Anyone got any travel planned?

[brett]

On our way home tomorrow AM after eightweeks in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Already planning for a fall trip to Greece and a tentative winter trip to South America IF I can persuade she who must be obeyed that this is a good place to spend the winter! It will be good to get home again.

 

[audreyh1]

Watching take offs from the San Francisco airport Marriott we saw this absolutely huge 4 engine monster lumbering down the runway. Double decker dwarfed everything else, including the 787 following. It was BA286 SFO to LHR in an A380-800. Had no idea they made passenger planes that big! OMG! Seemed to take forever to get off the ground.

10 and a half hours to London after arriving from London 3 hours earlier - wow!

 

[ElizabethT]

Fourth weekend in a row getaway coming up, this time to Malibu, CA for RVing and hiking in the Santa Monica Natl Rec Area. Looking to be a gorgeous weekend of sun and temps in the 70s.

After that, the big suitcases come down and we start packing for the six-week European river cruise I wrote about earlier. We have family visiting just before departing, which will be both hectic and nice.

In addition, just booked a trip to an all inclusive in Playa del Carmen for a multi generation family vacation this summer. We've never done an all inclusive, so we are intrigued by what awaits us once we arrive. Spending a week enjoying our grandbaby however, will be absolute heaven.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow - we lucked out with a $128 per person first class upgrade offer upon check-in - over five hour flight San Francisco to Maui!

Mimosas to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary (tomorrow). We plan to watch the Haleakala sunrise to start our anniversary day.

 

[Fedup]

Good thing my European trip will not be changed because lawyers just said the court date will be in 2017. Yay! I might have to hold back on the Tahiti trip until it's done.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Alan]

Wow - we lucked out with a $128 per person first class upgrade offer upon check-in - over five hour flight San Francisco to Maui!

Mimosas to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary (tomorrow). We plan to watch the Haleakala sunrise to start our anniversary day.

Absolutely awesome!!

 

[simple girl]

Wow - we lucked out with a $128 per person first class upgrade offer upon check-in - over five hour flight San Francisco to Maui!

Mimosas to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary (tomorrow). We plan to watch the Haleakala sunrise to start our anniversary day.

That rocks!

Enjoy! We spent our 10th anniversary in Maui. Loved every minute of it...even the harrowing bicycle tour down switchback curves from the hop of Haleakala!

 

[braumeister]

Looking into a trip late summer (August/September) to visit some of the national parks/monuments in Utah. DW has narrowed her list to Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Timpanogos Cave, and Zion.

We'll be working up a travel plan (we plan to drive from the midwest) and we're setting it as a two week trip. I realize this means we won't get to have any extensive time in any one place, but we should be able to get the highlights and ideas for a return to some of them.

If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

 

[Lsbcal]

Looking into a trip late summer (August/September) to visit some of the national parks/monuments in Utah. DW has narrowed her list to Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Timpanogos Cave, and Zion.
...

Depending on your heat tolerance, I'd check out the weather averages. August might be very hot. We've done many of these places in May.

Here is a good weather source: https://weatherspark.com/averages/29870/Cedar-City-Utah-United-States

 

[meierlde]

Looking into a trip late summer (August/September) to visit some of the national parks/monuments in Utah. DW has narrowed her list to Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, Timpanogos Cave, and Zion.

We'll be working up a travel plan (we plan to drive from the midwest) and we're setting it as a two week trip. I realize this means we won't get to have any extensive time in any one place, but we should be able to get the highlights and ideas for a return to some of them.

If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Since it is in between Zion/Cedar Breaks and Canyonlands/Arches add Capitol Reef. In fact the most scenic route would be from I-70 at Green River take UT 24 Down to Torrey (thru Capitol Reef) and then Ut 12 thru Boulder, Esclante and Henryville to Bryce Canyon. (Thru Grand Staircase Esclante national monument. If you have the time take the Burr Trail out of Boulder for about 20 miles (it is paved to see a little different part of the area)
Or to get to natural bridges go south out of Moab to Blanding and take UT 76 (which goes by Natural Bridges) and up to Hanksville, where you join UT 24 before Capitol Reef.

 

[DrRoy]

Just yesterday, DW and I decided to go out to Tucson in June for Spacefest and rub shoulders with the Apollo astronauts. It will notch our <1 yr to RE cash stash, but since Neil Armstrong died, we feel like we should go ahead and do this.

https://www.spacefest.info/

 

[imoldernu]

Not having been well traveled, memories of special places are somewhat limited. With all that, one remains embedded.
I think the expression is: "Never say 'kekko' (I give up), until you've seen Nikko".

https://www.google.com/search?q=until+you%27ve+seen+nikko&newwindow=1&sa=G&hl=en&complete=0&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ved=0ahUKEwj12LXsl5HMAhVCPiYKHebmBGIQ7AkINw&biw=1280&bih=875

One glorious week of first class exploring in Japan. More of a beautiful dream, than a real life experience. From watching live Kabuki theater in a top level Geisha House, to staying at the Tokyo Hilton, to the wintery day in Nikko.



Would love to hear from anyone who has been there.

 

[HFWR]

Not having been well traveled, memories of special places are somewhat limited. With all that, one remains embedded.

I think the expression is: "Never say 'kekko' (I give up), until you've seen Nikko".



https://www.google.com/search?q=unt...Xsl5HMAhVCPiYKHebmBGIQ7AkINw&biw=1280&bih=875



One glorious week of first class exploring in Japan. More of a beautiful dream, than a real life experience. From watching live Kabuki theater in a top level Geisha House, to staying at the Tokyo Hilton, to the wintery day in Nikko.







Would love to hear from anyone who has been there.

Visited Nikko on a day trip in 1986...

 

[ziggy29]

Not major "travel", but only a two hour drive to the coast, but we'll be staying in a vacation rental in Port Aransas starting tomorrow, for a week. The weather is going to suck for the first few days of it, though, but that will still be a chance to catch up on my reading as well as sleep in for a whole week. I loved turning off the alarm on my phone completely for a week this morning.

 

[rodi]

Wow - we lucked out with a $128 per person first class upgrade offer upon check-in - over five hour flight San Francisco to Maui!

Mimosas to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary (tomorrow). We plan to watch the Haleakala sunrise to start our anniversary day.

That is awesome.

If you don't want to wake up early to get up the volcano first thing - the sunset is just as spectacular and not as crowded. That's what we did on our honeymoon... complete with champagne and snacks we brought with us. Make sure you bring a jacket - it's cold up there.

 

[W2R]

Would love to hear from anyone who has been there.

Visited Nikko on a day trip in 1986...

1954 and 1959 for me... Not much changed (which is as it should be IMO), and I think this might be the same pagoda that you photographed, near the entry IIRC although it has been a long time. Taken with my trusty Brownie camera.

 

[brett]

Looking at Central America or South America to spend next winter doing independent travel. Anyone got any experiences to pass along? Plan to post separately once we have decided. Have been to Costa Rica and loved it. Looking at starting in Argentina for SA or San Salvador for Central America. Goal is to miss the weather, spend time by the ocean, and visit places on our bucket list. 8-10 week trip for either.

 

[audreyh1]

That is awesome.

If you don't want to wake up early to get up the volcano first thing - the sunset is just as spectacular and not as crowded. That's what we did on our honeymoon... complete with champagne and snacks we brought with us. Make sure you bring a jacket - it's cold up there.

Did both, thanks. We were still on central time, so sunrise was no problem. Had a nice green flash too just before the sun crested the clouds.

Conch blowing at sunrise too because a Czech couple came all the way to get married up there!

 

[AboutThere]

Just got back from a wonderful tour of Philadelphia and New York City.

I'm a Matisse fan and was able to view more than 100 of his paintings, so quite a memorable time. My first trip to the Barnes collection and I could have stayed there for a month. Same for MOMA.

Spent a memorable day at Ellis Island and viewed the Tartan Day parade for the 2nd year in a row. Hope it becomes an annual thing with us.

 

[grasshopper]

Just booked a trip to Panama and Costa Rica 7 night active small ship cruise for next January.

 

[tulak]

Just booked a trip to Panama and Costa Rica 7 night active small ship cruise for next January.



View attachment 23695

If you don't mind me asking, what's the cruise line?

We've avoided cruises, but the route you outlined looks interesting. If it's an active cruise, then maybe it would work for us.

 

[grasshopper]

If you don't mind me asking, what's the cruise line?

We've avoided cruises, but the route you outlined looks interesting. If it's an active cruise, then maybe it would work for us.

This will be our fifth cruise with Un-Cruise Adventures. We have done Alaska, Hawaii, Sea of Cortez, soon the Galapagos. I would highly recommend them.

https://www.un-cruise.com/destinations/costa-rica-panama-cruises

 

[audreyh1]

Just booked a trip to Panama and Costa Rica 7 night active small ship cruise for next January.

View attachment 23695

We've been looking at that very same Uncruise cruise with a pre-trip extension in Costa Rica. Pricey, but looks awesome.

I guess small boat cruising is pricey anyway.

 

[audreyh1]

Hope you have a fun time. As I recall you'll be on Maui. Would like to hear what you found good (and not so). We'll be on Maui in early May.

Other than the sunrise at Haleakala (and birding Hosmer Grove), I would say snorkeling at Kapalua Bay was a highlight. The right side of the small bay was very good. Very scenic beach too. We stayed next door, but there is a small public parking area for the beach, and you can probably get a spot if you arrive early enough - say by 8:30am? After snorkeling one day we had lunch at the Gazebo at Napili Shores, not far (next bay). Much shorter lines than for breakfast, and they serve breakfast until 2pm anyway. They have plenty of restaurant parking. There is also a coastal walking trail that starts at Kapalua beach.

 

[Lsbcal]

Thanks Audrey. I'll make a note to visit Kapalua Bay which will be just a little north of where we are staying.