Where are you planning on traveling to next?

[sphenequeen]

I am aching for a vacation and would love to know where you are all planning on taking your next big trip so that I can become inspired to take my first REAL vacation! I have been working full time while putting myself through college and grad school, and I think that next year would be a great time to put my passport to good use.

Additionally, my husband and I have been married almost 4 years now and we never had a honeymoon.

SO, please share with me your vacation plans, hopes, and dreams for the future !

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Ooh! I love talking about travel (if you couldn't guess by my name....)!

DH and I were only married two months ago but we're already planning a trip next summer for our first anniversary.

My little sister is a landscaper architecture major and she'll be spending next summer in Rome, looking at gardens, plazas and such. DH and I want to go out and visit her and then take a cruise the leaves from Rome and hits the Western Med. I hope it works out and we get to take that trip.

Otherwise, DH has an opportunity to go to Vietnam and Cambodia with some of his bosses and I'd get to tag along as well. We'll see if we're fortunate enough to go!

I'm excited to hear where everyone else is going!! I love hearing about people's holidays!!

 

[Blackpaw]

OOh great topic!! i love travel inspiration....

Next trip will be the end of next month to Ireland for a family wedding, should be good fun

But ive been before so im more excited to go to Mexico and then Alaska next year - fingers crossed i can get time off to do both!

Mostly i think id like to go to Nepal, and have a stint in Europe eating good food

sigh, so many trips to do...

 

[Blackpaw]

TG, Vietnam and Cambodia would be great! they're on my list too, ive only been to Thailand in that region....but being Australian they're kinda like the Carribean/Mexico is to the US - they're our cheap and easy to go places, so i figure i have time!!

 

[meresal]

We have a family vacation to Disney World in 4 weeks, then DH and I are going to Hawaii in March, and then I should be traveling the Easter Med with my mom next August/Sept.

Trying to get as much in as possible before we go for baby #2.

 

[sphenequeen]

So far, everyone's plans so So amazing. Rome, Vietnam, Ireland, OH MY!

Travel Goddess, meresal, Blackpaw - if this were your first trip out of the USA, where would you recommend going?

 

[meresal]

Spain, hands down. It was mine, and I LOVED every single second of it!

My favorites were Madrid and Barcelona.

ETA: My opinion... do a cruise of the Med. It was the best way to see many different places without having to fly to each one of them. Incredible trip!

 

[panda08]

June 2011: Jackson Hole, WY/ Yellowstone National Park. Family vacation, we do one annually
July 2011: 9 day safari in Tanzania. I can't wait, I've always wanted to go on a safari.
Summer 2012: Eastern Mediterranean cruise followed by a week in Tuscany. Family vacation.

In the works: Hong Kong this winter. We'll probably do a side trip to Korea, Thailand or Japan.

On my must go list:
Galapagos Islands
New Zealand/Australia
Bhutan
Machu Picchu
Seychelles/Maldives

We love to travel! It's one of life's great pleasures. There are SO many places to see, things to do. The hardest part is whittling down the wish list...

 

[ForteKitty]

I love traveling!

Our next trip will be London, Belgium, Amsterdam in late oct/early nov. Then i'm going to lake tahoe during ski season. So far in 2010, i've visited a friend in Hawaii (r/t flight was around $330, i had to go.. free room!), went to SF in may for a wedding, and took a nice and relaxing trip to French Polynesia in late may/early june (found a deal we couldn't pass up on!). FP was simply spectacular, and we want to go back!

In 2011, we're hoping to do an all inclusive in the spring, just waiting to find a killer deal. In July, I'll be be taking my mom, brother, and bro's gf to Vancouver and Alaska as a graduation present for my brother and his gf ( i went in 2009 w/ the bf, LOVED it!). For August, the bf's family already rented a lakeside cabin in the Adirondacks for a week, and we're gonna visit NYC afterwards. And in Sept, the plan is to spend a week in hawaii w/ college friends around labor day week.

2012, we want to go on the Scandinavian cruise, and my college friends are planning a last hurrah before having kids, so they want to spend 3 weeks traveling thru the south of France and Italy. It's so far away, but my friends already started planning so if their itinerary looks good, we're gonna tag along.

On my to-do-list before I turn 40:

New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia for 3 weeks
Patagonia
Machu Piccu & Galapagos

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Spain, hands down. It was mine, and I LOVED every single second of it!

My favorites were Madrid and Barcelona.

ETA: My opinion... do a cruise of the Med. It was the best way to see many different places without having to fly to each one of them. Incredible trip!

Spain would be a great choice. It was my "first" time out of the States (as an adult - I don't think it really counts being in Korea if I was five and don't remember it!). But my favorite country so far is New Zealand. LOVED it.

I don't have any vacations in the works right now, but I'd love to go back to Korea as an adult, and I'd love to spend a few weeks in Europe (Italy, France, Greece, and the UK). And my absolute dream is to go to the Maldives!

 

[Astra]

Dubrovnik, Croatia next week

April 2011 - NYC

July or August 2011 - Scotland (motorcycle trip)

2012 Alaska... I hope

 

[Circe]

I'm going to New Orleans for a long weekend to celebrate my 3rd anniversary. I've been in love with NO ever since I first read about it in a book, so I'm deeply excited about this. Beignets! French Quarter! Absinthe!

We had a very travely spring - went to Italy for Rome and Florence, unexpectedly spent a few months in London, had side trips to Sweden and Denmark. I love to travel: for me, the important thing is to spend a lot of time walking to get a real feel for the place. So I pick one "thing" each day (museum, show, landmark, whatever) and spend the rest of the day exploring as much around it as I can. It works out nicely!

 

[yennyfire]

Well, we are going to NYC with the kids (ages 4 and 5) in a couple of weeks, so while it's a vacation of sorts, it won't be really relaxing for me, so....

Our next "real" vacation will be in Hawaii if hubby meets his sales goals. Of course, then we have to find someone to watch the kids, which may be next to impossible, but for now, I'm dreaming of Hawaii, as neither of us has ever been.

After that, we'd love to go back to Europe. We got engaged in France and had our honeymoon in Italy (hubby travels almost full time and has for 15 years, so we have TONS of airline/hotel points), but loved both countries so much and only saw such a small part that we'd love to go back.

 

[elrohwen]

DH and I have a weekend to Newport, RI planned this month to celebrate our anniversary. We're not gifty people, so we agreed to take a trip for our anniversary every year, even if it's just a weekend. I started a new job and don't have much vacation time, so we agreed to Newport because it's close and we like it there.

In November we have a trip to the Bahamas with some friends. So excited! We went with four friends two years ago, and now we're going back with those friends, plus a few additions. We've rented a huge house and will spend a week and a half fishing, eating, drinking, and hanging out. I can't wait. I don't think I could do a beach vacation with just DH, because we'd get so bored, but going with friends is the best thing ever.

Next year I think I'd like to go back to Europe. In the past few years we've only been on work trips (and DH has only been once total) so I'd love to go as a vacation. A European vacation would set our house buying back a month or two though, but I think that would be fine. We can't agree where to go though! I'm all for Portugal, Spain, and France. DH is more into Italy, Austria, and Germany (though we both went to Germany already for work). I'd also like to go to the British isles or visit my aunt in Sweden. So many choices!

 

[tyty333]

DH and I have a weekend to Newport, RI planned this month to celebrate our anniversary. We're not gifty people, so we agreed to take a trip for our anniversary every year, even if it's just a weekend. I started a new job and don't have much vacation time, so we agreed to Newport since it's close and we like it there.

In November we have a trip to the Bahamas with some friends. So excited! We went with a couple friends two years ago, and now we're going back with those friends, plus a few additions. We've rented a huge house and will spend a week and a half fishing, eating, drinking, and hanging out. I can't wait.

Oh...where in the Bahamas are you going?

 

[elrohwen]

DH and I have a weekend to Newport, RI planned this month to celebrate our anniversary. We're not gifty people, so we agreed to take a trip for our anniversary every year, even if it's just a weekend. I started a new job and don't have much vacation time, so we agreed to Newport since it's close and we like it there.

In November we have a trip to the Bahamas with some friends. So excited! We went with a couple friends two years ago, and now we're going back with those friends, plus a few additions. We've rented a huge house and will spend a week and a half fishing, eating, drinking, and hanging out. I can't wait.

Oh...where in the Bahamas are you going?

We're going to Great Guana Cay, in the Abacos. It's a very small island, which we love, and the house is gorgeous. It's right next to the island we stayed on two years ago, Green Turtle Cay, which was also awesome. The people there were so friendly, and it was so safe that we never locked the house and left our keys on the boat. November is also a great time to go, because it's after hurricane season, but before the hoardes of tourists really show up, so it's quiet and you can get off-season rates. The house we're staying in was originally $9k per week, but off-season it's only $5k (and we're getting it for $4k, because of a mix-up over the original, smaller house, we wanted, that was $3.5k). Love off-season prices! There are also some hotels/small resorts and things in the island chain, but there isn't any nightlife or shopping or anything really going on - just quiet and relaxation!

 

[Blackpaw]

So far, everyone's plans so So amazing. Rome, Vietnam, Ireland, OH MY!

Travel Goddess, meresal, Blackpaw - if this were your first trip out of the USA, where would you recommend going?

Id suggest Europe for your first OS trip - do the 'big' countries - France, Italy, England, Spain if you have time...

Its very easy to travel in Europe, a lot of people speak English and of course, its beautiful i think you get a very different place to home without any culture-shock there...

For your second trip id recommend Egypt as a great all-round travel destination, but a tiny bit more culture-shock of course.

Come to think of it Tanzania is another good all-rounder (beach and safari - cant go wrong!) - but again a little bit harder to organize and a lot more expensive!

 

[decodelighted]

We're doing the Med Cruise thing -- sampler platter of coastal Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey & back. Its our "big trip" that we're blowing all our air miles on etc. There's a part of me that is worried it will be TORTUROUS to finally be going to some places I've ALWAYS wanted to see, but only be there for EIGHT HOURS -- but DH convinced me that this would test whether we're "cruise" people or not & help us prioritize where we *both* want to go BACK for longer visits. (I've been to France & Italy already, but he hasn't). It was also just too tempting to be able to hit 90% of our "must go" places in a single itinerary -- ending up in our TOP pick on our anniversary.

For a first time trip ... I'd suggest the London/Paris duo. Or, which foreign language did you take in school? That could inform my recommendation ...

 

[princesss]

Let's see:

2010
Dubai for Christmas (if I get the time off approved...*crosses fingers*)

2011
New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup (even if I can't get tickets, I'm going, but I'm hoping to make it to at least one game)

2012
Med. cruise with my family

And hopefully smaller trips fit in there somehow - I'm not very good at staying in the US. I need to get out at least twice a year to feel relatively normal.

 

[Tuckins1]

DH and I are taking our 2 best friends with us to Hawaii next summer... Can't wait!

 

[mimzy]

We're leaving for Istanbul and southern Turkey for 11 days on Wednesday So excited!

Out of all the places I've been thus far in life, Italy and the greek island of Skiathos tops them.

 

[sphenequeen]

I feel like Italy, Spain, or France are my top three choices (in no particular order). Any advice on how to travel these destinations if you are on a modest budget?

 

[usnwife]

We are going to Bahrain this fall.

 

[jaysonsmom]

-The whole family went to Taiwan over the Christmas Holidays last year....

-My husband and I are leaving for Paris tomorrow!

-Next year we want to plan a family cruise with my parents and kids. I'm thinking Disney cruise to Alaska...there will be something for adults and kids.

 

[Blackpaw]

I feel like Italy, Spain, or France are my top three choices (in no particular order). Any advice on how to travel these destinations if you are on a modest budget?

Europe on a budget is tough...staying in hostels is a must (even if you want a private room they're still the cheapest) and of course you meet more people that way. For breakfast and lunch going to local markets is a good way to save cash and sample the amazing produce of France and Italy!! Oh and for some cities there are good museum cards that can save you some bucks if you want to visit a few or more of these...

 

[meresal]

I feel like Italy, Spain, or France are my top three choices (in no particular order). Any advice on how to travel these destinations if you are on a modest budget?

You can find some good deals on Med cruises... so if you can just find cheap airfare to the city you embark from, then that would be the easiest way.

Hotels in Europe can be expensive and travel from country to country will add up as well.

 

[iheartscience]

Hmm, haven't decided on the big trip yet but I'm thinking possibly Alaska. We just got back from Sweden (spent most of the time in Stockholm) so I want to go on a nature trip next. I'm thinking about Ireland, too.

I vote for Spain or Italy for your first out of the country trip. And you can definitely do it on a budget! I'd get a Lonely Planet or Let's Go Europe book for whichever country you pick and then follow all the budget tips!

 

[sphenequeen]

Hmm, haven't decided on the big trip yet but I'm thinking possibly Alaska. We just got back from Sweden (spent most of the time in Stockholm) so I want to go on a nature trip next. I'm thinking about Ireland, too.

I vote for Spain or Italy for your first out of the country trip. And you can definitely do it on a budget! I'd get a Lonely Planet or Let's Go Europe book for whichever country you pick and then follow all the budget tips!

Thank you for the tip! I will definitely buy those books ASAP and do some research.

I just LOVE hearing about everyone's upcoming trips - this is making me anxious to get away!

 

[redfaerythinker]

My mom and I are leaving for a week in New York on the 17th and then the week after we are flying over to Amsterdam for about a week. We're so excited for Amsterdam as neither of us have been there before. I'm a little nervous though because I speak NO Dutch whatsoever.

 

[AprilBaby]

Leaving Tomorrow for London and then Barcelona to catch a Mediterranean cruise including Italy, Tunisia, Malta, Corsica, Monaco, and France. Our Thirtieth Anniversary will be in Rome!