after university, so now, I'm finaly deciding to get off my eema and see the world (or at least maybe Europe)

I've been thinking of one of the contiki tours ( www.contiki.com ), but I was wondering what all was out there. What are my options (besides limitless ;) )

:help:

[AgentSun]

does daydreaming in class count as travel?

[eta_carinae]

I've been to several countries in Europe, but my favorites have been those in the north (Germany, Denmark, Sweden). When are you planning on taking your trip? That could be a big determining factor in where you go. As in, Italy might be a better choice over Norway in the winter.

[I-am-so-Johns-girl]

I'll go with you on any tour you pick kurt! :P :roflmao:

They all look great!!! :yes: Lucky you! :aok:

[Kurt_eh]

I was thinking of cusping two months.

May-June would be the earliest, but that doesn't work because of May 21st weekend and the AAPG conference (http://www.aapg.org/calgary) (in Calgary this June). And August-September is wedding season...

[teleri]

I fell in love with the south of Spain when I got sent to Rota by the Navy. It's on the Med, you can take day trips to Morocco, its cleaner than the French or Italian gold coasts (sorry, je m'excuse), not as crowded, & cheaper.
I'd recommend Thailand if the Boxer Day tsunami hadn't happened :(
BB
Teleri (join the Navy, see the world - er, sort of)

[AyuRocks]

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico is one of my favorite places to go... It's not nearly as crowded as Cancun, and it's really relaxing and a fun place to go. Hawaii was really fun too, but that's more of a place where you get out an do things rather than just sit and relax. I've never been to Europe, but I'm going this May...So, um, yeah :D

You could always plan a trip to East Lansing, MI :innocent:

[Kurt_eh]

I was thinking more Europe than S. America/Asia. The only traveling I've ever done is twice to Mexico (for a frisbee tourny in Acapulco--that's where my sig and avatar pics are from), and this past Burbank Con...

[Jim Reaper]

Come to sunny England and look at...er...stuff!!



Do you think I should go for that job in tourism?

[eta_carinae]

If you're going in the summer, you may want to consider going further north, or central, Europe. The Mediterranean coast will be hot and humid. This coming from a girl who will be in Athens in June :rolleyes:

Of course, if you DID go to Greece near the end of June, well, I'll be there....

[Nicola]

Not Contiki!

Westcan Treks would suit you much better. Adventure tours all the way baby!

Westcan Treks (http://www.trekescapes.com/redirect.cfm)

Small group adventure specialists. I have been with them three times, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. I highly recommend the Nile Felucca Sailtrek (http://www.trekescapes.com/trip-details.cfm?TripID=205) in Egypt. I would do that one twice.

And I would seriously think about talking Ken into going with you if you wanted to do Lawrence's Arabia (http://www.trekescapes.com/trip-details.cfm?TripID=154) which includes two full days at Petra which you enter by horseback through the siq. That is a life goal for me.

Can you tell I have been thinking about this a long time?

[janey_13]

I went to Greece during high school, we did the historical stuff on the mainland (Athens, Delphi, etc.) and then took a cruise of the islands. It was awesome!

[Kurt_eh]

Not Contiki!
And I would seriously think about talking Ken into going with you if you wanted to do Lawrence's Arabia (http://www.trekescapes.com/trip-details.cfm?TripID=154) which includes two full days at Petra which you enter by horseback through the siq.

Unfortunately, this ( :eek: ) is what I'd look like doing that after my lungs shut down. stupid deadly horse allergy :irate:

[Nicola]

Forgot about your horse allergy. How about camel?

[scrape_medic]

If you're going in the summer, you may want to consider going further north, or central, Europe. The Mediterranean coast will be hot and humid. This coming from a girl who will be in Athens in June :rolleyes:

Of course, if you DID go to Greece near the end of June, well, I'll be there....Meds hot and dry....northern europe is humid......especially england....we call it rain!

But seriously, if its june, england is lovely at that time and you miss the school holidays.....which are july/august. France is lovely then too.

End of may/beginning June is a great time to do Germany/Austria/Switzerland. You could sit by the lake sunning yourself in Geneva one day, or go skiing on the glaciers in Hintertux the next.

The South of Spain is hot, very hot, but can also be incredibly windy.....for days.....and days....... I spent three nights there a couple of years ago and the wind never let up the whole time I was there. Even so, it was lovely. There's some good places to stay, and if you hire a car, take some trips out to Cadiz or Seville. Or take a trip to Terife, the southernmost point in spain (and europe??) You can see Moroco on a clear day!

The mediteranean islands could be hit or miss depending on what you want in a holiday. Most of the islands contain a mix of historic towns with quiet evenings and traditional cuisine. Or a collection of cheap hotels, bars and night clubs that don't close till six in the morning; okay if you're out there for the night life, but a nightmare if you are more interested in a good nights sleep. I liked Crete, but then i wnet there 20 years ago and a friend who went recently says that it is extremely developed. Having said that though, the Palace of Knosis is still a treat. A day trip to the island of Santorini is a must.

One I would love to go to is Corsica, there are some great walks there and apparently it is very beautiful. (though i hear a little pricey)

There are historic cities a plenty.....anywhere you go. But get a good guide book cause you would miss the best bits if you blinked.

Italy (though i have never been) is great for lakes, mountains and cities, not just Rome and Milan.

Copenhagen in Denmark is a good choice in july, theres the beer museum, the harbour tour and Christianhaven to be explored.

[eta_carinae]

Meds hot and dry....northern europe is humid......especially england....we call it rain!


Really? guess I just assumed all of the mediterranean would be humid, based on my experiences in Greece and Italy. I've never been to Spain or the South of France though, to be honest. And really, it doesn't take much for me to call something humid - it's pretty dry here usually, even going to Nebraska and Iowa I can tell a difference and get uncomfortable!

And now that I'm thinking about it, something is nagging at the back of my mind about ecosystems of California and the mediterranean that were simliar...

[scrape_medic]

The west and north of europe get hit with the gulf stream air coming off the altlantic.....full of recycled sea water......i.e. clouds.

The med can produce its own clouds and some cracking thunderstorms, but if the weather is from the south, then its straight of the Sahara Dessert.

[eta_carinae]

The west and north of europe get hit with the gulf stream air coming off the altlantic.....full of recycled sea water......i.e. clouds.

The med can produce its own clouds and some cracking thunderstorms, but if the weather is from the south, then its straight of the Sahara Dessert.

Yeah, I know Ireland and England are notorious for clouds and rain. But a nice benefit of the Gulf Stream is that you aren't frozen! Ha ha ha. And just to be sure I'm clear- by humid I don't mean it rains alot, I mean it feels sticky and muggy, even when the sun is shining. When I was in Paris a couple of years ago in May, it was already too much for me. I couldn't wait until we got to the coast where it wasn't quite as bad.

In all honesty, I think I've been spoiled by the weather here. It's sunny almost every day, and the air is nice and dry :D Even my Dad has been spoiled by it. He grew up in Ireland, and lived here almost 20 years, and then moved to Massachusettes where the winters are overcast and dreary. He couldn't figure out why he hated being there in the winter, especially after surviving Ireland for all those years, until he realized he just missed the sunshine of Colorado :)

[BaseLine]

I would also recommend Norway. You can rent a car, but it's also quite possible to travel by bus and train. I've only been to the southern part, but the scenery of the fjords is just amazing. A friend of mine is also going to the northern part of Norway (Lofoten (http://lofoten-photogalerie.de/)) in a couple of weeks. From what I've seen on the photo's it's beautiful. Yes, I'm in love with Scandinavia :D

Other places in Europe that I have great experiences with: Switzerland (Les Quatre Vallées, Zermatt, Geneva), London, Paris, Copenhagen (picture with little mermaid obligatory), and some other places that don't come to my mind right now.

This thread really makes me excited to go on vacation again. Only two more months and I'll be in Beijing. Anyone else been there?

[zahncrelnik]

Dude, if you find you have a stopover in Chicago for any reason, like,
let me know, we can do lunch or something..... eh?
:beer:

[jespere]

Hmmm, I've never tried an organized tour (except for school stuff.) I'll have to check all the sites people are mentioning!

Kurt, are there any particular sports you like (besides frisbee?) There are lots of biking tours. Also, if you decide not to do a tour, the train system is great in Europe. I'd recommend Paris (museums are free the first Sunday of the month, and there are some great hostels like the Three Ducks (noisy, but fun.) You could take a train up to Brussels and Holland or/and down to Venice and Florence. The west coast of France is beautiful -St. Malo, Mont Saint Michel, Normandy.

Lonely Planet guides are great to check out to narrow down what may interest you, too!

Will you be traveling on your own? And are you looking to see as many cities as possible?

[Emeraldcity]

AUSTRALIA!!!! If you have three weeks to use, his Australia and New Zealand. I was there last year for 3 weeks, and I loved it so much I am going back for 3 months next month.

[pndqd999]

I have been to England,Spain,Morocco
I suggest all of them plus go to the South of France

[I-am-so-Johns-girl]

I love the British Isles (although I've only been to England, I would love to also see Scotland and Ireland). :love: I could live there. :aok:

[scrape_medic]

Wanna swap?....:lol

[I-am-so-Johns-girl]

Sure scrape! :roflmao: I have friends that live in New Orleans that used to exchange houses with someone who lives in Southwold for a few weeks. I'm not sure if they still do it but they enjoyed it while they did! :aok:

[RydraWong]

Can I recommend checking out http://www.earthwatch.org/?

You get to do hands-on work on a scientific project in the field, and they have expeditions all round the world, anywhere you might want to go, doing fascinating stuff. I went on one of their projects and had an amazing time. Definitely not luxury travel, but a real adventure.

[Nicola]

I have been to England,Spain,Morocco
I suggest all of them plus go to the South of France

I love Morocco, but I am biased 'cause I did my thesis research there.

Try this link: Westcan Treks (http://www.trekescapes.com/redirect.cfm) and do a search for Morocco stipulating Explore Worldwide as the operator.

They are an excellent company.

[ctheokas]

Lesse, I've been to Ireland, Germany (before the wall came down), Holland (well, Amsterdam), Hong Kong before the handover, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Italy.

Ireland was great, but I was on a dig the first time, and the second time I was taking classes at Trinity University. Still, it's a great country. Everyone's really friendly, and Guiness flows like water.

Singapore is really, really hot. And it almost literally changes every six months from construction or new stores opening up. It's pretty tourist friendly, and most everyone speaks English. Also, they have the best public transport system in the world.

Hong Kong was a lot of fun. I had the best Turkey club in the world there. I stayed in Chungking Mansion (which you can see in the film Chungking Express). A transvestite prostitute tried to pick up me when I was with my wife. The news stands not only sold porno and bootleg movies and CDs, but they also sold sex toys. And I got to see Jackie Chan's house!

Bangkok is great if you're in your 20s or early 30s. But it's so polluted that when I got back to Singapore, I had a sore throat and was sick for two days. But it is worth going to see. I went to one of the drag shows, which was a lot of fun.

Amsterdam was nice, but the sea food was bad, which was kind of strange. The hash bars were pretty cool. If you go, don't get the stuff that's pre-rolled. And red light district was kind of a let down, if you're only going to look. There's a place near the Anne Frank house that has great pancakes.

When I was in Indonesia, I was in a resort, so I don't really know if I can tell you much about it. The resort was nice, and there was no TV, but the buffet kind of bit.

My wife went to Tokyo with her mother, and said it would have been better if she'd gone with me. Tokyo is apparently a schizo city, so I can't wait to go.

Anyway, hope that helps. Have fun.

[scrape_medic]

okay.....need a little help myself here.

Planning a trip to australia in a few weeks time....and provisionally the idea is to fly into Brisbane......spend five days there.......then hire a car and drive down to melbourne, taking in Sydney and canberra en route..

Has anyone got any advice on how long this drive would realistically take.....given that I am more than likely going to stop off at a feww places on the way and do the sightseeing thing? Can anyone make any suggestions about what are the best things to go look at? I am thinking I could easily do the trip over five days without pushing it and taking quick stops.....but would it be worthwhile making more of it? What is the route like, main road? And are there reasonably safe stops/hotels en route?