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Extended vacations (1 Viewer)

The Dude

Footballguy
Let's say you were taking an extended vacation - like 3 to 4 weeks.  Where would you want go and stay within the US and internationally?  And it might be multiple spots over that time.

Or if you have done it, where have you been?

 

 
In the US I would probably do a national parks tour. I think is a thread for something along those lines somewhere in here.

Internationally, I would probably get a euro rail pass and see what happens. 

 
Australia with New Zealand.

We were looking into an Australia trip a couple of years ago and only had about 10 days. After doing research, I decided that it wouldn't be enough time since I'd really want to include New Zealand. With travel from NY, it would have to be closer to like 3 weeks time available.

We're hoping to spend a month in Italy in a few years. We've been to Italy 8 or 9 times now, seeing the major destinations including Sicily. so this would be a chance to really explore smaller towns and take our time, sit back and enjoy life there.

 
Road trip maybe.  The US is pretty big.  Maybe fly to California, rent a car and drive all over.  Drive to Vegas.  Maybe up in the Northwest and check out Seattle, Portland, etc.

I think I heard there's a cool train ride that goes from Chicago area to the Northwest.  That could be neat to check out.

 
Domestic...  Road trip through the west preferably with a motor home (or trailer).  Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Redwoods, Rushmore, basically a huge trek back and forth across the continental divide.  Time of year would be tricky, probably September/October for yellow aspens and moderate temperatures.  

International...  Belize (exploring the option of retirement there), or mainland Europe with a rail pass.

 
Planning on three weeks in Brazil next year. I used to live there, speak the lingo and will be bringing my daughters that are half Brazilian there to see the bits they haven't seen yet (which is essentially everything other than Sao Paulo). I'll probably avoid the beaches (except in Rio) as two out of three of us find them tedious.

 
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We've been to nearly every city in the US but would gladly take 3-4 weeks to explore the northwest all the way from Dakotas heading west into Vancouver Island. Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington. Amazing part of the country.

 
In the US... I would a national parks loop out west, and hit Yellowstone, Yosemite, Zion, etc.

Internationally... I'd probably do western Europe, since I've never been (outside Italy) and could hit a good number of countries.

 
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Agree with others that I would like to do some additional traveling around places in the US.

Also have always been kind of fascinated by Mongolia.  Would also like other weird remote places, like islands in the middle of the Atlantic between Africa and South America (cape Verde and whatnot).

 
for 3-4 weeks it would either be somewhere in europe (been 5-6 times), or Australia/NZ.  I would think about Asia, but that might be more time than I would like to spend there.

 
Doubt I could vacation 3 weeks in the US without getting bored - unless I was really into camping/hiking.

Over the past few years, I done 3 week vacations in Spain/Italy, Australia/Hawaii, and the UK.  I still have mainland Europe on my list with a Railpass and Asia that I want to do.

 
2 weeks in Western Europe, 2 weeks in SE Asia.

If it was US only:

Summer: I'd start in Washington, camp my way down through Yellowstone for a couple of weeks.  Then I'd spend the last two on the beach in Malibu.

Winter: Ski for 4 weeks straight.

 
in the last couple of years

5 weeks backpacking  in the UK in 16
6 weeks in Italy backpacking  in 17
4 weeks camping in haidi gwaii in 17 
5 weeks backing Dublin , Greece and Egypt in 17
5 weeks in the Dominican republic in 18
4 weeks backpacking in Europe in 18 

planned in 19
a month in Thailand + adding on a 5 day layover in china
5 weeks camping in NWT  

4- 6 week trips I would like to do
drive across Canada
drive through the states
trans Siberian railroad
drive Australia 
train ride through capital cities in Europe 

 
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Away from the travel brochure spots, one of my favorite vacations was tracing the bed of US Route 20. I had encountered the road several times as a hippie hitchhiker in the early 70s so, wanting to "see America", we decided to drive as much of its length as we could, from Fenway Park to the Oregon coast, taking interstates only when they'd completely bypassed the original road. The Finger Lakes, the lower Great Lakes, Chicago, Dubuque, the Dunes of western Nebraska, Yellowstone, the Divide, the high desert, Bend and making the Pacific coast like a real explorer. Stayed in mom&pop motor hotels the whole way, ate where townfolk ate all the while. You really feel America that way, i tellya, or used to anyways...

 
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Away from the travel brochure spots, one of my favorite vacations was tracing the bed of US Route 20. I had encountered the road several times as a hippie hitchhiker in the early 70s so, wanting to "see America", we decided to drive as much of its length as we could, from Fenway Park to the Oregon coast, taking interstates only when they'd completely bypassed the original road. The Finger Lakes, the lower Great Lakes, Chicago, Dubuque, the Dunes of western Nebraska, Yellowstone, the Divide, the high desert, Bend and making the Pacific coast like a real explorer. Stayed in mom&pop motor hotels the whole way, ate where townfolk ate all the while. You real feel America that way, i tellya, or used to anyways...
okay, I'm doing this.

 
waiver wire said:
in the last couple of years

5 weeks backpacking  in the UK in 16
6 weeks in Italy backpacking  in 17
4 weeks camping in haidi gwaii in 17 
5 weeks backing Dublin , Greece and Egypt in 17
5 weeks in the Dominican republic in 18
4 weeks backpacking in Europe in 18 
Speaking as someone who has worked most weekends, holidays, and managed two vacation days this year...

I hate you.

That said given my choice of love to wander around northern Europe.  Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, etc.

 
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Speaking as someone who has worked most weekends, holidays, and managed two vacation days this year...

I hate you.

That said given my choice of love to wander around northern Europe.  Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, etc.
I hadn't had a vacation for 15 years , a few days off scattered throughout that time
roughly 2014 , I started getting some time off but it was a few days off 
in 2016 went for that 1st long trip 
in 2017 said screw it , sold my share of my business , most of my possessions and try to find happiness instead of chasing $$ as it really go more no where and cost me friendships , relationships , happiness and my sanity 
all I kept was my bed , books , clothes and kayaks . made 2 purchases a truck and  trailer + a resolution that if it doesn't fit into my backpack and help me travel then I really don't need it 
that plan does have a downside.
i bought a place with my parents 20 years ago  (so being paying a mortgage and a rent all these years) and asked if I could throw my bed into the spare room and live there while im in town + pay more to cover expenses. that saves me 2k a month
in these 18 months , I have been on the road for 11
the downside is the stigma -- 49 year old man living with my parents
I did hope that my life style change would help me reconnect with friends because I would have time to see them
that hasn't happened for a few reasons
- they still have jobs , families and commitments so they don't have time
- they don't know when im in town as they assume im gone
- my depression is still an issue and im not reaching out to them 

I have no idea on how long this situation will remain . at this moment its helping but can get better 
I may not be as happy as I want but im definitely in a better mental state then I was. I was in a pretty dark , desperate state and was spiraling down at times     

 
waiver wire said:
in the last couple of years

5 weeks backpacking  in the UK in 16
6 weeks in Italy backpacking  in 17
4 weeks camping in haidi gwaii in 17 
5 weeks backing Dublin , Greece and Egypt in 17
5 weeks in the Dominican republic in 18
4 weeks backpacking in Europe in 18 

planned in 19
a month in Thailand + adding on a 5 day layover in china
5 weeks camping in NWT  

4- 6 week trips I would like to do
drive across Canada
drive through the states
trans Siberian railroad
drive Australia 
train ride through capital cities in Europe 
Silver spoon?

 
In the US I would probably do a national parks tour. I think is a thread for something along those lines somewhere in here.

Internationally, I would probably get a euro rail pass and see what happens. 
My thoughts almost exactly.

I'd consider a Pacific rim tour, Japan to New Zealand, scuba or snorkel a bit...

 
Though i wouldn't advise it til the Mexican interior is safer, one of the best vacations i ever had was taking the railroad from Chihuahua to Guaymas and then on to Topolobampo (sooooper chill town backinaday, but then so was Cabo) in the 80s. Although virtually every worthwhile place has been touristed, the Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) and assorted other canyonlands along the way are so vast, i bet there are still ways to get of the beaten path and see the real Mexico within. We got off @ Creel with the intention of staying til the next train and ended up wandering/riding around for four days and did a similar thing farther down the line that didn't even have a name. Once drugs end forever and Mexico is made better by paying for the wall, wikkid say give it a shot.

 
You can’t go wrong if you pick a region you are interested in. I’m partial to Europe for the variety you can get. South Pacific is the best for chilling. Never been to Caribbean which also looks great for vegging out. Bucket list thing for me is to boat around down there. If you do US I wold focus on areas rather than try and do too much. 

 
Though i wouldn't advise it til the Mexican interior is safer, one of the best vacations i ever had was taking the railroad from Chihuahua to Guaymas and then on to Topolobampo (sooooper chill town backinaday, but then so was Cabo) in the 80s. Although virtually every worthwhile place has been touristed, the Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) and assorted other canyonlands along the way are so vast, i bet there are still ways to get of the beaten path and see the real Mexico within. We got off @ Creel with the intention of staying til the next train and ended up wandering/riding around for four days and did a similar thing farther down the line that didn't even have a name. Once drugs end forever and Mexico is made better by paying for the wall, wikkid say give it a shot.
Crazy. I have done that exact trip. We didn’t go all the way to the ocean but took that train that I’m sure you took to from Chihuahua to Creel. From there went to Urique then hiked to Batopilas.

The hiking part was an incredible experience but in retrospect was a little dangerous as trails aren’t marked and go in every direction. Even with good maps was difficult. Wandered though a pot field - scared ####less - ran out of water a couple different times for a bit. Got freaked out by some locals who kept following us who ended up feeding us, gave us home made tequila, and water which was a huge help. Camped on a plateau in a huge stone foundation of a house that was either never finished or was in ruins. 

Wouldn’t reccomend unless you were really into backpacking and roughing it but it was a great experience that I’ll always remember.

 
Crazy. I have done that exact trip. We didn’t go all the way to the ocean but took that train that I’m sure you took to from Chihuahua to Creel. From there went to Urique then hiked to Batopilas.

The hiking part was an incredible experience but in retrospect was a little dangerous as trails aren’t marked and go in every direction. Even with good maps was difficult. Wandered though a pot field - scared ####less - ran out of water a couple different times for a bit. Got freaked out by some locals who kept following us who ended up feeding us, gave us home made tequila, and water which was a huge help. Camped on a plateau in a huge stone foundation of a house that was either never finished or was in ruins. 

Wouldn’t reccomend unless you were really into backpacking and roughing it but it was a great experience that I’ll always remember.
two words: guides 

i've believed in guides more than mosquito netting in my travels to obscure places since i've been able to afford them. locals, y'know - pretty cheap if you find the right ones. they're not hard to find. my gf owned a gift shop in Albq and used to job fake Navajo rugs out to a factory in Chihuahua and drove down there monthly. when we decided to take the Chepe, she got a lot of advice from the locals, including that. i got in the habit of using them on Greek islands and then, when Scary Mary & i hired a driver in Kusadisi, Turkey to take us to the springs at Pammukele, we got along so well that he invited us to meet his family near Kolya in the interior (my 6ft+ blonde bride was treated as both goddess & daemon in rural Turkiye) and we loved it all so much that he took us to Kappadokkia & beyond over 1000 miles in all. when you're lucky w em, guides are da bomb.

ETA: If you when as far down as Urique, you shoulda gone to Topolobampo. Perfect capper, though it made the return trip kind of anticlimactic. Also, this was when the peso was going nuts and we paid for the whole trip selling USDs in the interior.

 
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two words: guides 

i've believed in guides more than mosquito netting in my travels to obscure places since i've been able to afford them. locals, y'know - pretty cheap if you find the right ones. they're not hard to find. my gf owned a gift shop in Albq and used to job fake Navajo rugs out to a factory in Chihuahua and drove down there monthly. when we decided to take the Chepe, she got a lot of advice from the locals, including that. i got in the habit of using them on Greek islands and then, when Scary Mary & i hired a driver in Kusadisi, Turkey to take us to the springs at Pammukele, we got along so well that he invited us to meet his family near Kolya in the interior (my 6ft+ blonde bride was treated as both goddess & daemon in rural Turkiye) and we loved it all so much that he took us to Kappadokkia & beyond over 1000 miles in all. when you're lucky w em, guides are da bomb.

ETA: If you when as far down as Urique, you shoulda gone to Topolobampo. Perfect capper, though it made the return trip kind of anticlimactic. Also, this was when the peso was going nuts and we paid for the whole trip selling USDs in the interior.
Good stuff.

I’m loving the walking tours these days when we travel try and get one when we first get into a city. A themed one based on food, bars, biking, etc. Look for small sized one. Great way to get oriented.

When I did that Mexico hiking trip The General was cash poor :lol:  a guide would have seemed like some Richie Rich type stuff. 

 
I hadn't had a vacation for 15 years , a few days off scattered throughout that time
roughly 2014 , I started getting some time off but it was a few days off 
in 2016 went for that 1st long trip 
in 2017 said screw it , sold my share of my business , most of my possessions and try to find happiness instead of chasing $$ as it really go more no where and cost me friendships , relationships , happiness and my sanity 
all I kept was my bed , books , clothes and kayaks . made 2 purchases a truck and  trailer + a resolution that if it doesn't fit into my backpack and help me travel then I really don't need it 
that plan does have a downside.
i bought a place with my parents 20 years ago  (so being paying a mortgage and a rent all these years) and asked if I could throw my bed into the spare room and live there while im in town + pay more to cover expenses. that saves me 2k a month
in these 18 months , I have been on the road for 11
the downside is the stigma -- 49 year old man living with my parents
I did hope that my life style change would help me reconnect with friends because I would have time to see them
that hasn't happened for a few reasons
- they still have jobs , families and commitments so they don't have time
- they don't know when im in town as they assume im gone
- my depression is still an issue and im not reaching out to them 

I have no idea on how long this situation will remain . at this moment its helping but can get better 
I may not be as happy as I want but im definitely in a better mental state then I was. I was in a pretty dark , desperate state and was spiraling down at times     
Happy and sorry to read all that.

Hang in there.

F the stigmas. Not everyone fits into the nice tidy package of what is considered normal.

6 billion people on this rock each with their own journey and story of their life.

 
F the stigmas. Not everyone fits into the nice tidy package of what is considered normal.

6 billion people on this rock each with their own journey and story of their life.
What about the other 1.6 bn? How do you determine whether you are one of the ones with their own journey or one with a prepackaged one?

 
I hadn't had a vacation for 15 years , a few days off scattered throughout that time
roughly 2014 , I started getting some time off but it was a few days off 
in 2016 went for that 1st long trip 
in 2017 said screw it , sold my share of my business , most of my possessions and try to find happiness instead of chasing $$ as it really go more no where and cost me friendships , relationships , happiness and my sanity 
all I kept was my bed , books , clothes and kayaks . made 2 purchases a truck and  trailer + a resolution that if it doesn't fit into my backpack and help me travel then I really don't need it 
that plan does have a downside.
i bought a place with my parents 20 years ago  (so being paying a mortgage and a rent all these years) and asked if I could throw my bed into the spare room and live there while im in town + pay more to cover expenses. that saves me 2k a month
in these 18 months , I have been on the road for 11
the downside is the stigma -- 49 year old man living with my parents
I did hope that my life style change would help me reconnect with friends because I would have time to see them
that hasn't happened for a few reasons
- they still have jobs , families and commitments so they don't have time
- they don't know when im in town as they assume im gone
- my depression is still an issue and im not reaching out to them 

I have no idea on how long this situation will remain . at this moment its helping but can get better 
I may not be as happy as I want but im definitely in a better mental state then I was. I was in a pretty dark , desperate state and was spiraling down at times     
there is, for each of us, a beauty or truth that only we can serve. find yours and you are free.

you express yourself well, if not paragraphically. did you keep a journal on your travels? if so, can you fashion them into of some kind story(ies)? if not, ever tried to fashion some kind of story(ies) anyway? not with success as a goal, but realizing the truth/beauty of your existence.

i'm a wordy mess myself but, after 40 yrs of near-estrangement, i came to VT to ease the last few months of my dying mother. she recovered and i've been stuck up here 5 yrs now with no end in sight, stuffing the gob & wiping the butt of a woman i never liked. i was already writing but living in a tomb presented new challenges of enthusiasm. i decided to work on only the things i found most personally beautiful so i wouldnt get sucked down by it all. that process is now my entire energy plant. maybe something like that (write, philosophize, paint, music) can be for you.

give it a try and, if you need to knock it around to figure out how, PM me

 
Happy and sorry to read all that.

Hang in there.

F the stigmas. Not everyone fits into the nice tidy package of what is considered normal.

6 billion people on this rock each with their own journey and story of their life.
at this point the stigma is two fold
women look down  at guy at this age living with his parents with no job ( I have invested so I do have an income) 
the 2nd part is just my own thoughts 

the 1st I have to realize and be happy if a woman doesn't like my current situation then im probably better off in the long run 
the 2nd part is tough - as I beat myself up with my thoughts over and over which also brings the cycle of depression back

 I had an amazing 18 months of experiences and travel  since I made the decision. I have seen things that I only have dreamed ( the thread about bucket lists reinforced on how lucky I was) and have meet some incredible people

what I need to do is keep working on myself and my thoughts and emotions 

 

 
there is, for each of us, a beauty or truth that only we can serve. find yours and you are free.

you express yourself well, if not paragraphically. did you keep a journal on your travels? if so, can you fashion them into of some kind story(ies)? if not, ever tried to fashion some kind of story(ies) anyway? not with success as a goal, but realizing the truth/beauty of your existence.

i'm a wordy mess myself but, after 40 yrs of near-estrangement, i came to VT to ease the last few months of my dying mother. she recovered and i've been stuck up here 5 yrs now with no end in sight, stuffing the gob & wiping the butt of a woman i never liked. i was already writing but living in a tomb presented new challenges of enthusiasm. i decided to work on only the things i found most personally beautiful so i wouldnt get sucked down by it all. that process is now my entire energy plant. maybe something like that (write, philosophize, paint, music) can be for you.

give it a try and, if you need to knock it around to figure out how, PM me
I think is wonderful and admiral of what you are doing. it takes strength and character to do what you are doing 

in the months I have travelled , I have wished I was a better writer .
I have kept notes of what I did and visited on each trip but didn't write down my thoughts and feelings on those days
it was always my weakest subject in school -- science and math is were I excelled 
but putting my thoughts to paper in a coherent words are not my strength 

the 5 new things I have incorporated into my life
travel
camping
hiking
photography
trying not to be materialistic

the things I still need to work on
my mental and physical health
old friendships -- either reconnect with old friends or be strong enough to let them go and not beat myself up for not having them anymore
find new friends 

hopefully be working on me , that I will lead me to finding on what  will make me happy and feeling satisfied 
lately I have been failing on that so I know what I need to do but putting it into motion is a mental issue which im not overcoming at this point 

 
in the months I have travelled , I have wished I was a better writer .
I have kept notes of what I did and visited on each trip but didn't write down my thoughts and feelings on those days
it was always my weakest subject in school -- science and math is were I excelled 
but putting my thoughts to paper in a coherent words are not my strength 
try telling yourself the story of you, like you were sitting across a table from you. on paper (or screen) don't worry about art, words, feelings. you might find something. the insides are just as explorable as the outside.

the things I still need to work on
my mental and physical health
old friendships -- either reconnect with old friends or be strong enough to let them go and not beat myself up for not having them anymore
find new friends 

hopefully be working on me , that I will lead me to finding on what  will make me happy and feeling satisfied 
lately I have been failing on that so I know what I need to do but putting it into motion is a mental issue which im not overcoming at this point 
since order & religion & authority & control became less important to life, people have been free to choose their way. but where do you to learn how to do that? the old rules are gone and a new set ain't been wrote yet.

the kind of animal a human being was a couple of generations ago has very little to do with who we are now. people largely had to scratch a living out of hard ground or in hot, dirty factories 14 hours a day just to survive, suffering pain without relief, hunger, privation and few options of changing their station in life. that's kind of the way it was for 10,000 yrs and vroomp, all of a sudden, a regular person's life can go all the way through now without having to worry for a second about survival. well, survival is what we were built for and there's a lot of who we are that can't figure that out. and it's making us feel hollow, useless & a little nuts.

so the last few years i been working on a guidebook for getting thru that. i was in the lower levels of the psych biz for a decade (no degrees or titles) but people have been the object of my curiosity since i first tried to figure out the looks i saw on faces. i developed some theories and have tested some of them out by helping a couple dozen folks in the FFA get thru some of dey ####.

if you want me to explain to you why you work the way you do and how you can anticipate and order the flow of your life to get the most out of it while suffering less. PM me here. if not, best of luck. i can already tell you're a good soul and i hope you'll figure it all out. it's never too late -

 
Though i wouldn't advise it til the Mexican interior is safer, one of the best vacations i ever had was taking the railroad from Chihuahua to Guaymas and then on to Topolobampo (sooooper chill town backinaday, but then so was Cabo) in the 80s. Although virtually every worthwhile place has been touristed, the Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon) and assorted other canyonlands along the way are so vast, i bet there are still ways to get of the beaten path and see the real Mexico within. We got off @ Creel with the intention of staying til the next train and ended up wandering/riding around for four days and did a similar thing farther down the line that didn't even have a name. Once drugs end forever and Mexico is made better by paying for the wall, wikkid say give it a shot.
US hiker killed in Urique

This is right where we were talking about. My friend and I hiked a couple days from that town to another tiny town. Walked through a pot field at one point. 

 
US hiker killed in Urique

This is right where we were talking about. My friend and I hiked a couple days from that town to another tiny town. Walked through a pot field at one point. 
I know Urique - waaaay too close to Sinaloa for tourists to be safe. Life is cheacpcheapcheap down that way and you dont have to look for people who see no difference between you alive and you dead. shame, too, cuz the locals are righteous folk

 
I could do a month in Europe.  I did 17 days last summer....France, Belgium,  and Netherlands.   Excellent trip.  Should have used a couple more days in France.  Four days in Netherlands and Four days in Belgium was sufficient.  

 
headed to asia for the 1st time in jan 
a month in Thailand and 5 days in shanghai 

looking forward to the food and really excited on going to a traditional thai wedding in a small village 

 

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