Anyone got any travel planned?

[Moemg]

We are leaving on a five day cruise. It's a quick easy get away since we can drive to the port ( Tampa ) . Plus the price could not be beat .

[RitaR551]

DH and I are meeting my sis and her husband at a B&B that is half way between us. We live eight hours drive apart, so we do these "meet up" trips a couple times a year.

[Billk400]

We are going on a 7 day Rhine river cruise over Thanksgiving week - Amsterdam to Switzerland. Just got to pack the warm clothes!

[traineeinvestor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrinch I'm at the 10th annual Ubud Writer's Festival in Bali over the long Idul Adha weekend holiday. As a scientist I don't get this side of my brain stimulated so much. The emphasis is on international women's rights this year, and there have been some very impressive speakers. An especially interesting one gave a first person view of the inside of the uprisings in Egypt over the past couple of years.

That's the type of event that I would love to go to*. Maybe next year.

* My first major FIRE project is an MFA in creative writing.

[traineeinvestor]

Managed to get a trip down to New Zealand in early December on Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific's milage programme) which was really surprising as they usually just say that no seats are available. I knew I did all that business travelling for a reason.

[scrinch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by traineeinvestor That's the type of event that I would love to go to*. Maybe next year. * My first major FIRE project is an MFA in creative writing.

My DW has been taking online creative writing classes at Berkeley, and this has motivated our attendance. The conference is quite reasonably priced, both attendance and accommodations/food. Interesting sessions and attendees, too. Somewhat heavier focus on Indonesia and Australia, but with the rest of the world thrown in also. Recommended.

[scrinch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by traineeinvestor Managed to get a trip down to New Zealand in early December on Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific's milage programme) which was really surprising as they usually just say that no seats are available. I knew I did all that business travelling for a reason.

We each have 80k miles and the same (no seats available) experience with our Asia Miles. We'll have to look into NZ. Was that on Cathay or a partner?

[Brat]

Friday we are leaving for New Delhi to join a Road Scholar tour of India. Need I say that getting there will be a long sit. After the tour is finished we will fly to Bangkok for a few days. Then back home to Portland.

[yakers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brat Friday we are leaving for New Delhi to join a Road Scholar tour of India. Need I say that getting there will be a long sit. After the tour is finished we will fly to Bangkok for a few days. Then back home to Portland.

Have a great trip, so much to see in India. We were there ( and Bhutan & Nepal ) earlier this year for the Mela. We expect to return someday. Worth the long flight and other efforts to get there.

[Gunny]

Hi everyone. I am a newby. Plan to retire in six years at 56. Been planning it for years. First order of business is hiking the Appalachian trail with my son who will be 15 AT&T he time.

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunnychapman Hi everyone. I am a newby. Plan to retire in six years at 56. Been planning it for years. First order of business is hiking the Appalachian trail with my son who will be 15 AT&T he time.

Are you planning a complete through-hike or will you do sections? I've done parts in VA, CT and NH. I don't think I could do the whole thing.

[traineeinvestor]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrinch We each have 80k miles and the same (no seats available) experience with our Asia Miles. We'll have to look into NZ. Was that on Cathay or a partner?

Hi Scrinch

It was on Cathy. I told them that I wanted a minimum of 1 week and a maximum of two and could fly on most dates between 19 October and the end of the year. They came up with one window for me (10 days) in December.

I know from experience that there is zero chance of being able to use points at peak travel times (NY, CNY, Easter etc). Your best chance is to go at times which are not close to public holidays and to fly on Tuesday -Thursday.

Given how hard it is to spend Asia Miles, I have zero loyalty to Cathy - if there is another acceptable airline which costs less I will use that and forget about accumulating miles.

Cheers
traineeinvestor

[explanade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billk400 We are going on a 7 day Rhine river cruise over Thanksgiving week - Amsterdam to Switzerland. Just got to pack the warm clothes!

Is this a packaged tour?

Can you link to it?

[Gunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby Are you planning a complete through-hike or will you do sections? I've done parts in VA, CT and NH. I don't think I could do the whole thing.

Planning a through hike. I too have some sections in Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia.

[kcowan]

Heading to Puerto Vallarta for 7 months next Saturday. This time, we used a firm to sublet our place for the whole time. We used this as an opportunity to purge all the stuff we have collected since 1997 when we moved here. It has been very cathartic! We have locked off the Den to store all our remaining stuff that we do not take south.

[Dreamer]

Brat, I would be interested in hearing about your Road Scholar tour to India. We have only done 1 tour with Road Scholar, but I would like to do more.

I hope everyone has a great time traveling.

[TimSF]

Southeast Asia in December-January: Chiangmai-Luang Prang-Siem Reap-Hanoi-Saigon. Any travel notes for these places would be much welcomed!

[RetiredAndFree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimSF Southeast Asia in December-January: Chiangmai-Luang Prang-Siem Reap-Hanoi-Saigon. Any travel notes for these places would be much welcomed!

Chiang Mai is wonderful, and is all about natural wonders, both plant and animal. Visiting an elephant rehabilitation camp, one we were told was humanely run, and which I can only hope was correct, was amazing. You can also visit with local hill tribe people, though it can feel just a tad staged, which is probably impossible to avoid.

There is also amazing shopping each night, as the streets in the city centre turn into a gynormous night bazaar, if that is your thing.

[RetiredAndFree]

I have to laugh this morning - we are heading to Ecuador in December, and yesterday we received our travel shots - five each, plus a prescription for pills to prevent Malaria ($125 each x 2 prescriptions!)

Vaccines given for 1) Yellow Fever, 2) Typhoid, 3) Hepatitis A & B (two more on this one to go still, actually), 4) Tetanus, and 5) Flu. My arms, both of them, are positively aching this mornings.

Fortunately, and I do mean fortunately, the shots will be good for the trip to Peru we have planned a few months after we return home from Ecuador. Not sure how soon I'd wish to go through this rigmarole again otherwise.

[Huston55]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredAndFree I have to laugh this morning - we are heading to Ecuador in December, and yesterday we received our travel shots - five each, plus a prescription for pills to prevent Malaria ($125 each x 2 prescriptions!) Vaccines given for 1) Yellow Fever, 2) Typhoid, 3) Hepatitis A & B (two more on this one to go still, actually), 4) Tetanus, and 5) Flu. My arms, both of them, are positively aching this mornings. Fortunately, and I do mean fortunately, the shots will be good for the trip to Peru we have planned a few months after we return home from Ecuador. Not sure how soon I'd wish to go through this rigmarole again otherwise.

Yup, gotta have em if you want to travel internationally. I remember when I was still in the military, we got our shots in groups; could barely lift a beer for a week.

But, hey, the bright side is that the Yellow Fever vaccine is fatal on only ~1 in 500,000 instances.