travel ideas needed

Took

Took

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Got a big birthday in October; decided I would take a week, maybe two and go somewhere. Looking ideas. What's on your bucket list, or where have you been and said - I gotta come back here again...
Just want to chill, eat some good food and drink, and see some new scenery. Drive or fly is on the table.
 
El Camino de Santiago.

You can do the English Way in five days. I’m headed back there this summer to walk the same. Did the Sanabres Way last summer. A spiritual pilgrimage, cultural vacation, and a physical challenge all in one.

I should post some pics and explain the story.
 
Yellowstone. And usually in the month of October its right before several of the resort areas shut down to prep for ski season, so you can get some great room rates and the park is dang near empty.
 
Yellowstone & Montana/Jackson, WY for places I've been.
Acadia and Alaska for places I haven't. Acadia isn't a bad drive, you go through the NE obviously, but also there are plenty of good places to stop and rest on the way up.
If you want to go over seas - German/Italian Alps I cannot recommend enough, plenty to hike if you want to get out and the towns are beautiful with a lot of rich history. If you can swing it, the King's sea and Berchtesgaden are beautiful. You can stay in Munich for a couple days to enjoy the city life of Germany if you'd like, almost everyone I ran into speaks English and were much nicer than what was described before I went.
 
To expand on my "Bald Head Island" idea...granted its been a number of years since I was there, but it was awesome. Private beach, so very little traffic, no tall buildings mucking up the views. No cars allowed on the island so its super quiet at all times. If you just want to sit and watch the sun while drinking a cold drink, its awesome. South Port is right across the inlet with shopping, food, whatever. Oak island is nearby if you need more places to waste time/explore.
 
In addition to Yellowstone and Jackson WY, the area of 100 miles in any direction Rapid City, SD is spectacular. To the east you have the badlands, and to the west the mountains, and Mt. Rushmore and multiple state/national parks are all nearby.
 
.EC. said:
El Camino de Santiago.

You can do the English Way in five days. I’m headed back there this summer to walk the same. Did the Sanabres Way last summer. A spiritual pilgrimage, cultural vacation, and a physical challenge all in one.

I should post some pics and explain the story.
Click to expand...
Watch "The Way." Then do the trail. ;)
 
Last year we drove to St. George Ut and back. We took 3 weeks and visited just about every national monument and national park plus a myriad of historical locations along the way. The scenery was amazing and we got to see many places that you read about or see in movies, but in person. Wherever you end up going, do your research first. Frequently there is much more to see than the main attraction.

If you are interested in the roots of western civilization, I recommend the 14 day Mediterranean cruise we did. Rome, Naples, Medina, Crete, Santorini, Kotor, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Barcelona. The layers of history from the Phoenicians and Minoans, to the Greeks, Romans, Venetians, Ottomans, WW1,WW2, it's all there. Waking up on our cruise ship in the flooded caldera of the Thera explosion in the harbor of Santorini, the largest explosion in recorded history was incredible. As a history buff I can't say enough about this trip.
 
Scotland. If not for stupid gun laws I could live there. Rent a car and get off the main touristy places, meet real people.

Costa Rica. I speak 3 words of Spanish and got along fine with Google translate for the few times it was needed.
 
mj1angier said:
Scotland. If not for stupid gun laws I could live there. Rent a car and get off the main touristy places, meet real people.

Costa Rica. I speak 3 words of Spanish and got along fine with Google translate for the few times it was needed.
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It's pretty touristy, but Edinburgh in August for the Fringe festival and the Military tattoo is a blast! we did it in 2015 and still talk about it.
 
+1 for Yellowstone. And if you want something maybe a little more low-key as a home base (as opposed to the Jackson Hole suggestion), Cody is a good mix of having options without being too terribly commercial.
 
fishgutzy said:
Watch "The Way." Then do the trail. ;)
Click to expand...

Saw it when it came out. Last year we did our first (abbreviated) Camino and it was amazing. We’re headed back this year to do the Ingles. One of these days, I’ll have time to do the French Way or the Via de Plata (Silver Way).
 
I checked these off the list and I highly recommend any:
Grand Canyon (down in, not just overlooking)
Zion Nat. Park
Yellowstone
Glacier Nat. Park
Crater Lake
Serengeti
Kilimanjaro

I went to these and they weren't as memorable as I had hoped:
Key West (touristy)
New York City (smells like pee and dumpsters)
Olduvai Gorge (birthplace of mankind... just a rocky bit of unremarkable desert)
 
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just note for yellowstone/glacier, park services are pretty much shut down at that point so you need to be self sufficient for food/water. road closures are also a real possibility up in glacier, rent a 4wd vehicle
 
if you want a cool little area to stay at for yellowstone, cooke city or silver gate montana are spectacular, both are just outside of the northern entrace and lead to beartooth/chief joseph highways
 
Rune said:
+1 for Yellowstone. And if you want something maybe a little more low-key as a home base (as opposed to the Jackson Hole suggestion), Cody is a good mix of having options without being too terribly commercial.
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Don't miss the Cody museum and dug guns museum there!
 
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Two weeks to travel anywhere. Good golly I don't even know where to start. US or OCONUS? Roughing it, or the tourist thing?

International:
Thailand
The UK
Panama
Iceland

US:
Drive US 17, take your time, stop when and where you want
Same for Route 66
Any national park
 
Another suggestion closer to home is the outer banks of NC
Prices plummet for beach house rentals after Labor Day and the weather is still outstanding.
 
we went to Iceland this year.
it was a bucket-list thing.
we had wonderful weather (for Iceland).
3 things:
1. it is a Pepsi country, not Coke.
2. no cash. all card all the time and everywhere.
3. DWI fine is $1000 and is VIGOROUSLY enforced.
 
new zealand has a lot of beautiful scenery. we spent a week there in 2020 and would do it again in an instant if we had the opportunity.
 
Stay away from New England except for the White mountains in NH but even then the leaf peepers screw things up in the fall. Most big cities can have some nice things to see and do but are expensive and unsafe. Stay away from touristy stuff.

BTW The corvette museum in Bowling Green is fantastic if you like cars. Greenfield village is good except it is too close to Detroit.. the indy museum is also good.
Napa vally California is outstanding especially if you book lunch on the wine train but you have to go thru San - it really sucks - Francisco to get there.

Downtown San Diego is also nice because it is possible to tour the Midway and there is lot a of things to do.like the zoo. But don't wander south of the convention center unless you like the meet street people.
 
Just as a "passing by" stop, the NRA museum in Reston, VA is awesome... I would plan 3 or 4 hours and then get outta dodge lol
 
If you go to Sardinia, Rome or Bucharest, hit me up. I'll give you a few out of the way, non tourist places to hit, some good Local restaurants, I also know a few spots in Southern Portugal.
 
I hear that there is a lot of entertainment on the Gaza Strip right now.
Fireworks, underground exploration, opportunities to tryout your survival skills, etc.
 
nhusa said:
Downtown San Diego is also nice because it is possible to tour the Midway and there is lot a of things to do.like the zoo. But don't wander south of the convention center unless you like the meet street people.
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I was at Camp Pendleton and Coronado. I love San Diego. For the most part it's a great and safe city, but the bad parts, were really bad. I haven't been back in some years, I would love to go back for a couple weeks.
 
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