Best vacation ever?

[tosugrad]

So I am starting the planning for my 2009 vacation. Typically its 7-10 days and outside the US. My original thoughts were:

Russia (Moscow, St Pete)
Victoria, BC
Buenos Aires, Argentina + wine country

I then started to wonder what you all thought were some of the best places to visit.

My best ever was my wife and I spent a month in New Zealand and Australia. I don't have that much time away now as we have young kids.

So if you had 7-10 days and could visit someplace great (with your wife/partner) where would it be?

 

[Ponyboy]

The family and I did Germany and Austria a few years ago and had a blast. Saw family, fished, visited the Porsche and Benz museums, Neuschwanstein, the Ruf factory, and Salzburg. We mainly went to visit family but had such a good time that we thought about buying a vacation home around Bodensee.

Next is Italy or Japan.

 

[tosugrad]

The family and I did Germany and Austria a few years ago and had a blast. Saw family, fished, visited the Porsche and Benz museums, Neuschwanstein, the Ruf factory, and Salzburg. We mainly went to visit family but had such a good time that we thought about buying a vacation home around Bodensee.

Next is Italy or Japan.

We did Octoberfest / Salzburg / Venice last year. Great trip!

I did Japan in 1999 alone and it was a blast. My wife would have a hard time with the food, I think.

 

[CL65 Captain]

Buenos Aires.... Went a couple of years ago. Was surprised how European the city is. Cheap, great food - especially Italian food, great night life, and cheap. Did I mention cheap? You think our economy sucks? Theirs has sucked for the last 8 years. Stayed at a 4 star hotel for $50 night and got them to throw in breakfast every morning and a car to pick us up and drop off at the airport.


jamesackerman.net/ar

 

[pingu81]

7-10 days in Victoria alone is overkill IMO. If you plan to do Victoria, break it up. Fly into Vancouver. See the city for a few days. Rent a car, and take the ferry across to Victoria. Or even better, there are bus tours which will do trips over to the island from Vancouver. Westcoast Canada is pretty nice but it may have too many similarities to the US in order to be classified as "best vacation ever". Russia and Buenos Aires would probably be a better experience but on the otherhand the overall trips would probably hit your wallet harder.

 

[Dtrigg]

Buenos Aires.... Went a couple of years ago. Was surprised how European the city is. Cheap, great food - especially Italian food, great night life, and cheap. Did I mention cheap? You think our economy sucks? Theirs has sucked for the last 8 years. Stayed at a 4 star hotel for $50 night and got them to throw in breakfast every morning and a car to pick us up and drop off at the airport.



jamesackerman.net/ar

DEAD ON. Buenos Aires is a wonderful city. It's often refered to as the "Paris of South America". They devalued their currency a number of years ago and it is very cheap. Great food, people, etc.

Actually, I have been thinking of purchasing some property there.

My best trip ever...

Flew into Singapore for a few days, took a train to Kuala Lumpur for a while and then flew to Phuket in Thailand to pick up a 54’ CT sailboat with a Captain and 1st mate. I had owned and raced an ocean going sailboat in the past, so the Captain let me sail as much as I wanted. We sailed out through the Andaman Sea and in Pang Na Bay for a little over a week. Then we flew to Bangkok and on to home. Fantastic trip.

 

[RSO 34]

Galapagos Islands.

More photos here.

I went twice with Lindblad Expeditions.

 

[davidf]

My wife wants to eventually go to Italy when the last of her 2 kids are out of the house. I told her if I go to Italy, I won't be coming back. I would love to live there.

 

[Dtrigg]

NOT FAIR! Bob's photos could make the inside of a dumpster look wonderful! As always, thanks for sharing those. Fantastic.

 

[docjohn]

I'm sure you have seen this but if you don't log on to msn this was on today:smile: http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=591539&GT1=41000

 

[tosugrad]

I'm sure you have seen this but if you don't log on to msn this was on today:smile: http://travel.msn.com//Guides/MSNTravelSlideShow.aspx?cp-documentid=591539&GT1=41000

This is good. Thanks!

 

[Fastrunner]

Last July, my wife and I took a month long vacation in Europe. Instead of using a travel agent, we decided to wing it. We ended up spending time in France, England, Germany and Italy. One of our more memorable moments: We don’t speak Italian, and when we tried to buy train tickets from Rome to Florence with an automated ticket machine, naturally we searched for Florence. It took us a while to realize that Italians refer to it as Firenze, not Florence. :tongue: :biggrin:

 

[Dtrigg]

Just be careful of the Euro and Pound Exchange. If you go to the UK or Europe for example, just expect everything is going to cost you twice as much as you pay here. Loved it when I lived in Europe and was paid in Pounds:biggrin:.

I was on a plane not too long ago. The lady I sat next to told me that she and her husband were checking into a hotel in Zurich and they were told the room wasn't ready. No big problem. They went to a small little cafe for lunch, both had sole, coffee and shared a desert. Cost was $340 in US dollars.

Read recently that a Martini in Paris was around $45.

 

[CKS Papa]

Tahiti-Moorea-Bora Bora.

Wife and I had a great time on our honeymoon.
Would love to go back for our 15 year anniversary next year.

 

[RSO 34]

Read recently that a Martini in Paris was around $45.

Just came back from Paris and LeMans and can say unequivocally that is not true. They do not know what a martini is. Just ask Pbassjo and LarryB who tried to teach bartenders in both cities what a martini is and how to make it.

With the dollar being so weak (although getting stronger in the recent weeks) prices in France were very high but not as bad as some of the reports. However, be prepared to pay between $9 and $11 per gallon for gas and $27 tolls.

 

[queenlives]

the best vacation i ever had was every vacation i spent with my family - the location was the least important element.

all over north america. london. paris. staying at home... it didn't matter where, but with whom.

 

[Mac Attack]

the best vacation i ever had was every vacation i spent with my family - the location was the least important element.

all over north america. london. paris. staying at home... it didn't matter where, but with whom.

Completely agree.

Why not volunteer some time with a church group etc overseas? Benefits:

* Very rewarding and unforgettable experiences
* Can probably go to some decent places in the beginning to "break yourselves in for these kinds of experiences"
* If you have kids (not infants or extremely young of course), this would be a great influence on them.
* Not too expensive