OT: Your Best Vacation
1. Relaxing and super kid friendly....“Beaches” Turks and Caicos.
2. Life changing...tour of Israel.
T&C had some of the best weather and nice relaxing beaches. Not a ton to do, but good for lazing around.
Just replying here (easier.) Traverse City and Key West are probably my favorites if you go at the right time of year.
I would delay any travel plans. I just got back from a short trip up north. Rest stops etc folks are not wearing masks and being careful. I;m staying home the rest of the summer. Sorry to be a down, but be safe first.
I enjoyed San Diego and Porto Rico as vacations. Any time away from work is good.
Road trips :)
With family to mountains. Driving along the curving roads. Colorado.
By myself to Olympia National Park. Loved it.
With friends - UP, where else.
- Playa del Carmen in 1998. Hear it’s changed a lot since then.
- Grand Cayman
- Leelanau County
- Smoky Mountains
- New River Gorge
- Charleston, SC
Playa del Carmen is pretty unrecognizable from when I first started going ~15 yrs ago. Can only imagine adding 7 yrs to that time frame. Still a great place but the town is no longer a small, relatively unknown relaxed town
Beach- Maldives (only affordable on points unless you are loaded)
City: Tokyo
Scotland. Not even close.
Hawaii and Alaska are the closest 2a and 2b, but they’re pretty distant.
Alaska
was close to moving there a couple of times. Visit my friends semi-frequently .
College coach ran a salmon fishing camp there...you'd be a perfect fit for Alaska. Self-sufficiency makes life much easier there.
two long time friends live there. the guys i go adventuring with are not only the two greatest outdoorsmen i know, but also are both engineers and can fix about any kind of motor or electronic device known to man. we have had some of the most memorable trips, wild stuff, in the bush, out in the ocean, one is a pilot, hunt, fish, you name it. have started taking my kids up there, 1 or 2 at a time. love that place. could easily see spending months of the year there if/when i live long enough to do something like retirement.
Italy-best food
germany-best beer
Austria-best scenery
Paris-awesome city
scotland-unreal fun golf courses, great whiskey for cheap
Amsterdam-best nightlife
San Diego/Vegas are both fun
New Orleans is very sweet. Tons of culture.
thought of a few more, I never realized I’ve traveled so much
alaska-best Wildlife
if you want to stay in the US and want beaches I highly recommend Marthas vineyard. It’s awesome
my favorite is still Germany or Italy so far. I would wait like others have said to make travel plans. There will be deals when this is all over
+1000 I've been to all of those places and agree with your assessment of each.
I'd add
Wales - people who talk like my wife...oh yes, and all my in-laws there.
England.- Stonehenge, castles, lager
I was in NOLA a few years ago for New Year’s. Insane.
Now you're just bragging. But the best beer is in Belgium, IMO. Beer culture is super fun in Germany, and there's nothing like Oktoberfest. But Belgian beer is superior.
Agree that international travel is tough at this point. I don't think many countries are even allowing American visitors yet.
In Belgium there is an "Airborne Beer" that they serve in house in a (fake) WWII helmet.
It was named after an American paratrooper, Vincent Speranza, in the 101st Airborne that during the war filled up his helmet with beer to bring to wounded soldiers in a hospital during the siege of Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge. He made three trips with his beer helmet to bring holiday cheer to wounded soldiers until he was caught by an officer that made him stop.
Why the helmet? Story goes he found a pub that had been ruined and didn't see any mugs so he improvised.
The brewer that makes the beer is actually in Bastogne.
Picture -> Link
Great story. I was not aware of that beer and I know too much about Belgian beer.
I’ll take your word for it. I haven’t gotten to Belgium yet. But man the beer culture in Germany was awesome. Never found myself with a hangover either. Beer here is just garbage to what they have, and I’m not a beer snob
Italy is the best food for sure. Florence and Bologna have excellent food scenes. Parione in Florence is the best restaurant I've ever been to.
I don't think anyone has mentioned Portugal. Very friendly. Reasonably priced. If you go make sure Porto and the Douro Valley are stops.
And then there is London. I could walk around that town for days. Pop in and out of pubs. And the international food scene is very good. Current favorites appear to be. Indian (always), Peruvian and Vietnamese.
Have not been to Scotland or New Orleans, but my favorites are, in order:
Italy
Athens and the Greek Isles
England, Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands
Maui, Kauai, Molakai
Alaska
All of the Caribbean except Turks Caicos, St. Lucia, and Nevis. Really liked St. Barts.
Head to the beach my man. Just make sure it’s a big beach so you have plenty of room.
Went for a visit to Phoenix via LA. It was cheaper that way. Spent a week in Hermosa, Venice beach (hit the gym seemed necessary) and Hollywood/LA/beverly hills. Then spent another week in Phoenix. The drive was peaceful and kids were teens who actually enjoy seeing other places rather than their phone screens. I absolutely love the desert southwest. I'd love to retire there
Close second was Budhapest via Switzerland/Austria/Germany. Went with US track team for a few weeks. It was amazing. Th culture and beauty of the cities is remarkable. They don't destroy statues...
That's not true at all. The Allies and Germany have destroyed the vast majority of Nazi statues and monuments. The rest that were mostly impractical or too expensive to destroy have been thoughtfully "de-glorified." If you think what remains was what once existed, you're very badly mistaken.
Fair enough and solid point...I was there in the 80s it was a slightly different world at that point. So much of the history still intact.
What history do you think was "intact" in the 80's that isn't there now?
Germany never built monuments to the people that nearly ruined their country in WWII. That's something we should have copied. Sadly, we let angry and bitter racists put statues up to glorify traitors and slavers all over the fucking country instead.
at 18...to me it was all amazing, statues everywhere, I have a scrapbook...you are welcome to go through it. I have sincerely no idea who they were, I was in five different countries over 17 days...and the rate we are going right now, I'd bet 3/4 of the statues would be torn down for something they did thousands of years ago that now offends someone. Apparently, the entire concept just went woosh...
None of what you are talking about has happened anywhere in Europe outside of a few examples of slavers and tyrants having their statues removed. Why on earth would anyone want to celebrate a man who made his fortune buying and selling other human beings? Or a King who ordered and reveled in the systematic torture and extermination of an enslaved population?
What kind of sick bastard would think those are good things to have in the public space as an homage to those horrible human beings?
Deep breath...we are undoubtedly speaking on opposite ends of this conversation. The fountains of berchtesgaden and the early musicians of the region, leaders and founders of many of their villages...not sure what you are even describing. What I saw in Europe, many were centuries old. Again...woosh...right over your head.
*Ahhh quick search of your posts makes sense now...did you know? There is a small arrow in the upper right corner of each post.? You can click on it and the post collapses...thanks for the senseless tirade. I'll be using the arrow feature.
Vilnius and Kaunas, Lithuania. Even the overnight bus trip to get there was a blast.
The Baltics are underrated as a travel destination.
As a Lithuanian-American, that is my dream trip.
Hilton Head, SC was amazing. Our condo was on the first hole of the course they play the RBC Heritage every year. There's great food, great nightlife, and the ocean.
I though Kaunas was a little boring, but the main boulevard was under construction. We loved our days in Vilnius and hanging out on the Baltic coast was a good time, too.
The Baltics are the bomb!
My wife and I were in Tallinn, Vilnius and Riga last summer. Great food, very affordable for Europe and beautiful architecture to be found everywhere.
It was a bit of a whirlwind trip starting in Russia(visiting family) and ending in Poland, but was great overall and enjoyed every country we visited.
went to Alaska last summer - daughter in the Air Force in Anchorage
was freaking awesome
Hawaii.
Sapa, Vietnam. Hard to get to, but worth all the effort.
Oia, Greece. Touristy, but amazing beaches and sunsets.
Soca Valley, Slovenia. The most lush amazing mountains and the fly fishing was un-worldly.
Singapore- Amazing City. Great Food. Awesome architecture.
Croatia- beaches, beaches, beaches
Soca Valley is awesome. Bled and Ljubljana are terrific as well. Slovenia is underrated, as you get the Alps for somewhat of a discount. Also within 2-3 hours of Trieste and Pula (I think?) Croatia so great beaches during the summer.
I’d say that as far as tourist infrastructure goes, Sapa Valley is decently accessible as the Viet government has definitely realized its potential as a tourism attraction, and supports the many tours that go there, and it really is a marvel to see. But as far as the actual getting there, yes yes yes. It rains more than half the time and mud plus mountains is not for the faint of heart. We deadass has one guy on our tour group slide six feet off a ledge, thankfully he was fine. And while you’re walking the winding mountain paths, you’re quite often buzzed by the natives on scooters because our once-in-a-lifetime nine kilo hike up and down the often muddy northern Vietnam mountains is basically their Tuesday.
Basically... no joke, an amazing and unforgettable experience.
Ireland or Bali are my top two as long as you like outdoor activities. You can visit both in our summertime too
This is going to sound crazy but we had a pretty lousy family vacation in Bali. Kids were probably too young, we had a bad guide on a day trip, the airport was under construction and packed person to person with no AC. First world problems.
Favorite place ever is New Zealand. Will definitely spend 3 months there upon retirement. Favorite tropical vacation was Koh Samui, Thailand. Enjoyed St. Lucia in the Caribbean. We want to try Turks & Caicos next.
New Zealand is the best place I've been for outdoor adventure. Spent two weeks on the South Island alone but needed 2 months to do it justice. Didn't do anything on the North Island other than make a connection in Auckland to Queenstown, so I'm dying to visit the North Island.
The January after I retire, I'm flying to NZ with my wife and renting a camper van for 3 months.
If your wife isn't available, I'll go. 3 months leisurely soaking up New Zealand? I'm so there.
I honeymooned in Maui. There’s a lot to do, but you can also just hang out at the beach and relax.
We did the sunrise bike ride down Mount Haleakala. That was amazing. We took a bus ride around the island. It’s crazy how many micro-climates they have. There’s a vineyard they stop at for wine testing. We didn’t golf, but we did take a lesson from a golf pro. Luaus are fun. And my wife went parasailing with a 12 year old girl while I kept my fat ass on solid ground. I’m no human kite.
Favorite world cities: Copenhagen and Barcelona.
Favorite nature trips: Iceland ring road, western Norway, Kauai, Torres del Paine, St. Lucia, and the Grand Tetons.
Places high on list to go: Balkans, Belgium, New Zealand, South Korea, and French Polynesia.
Highly recommend visiting South Korea in the fall if you can (outside of the Chuseok period). Best weather and cleanest air at that time. Late spring would also be good, like May or June. The summer monsoons can be rough and it'll be very hot and humid every day, and lots of rain. Seoul is just as cold as Detroit in winter.
Puerto Rico...
Hey Ladies!!!
Best beach/relax/party/affordable luxury - Thailand
Best city exploration/eat - Tokyo
Best skiing - Niseko/Hokkaido
Best hiking trip/outdoors - New Zealand south island or southwest US
Personal favorite - did 2.5 weeks in Europe with my childhood friend when we turned 40. He had never left the states before. We went to London, Berlin, Prague and Rome
Our best vacation ever was 7 days in New Zealand as part of an Australia vacation. A few days on the North Island to check out Auckland and surrounds and the rest of the time on the South Island hiking and doing nature stuff. If it weren't a disgustingly long flight I would go back all the time.
Cancun '98
Parents wanted one more family trip before the older brothers start working full time because they are in college at the time and maybe move away. What made this trip was that my brothers meet some college ladies by the pool who,like us, were from Michigan. At night we went out to eat and who did we run into, but the ladies. We all were dancing and my mom, dad, and 17 year old me, were done and going to call it a night and but my brothers were staying, but one of the ladies pulled me back and said that I'm not going. We got along fantastic. During the day we would do the family thing, at night the 6 of us would go clubbing but always end up at Senor Frogs.
Story of my life, the ladies that love me are the ones who knows nothing will ever happen.