Need travel recs! (Non-US)

[trillionaire]

Hey all!

I think SO wants to plan a trip, and he asked me to create a list of places that I would like to go. I''d love to hear your suggestions of non-US places that you have travelled. Any amazing places? Any terrible ones? Affordable ones? Really pricey ones?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Where do you live (so we get an idea of which coast/kind of weather you current live in)? What kind of vacation are you looking for? Sight seeing or lounging on the beach? European or tropical?

 

[cellososweet]

Cheapest beach-side vacation with privacy and total relaxation: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (go further south towards Mislamoya and Conchas Chinas)

Most expensive beach-side vacation with privacy and total relaxation: Anywhere in the Seychelles

City with tons of history, cultural variety, a slightly off-beat vibe and lots of things to do and see: Barcelona, Spain

Place to immerse yourself in the culture and really learn something new: China (away from the cities)

My personal favorite because I''m biased and I was born there: South Island, New Zealand.

Yes, please let us know specifics on what you''re looking for so we can narrow it down. There are so many great places. If you''re a foodie, I could suggest other places. If you''re outdoorsy, I could suggest even more.

Good luck!

 

[trillionaire]

Date: 7/7/2009 7:25:13 PM
Author: MC
Where do you live (so we get an idea of which coast/kind of weather you current live in)? What kind of vacation are you looking for? Sight seeing or lounging on the beach? European or tropical?

anything is on the table

we are on the east coast of the US, and I have only been to Mexico and Jamaica. Would like to try other places...

 

[cellososweet]

Hmmmm. . . there are a ton of places in Europe that are excellent and aren''t as expensive. Northern Europe is ripe with deals, history, and amazing surprises (like a ton of daylight. I swear the sun doesn''t set in Sweden).

The Netherlands are amazing. Amsterdam. Tulips. Fooooood! Nightlife. There''s also De Wallen, if that''s your thing. Haha. It is interesting to walk through.

Ireland/Scotland/Wales will take your breath away with natural beauty. Horse rides on the beach, beautiful castles, the greenest pastures, cliffsides, land in general that you will ever see.

South America has great options, but is definitely warmer. So if you aren''t looking for hot hot hot, I wouldn''t venture there. But man, the food and the people are amazing.

What was your favorite vacation and why? Or what do you imagine being your favorite vacation? The world is huge!

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

I''ve been to some pretty sweet destination spots and I can recommend some of my faves:

Beach and snorkel: Grand Cayman
Expedition: Egypt
Relaxation: Bali
History: Mediterranean (Athens, Rome, etc)
Romance: France or Italy
Party: Brazil (FI has been, I have not.... yet)
Party (and not remember it): Amsterdam

 

[kittybean]

Lake Como, Italy!

We were just there on our honeymoon, and of all the gorgeous places I''ve seen in the world, I think it is number 1 on my list. It''s just breathtakingly beautiful, and who doesn''t love lounging around on a boat with gorgeous mountains and greenery and towns and villas surrounding you?

 

[anyname]

My favorite place in the world is Hong Kong, but i wouldn''t recommend going in the summer because it''s so hot and humid. Switzerland is beautiful! Japan is about the cutest place i have ever seen. England is nice, the country side is spectacular. Paris is glamorous. China is also a lot of fun.

I can''t think of any place that was really terrible. And you can travel on almost any budget.

 

[princesss]

If you''re into rainforest and beaches, Panama is a good choice. Cheaper and fewer tourists than Costa Rica, but awesome for seeing animals and gorgeous forests.

Morocco was AWESOME. I absolutely loved it. Marrakech was great, but given the choice to go again and I''d also go to Fez and Casablanca.

Spain is fantastic, Barcelona was my favourite. If you don''t speak Spanish, it''s a great city to go to as most people would rather speak English than Spanish. At least everybody I talked to preferred to speak in English even though I was fluent in Spanish.

Paris is my favourite. So many streets to walk down, so many beautiful buildings to visit...I can''t wait to go back. I''ve been twice and the city honestly never gets old.

And if you''ve got the cash, Southeast Asia! Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam....oh man. All of them are fantastic and worth a visit.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 7/7/2009 9:01:51 PM
Author: kittybean
Lake Como, Italy!

We were just there on our honeymoon, and of all the gorgeous places I've seen in the world, I think it is number 1 on my list. It's just breathtakingly beautiful, and who doesn't love lounging around on a boat with gorgeous mountains and greenery and towns and villas surrounding you?

I loved loved loved Lake Como and the Amalfi coast of Italy; it is all gorgeous there! I also love Paris, it is so romantic!

 

[kittybean]

Date: 7/7/2009 10:11:17 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 7/7/2009 9:01:51 PM

Author: kittybean

Lake Como, Italy!

We were just there on our honeymoon, and of all the gorgeous places I''ve seen in the world, I think it is number 1 on my list. It''s just breathtakingly beautiful, and who doesn''t love lounging around on a boat with gorgeous mountains and greenery and towns and villas surrounding you?

I loved loved loved Lake Como and the Amalfi coast of Italy; it is all gorgeous there! I also love Paris, it is so romantic!

Yes, the Amalfi Coast is amazing too! I loved going out to Capri and driving a boat around the island (I have a thing for boats, I guess).

The Costa del Sol in southern Spain is such a fun, interesting summer spot as well. You can take a few days to sightsee in Granada and Sevilla, then lounge on the beach with Spain''s jet set in Marbella and Puerto Vanus.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Hmm...my favorite place ever so far is New Zealand. Gorgeous country (I was only in the South Island, but it''s so lush and beautiful), really nice people, and just a great time renting a car and driving around the island. Saw seals and dolphins, hiked a glacier, went on a helicopter ride landing on a glacier, BF bungy jumped and sky-dived, went horseback riding, went to an ice bar, went on a cruise into Milford Sound, etc. LOVE it.

Also loved Spain. I was mostly in Madrid, which I loved, but Barcelona is just SO MUCH FUN! Beaches are fun (prepare for some toplessness however), and the culture is fantastic. Also went to Sevilla, Toledo and Segovia - saw flamenco, went to the Prado and the Thyssen and the Reina Sofia in Madrid, went up to the TV Tower in Barcelona, etc. Much more of an urban touristy experience than New Zealand, but very fun.

Lived in Tokyo last summer. Most foreign for me, because I speak Spanish (so no problem in Spain) but don''t speak Japanese at all. Really fascinating though ... we went to Kyoto and saw so many temples (Kiyomizudera is my absolute favorite - be prepared to want to spend hours there, it''s just so beautiful, and even with the crowds, tranquil), went to Nagoya and saw sumo, went all around Tokyo, climbed Mt. Takao outside Tokyo, etc. Definitely worth going to, but a bit expensive.

Oh and I''ll be going to South America in a few weeks, so I will definitely let you know how that goes! We''ll be going to Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.


Depending on how things go with work, our bar trip might end up being a full year. So we were originally planning on going to Africa (South Africa, Tanzania, and Egypt), but we''re also going to add maybe Argentina, and SE Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia), and China and Korea. And hopefully Europe too (France and Italy). And we''re hoping to go to Costa Rica and Belize sometime in the near future - so those are on our list, if that helps any.

 

[chiapet]

I agree with the previous poster: Bali is great for relaxation. Depending on which area you go to, you''ll get rice paddies and tranquil villages or party beachside resorts. I looooove Hong Kong but it''s not for relaxation. Turks & Caicos is so far my favorite beach place.

 

[lala2332]

i''m going in a month....so can''t 100% recommend, but Belize! Its pretty inexpensive as well!