Any Travel Plan for 2019?

[Montecfo]

Heading to Curacao and Bonaire Tuesday for a 2-week trip. Just got back from Isla Mujeres 2 weeks ago. More time to travel now that I an retired (for 4 weeks)!

 

[audreyh1]

Been working on this 6 week fall Europe trip for months. Mostly put together:

• Birdwatching + culture tour in Southern Portugal.
• Week in Segovia and La Granja - staying at Paradores
• Return to Madrid for a few days.
• National Geographic tour of prehistoric cave paintings in northern Spain and southwestern France. Some of which are over 40,000 years old!
• A few days in Bordeaux including a couple of wine tours in the countryside.

As usual, visit family in Amsterdam first, then fly to Lisbon.

 

[audreyh1]

Are you meaning that even months before it was nearly sold out
or your schedule almost made you miss it ??

ps - GREAT travel tips by the way !!

My experience is that Alhambra is sold out online 2 to 3 months ahead of scheduled date. But you can’t book onlinemore than maybe 4 months in advance. So you just have a few weeks to get your tickets.

Latecomers are usually able to still buy into private guided tours instead of going through on their own.

 

[Bamaman]

My experience is that Alhambra is sold out online 2 to 3 months ahead of scheduled date. But you can’t book onlinemore than maybe 4 months in advance. So you just have a few weeks to get your tickets.

Latecomers are usually able to still buy into private guided tours instead of going through on their own.

We went through a private guided tour 2 weeks ago at Alhambra--bought tickets online just before we left. Let me just warn you that tour is very tough physically with lots of steps and walking. Many older retirees if mobility challenged will have problems physically keeping up with the tour.

We stayed in an apartment 3 nights down the street from the fortress, and really enjoyed Grenada. They also have a bunch of gypsy dance troops that live in caves above the town that throw on flamingo dance shows that are incredible.

 

[Bamaman]

We just returned from an European trip with our 8 year old granddaughter. We flew into Madrid, took a bus to Granada, took a flight to Barcelona and a fast train into Paris.

My wife hadn't even got home until she was shopping for budget airfares to Europe for her and her oldest daughter in November. She's a product of RMD's, and not having anything to do with those funds. My wife says she's going to enjoy life to the fullest.

 

[mystang52]

Not ER, but DW's last w*rk day was yesterday. She's one of those oddballs that actually enjoyed w*rking (teacher) but at 67 she just finished her final school year. We're headed to Aruba this Sunday, then to our favorite hotel in Fort Lauderdale mid-August, a cruise in November, then plans for one or 2 European trips on 2020!

 

[bbbamI]

Been working on this 6 week fall Europe trip for months. Mostly put together:

• Birdwatching + culture tour in Southern Portugal.
• Week in Segovia and La Granja - staying at Paradores
• Return to Madrid for a few days.
• National Geographic tour of prehistoric cave paintings in northern Spain and southwestern France. Some of which are over 40,000 years old!
• A few days in Bordeaux including a couple of wine tours in the countryside.

As usual, visit family in Amsterdam first, then fly to Lisbon.

You really are a travel agent! Hope y'all have a wonderful time.

 

[audreyh1]

You really are a travel agent! Hope y'all have a wonderful time.

Thanks!

This time we’re doing two longish organized small group tours with a week break in between. So I’m having to do far less planning/booking - quite a break for me! We’ll see how it goes.

 

[Lsbcal]

Thanks!

This time we’re doing two longish organized small group tours with a week break in between. So I’m having to do far less planning/booking - quite a break for me! We’ll see how it goes.

I hope you will give us a review when you return. We might consider Spain for next year though probably not for driving.

 

[RobLJ]

Starting a two week walk (12 day) in Ireland along the Kerry Way on Wednesday. Then a week in Dublin.

 

[audreyh1]

I hope you will give us a review when you return. We might consider Spain for next year though probably not for driving.

Well, we did a big trip to southern Spain and Madrid (central) last year, and loved it. Both were great. In spite of it being a large city, I was very comfortable wandering around downtown Madrid, even at night, so we look forward to a return. Andalusia (southern Spain) was delightful. All public transportation (trains, buses, the occasional taxi). What did you want to know?

This year we're renting a car for our week in Segovia, driving up from the Madrid airport. First time renting a car in Europe, but the route looks fairly straightforward highway driving, and we are staying in Paradores with ample parking. Normally we use public transportation, but the logistics for visiting Segovia and La Granja de San Idelfonso are too difficult for a multiple day trip like we plan.

 

[RobbieB]

Heading down to Austin, TX to attend a wedding. Gonna be a big one, a 3 day affair;

Rehearsal dinner
Wedding and reception
Sunday brunch

And that's just me. Wife and step daughter will be attending the bridal shower also.

 

[brett]

Air fares are low. Finally booked six weeks Sept/Oct in Europe. Fly into Athens and back from London. Very loose schedule other than the hard air travel dates. Preceded by a week in the Toronto area.

Start in Corfu and the Ionian Islands, then over to Athens and more islands, to Crete. Then either two weeks or so in Cyprus or we will fly to Morocco for two weeks if we want a change of scenery. Maybe pick up a last minute cruise. We are very pragmatic....we fill in the blanks later. Decided to pass on Israel this year since it is not high on out bucket lists.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Air fares are low. Finally booked six weeks Sept/Oct in Europe. Fly into Athens and back from London. Very loose schedule other than the hard air travel dates. Preceded by a week in the Toronto area.

Start in Corfu and the Ionian Islands, then over to Athens and more islands, to Crete. Then either two weeks or so in Cyprus or we will fly to Morocco for two weeks if we want a change of scenery. Maybe pick up a last minute cruise. We are very pragmatic....we fill in the blanks later. Decided to pass on Israel this year since it is not high on out bucket lists.

Sounds like a great trip. Out of curiosity, For something like this, how do you accomplish your lodging? What type of places do you stay and how far in advance do you book reservations (if you do)?

 

[capjak]

Air fares are low. Finally booked six weeks Sept/Oct in Europe. Fly into Athens and back from London. Very loose schedule other than the hard air travel dates. Preceded by a week in the Toronto area.

Start in Corfu and the Ionian Islands, then over to Athens and more islands, to Crete. Then either two weeks or so in Cyprus or we will fly to Morocco for two weeks if we want a change of scenery. Maybe pick up a last minute cruise. We are very pragmatic....we fill in the blanks later. Decided to pass on Israel this year since it is not high on out bucket lists.

Definitely go to Israel, I have been there 4 times on business but have seen some of the sites (sea of galilee, river jordan, cesasorio, tel avis, Nayari,mediteraen and etc..) and well worth it

 

[brett]

We were considering going to Israel after Oct. 24 holidays but our schedules are not good. So it will have to wait until next year, or perhaps in the Spring.

We will book our first two or three night lodging in Corfu and our night in a Gatwick hotel prior to flying back. Other than that we typically book everything on the fly two or three days in advance. If we firm up any air we will book a little more. If we decide to spend a few days in London we will Priceline bid those days or do Hotwire.

 

[grasshopper]

We are thinking of hiking the Italian Dolomites Sept 2020. Any experiences from others would be appreciated.

First thought for our next hike would have been Patagonia, but Ms G thinks she might be too cold.

 

[gayl]

I think I'm in my "go-go" years as I've already booked 6 trips over 365 days:
(Done) March - April: 3 days in Santiago then cruise to LA
July: Ft Lauderdale to Quebec cruise then train to Montreal for a few days
October: Cabo San Lucas Getaway
November: Melbourne to Auckland
March 2020: San Francisco to Vancouver rt

Planning on driving up the coast as I have to be 'home' sometimes for Koda. I'm planning on taking him on that car trip. He's already been on a car trip from SF to Boston so he 'should' be fine

 

[Teacher Terry]

G, is that a Maltese? We have 3 and they are all great travelers.

 

[Bamaman]

I have not even got our charge card statements in from our trip to Madrid-Granada-Barcelona and Paris with our 8 year old granddaughter. My wife's already planning taking her oldest daughter to London-Paris-Barcelona.
She has to make required distributions from her 401K, and her daughter's going to get the $ anyway. They may as well enjoy it together.

 

[ckelly78z]

. My wife's already planning taking her oldest daughter to London-Paris-Barcelona.
She has to make required distributions from her 401K, and her daughter's going to get the $ anyway. They may as well enjoy it together.

That is the right attitude to have...my parents are 78, and I tell them all the time to enjoy their money, and don't leave me anything.

 

[explanade]

Well, we did a big trip to southern Spain and Madrid (central) last year, and loved it. Both were great. In spite of it being a large city, I was very comfortable wandering around downtown Madrid, even at night, so we look forward to a return. Andalusia (southern Spain) was delightful. All public transportation (trains, buses, the occasional taxi). What did you want to know?

This year we're renting a car for our week in Segovia, driving up from the Madrid airport. First time renting a car in Europe, but the route looks fairly straightforward highway driving, and we are staying in Paradores with ample parking. Normally we use public transportation, but the logistics for visiting Segovia and La Granja de San Idelfonso are too difficult for a multiple day trip like we plan.

Do the Paradores offer half-board options, like dinners?

I haven't looked at them much but I think many of them are located away from town centers, so to get dinner, you might have to drive.

They do look beautiful though seems expensive compared to comparable accommodations.

 

[explanade]

We are thinking of hiking the Italian Dolomites Sept 2020. Any experiences from others would be appreciated.

First thought for our next hike would have been Patagonia, but Ms G thinks she might be too cold.

I've been to Val Gardena once before, now going again in late August, a trip I just booked in the last couple of weeks.

Are you looking to do day hikes or multi-day hikes or trekking?

I'm not a big hiker myself but if you go in the summer and stay at one of the Val Gardena villages, you can be part of the Val Gardena Summer Active program, which has guided hikes and such.

They're either included with the hotels or there's a small supplement like no more than 50 Euro but a lot of them are free.

They have other activities like crafts and cooking classes as well. I think the guided hikes are mostly easy or medium difficulty and more for beginners who want to see scenery, not serious hikers who want to track and cover distance.

There are also refugios up in the mountains with rooms you can rent for the night, if you want to do a serious hike which takes several hours up and you want to sleep overnight before returning or continuing on elsewhere.

Also there is a Val Gardena Card in the summer, which gives you a week of bus travel and a pass for a couple of dozen cable cars for like 90 Euros for 7 days.

I think there's a 3-day option as well.

They have a number of 5-star hotels in the area with prices to match. It can be as expensive as Switzerland, maybe even moreso.

Area is also a big ski attraction too.

 

[audreyh1]

Do the Paradores offer half-board options, like dinners?

I haven't looked at them much but I think many of them are located away from town centers, so to get dinner, you might have to drive.

They do look beautiful though seems expensive compared to comparable accommodations.

I believe they do offer half board. We tend to stick to the breakfast only included. The food is usually very good at the Parador. We've definitely enjoyed an occasional lunch there. And wouldn't mind dinner or tapas if we didn't want to go out - if we have a big lunch we usually don't want much dinner or have collected some goodies to snack on.

Yes, Paradores are more expensive. The older buildings have a nice ambiance. DH absolutely loves staying at them so we're happy to shell out the bucks. And even go for upgraded rooms. It's the experience for us.

It depends on the destination for Parador location. While it's true that some Paradores are a bit out of town, others are at the heart of town or close. Last year the two we stayed in were either at the heart of the town in a palace, or at the edge of town at the beach, and within easy walking distance of town. The Parador at Toledo (we didn't stay there) was across the river from the city at a nice view spot. A nice location away from the crazy bustle of central Toledo, but you'd probably want a car. However, buses did pass by, so you didn't really have to drive into the city center. The heart of Toledo is medieval jumble nuts - up and down steep cobblestone narrow roads - not for driving!

This time we are getting a rental car, even though one of the two Paradores we are visiting is downtown. It's mainly because getting from Madrid airport (or downtown Madrid) involves a commuter train from the airport (or downtown) to Charmartin station, then a high speed train to the Segovia AVE which is well out of town, then a bus or taxi to downtown. Then reverse. Maybe OK for a long day trip, but a hassle if you are traveling with all your luggage. Plus we have to transfer to a nearby town for the second Parador anyway - and bus or taxi is the only public option.

 

[Scuba]

Heading to Curacao and Bonaire Tuesday for a 2-week trip. Just got back from Isla Mujeres 2 weeks ago. More time to travel now that I an retired (for 4 weeks)!

Would love to hear thoughts on Curacao and Bonaire after you’re back. We’re spending 3 months in the ABC Islands this winter.