2024 Travel Plans

[athena53]

I don't know whether to put this in BTD or travel but the $ amount s not really BTD unless you consider it on a per-night basis!

In the spirit of "Die with Zero", I decided to visit an old college BF in Detroit in June. We haven't seen each other in person in decades but have been in contact mostly by e-mail and on FB since then. We decided we wanted to visit again before it was too late. He's very married, so no plans to try and re-kindle old flames. We'll spend a day exploring the Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. I've been there, but, again, not in decades.

So- I booked travel in June. I'm into it for about $1,000 between airfare and 2 hotel nights- still need a rental car. It's nice to think about doing things in June when the weather is reasonable again.

 

[1242Vintage]

Will be back home next week. Will work a few the following week at my fun retiree job. Then wife and I will grab brother and SIL and head down to Riviera Maya (AKA Cancun) to warm and liquor them up for a week. We’ve been doing this trip annually for a few years. Good times for sure!

 

[audreyh1]

OK - I think I finally got our itinerary straight. We decided to skip Copenhagen which saves us a week up front and added 10 nights in Normandy at the end. We had to fit around a couple of family get togethers. Overall 6 weeks long.

So: Munich - Vienna - Prague - Dresden - Leipzig - Berlin - Amsterdam - Rouen - Honfleur - Bayeux - Amsterdam.

 

[braumeister]

So: Munich - Vienna - Prague - Dresden - Leipzig - Berlin - Amsterdam - Rouen - Honfleur - Bayeux - Amsterdam.

Sounds fantastic. Have a wonderful time!

 

[Librarian]

OK - I think I finally got our itinerary straight. We decided to skip Copenhagen which saves us a week up front and added 10 nights in Normandy at the end. We had to fit around a couple of family get togethers. Overall 6 weeks long.

So: Munich - Vienna - Prague - Dresden - Leipzig - Berlin - Amsterdam - Rouen - Honfleur - Bayeux - Amsterdam.

It does look wonderful...
But I wouldn't give up Copenhagen!
Better than Rouen-Honfleur & Bayeux, imo.
(not saying give those up...but those are 1-2 day visits, imo)

 

[Lsbcal]

OK - I think I finally got our itinerary straight. We decided to skip Copenhagen which saves us a week up front and added 10 nights in Normandy at the end. We had to fit around a couple of family get togethers. Overall 6 weeks long.

So: Munich - Vienna - Prague - Dresden - Leipzig - Berlin - Amsterdam - Rouen - Honfleur - Bayeux - Amsterdam.

11 cities in 42 days which works out to 3.8 days/city.

I'm looking at our trip to 6 cities in 30 days which works out to 5 days/city. We will do some day trips from some cities. Just trains/buses between places.

I don't know what the magic number is and it depends on one's energy levels I guess.

 

[audreyh1]

We start out with 4 nights in Munich and 5 in Vienna. After that it’s 3 nights per city except for Leipzig which is only 2. The breaks in Amsterdam are visiting family and those are longer. Only a couple of day trips, the rest are in city.

This is the last planned city hopping trip for a while.

 

[audreyh1]

For those who have visited Vienna or going soon, check out the BBC-Austrian TV series available on PBS named ‘Vienna Blood’. Set in 1906 it has familiar settings as an Austrian Leopoldstadt police inspector and his young English Freudian psychiatrist sidekick work on solving murders in Vienna. 3 seasons, 6 episodes per season, 2 episodes per crime, the first 2 episodes season one is a really exciting intro with hallucinogenic Klimt paintings and finale wild dangling scene from the antique Giant Ferris Wheel.

This time we’re definitely going to go ride that ferris wheel.

From 1897 https://wienerriesenrad.com/en/giant-ferris-wheel/

 

[explanade]

OK - I think I finally got our itinerary straight. We decided to skip Copenhagen which saves us a week up front and added 10 nights in Normandy at the end. We had to fit around a couple of family get togethers. Overall 6 weeks long.

So: Munich - Vienna - Prague - Dresden - Leipzig - Berlin - Amsterdam - Rouen - Honfleur - Bayeux - Amsterdam.

I'd been looking at Normandy as well but not so much for WWII as much as the beautiful coastline, especially around Etretat, which was featured on Lupin.

Suppose to be tough weather except in the middle of summer.

 

[martyp]

Every year I meet up with friends I met in our dorm at the University of Connecticut in 1974. There are 5 of us. We are spread out around the country and we have met in various cities such as Las Vegas, Miami Beach, New York, San Francisco, Scottsdale, Houston, and Atlanta. This year I suggested we go back to Connecticut so I could also go to my 50th high school reunion. We are actively coordinating plans for this June. I am making the longest trek. I am traveling from Bangkok, Thailand.

 

[1242Vintage]

Just got back from extended time in Costa Rica, concluding with a very relaxing week at the beach in Tamarindo.

We are definitely going back to Tamarindo as part of our 2025 Winter escape!

Next week headed down to Riviera Maya near Cancun to meet up with extended family. We’ve been doing this winter trip for a dozen years. Not our favorite location but spending time with extended family makes it all worthwhile.

 

[audreyh1]

I'd been looking at Normandy as well but not so much for WWII as much as the beautiful coastline, especially around Etretat, which was featured on Lupin.

Suppose to be tough weather except in the middle of summer.

Right. I’m not a WW II history buff, but I’m generally interested in any history before 1900. Normandy is famous for its gastronomy including Camembert, cider and calvados. Great seaside vistas and historic old towns. It is also famous as a birthplace of the Impressionist style of painting. Monet grew up around there and painted in Trouville, Honfleur and Rouen. The historic port of Honfleur was used to launch the invasion of England by the Normans in 1066. Supposedly some Breton ancestors of ours crossed over with William the Conquerer. It was also where Champlain left to found Quebec. The 100 years war with England was fought in this area. Rouen is famous for Joan of Arc - finally captured by the English and burned at the stake. 1453 the area returned to French control. There is an Erik Satie House museum as he was born in Honfleur - impressionist style composer. And the famous Bayeux Tapistry can be seen at a museum in Bayeux - it commemorates the 1066 Battle of Hastings, probably circa 1077 so it is very old.

 

[RetireBy90]

DW is a great travel agent !! Currently in Keys for Jan, then April cruise from Barcelona to Bergen and then Finland and Estonia while close by. Then Charleston SC and Duck NC and Thanksgiving with family by Austin TX. I asked for it but dang, lots this year

 

[Lsbcal]

One thing we noticed in Honfleur was the interesting doors of the residences. They were all kinds of colors, designs and shapes. DW and I do a lot of art and so I took various shots. Here is one pic:

 

[Helen]

We are currently escaping the winter from Dec - April and will drive home early May from AZ and then Palm Springs. We just finished booking a week in NYC and a week in Beacon Hill in Boston in June. We will do some camping in the PNW during the summer then will spend Mid December - Mid April near friends in the Phoenix area in 2025. We are still deciding where to stay the last two weeks of April, maybe a week in San Diego and a week in Santa Barbara.

We really want to go back to Europe, but we adopted a little dog who will be 11 in a few weeks. We are thinking in 2026 we may do a long road trip to Florida and the Carolinas during the winter.

We are 66 and figure we don't have that many really active years left so we are trying to pack in as much as we can, while we can.

 

[Lsbcal]

Hi Helen, where are you lodging in Beacon Hill Boston? I'm trying to learn more about the East Coast vacationing.

 

[5Miler]

So far for 2024 DGF and I are joining our regular travel group for a 7 day Caribbean cruise in early March. Our group is small, about 11 people, with members in Mississippi, Missouri and Georgia. Some are local friends but others are people we met on cruises years ago. We all just did a UK cruise last Sept.

We have our annual Bonaire dive trip scheduled April 4 thought May 11.

Sep 28 - Oct 5 we have an Alaska cruise out of Seattle with one other couple.

I know we will spend at least a week in Bentonville, AR this summer as both of my sons and their families live there. Dates still to be determined.

I'm also sure we'll kick in at least one more Caribbean cruise in Nov/Dec as we usually add one when the first taste of cold weather in Atlanta gets our attention.

Our travel group is already planning on Hawaii for Sep 2025 in addition to our Bonaire trip in the spring. The Bonaire trip is just DGF and me. We try to do one major group trip every other year with smaller trips each year.

 

[Fermion]

We are going to do another cross country road trip this spring, from Washington state down to Florida. No RV this time, but I am getting a Diamondback HD tonneau for our F150 which can support 1600 pounds so we will put bins of stuff in the truck bed and carry our Portland Pudgy on top of that. We plan to pull our 17 foot sailboat too.

I am sure we will stop and sail in several places on the way, maybe not sail in 17 states like we did last time but I want to spend a good amount of time around Cape Canaveral to try and catch a SpaceX launch from the water while on our boat. Last time we rented a canal home on Merritt Island for a week and I am tempted to do that again. If we take the mast down (you can do it on the water), the sailboat should be able to navigate the canals right to the rental house dock. We did this last time on the Portland Pudgy and it was a blast.

Open to other ideas where to go in Florida.

 

[Librarian]

After 2 years of nearly monthly travel

Mostly cruises...
Pulling the reigns a bit this year as. we are now helping DS buy a home.
But the next few months are a bang up way to end the 2 year "retirement year" (yep, was supposed to be a year...I just kept going..)

Jan: NCL Prima Caribbean 7 days
Feb: Sydney 3 days + 20 day Carn. cruise N. Caldonia/NZ + 2nts LV to see U2
(DH had an annual golf trip so solo it is)
Mar: Week in Vegas; 2 oldest joining us for a few days
Apr: 28 day Princess cruise--transatlantic & British Isles.
May: Weekend to Fort Worth to help recital at studio DD manages (just me)
June: KC for annual golf tourney
Dec: Celebrity Ascent Caribbean 7 day

Yep, that's me SLOWING down...
I'd like to add more...the Huskers only have 1 home game in each Oct & Nov (rare) so a good time to do a fall foilage cruise..or ANY trip.
But DH said pump the brakes just this year...He will start SS in Dec so that's a "raise"

 

[5Miler]

Mostly cruises...
Pulling the reigns a bit this year as. we are now helping DS buy a home.
But the next few months are a bang up way to end the 2 year "retirement year" (yep, was supposed to be a year...I just kept going..)

Jan: NCL Prima Caribbean 7 days
Feb: Sydney 3 days + 20 day Carn. cruise N. Caldonia/NZ + 2nts LV to see U2
(DH had an annual golf trip so solo it is)
Mar: Week in Vegas; 2 oldest joining us for a few days
Apr: 28 day Princess cruise--transatlantic & British Isles.
May: Weekend to Fort Worth to help recital at studio DD manages (just me)
June: KC for annual golf tourney
Dec: Celebrity Ascent Caribbean 7 day

Yep, that's me SLOWING down...
I'd like to add more...the Huskers only have 1 home game in each Oct & Nov (rare) so a good time to do a fall foilage cruise..or ANY trip.
But DH said pump the brakes just this year...He will start SS in Dec so that's a "raise"

I could easily go for that 28 day transatlantic and British Isles cruise. Our 10 day UK cruise last fall was just too short.

 

[Librarian]

Agree!

I could easily go for that 28 day transatlantic and British Isles cruise. Our 10 day UK cruise last fall was just too short.

I did 10 days UK last May & fell in love. It felt like home (perhaps my Irish/English background)
This one is 16 days transatlantic & 10 days UK.
We will be doing a land tour there sometime in the near future. I could see DH golfing at a different course each day in Scotland!

 

[Luvtoride]

Travel while we still can go-go

We are 66 and figure we don't have that many really active years left so we are trying to pack in as much as we can, while we can.

Helen and Librarian, your approach sounds similar to us. I am 6 months retired (we are also 66) and DW and I have been celebrating retirement (at least for this first year) by planning a trip just about every month! Its such a great feeling to not be locked into a limited number of Vacation Days and Busy work times to plan to be away!

For the next year or so we have planned:

January, we spent 10 days with friends in Florida (Boca/ Delray area) after returning from a Caribbean Cruise with our whole family (10 of us with kids and grandkids). Unfortunately, the weather in Florida was cool and rainy.

February- 5 nights at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun Mexico.

March- Turks and Caicos with friends from Florida at Grace Bay Club-7 nights

April- a week in Hilton Head at a Marriott Timeshare with one of our daughters, SIL and 2 Grands, bike riding, golf and beach (hopefully better weather than FLA)

May- August- we DON'T plan to go away as we will spend most of that time at our Beach Condo at the Jersey shore. We plan as little as possible during the summer to take advantage of our 2nd home and the beach club we belong to there.

September- Will probably book a cruise from the NY/ NJ area, but we have time to watch for a good deal.

October- meeting another family from NJ with our family at Singer Island, West Palm Beach area at a Marriott Timeshare.

January of '25- a 7-night Caribbean cruise out of San Juan on the Norwegian Viva, in The Haven. We did a NCL Haven cruise this past November and it was excellent.

So we are trying to accomplish multiple goals with our travel schedule, including Celebrating retirement, BTD and Die with Zero. I think we're making a good start.

 

[Librarian]

YES

Helen and Librarian, your approach sounds similar to us. I am 6 months retired (we are also 66) and DW and I have been celebrating retirement (at least for this first year) by planning a trip just about every month! Its such a great feeling to not be locked into a limited number of Vacation Days and Busy work times to plan to be away!

We are a bit younger.
But DH's father died in his 60s & my mother died last year--and we had expected that woman to last into her 90s. She did anything she wanted.
Cancer is the devil on earth.

We are each blessed with an excellent teachers' pension.
Therefore, our investments are for TRAVEL--and they only need to last until we cannot travel.
(sometimes I have a hard time wrapping my head around that...3-4% withdrawal a year, right? But wait--isn't that if we need those investments to LIVE on? Which we don't...)

Golf for DH (notice the lack of travel May-Sept...) & travel for both of us...but we have been blessed to help 2 of our children buy homes. (the 3rd isn't there yet, and actually he is the most flush of the 3 of them!)

Hmmmm....isn't there a new trip I need to book??!!

 

[explanade]

In the middle of a trip to Thailand and Singapore.

Bought a plane ticket for Malta and Sicily in April, nothing else booked yet.

 

[jollystomper]

We have a short trip planned to Ohio, within the solar eclipse territory in April.

Other plans being worked on include the Middle East (when we feel comfortable), New England, Texas (sisters are trying to organize a family reunion), and our first cruise ship trip somewhere (have not decided yet, but for a first time it will be a short one ).