Any Travel Plans for 2020?

[Nemo2]

Nemo,

Hope that you will feel well enough to do this trip. The clock is a tickin, after all.

If you are going to Bari, and your time allows, consider exploring the Puglia region. We spent a couple of weeks there and and in Molise last fall and really enjoyed it. There is lots to see and it is not crowded since everyone goes to Rome, Florence (which I didnt care for), Venice and the Amalfi coast. We based ourselves in Monopoli and did day trips to places like Matera (really unique with cave houses), Alberobello and then went to Molise which is the least visited place in Italy and toured the mountain top towns. Now you have whetted my COVID inhibited travel appetite to get back out on the road.

Thank you! Stopped in Bari a few years back....is the burned out ferry still moored at the docks?

At this very second it appears we're leaning towards Albania, but will definitely note your suggestions...did you rent a vehicle* or use local transportation during your stay?

(*Got me thinking about how long it's been since I rented a car - one on Ile de la Réunion in the mid 1980s and had the radio stolen....and subsequently, which was the last time IIRC, with my late wife and her parents in Greece, (we flew them in from Toronto around 1987 and we came from Riyadh)....nowadays I get a kick out of local buses & trains.)

Cheers.

 

[Teacher Terry]

We are never in our room during a cruise which is why we get the inside room plus the prices. For the price of a balcony we would take a different type of vacation because it wouldn’t be worth it.

 

[gayl]

+1
Even after the vaccine, I'm thinking balcony rooms only just in case the ship gets quarantined due to other's getting sick.
I imagine Ports will be quicker than normal to deny docking to sick ships in the future for a few years.

+1000
I need to be able to get outside no matter what. I used to be okay with a window. Now I need a balcony

 

[explanade]

Nemo,

Hope that you will feel well enough to do this trip. The clock is a tickin, after all.

If you are going to Bari, and your time allows, consider exploring the Puglia region. We spent a couple of weeks there and and in Molise last fall and really enjoyed it. There is lots to see and it is not crowded since everyone goes to Rome, Florence (which I didnt care for), Venice and the Amalfi coast. We based ourselves in Monopoli and did day trips to places like Matera (really unique with cave houses), Alberobello and then went to Molise which is the least visited place in Italy and toured the mountain top towns. Now you have whetted my COVID inhibited travel appetite to get back out on the road.

Thank you! Stopped in Bari a few years back....is the burned out ferry still moored at the docks?

At this very second it appears we're leaning towards Albania, but will definitely note your suggestions...did you rent a vehicle* or use local transportation during your stay?

(*Got me thinking about how long it's been since I rented a car - one on Ile de la Réunion in the mid 1980s and had the radio stolen....and subsequently, which was the last time IIRC, with my late wife and her parents in Greece, (we flew them in from Toronto around 1987 and we came from Riyadh)....nowadays I get a kick out of local buses & trains.)

Cheers.

I went to Bari last year, rented a car and drove down to Lecce, visited a few coastal towns in the heel of Italy.

Also stayed in Ostuni, from which I visited Alberobello, Martina Franca and others.

Yes Matera is great, made it out there only for a day trip out of Bari but looks like it would be great to stay overnight there.

Also from Bari, Monopoli and Polignano a Mare as well as Trani.

Even further away is Vieste, which is on the east coast of Gargano, the spur of the Italian boot.

 

[Winemaker]

+1
Even after the vaccine, I'm thinking balcony rooms only just in case the ship gets quarantined due to other's getting sick.
I imagine Ports will be quicker than normal to deny docking to sick ships in the future for a few years.

Yes, this is it. Our river cruise that we cancelled for this year has been repurchased for next year. Only now we will have a balcony, in case of quarantine lockdown, instead of our closet berth in steerage!

 

[Nemo2]

I went to Bari last year, rented a car and drove down to Lecce, visited a few coastal towns in the heel of Italy.

DW & I just now reactivated an old conversation vis-à-vis private/public transportation: Cars (obviously) afford greater flexibility, but the trade off is detachment, and all our, (and in the past, my), stories/recollections are from public trains/buses.

For example, on an early morning train in Romania, in a packed older style compartment, we were included in 'conversations' via facial expressions/gestures even though we couldn't speak the language and they knew we couldn't understand what was going on/being said.

For the duration of the trip, new arrivals, people disembarking, we were part of the group, and people getting off smiled at us and everyone else as they left.

Contrariwise, just about the only car memory I have was in 1985 on my third trip to Sri Lanka......we'd rented a car in Colombo.....pulled into a little inn someplace and an Australian family with driver said "Boy, you're game to be driving yourself hereabouts".

 

[Nemo2]

Just received an e-mail from a friend in CA who heard of a pending announcement from Pullmantur that (no details) their crews will be absorbed by RC and the ships will be idled in Europe.

Back to the drawing board I guess.

 

[braumeister]

DW has decided she wants to do at least a couple of half marathons later this summer. She is on a quest for all 50 states, and has well over 40 at this point so she's anxious to reach that goal. We have already determined that the two she has in mind will be held, so that's covered. But neither of us is ready to fly again yet, so it will mean over 3,200 miles of driving, round trip. The strange thing is that I'm looking forward to the trip almost as much as she is.

 

[explanade]

I would try to minimize public transportation.

Assumption is a place like NYC got hit hard by the virus because of the heavy use of public transport there.

Some older trains, you can open windows in the summer while modern trains which are air-conditioned, you can't, even if the windows can be opened.

 

[Nemo2]

Under the assumption/presumption/illusion/delusion that we might be able to travel around October, we've started outlining a fictional flowchart for a Ukraine trip.

A 'pre-action distraction'.....hey, keeps us off the streets.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Right now most of Europe is not letting in Americans. What I read said that for a country to be on the go list they have to be doing as well or better in cases than they are. If that’s still the case in August it should be easy to get our money back for the airfare.

 

[explanade]

Right now most of Europe is not letting in Americans. What I read said that for a country to be on the go list they have to be doing as well or better in cases than they are. If that’s still the case in August it should be easy to get our money back for the airfare.

we will know better over the next couple of weeks.

All of EU is easing border restrictions between each other. By the end of the month, it should be open to all except maybe Sweden.

The EC has recommended also easing border restrictions to countries outside the EU and Schengen.

But one criterium is that the country must have reciprocal entry policies, so US would have to lift restrictions on EU tourists.

 

[Chuckanut]

A few weeks ago I received an email from the Yosemite concessionaire regarding the reservations that I tried to cancel but could not cancel because they were under another person's name. They admitted some type of computer error caused my reservations to be deleted from their system. (No backups?). They requested that I email them the confirmation of my reservation that they sent to me.

the original reservation cannot be located in our reservation records. However, from an accounting perspective we are able to confirm the charge that was made during this glitch

So, I will see what happens.

I have one final reservation for a bit later in the summer. I cancelled that on May 18. Refunds will take 7-10 working days. The days have come and gone and I am still waiting. A call to the concessionaire advises me that the hold time is 67 minutes.

Does anybody know if the National Park Service has a person who we can complain to about this poor service?

 

[Chuckanut]

Well, I got an email from the concessionaire telling me they had to cancel my reservation for June. Yes, this is the one they keep telling me that they can't find and therefore, I can't cancel.

The reason for canceling is the local county Health Department demands that all hotels rooms be thoroughly sanitized and left vacant for 24 hours before the next guest uses the room. Since my reservation was for a Sunday night and the previous guest left Sunday morning........ that as they say is that. I assume it's one way to make sure most of the virus is killed and any left over have time to die.

Now, having cancelled my otherwise un-cancellable reservation, I hope they will promptly refund my deposit. I can dream.

 

[Sunset]

Well, I got an email from the concessionaire telling me they had to cancel my reservation for June. Yes, this is the one they keep telling me that they can't find and therefore, I can't cancel.

The reason for canceling is the local county Health Department demands that all hotels runes be thoroughly sanitized and left vacant for 24 hours before the next guest uses the room. Since my reservation was for a Sunday night and the previous guess left Sunday morning........ that as they say is that. I assume it's one way to make sure most of the virus is killed and any left over have time to die.

Now, having cancelled my otherwise un-cancellable reservation, I hope they will promptly refund my deposit. I can dream.

Incredible

 

[tulak]

Booked two trips over the last week: a ski trip to Whistler over New Years and a local trip in August for a week.

Hopefully we won’t have any problems getting into Canada at the end of the year.

I’d love to visit family in Europe to make up for the trip I canceled in May, but realistically, that’s not going to happen. I’m planning on visiting Europe next May, assuming it’ll be possible, and more importantly, enjoyable.

I might try to book a last minute trip to Mexico/Hawaii this fall. That’ll depend on price and if it’s (relatively) safe to travel.

 

[brett]

We are looking at the same. If possible, we will fly down to Zihuantenejo in late November for a few weeks. In late April/May six weeks in the Greek Islands and perhaps Cyprus.

All very tentative. Not counting on anything. We have no plants, no pets, etc so we can literally go on the drop of a hat so to speak. And we have done exactly that on a few occasions. One of the benefits of retirement.

 

[swakyaby]

Here it is June and they're still cancelling state park campsite reservations made 6 months ago. Just received notification that my 4 night Sonoma Coast beach campsite this week is cancelled. It will be triple digits at home but only 68 degrees at the beach. My weenie roast will have to wait a little longer.

 

[Mango1956]

We are heading up north in our pop up camper to hike and camp and escape triple digit heat. Russian Wilderness in Siskiyou county California. Taking the cat. She’s a champion camper[emoji75]

 

[audreyh1]

Here it is June and they're still cancelling state park campsite reservations made 6 months ago. Just received notification that my 4 night Sonoma Coast beach campsite this week is cancelled. It will be triple digits at home but only 68 degrees at the beach. My weenie roast will have to wait a little longer.

Bummer!

 

[Winemaker]

Just got back from stomping in forest and 4 wheeling on trails in the San Juan mountains of Colorado. We usually buy groceries and cook at a rented VRBO, and did it this time. We pre-ordered groceries at Walmart, bought protein and booze at Costco, and had no problem eating like royalty. We went out twice and they had half the tables out of service. Any shops we entered, had an employee checking for masks and hand sanitizer for entry. The trails were empty and more beautiful, we can't wait for our trip to Kalifornia in August.

 

[Car-Guy]

I'll be heading back to Vegas in a few weeks (driving) if they stay open.

 

[Chuckanut]

I have plans to visit parts of Northern California and Oregon in late July. The current outbreak of CV in California and Oregon has me rethinking those plans. I was hoping that by June and July the rate of new CV cases would be trending very strongly down to zero.

 

[sengsational]

I posted in the wrong place, but I'm planning a long weekend in a cabin on a campground with several other couples. I'm not sure it's wise. Shared hot food, separate utensils. Planning a fire "all the time" which makes a huge updraft. https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/coronavirus-travel-impacts-ii-102348-68.html#post2444789

 

[1242Vintage]

Headed on Monday to a place called “Red’s Meadow” which is near Mammoth Mountain in CA on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada range. Meeting up with daughter and hiking partners for a rest day and resupply for their journey on the John Muir Trail. We have a small hikers cabin reserved for two nights.

Bringing a big stove and plenty of food and snacks for the backpackers. They will be hungry and will be fun to re-energize them with good hearty meals and lots of healthy calories. Of course some unhealthy treats will also be on offer. Will pack dry ice and ice cream in a cooler. After two weeks on the trail that’ll be a welcome treat.

Bringing a mountain bike so I can sneak in a ride in the afternoon when the hikers are napping. Many awesome gravel roads and single track trails to climb and explore on the east side of the Sierras.