2024 Travel Plans

[GalaxyBoy]

Booked a ten day rail vacation in Switzerland in June. Snagged a couple of business class seats in United Polaris. Tracking the price on Google flights it looks like I hit bottom, at least so far. Haven’t had a decent (or any) vacation in years so we’re good and ready.

 

[Bigdawg]

Got back yesterday from Aruba. My new fav island. Heading to Spain in 11 days. Taking the kids and 13 week old DGD.

In Aruba we had a lady forget to pick up her luggage for the additional check (before going through US customs on the way out of country). Instead of just taking her off the plane, they delayed us 45 minutes. When we finally got to Orlando there were of bunch of folks running to catch connections. Wishing they would have just removed the ONE instead of inconveniencing the many. Oh well. Made it home. After Spain probably one trip to visit DS and DDIL in San Diego.

 

[Ronstar]

I finally nailed down my 2 week itinerary for Ireland in September. This is a trip that was fully booked and cancelled at least twice during Covid. Hopefully I get to pull it off this time.

I've already spent multiple nights in Dublin on previous trips, so this time it's time to drive on the wrong side of a the road for a bit. The high-level itinerary is:

2 nights in Dublin - with a full day bus tour to Newgrange, Knowth, Hill of Tara
1 night in Kilkenny after visiting Glendalough
2 nights in Kinsale after visiting Rock of Cashel, Cahir Castle, maybe Blarney Castle
3 nights in Kenmare to hit the Beara Peninsula, Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park
2 nights in Dingle to hit the Dingle Peninsula loop
2 nights in Galway with a day trip to the Aran Islands
1 night in Westport after visiting the Connemara
1 night back near the airport after visiting Trim Castle, Athlone, Clonmacnoise

I look forward to getting on the ground and enjoying the beauty of Ireland.

Very nice! But be ready for traffic. We had about a half hour wait while these cows took the road to a different pasture.

 

[braumeister]

Very nice! But be ready for traffic. We had about a half hour wait while these cows took the road to a different pasture.

Ha! You're right. We had a short stop at one point while a shepherd on a Segway moved his flock to the next field. Delightful to watch!

 

[Ronstar]

^^ Wow very good use of a Segway. Ours was the shepherd leading the cows in his car, with his 3 daughters bringing up the rear on foot.

The lead shepherd asked us to stay pulled over on the roadside during the whole move. It took about twenty minutes for the whole group to pass by.

 

[iloveyoga]

I am in San Diego getting ready to celebrate my 65th birthday tomorrow with my DH. Beautiful scenery and weather.

 

[braumeister]

^^ Wow very good use of a Segway.

Even better, while we were waiting, we looked over across the road and saw this wonderful rainbow. That's the thing about Ireland. You can always count on rain, but you can also count on it passing by after just a while.

 

[audreyh1]

We are going to Grand Teton National Park in September! The last time we visited was 2003 I think. However this will also be our 5th visit. Just been a really long time.

We are splurging by ending the ~2 weeks with 3 nights at Jenny Lake Lodge. Probably the last time.

 

[brett]

Spent 5 nights in Lisbon with a free layover on TAP last December and liked it so much we're going to Porto for 5 days in April. Paid cash for our TAP ticket SFO LIS MUC return and it was significantly cheaper than SFO to LIS.

Liked the TAP experience. The direct flight SFO LIS was excellent. Our flight home starting in Munich was delayed due to an ice storm and we missed our connection LIS SFO. A TAP rep was waiting for us at the gate with new tickets LIS IAD SFO on United. She escorted us to the gate with just a few minutes to spare. Sadly the plane was old, the food was subpar, and immigration at Dulles was a disaster. The transcon to SFO was just as bad. Kudos to TAP however for getting us home ASAP after a weather delay.

Snagged tickets SEA IST LIS on Turkish and LIS SFO on TAP for next January. Honestly never heard of Madeira before reading about it on this thread. Looks lovely and have booked our first week there at an AirBnB. Thinking about a week near Faro and then a couple of days in Lisbon after Madeira but haven't booked anything yet.

Suggestions?

Our suggestions for Porto would be to rent a car for 3-7days and drive through the Douro Valley. Get on to tripadvisor and decide on some local accomodation, etc. in farms/vineyards high up on the hill. Amazing view, incredibly friendly people! Last trip we spent time in Coimbra and Nazare(on the coast-wonderful beach). Enjoyed both and we had never been to either.

We have driven through Portugal a number of times. Last time we limitided our stays in the Algarve to Lagos and Tavira. We liked both more than the places inbetween those cities. Tavira is very close to Faro. We prefer it to Faro. If you stay in Faro for a few days take the ferry to Lighthouse Beach. Beautiful uncrowded beach. You can do something similar in Taviro and go out to their island beach. There is excellent rail service in the Algarve with good service to Lisbon. If you are 65 you can register on line for 50% discounts on all rail tickets and purchase tickets on line at cp.pt.

We love Istanbul and Turkey. We have been there several times and always see something new. There are a number of low cost domestic Turkish airlines, one operated by Turkish Air. But...they mostly leave from the airport accross the straight on the south side. We were fascinated by Capadocia. Two or three days is enough.

One of our favorites is the Med coast. Consider a one way car rental from somewhere like Marmaris (Dalaman airport) and drop it off in Antalya. If you stay a few days in Antalya go down to the dock and take a day trip. The musuem is fascinating. We did a short drive out of town and did the hike up to the well preserved ancient city of Termessos Or go the opposite way, then ferry over to Rhodes from Marmaris for a few days! The options for Turkey are limitless. Get a guidebook...Ric Steves or Lonely Planet and have a look! Our few Turkish Airlines flights have been good. Last one was Cape Town to Rome. Long haul-no issues whatsoever.

 

[OldConch]

Our suggestions for Porto would be to rent a car for 3-7days and drive through the Douro Valley. Get on to tripadvisor and decide on some local accomodation, etc. in farms/vineyards high up on the hill. Amazing view, incredibly friendly people! Last trip we spent time in Coimbra and Nazare(on the coast-wonderful beach). Enjoyed both and we had never been to either.

We have driven through Portugal a number of times. Last time we limitided our stays in the Algarve to Lagos and Tavira. We liked both more than the places inbetween those cities. Tavira is very close to Faro. We prefer it to Faro. If you stay in Faro for a few days take the ferry to Lighthouse Beach. Beautiful uncrowded beach. You can do something similar in Taviro and go out to their island beach. There is excellent rail service in the Algarve with good service to Lisbon. If you are 65 you can register on line for 50% discounts on all rail tickets and purchase tickets on line at cp.pt.

We love Istanbul and Turkey. We have been there several times and always see something new. There are a number of low cost domestic Turkish airlines, one operated by Turkish Air. But...they mostly leave from the airport accross the straight on the south side. We were fascinated by Capadocia. Two or three days is enough.

One of our favorites is the Med coast. Consider a one way car rental from somewhere like Marmaris (Dalaman airport) and drop it off in Antalya. If you stay a few days in Antalya go down to the dock and take a day trip. The musuem is fascinating. We did a short drive out of town and did the hike up to the well preserved ancient city of Termessos Or go the opposite way, then ferry over to Rhodes from Marmaris for a few days! The options for Turkey are limitless. Get a guidebook...Ric Steves or Lonely Planet and have a look! Our few Turkish Airlines flights have been good. Last one was Cape Town to Rome. Long haul-no issues whatsoever.

Very helpful, thank you! I keep a future travel journal and this thread is a great resource.

Ended up booking very nice AirBnB's for a week each in Madeira and Albufeira Jan 2025. We'll definitely explore Tavira and Lagos in the Algarve and Duoro Valley while in Porto in April. Thanks for the daytrip tips and 65+ info.

Not quite as adventurous as you yet. We booked a small group tour through Turkey and added a few extra days in Istanbul before and 5 days each in Budapest and Prague after. We will hit most of the places you mentioned except Rhodes but a day cruise out of Kas is on the itinerary. The Greek islands are most definitely on our list.

Very happy with Turkish Airlines so far and consider ourselves lucky that they have direct SEA IST flights. We've got 5 long haul flights to/through Istanbul in the next 12 months paid for mostly with points. Tremendous value.

Thanks again!

 

[explanade]

Douro Valley is beautiful but I think Porto itself is as scenic as what I saw in Douro in my one trip there.

Porto is not suppose to get as much sun as Lisbon or the Algarve but when the sun is out, it's just stunning around Dom Luis I Bridge.

There's a huge crowd that gathers on the southern end, which is actually a different town, Vila Nova de Gaia, around sunset. There are some viewing platforms as well as a park there. The crowd stays after sunset too, because when that bridge is lit up at night, it's magical.

 

[brett]

Just remembered....when you are out and about in Porto go into the big McDonalds store and take a look at the architecture and the finishing!

Absolutely the most beautiful fast food joint that we have ever seen.

 

[OldConch]

Douro Valley is beautiful but I think Porto itself is as scenic as what I saw in Douro in my one trip there.

Porto is not suppose to get as much sun as Lisbon or the Algarve but when the sun is out, it's just stunning around Dom Luis I Bridge.

There's a huge crowd that gathers on the southern end, which is actually a different town, Vila Nova de Gaia, around sunset. There are some viewing platforms as well as a park there. The crowd stays after sunset too, because when that bridge is lit up at night, it's magical.

Just remembered....when you are out and about in Porto go into the big McDonalds store and take a look at the architecture and the finishing!

Absolutely the most beautiful fast food joint that we have ever seen.

Thanks for the suggestions. Since this our first trip to Porto and we'll be without a rental car we'll likely visit the Douro Valley on a daytrip.

Already pinned both of the bolded locations and they're in the same general direction and only a 10 to 15 minute walk from our AirBnB. Googled the McDonalds you mentioned and in several linked articles it's mentioned as the most beautiful in the world. The McD's in Budapest was a runner up so will have to visit that one as well in September. In New Zealand McD's was heavily advertising a limited time "best of 91" Kiwiburger. In addition to the usual stuff it had an egg and a beetroot slice. Yuck!

 

[jcfradio]

Our suggestions for Porto would be to rent a car for 3-7days and drive through the Douro Valley. Get on to tripadvisor and decide on some local accomodation, etc. in farms/vineyards high up on the hill. Amazing view, incredibly friendly people! Last trip we spent time in Coimbra and Nazare(on the coast-wonderful beach). Enjoyed both and we had never been to either.

We are travelling for the first time to Portugal in April on a similar itinerary (we are well experienced in Euro travel as I have been there close to 100 times for business). We will have a rental car and was wondering if there were any recommendations for which part of Coimbra to stay in. Our original preferred district in Porto had to be changed since the price of overnight parking was as much as the daily car rental....ouch!

 

[MuirWannabe]

We are going to Grand Teton National Park in September! The last time we visited was 2003 I think. However this will also be our 5th visit. Just been a really long time.

We are splurging by ending the ~2 weeks with 3 nights at Jenny Lake Lodge. Probably the last time.

That sounds very nice Audrey. Such a beautiful and relaxing place around Jenny.

 

[pacergal]

We are going to Grand Teton National Park in September! The last time we visited was 2003 I think. However this will also be our 5th visit. Just been a really long time.

We are splurging by ending the ~2 weeks with 3 nights at Jenny Lake Lodge. Probably the last time.

I went to the Tetons in High school, many years ago with folks and siblings. We stayed in a "cabin tent" (two sides wood cabin, two sides canvas) We had a blast, beautiful place.
Except, one night a lovely black bear walked out of the woods right behind our cabin. We were within several yards of it. Rangers came around and told everyone to go inside (not that the canvas would protect, but whatever). They set up a trap and he/she was caught the next morning.
Fun times.

 

[brett]

Our suggestions for Porto would be to rent a car for 3-7days and drive through the Douro Valley. Get on to tripadvisor and decide on some local accomodation, etc. in farms/vineyards high up on the hill. Amazing view, incredibly friendly people! Last trip we spent time in Coimbra and Nazare(on the coast-wonderful beach). Enjoyed both and we had never been to either.

We are travelling for the first time to Portugal in April on a similar itinerary (we are well experienced in Euro travel as I have been there close to 100 times for business). We will have a rental car and was wondering if there were any recommendations for which part of Coimbra to stay in. Our original preferred district in Porto had to be changed since the price of overnight parking was as much as the daily car rental....ouch!

We did not have a car. We were traveling by train. Stayed at a hotel in the city, not far from the train station. Hotel Vitoria. It was very convenient to everything.

It seems to me that we did see an Ibis hotel further along. Is I recall it did have a parking lot. No idea what the hotel might be like.

 

[brett]

Thanks for the suggestions. Since this our first trip to Porto and we'll be without a rental car we'll likely visit the Douro Valley on a daytrip.

Already pinned both of the bolded locations and they're in the same general direction and only a 10 to 15 minute walk from our AirBnB. Googled the McDonalds you mentioned and in several linked articles it's mentioned as the most beautiful in the world. The McD's in Budapest was a runner up so will have to visit that one as well in September. In New Zealand McD's was heavily advertising a limited time "best of 91" Kiwiburger. In addition to the usual stuff it had an egg and a beetroot slice. Yuck!

We would definitely NOT recommend the McDonalds (or any for that matter) as a dining venue.

OK though for a look in and perhaps a cold beer on a hot day of sightseeing!

 

[audreyh1]

I went to the Tetons in High school, many years ago with folks and siblings. We stayed in a "cabin tent" (two sides wood cabin, two sides canvas) We had a blast, beautiful place.
Except, one night a lovely black bear walked out of the woods right behind our cabin. We were within several yards of it. Rangers came around and told everyone to go inside (not that the canvas would protect, but whatever). They set up a trap and he/she was caught the next morning.
Fun times.

It’s really an amazing place!

We had a close encounter with a big sow black bear. It wanted to get in our cabin one night! DH heard a noise and the bear was standing up leaning against the front door, then came around and on all fours leaned against the sliding glass doors for a while. We were yelling at it from the other side. It finally ran off.

 

[simple girl]

We are going to Grand Teton National Park in September! The last time we visited was 2003 I think. However this will also be our 5th visit. Just been a really long time.

We are splurging by ending the ~2 weeks with 3 nights at Jenny Lake Lodge. Probably the last time.

Oh how exciting! We were just there in 2022. We did the hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point - fantastic!

We also made time to go ride the aerial tram at Jackson Hole - had lunch and a drink at the top - so worth it! Enjoy!

 

[Ronstar]

We're going through the Tetons soon. I'll be looking for some moose to photograph.

 

[simple girl]

We're going through the Tetons soon. I'll be looking for some moose to photograph.

Good luck! We looked and looked but didn't get lucky enough to see one.

 

[audreyh1]

Oh how exciting! We were just there in 2022. We did the hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point - fantastic!

We also made time to go ride the aerial tram at Jackson Hole - had lunch and a drink at the top - so worth it! Enjoy!

Yes, we look forward to repeating these.

 

[wearefinishedworking]

I've seen a moose twice in my life. First in a meadow about 3 miles outside of Park City, Utah. The second one near Leavenworth, WA. Such majestic creatures! So stunning. And no pics to prove it!

 

[Ronstar]

Good luck! We looked and looked but didn't get lucky enough to see one.

Thanks - my recent research is saying that they hang out along Moose-Wilson Road. So that's my route

I've seen a moose twice in my life. First in a meadow about 3 miles outside of Park City, Utah. The second one near Leavenworth, WA. Such majestic creatures! So stunning. And no pics to prove it!

Yes they are stunning and majestic. And graceful. I've seen quite a few. Mostly cows and young bulls. DW usually doesn't let me get close enough to take a good photo, but I eluded her and got close enough to this young bull to take a pic.