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Vacation ideas (1 Viewer)

Pipes

Pipes

Footballguy
So my wife and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2025 and want to do a "big" vacation. We"ve never been big travelers but have been to Hawaii 3x, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Mexico and a bunch of continental US trips but that's about it. Really no overseas travel experience. We're in our early 50's without kids to worry about any more so now's the time to start broadening our horizons so looking for some suggestions.

Initially I was thinking Europe. Iceland is high on my list along with Spain, Italy and Greece. My wife is open to that but really wants something a bit more tropical (beachy). She doesn't want the entire vacation to revolve around hanging the beach but wants it to be part of it. So while Greece and Spain may fit that bill thinking about a different part of the World. Something like Thailand/Bali seems like that might be more of what we're looking for this go round. Just curious where some of you more frequently travelers have been and what's been your favorite spot and what you enjoyed about it.

A bit more info is my wife and I are both extremely busy ,work wise,in the winter specifically Jan-mid April so we're either looking at a spring 2025 vacation or fall (Oct-Nov) ish. We're flexible depending on where we go. Also money isn't really an issue. Don't want to break the bank but we can afford a nice vacation and since we haven't traveled much we're not looking for the cheap options. What ye say FFA, thank you in advance.
 
If you are feeling super adventurous, I have a dream of visiting Morocco. It is a Muslim country, but very popular with European tourists and has some good beaches.
 
Bali is a great choice. On the Euro side of things, I've been wanting to check out Croatia and the Adriatic Sea. Heard Dubrovnick is :thumbup: .

If you decide on Iceland, I'd definitely recommend adding on Sweden and Denmark to that trip. Nothing better than summer in Scandinavia. Endless days and beautiful weather. Gotland is an awesome island to venture to if you make it there.
 
I spend 10-14 days in Europe every Summer. Even if you haven't been there, or haven't been there very much - my number 1 suggestion would be to spend more time in smaller towns or "second cities." Don't go to the super popular beach town. Go to the one 10 miles down the road.

At this point the big name European cities are almost like a parody of themselves to appeal to tourists. Is it still cool to see the big tourist sights and take the photo for social media? Of course. But, those big city destinations are really homogenized and feel "fake." I LOVED Berlin, but when you get to Checkpoint Charlie - on one side of you is a KFC and across the street is a 2-story tall McDonald's. A lot of these more popular destinations have lost a lot of their authenticity.

Fly into a "big name" city and then take a train or other means to a smaller spot, and enjoy what that country & culture are -really- like.
 
I would definitely recommend New Zealand. Both islands are beautiful, although different. They are English speaking which is helpful. The people are super nice. The only downside is the long flight.
 
Pipes said:
lso money isn't really an issue. Don't want to break the bank but we can afford a nice vacation and since we haven't traveled much we're not looking for the cheap options.
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Not everyone is comfortable with this or wants to bother figuring it out, but this is plenty of time to rack up sign-up bonuses/transferrable points from Chase (do them first), AMEX, and Cap1 to potentially get really comfortable flights overseas with points. Flying over the ocean in economy sucks, but you can get business class (sometimes with flat seats so you can sleep) for decent value with points vs. cash. That said, Premium Economy is good enough.
 
Congrats!
Our 30th is in October and we're doing a trip of Budapest and Vienna. Due to flight planning, we'll be adding a day before in London and a day in Rome at the end. We've been to both multiple times, this will be our 10th time in Italy, but it makes for nice bookends for the trip.
We've travelling extensively in our 30+ years together and we're kind of looking at this as our last huge trip. Can't wait!

If you're looking for a little Europe but also want beaches, I would consider Sicily. We stayed here as part of the trip and it was awesome. Sicily exceeded our expectations in a lot of ways. You can never go wrong with Italy, imo.
 
congratulations if you decide to stay in the usa dont overlook beloit wisconsin it has a beach on the rock river which has a lot less pollution these days and a parnera and there are also additional parneras in janesville and nearby machesney park just over the border in luxurious illinois so what i am saying is i think beloit would wow your wife take that to the bank brochacho
 
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New Zealand in U.S. fall/winter months (we went Nov and December) was AMAZING, favorite place we have ever been. We spent 6 weeks and went all around both islands, just making our way from Auckland down to Queenstown.

Spring/Summer I'd consider Japan - which can be city (Tokyo), countryside (Kyoto area), mountainous (north), and beachy (Okinawa)

I would recommend against Bali, personally. I have been multiple times and basically find it to be Australia's Mexico. For which I could just go to Mexico with a much more comfortable travel experience.

Places we haven't been but want to: Galapagos (if you SCUBA), Fiji, Maldives, South Africa (and surrounding, SAFARI!!!), French Countryside
 
massraider said:
Get a lot for your money in Spain. Avoid the party spots, the Brits are like locusts
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When I was in the Netherlands recently, the country had an entire advertising campaign aimed at British tourists, specifically the guys who come for the stag do's (bachelor parties), warning them that they will, in fact, be arrested if they get out of line, even in Amsterdam.
 
Booking Excellence El Carmen ((Dominican Republic) 10 days in February.
After 10+ Cruises, we realized that our favorite cruise days were the ones where we got off the ship and went to the beach. We've been doing Caribbean / Cancun Adult all-inclusive for the last several years and loving it. The resorts and flights are fairly cheap. Me and the wife can both drink like fish so we certainly get our money's worth. Definitely want to do Europe at some point. Ireland, and Portugal Azores are on our bucket list. It's just hard to give up that 84 degree sunshine and all you can eat / drink.
 
If you have never been to Italy, go. Maybe you could spend a few days on Sardinia for beach time, and then head to mainland and explore the various sites, maybe a relaxing break for some spas and wine in the Tuscany area in between sightseeing.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone have a lot to think about. Especially SWC since I wouldn’t even have to fill up my car to make that trip happen. This will hopefully be the first of many overseas trips as we’re entering that phase of life now
 
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Bossman said:
Booking Excellence El Carmen ((Dominican Republic) 10 days in February.
After 10+ Cruises, we realized that our favorite cruise days were the ones where we got off the ship and went to the beach. We've been doing Caribbean / Cancun Adult all-inclusive for the last several years and loving it. The resorts and flights are fairly cheap. Me and the wife can both drink like fish so we certainly get our money's worth. Definitely want to do Europe at some point. Ireland, and Portugal Azores are on our bucket list. It's just hard to give up that 84 degree sunshine and all you can eat / drink.
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Also recommend Caribbean for beachy times. We spent November in Antigua this past year and it was beautiful and wonderful.
 
My wife and I did our 10th anniversary in New Zealand so I will throw another vote in there. It was amazing. One of my favorite places. I would probably move there if we didn't have kids that I want to be near their extended family.

It's the perfect combination of scenery, friendly people, etc. Their culture is also not THAT different from ours so it's not a shock, which can be both a good thing as it's easy to slide right in but also potentially a negative if exploring a very different culture is something you're looking for.

Also nice bonus, there are virtually no predators on the entire island so when you're out hiking the incredible scenery you don't have to worry about stepping on a snake or getting mauled by a mountain lion. There are plenty of mosquitos, though.

We're doing our 15th anniversary in a couple months and are doing Lake Como and the Dolomites in Northern Italy. It's our 3rd trip to Italy. Just an amazing country that I could go back to dozens of times.
 
jamny said:
Congrats!
Our 30th is in October and we're doing a trip of Budapest and Vienna. Due to flight planning, we'll be adding a day before in London and a day in Rome at the end. We've been to both multiple times, this will be our 10th time in Italy, but it makes for nice bookends for the trip.
We've travelling extensively in our 30+ years together and we're kind of looking at this as our last huge trip. Can't wait!

If you're looking for a little Europe but also want beaches, I would consider Sicily. We stayed here as part of the trip and it was awesome. Sicily exceeded our expectations in a lot of ways. You can never go wrong with Italy, imo.
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Niiice, beautiful cities you are going to love it
 
So many ways you can go. We're going to Greece in September. Combination of Athens, Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini. Get some history, culture beaches on the islands. Loved our Portugal/Spain trip. We did Porto, Lisbon, down to the Algarve (beaches), then up to Seville, Granada and ended in Barcelona. Fantastic trip. Italy is always high on my list. We did Florence, Venice, Rome. Got on the water but it wasn't a beachy trip. But if you get up to the Amalfi Coast it could be. Australia is great as well. Huge country and impossible to cover but you have Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Great Barrier Reef, etc. New Zealand another great option.
 
Have you given any thought to a cruise? It's a great way to see many different places without having to manage many logistics. I'm not suggesting one of the large, contemporary ships that most people on the board think of when they think "cruising."

Maybe one of the upper premium lines like Oceania or a luxury line like Crystal or Silversea? Or a river cruise in Europe.

Since you may not have much experience planning your own international travel, having a good travel agent to help you plan and manage your expectations is invaluable. Yes, they do exist, and there are some excellent ones out there. Some of the most well-traveled people I know are travel advisors, and they know the good, the bad, and the ugly. And you don't even have to pay them to keep you away from the latter two.
 
jamny said:
Congrats!
Our 30th is in October and we're doing a trip of Budapest and Vienna. Due to flight planning, we'll be adding a day before in London and a day in Rome at the end. We've been to both multiple times, this will be our 10th time in Italy, but it makes for nice bookends for the trip.
We've travelling extensively in our 30+ years together and we're kind of looking at this as our last huge trip. Can't wait!

If you're looking for a little Europe but also want beaches, I would consider Sicily. We stayed here as part of the trip and it was awesome. Sicily exceeded our expectations in a lot of ways. You can never go wrong with Italy, imo.
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Thank you this is exactly what we're looking for. Definitely on the short list
 
Senor Schmutzig said:
Have you given any thought to a cruise? It's a great way to see many different places without having to manage many logistics. I'm not suggesting one of the large, contemporary ships that most people on the board think of when they think "cruising."

Maybe one of the upper premium lines like Oceania or a luxury line like Crystal or Silversea? Or a river cruise in Europe.

Since you may not have much experience planning your own international travel, having a good travel agent to help you plan and manage your expectations is invaluable. Yes, they do exist, and there are some excellent ones out there. Some of the most well-traveled people I know are travel advisors, and they know the good, the bad, and the ugly. And you don't even have to pay them to keep you away from the latter two.
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This is great advice thank you. My wife has found a travel agent that we'll be talking to in the next month or two.
 
Pipes said:
Senor Schmutzig said:
Have you given any thought to a cruise? It's a great way to see many different places without having to manage many logistics. I'm not suggesting one of the large, contemporary ships that most people on the board think of when they think "cruising."

Maybe one of the upper premium lines like Oceania or a luxury line like Crystal or Silversea? Or a river cruise in Europe.

Since you may not have much experience planning your own international travel, having a good travel agent to help you plan and manage your expectations is invaluable. Yes, they do exist, and there are some excellent ones out there. Some of the most well-traveled people I know are travel advisors, and they know the good, the bad, and the ugly. And you don't even have to pay them to keep you away from the latter two.
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This is great advice thank you. My wife has found a travel agent that we'll be talking to in the next month or two.
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you have had some great suggestions and if they travel agent that has been recommended to you doesnt work out , gimme a shout as i am a travel agent
 
beloit has a lot of the same letters as toilet and everyone enjoys a nice toilet on vacation that is all i am sayin take that to the bank bromigos
 
Pipes said:
jamny said:
Congrats!
Our 30th is in October and we're doing a trip of Budapest and Vienna. Due to flight planning, we'll be adding a day before in London and a day in Rome at the end. We've been to both multiple times, this will be our 10th time in Italy, but it makes for nice bookends for the trip.
We've travelling extensively in our 30+ years together and we're kind of looking at this as our last huge trip. Can't wait!

If you're looking for a little Europe but also want beaches, I would consider Sicily. We stayed here as part of the trip and it was awesome. Sicily exceeded our expectations in a lot of ways. You can never go wrong with Italy, imo.
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Thank you this is exactly what we're looking for. Definitely on the short list
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Happy to answer any questions. Feel free to DM.
 
Be careful with Spain. They have been really trying to curb over-tourism especially in Barcelona. I don't know how well received tourists are right now.
 
Would highly recommend Italy. You could make Florence and Positano your hubs and potentially do day trips to Tuscany, Venice, Capri, Pompeii, Rome, etc. Or, make Rome a 3rd stop. Florence has an amazing old world feel, is super walkable and has great museums and the Duomo. Positano is mostly tourists but has killer views, nice beach, etc. High speed trains are so convenient, although you would need to hire transportation from Naples to Positano.
 
3 hour lunch said:
potentially do day trips to Tuscany, Venice,
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I went to Italy for work many years back. Meetings ended early so I had a day to explore. I ended up taking the train to Venice. I got the tickets for the train to arrive early in the morning and catch the last train back. I was by myself. I finished up Venice in about 90 minutes to two hours. It was very touristy and just kind of blah. Some parts were ok but in the end I felt like I was a tourist just looking at some people's houses as I walked around. I ended up taking a nap on a park bench because I had to wait for the train to return to return. I spent about 8 hours there and I could have done it in two.


Also, as I have already said, there is nothing in Tuscany. Don't even try.
 
We do some form of a 2 week vacation with Viking River Cruises every year towards the end of March for our anniversary. Started with the Rhine Amsterdam to Basel, then did Bucharest to Budapest with a Transylvania extension, and we just did the Danube Passau to Budapest with a sound of music/Neuschwanstein castle extension. It’s not for everyone but we have enjoyed each trip. They run an Amsterdam to Budapest cruise that hits a ton of spots. They usually include free economy flights but you can upgrade to Premium or Business class. Something to think about if you haven’t been to Europe.
 
Does anyone have any recommendations based on their experience in Morocco? We're planning on going in late December to early January and I'm considering a tour for 10-14 days. We usually shy away from tours, but all things considered , we're looking at options at this point.
 
Ridgeback said:
Does anyone have any recommendations based on their experience in Morocco? We're planning on going in late December to early January and I'm considering a tour for 10-14 days. We usually shy away from tours, but all things considered , we're looking at options at this point.
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I organized a private group tour for Morocco last September. I can answer questions about Morocco and also help book a tour for you as I am a travel agent. Just DM
 
Judge Smails said:
So many ways you can go. We're going to Greece in September. Combination of Athens, Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini. Get some history, culture beaches on the islands. Loved our Portugal/Spain trip. We did Porto, Lisbon, down to the Algarve (beaches), then up to Seville, Granada and ended in Barcelona. Fantastic trip. Italy is always high on my list. We did Florence, Venice, Rome. Got on the water but it wasn't a beachy trip. But if you get up to the Amalfi Coast it could be. Australia is great as well. Huge country and impossible to cover but you have Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Great Barrier Reef, etc. New Zealand another great option.
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My wife and I went to Greece a few years ago. It was absolutely by far the best place we've ever visited. We've been all over Europe and Greece is the only destination we plan on returning to.
 
Am I the only weirdo that doesn't find sight seeing enjoyable?
I hear of people taking vacations to, and posting facebook photos of, Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, London, etc. and my interest level is very low.
Maybe because I've yet to do it? ... but the thought of going to these places to see ancient architecture and being among dozens or hundreds of other tourists just doesn't appeal to me.
I would much rather be in the shade, on a beach, some place exotic / tropical, with family and friends, lots of food and alcohol at my disposal, no schedule and no place to go.
What am I missing?
 
Bossman said:
Am I the only weirdo that doesn't find sight seeing enjoyable?
I hear of people taking vacations to, and posting facebook photos of, Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, London, etc. and my interest level is very low.
Maybe because I've yet to do it? ... but the thought of going to these places to see ancient architecture and being among dozens or hundreds of other tourists just doesn't appeal to me.
I would much rather be in the shade, on a beach, some place exotic / tropical, with family and friends, lots of food and alcohol at my disposal, no schedule and no place to go.
What am I missing?
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Same
 
Bossman said:
Am I the only weirdo that doesn't find sight seeing enjoyable?
I hear of people taking vacations to, and posting facebook photos of, Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, London, etc. and my interest level is very low.
Maybe because I've yet to do it? ... but the thought of going to these places to see ancient architecture and being among dozens or hundreds of other tourists just doesn't appeal to me.
I would much rather be in the shade, on a beach, some place exotic / tropical, with family and friends, lots of food and alcohol at my disposal, no schedule and no place to go.
What am I missing?
Click to expand...

I like both beach vacations(that usually means lots of fishing!) and I like trips to new york to visit the met, see a broadway show, or i also like really roughing it multi-day backpacking trips to wilderness country in the rockies or even better alaska. Ski vacations are also fun.

European road trips, awesome. Can't wait to do another.

Family trips at giant zoolike family resorts ala great wolf lodge, also fun.



The family vacation I really want to do is a 5 day horse outfitted backpacking trip in cloud peak wilderness area. I have been selling my wife on the idea of it being a trip of a lifetime for us when our kids get 12-15ish.
 
Bossman said:
Am I the only weirdo that doesn't find sight seeing enjoyable?
I hear of people taking vacations to, and posting facebook photos of, Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, London, etc. and my interest level is very low.
Maybe because I've yet to do it? ... but the thought of going to these places to see ancient architecture and being among dozens or hundreds of other tourists just doesn't appeal to me.
I would much rather be in the shade, on a beach, some place exotic / tropical, with family and friends, lots of food and alcohol at my disposal, no schedule and no place to go.
What am I missing?
Click to expand...
Being there in person.

Pictures don't do any of that justice. Being in culture that old... Experiencing it first hand- eye and mind opening.

Same goes for nature. Pictures of redwood trees don't explain what walking through them feels like.

And I freaking love hanging on a beach.
 
I enjoy different types of vacation. downtime is important for all of them.

As far as sightseeing- I like seeing what makes a culture a culture and learning about the history of what made it so. I like museums and ruins. I cannot stand crowds, so much of what I/we do is independent. Sometimes crowds are not avoidable.
 
I’m late to this thread. The amalfi coast during shoulder season would be amazing. As would Sicily or Greece. In shoulder season!
 
Just got back from a nice trip on Monday. London, Budapest, Vienna and Rome. Had a great time but it'll probably be the last trip to Rome. It was our 4th time and it just seems to get more crowded and dirty each time. And the tourists seem to be really inexperienced, a lot of ugly Americans vibe.
The outskirts of every city were covered in graffiti too. I don't know if I just notice it more now since I moved out of NY away from that kinda crap but it was very surprising.
It didn't help that I got a knee injury a week before leaving and hobbled my way around the cobblestone streets and millions of stairs. Glad I didn't have to run at any airports or train stations.
Oh, and we took home a nice souvenir of covid. Yay! :cough:

Still, had some great food, surprisingly good wine from Hungary and Austria and awesome beer. The only bad weather was in Vienna and it still was our favorite stop. Budapest is a real up-n-coming city. Impressive architecture and food scene. London and Rome were stop overs to gather ourselves after and before the big flights so they were only a day and a half each. We've been to London twice before so avoided most of the touristy things and just did pub crawls. Love that city!

I'd still like to see Edinburgh but our European trips are probably coming to an end. I'm glad we saw everything else we've wanted to see over the past 30+ years.
 
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question for the team...

it has been a long time since we have visited Europe.
our SOP was to visit the town's info center. request a room and provide specs. choose room.

we would only pre-book rooms for the nights we arrived and departed.

Is this still common practice?

danke
 
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