Any Travel Plan for 2019?

[fosterscik]

We took advantage of that same Virgin sale to fly to LHR. Paid very similar price to freedom. We’re in Greece right now! The flight was great - our first business class trip to Europe. We’re spoiled now. It will bd hard to go back. Let’s hope for lots of future sales because $8k per seat is too rich for us.

 

[braumeister]

The lounge at LHR is one of the finest.

Agreed. I was amazed at Virgin's LHR lounge. Absolutely enormous and great food.

The only better one for food I've found is Icelandair's lounge at Reykjavik, which was truly another category. Just astounding.

 

[Freedom56]

Agreed. I was amazed at Virgin's LHR lounge. Absolutely enormous and great food.

The only better one for food I've found is Icelandair's lounge at Reykjavik, which was truly another category. Just astounding.

For the best lounge I've experienced for food and ambiance, ot would have to be the SilverKris Lounges at Singapore Changi Airport for Singapore Airlines. The food is absolutely amazing. But then again, Singapore itself was pretty amazing. The Star Alliance lounge at LAX Bradley Terminal is also pretty nice. They have been doing a very nice job updating the terminals at LAX.

 

[Freedom56]

We took advantage of that same Virgin sale to fly to LHR. Paid very similar price to freedom. We’re in Greece right now! The flight was great - our first business class trip to Europe. We’re spoiled now. It will bd hard to go back. Let’s hope for lots of future sales because $8k per seat is too rich for us.

We have been flying business class for the last 30 years and the service has evolved considerably over time as airlines have chosen to combine first and business class services. For short flights under 2-3 hours, coach is okay but for long flights to other continents, business class is the way to go. I wouldn't go back to flying in coach. It's not worth suffering back or leg pain sitting in a cramped seat on a 12-14 hour flight. You can't take your money with you.

Just keep an eye on seat sales on the premium flyer talk forum. Business Class seat sales to Europe start late summer/early fall every year.

 

[Lsbcal]

We really like the spring and the summer months where we live. We typically travel in the late summer/early fall and the winter time frames.

We have been to Greece (Crete) in the spring, just after Easter. Lovely time to go.

The other issue is that we just returned home from our annual two month winter trip traveling about to avoid the cold weather and enjoy other places. DW is not inclined to pick up sticks and head out after only a few weeks.

Thanks for the comments.

Our springs are quite nice here too. I mentioned combining Israel and Greece to DW and she was excited about it. She's been reticent to visit Israel because of security concerns. Yep she's a bit of a safety first person and a chicken by her own admission .... I know it's somewhat irrational but vacations are for fun not fears. We had a Greece trip planned out in 2015 but then all hell broke loose over there for awhile and we opted for southern and central Italy which was nice.

I'd want to go to both Israel and Greece for the history (secular not really biblical) and the differences in cultures. Spring seems like a good choice for us because the land would be more green and in bloom ... well as green as things get in those southern climates. Maybe at some point I'll start a thread on this if someone doesn't beat me to the punch.

 

[brett]

We were in Greece in 2015. The news reports were grossly overblown. Outside of Athens, Peloponnese and on the islands you would not have known there was an issue.

One of our favourite trips, and it was what we did on our very first trip, is to fly into Istanbul. Head south to Marmaris, spend time on the coast, then ferry over to Rhodes and start island hopping all the way down to Crete.

It is sometimes odd what you remember about travels. We had the very best honey that I have ever had while staying in Rethymno, Crete for a week. Never tasted anything as good since.

 

[Nemo2]

I'd want to go to both Israel and Greece for the history (secular not really biblical) and the differences in cultures.

Walking around the old city of Jerusalem I was almost constantly thinking of who was/might have stepped there before me.

Visited religious sites strictly because of the history, and was quite intrigued by the arrangements various 'sects' reached to avoid contact, (and promote feelings of exclusivity), while all operating out of a shared church.....they had different hours and arrived/departed via different routes so there was never any association.

Akko, with its Crusader castle invokes more history, both ancient and modern.....(members of Irgun were held here and there was a breakout in 1947).

For such a small land mass the history is boundless.

 

[Scrapr]

We have been flying business class for the last 30 years and the service has evolved considerably over time as airlines have chosen to combine first and business class services. For short flights under 2-3 hours, coach is okay but for long flights to other continents, business class is the way to go. I wouldn't go back to flying in coach. It's not worth suffering back or leg pain sitting in a cramped seat on a 12-14 hour flight. You can't take your money with you.

Just keep an eye on seat sales on the premium flyer talk forum. Business Class seat sales to Europe start late summer/early fall every year.

This is our thinking re: short flights in "premium coach" and long transatlantic in Business. Mrs Scrapr got spoiled and won't go to the back of the plane since I accidently booked her in first going PDX-ORD. I was going to a trade show in Indy and she was dithering. Finally I booked it and said if she isn't going I'm going to fly up front. And I forgot to delete her from the itinerary. I looked at my miles account and said wtf Then told her the bad news/good news. I've been paying for it ever since

 

[HFWR]

Early stages of planning a roadtrip from Texas to southern Indiana, then to Cleveland for the RRHOF, then Niagara Falls, then Boston, then Maine coast/Bar Harbor/Acacia.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Early stages of planning a roadtrip from Texas to southern Indiana, then to Cleveland for the RRHOF, then Niagara Falls, then Boston, then Maine coast/Bar Harbor/Acacia.

What...trying to find somewhere cooler in the summer? Not fair—you should be suffering with the rest of the South!

And speaking of trips I’d really love to take—did you see the lineup for the Willie Nelson 4th of July picnic? Whoa.

 

[HFWR]

What...trying to find somewhere cooler in the summer? Not fair—you should be suffering with the rest of the South!

And speaking of trips I’d really love to take—did you see the lineup for the Willie Nelson 4th of July picnic? Whoa.

Yep, will miss Willie’s picnic again, but great line-up. Apparently the venue leaves something to be desired (concrete, no shade, July in Austin...). Decided to skip the Crossroads concerts, as well, given the $300+ tickets... Should just “blow that dough”, but two long days is more than my attention span can accommodate these days. Waiting for the dvd. [emoji12]

Speaking of music, the Jeff Sipe Trio (of four...) is doing a mini-tour in the VA/NC/SC area in May. Jazz, but some very accomplished musicians.

 

[Scuba]

Brett, it looks like the temperatures are similar for fall versus spring periods when looking at weatherSpark info. Would there be a reason to favour one of them over the other?

We went to Greece for six weeks starting in late August. For us, late summer/fall was better than spring as water temps are warmer. Air temps are warmer too I think. We liked spending time on the beaches. Loved Greece!!

 

[brett]

The water, for swimming, is definitely warmer in late summer than it is in the spring. We have swam in the Ocean in early Oct. in both Crete and Sicily. It was very nice.

Believe it or not Greece (spring/fall) and Thailand (winter) are two of our favourite destinations. They have a few things in common. Travel is incredibly easy, especially spontaneous travel. The people are wonderful. The food is great. Transportation, internet, banking is all good. We find both very safe.

 

[Lsbcal]

The water, for swimming, is definitely warmer in late summer than it is in the spring. We have swam in the Ocean in early Oct. in both Crete and Sicily. It was very nice.

Believe it or not Greece (spring/fall) and Thailand (winter) are two of our favourite destinations. They have a few things in common. Travel is incredibly easy, especially spontaneous travel. The people are wonderful. The food is great. Transportation, internet, banking is all good. We find both very safe.

For Crete, do you move about spontaneously or set up reservations and maybe explore from a home base? We have always done the later which means some careful research at home on the web.

 

[brett]

We have done both. Last time we toured the island, often spending several days in one place. Some we researched prior to arrived. Others we researched a day or two ahead while touring.

We do a fair amount of spontaneous travel in Greece and in other countries. On anther trip we made Rethymno our base for a week and did some day trips.
This worked out very well.

 

[NW-Bound]

I think you'll enjoy Albi.....population's only ~50K....amd there's some good stuff to see.

(That said, we didn't get tired of Toulouse.)

That's good to know.

Instead of 2 nights in Andorra + 3 nights in Toulouse, I will do 1 in Andorra, and 2 each in Toulouse and Albi. I like to stop in Andorra just to look around, as the chance of me being there again is slim, and also to break up the drive to make it more relaxing.

PS. Already booked Airbnb in Albi and Toulouse, both with private parking and in walking distance to the town centers. In Andorra, I found a 3-star hotel right on the main drag for less than $30. Must be the shoulder season in April.

PPS. I do not even drive directly from Barcelona to Andorra which is not that far away, but make a 1-night stop in a small midway Spanish town. Yes, my goal is to travel slow.

The drive from Andorra to Albi may be 4 hours, hence I like to stay an extra night. The next day I will do a short day trip to Cordes-sur-Ciel, a French hill town. Toulouse is such a short drive from Albi, so we will have almost 2 full days there in Toulouse after Albi.

Girona is not really on the way, so I will have to miss it.

Andorra may be boring, but I like to spend the night, walk the stores without buying anything to be able to say I have been there. If we get bored too quickly, may drive a bit out of town to take a hike, as the countryside is hilly and should be green in early spring.

We 'did' Albi in a day; for us one night there would have been more than sufficient.

Toulouse, we stayed ten days, with a couple side day trips, (one of which was Albi), didn't tire of it. (We lived about a 7 minute walk from the train station...bought our tickets the day before, caught the early train and were almost alone on the streets when we started exploring.)

Andorra...never been...heard it was nothing more than an electronics, etc, store. Girona, perhaps on your way there from Barcelona, is quite nice.

It turned out a night stay in Andorra was enough, particularly as I was driving from Puig-reig, not from Barcelona, and arrived early enough to have the rest of the day to look around. It was impossible to drive through anyway, as described later.

The drive from Andorra to Albi was 4.5 hours, and more tiring than expected due to the mountainous road through the Pyrénées. People were still skiing, and some ski lifts still ran.

Albi is a nice town, and we enjoy it. A day trip by train or car from Toulouse would work quite well, but driving from Andorra left me with no energy to do anything more the 1st night. Staying another night works out very well.

Our Airbnb is even closer to the cathedral than the train station is. After the morning visit, we even go back to the Airbnb for a midday nap before walking back in the late afternoon. When you are old, you've got to know your limits.

I will drive to Cordes-sur-Ciel today before going to Toulouse.

By the way, the Toulouse-Lautrec museum in Albi is closed for renovation. I am bummed out.

 

[atmsmshr]

Just booked Mediterranean trip in October. First trip to Europe for DW and I. Start in Barcelona, 11 day cruise on Princess, 3 days in Rome, train for 2 in Florence, train for 3 days in Venice.

Retiring 1 September, so it is a present to both of us.

 

[Bamaman]

Just booked Mediterranean trip in October. First trip to Europe for DW and I. Start in Barcelona, 11 day cruise on Princess, 3 days in Rome, train for 2 in Florence, train for 3 days in Venice.

Retiring 1 September, so it is a present to both of us.

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement. After your trip, I promise you'll be going back to Italy again--and again. My first trip there was 1970, and we visit often.

I've been so thankful for the budget European airlines over the years making travel affordable. But the prices of hotels in the big European cities (and large U.S. cities) are really making extended travel expensive.

We're flying 5/25/2019 with our 7 year old granddaughter to Madrid, taking a bus to Granada to see Alhambra. Then we're flying to Barcelona before taking a fast train to Paris.

We now try to take in two unfamiliar cities on our trips, and finish in one city we've been to before. Trouble is we've been to most cities before.

 

[jimnjana]

Oceania Cruise from Rio next week. We cruise to Barcelona, then fly to Dublin and cruise Ireland and Iceland. We were on the Oasis TA that got cancelled, Oceania gets us to Barcelona same day as RCL Oasis would have. Ended up getting upgraded for free from window to Veranda then upgraded for $350 a piece to get a Suite. Went from a full 6k passenger ship to a partially full 700 passenger. First time on Oceania looking forward to it. First time to Rio too, just passing thru though. Already looking at a future TA and Patagonia cruises back to back in the future

 

[Souschef]

Oceania Cruise from Rio next week. We cruise to Barcelona, then fly to Dublin and cruise Ireland and Iceland. We were on the Oasis TA that got cancelled, Oceania gets us to Barcelona same day as RCL Oasis would have. Ended up getting upgraded for free from window to Veranda then upgraded for $350 a piece to get a Suite. Went from a full 6k passenger ship to a partially full 700 passenger. First time on Oceania looking forward to it. First time to Rio too, just passing thru though. Already looking at a future TA and Patagonia cruises back to back in the future

You will not regret being on Oceania. We love the small ships instead of a group grope on the Oasis. We got married on Santorini while on an Oceania cruise from Venice to Istanbul
Enjoy!

 

[NW-Bound]

... I will drive to Cordes-sur-Ciel today before going to Toulouse...

A Cordes-sur-Ciel ...

j'ai vu Chat-sur-Vigne.

 

[akck]

We enjoyed our local special small ship cruise in SE Alaska last year, so we are going on the cruise again, but in reverse direction, starting in Sitka and ending in Juneau. This time a friend is traveling on the same cruise, but we hope to meet new friends just like last years cruise.

 

[DrRoy]

Drove from Michigan with DW and the dog to spend 10 days in Sedona, AZ and 11 in Kanab, UT. Lots of pics to edit.

 

[NW-Bound]

On the way from Toulouse to San Sebastian, I made a detour to visit Lourdes. I read about this place as a kid despite being non-religious, so had to make a stop. Wikipedia said it had the 2nd highest number of hotel rooms in France after Paris. Lourdes is also the 3rd popular religious site to visit after the Vatican and Jerusalem. Amazing. On the day of our visit, it did not appear to be so crowded.

 

[imnontrad]

I am planning a few weekday camping trips around Colorado this summer plus one trip to Las Vegas to take an item to my niece (or possibly meet her at the Grand Canyon). The weather is just too nice in Colorado to leave.
In September, I will be in Sanibel Island for possibly a week and in October going to the "Bogleheads" conference in Philadelphia. In between, I hope to go to Spain and walk at least 200 KM of the El Camino. I'm thinking of Hawaii in November and then ski season begins.