***The Official Travel Thread***

he.who.forgets

So after our European trip prompted of course by Pearl Jam, the wife and I have concluded that life's just too damn short not to see the world. We're hoping/planning on taking an international trip once every 3 or 4 years while still trying to see as much of our own country in between.

So, tell me about the favorite places you've visited. Photos & stories are welcome and encouraged

Mamasan23

Great idea, that's awesome!!

I haven't been here, but my grandparents have been all over the world and they constantly talk about Roratonga - it's a little island off the New Zealand coast in the Cook Islands. They said it's the most beautiful place in the world and that the buildings on the island aren't allowed to be built any taller than the palm trees. It's truly a getaway and the people of the island are extremely friendly. Look into it if you're into that kind of thing!

JonnyPistachio

I've only bee out of the USA once, and it was to visit Costa Rica for honeymoon. Strangely, Pearl jam was playing the day we arrived.

It was a beautiful country with very friendly people and great food. We hiked the rainforest, ziplined, repelled through caverns, did some white water rafting, and was able to rent a surfboard for a bit. it was incredible. It really gave me the travel bug. I felt like I was missing out after that trip.

I like this thread idea, and after reading susannj's thread about the Bahamas, you all are sparking that travel bug again too. I hope to get to the UK and/or Europe sometime soon.

Digital Twilight

Cinque Terre - Italy

Recently went to Italy for 2 weeks. Rome - Florence - Cinque Terre - Pisa

Fantastic country but this place was the highlight.

http://cinqueterre.a-turist.com/index.php

5 small fishing villages that are connected by a train or you can hike between each village.

DS1119

Go to Sedona, AZ. Your inner peace will thank you.

Johnny Aggro

Portmerion, North Wales, UK
Marrakech, Morroco,
Nerja, Spain


Each of these places touched me for very different reasons. They all are amazing places and very different from each other.

CAVSTARR313

Detroit is awesome!!

Halle, Germany is better

Bigda

Basque Country - San Sebastian (Donostia) and small villages on the coast
Spain - Oviedo

North Ireland - north from Omagh and on the coast
Republic Of Ireland - Doolin and the west coast

North Of Sweden and Norway

Tabor and Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic

Berlin in Germany

All of Scotland

plenty of places to see, my friend..safe travels!

FrankieG

My family was big into road trips when I was younger.
Now we fly alot more as we all can't take off work for such long periods.

Road trip to Disney (from NJ) was our first really long vacation that I remember. Stopped along the way at the tourist attractions. I would say it was a very standard vacation.

The following year we went up to Boston for the 4th of July Fireworks and further onto Acadia National Park in Maine. Thats was cool. Fireworks are always awesome and these were hugs. We camped in Acadia for a week. Hiked alot, saw the towns. The biggest thing I remember about that trip was Rock Climbing on "The Bubble" (the name of one of the mountains.) It was a spur of the moment thing my dad and i did. very cool.

The year after that was a roadtrip out to South Dakota (yes, from NJ :fp: ). We stopped in Cedar Point Ohio (the best amusement park I have ever been to :thumbup: ), Chicago to see the city and go up to the top of the Sears Tower, Wisconsin Dells and took a Duck-boat tour, :thumbup: The SPAM Museum in the middle of Minnesota!, The Badlands where we hiked and saw the best heat lightening in my life . (for 3 hours, we sat on this ridge, and watched the heat-lightening on the horizon about 15 miles away). Finally made it to see the State park where Custer's Last Stand took place, saw the Crazy Horse Monument, and of course the 4th of July fireworks over Mount Rushmore. (well actually over the back of it as the front side was too crowded. ). And of course you can't forget Carhenge on the way back, literally in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska.

Year after that was a camping trip to Lake Elmore Park in Vermont. Camped for a week. Hiked to the firetower on the top of the mountain. Saw the city of Stokes, lake Champaigne.

Now the flights:

St. Thomas US Virgin Islands, Secret Harbor Cove :thumbup: highly recomend this! It was truely off the beaten path. Went over to St. johns to snorkel the underwater trail.

Chicago lollapalooza 2007 trip to see PJ

LA / Anaheim trip to go to 5 different amusement parks Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Knotts berry farms, (I forget the 2 others. :oops: )

PJ20 stayed in Lake Geneva. Short trip but definitely worth it


I recomend all of these trips! I didn't realize how really lucky I am to have traveled so much at my age.

he.who.forgets

DS1119 wrote:

Go to Sedona, AZ. Your inner peace will thank you.

that's actually on my list, DS!

he.who.forgets

Digital Twilight wrote:

Cinque Terre - Italy

Recently went to Italy for 2 weeks. Rome - Florence - Cinque Terre - Pisa

Fantastic country but this place was the highlight.

http://cinqueterre.a-turist.com/index.php

5 small fishing villages that are connected by a train or you can hike between each village.

That looks amazing!!!

catefrances

AUSTRALIA

Black Diamond

catefrances wrote:

AUSTRALIA

Not St Louis?

catefrances

Black Diamond wrote:

catefrances wrote:

AUSTRALIA

Not St Louis?

oh yes always st louis(for me) but for some without ties to it i suggest australia. we have desert, tropical rainforest, diving,coral reefs ncluding the great barrier reef(which for those who dont know is the largest living organism on earth), some of the oldest forests on earth surfing, bushwalking, skiing, beautiful beaches, fantastic people, a laidback sense of of life, you can dive with the great white sharks, snorkle with whale sharks, ride a camel along cable beach up at broome whilst watching the sun set over the indian ocean. see football played hard and without protective pads,, excellent live music scenes, and just about everything else you can think of. we welcome all visitors.

LloydXmas

DS1119 wrote:

Go to Sedona, AZ. Your inner peace will thank you.

This. amazing place.

you should also make a trip up to the northeast too. Maine, VT and New Hampshire have some amazing spots.

CT Blows

81

if you like roller coasters, defiantly want to hit cedar point....no questions asked. we used to go every year

cities that i've been too and would go back again
charleston, sc - so relaxing, go in the winter.
ashville, nc - anouther great city with a lot of beer, bars and daytime activities
philly - gotta have a cheese steak
san fran - anouther great relaxing city with some cool stuff to see and do.
UP of michigan - great place to just get away from everything
alaska - there are some really neat things to do up there
the mountains out in cali (lake tahoe, east of visallia), love em.

looking forward to that MT road trip. talked about going to the badlands a few years ago to see mount rushmore....love killing two birds with one stone.


regardless of where you go, the best travel is on the side road and stay away from chain food places. so much more to see than what you see on the interstate, and the pace is more relaxed.

your move now

if you can find locals of wherever you're going (even if it's just on here or somewhere) then they have a better idea of where to go than any tripadvisor or wherever - ask!

he.who.forgets

81 wrote:

if you like roller coasters, defiantly want to hit cedar point....no questions asked. we used to go every year

cities that i've been too and would go back again
charleston, sc - so relaxing, go in the winter.
ashville, nc - anouther great city with a lot of beer, bars and daytime activities
philly - gotta have a cheese steak
san fran - anouther great relaxing city with some cool stuff to see and do.
UP of michigan - great place to just get away from everything
alaska - there are some really neat things to do up there
the mountains out in cali (lake tahoe, east of visallia), love em.

looking forward to that MT road trip. talked about going to the badlands a few years ago to see mount rushmore....love killing two birds with one stone.


regardless of where you go, the best travel is on the side road and stay away from chain food places. so much more to see than what you see on the interstate, and the pace is more relaxed.

Been to most of these places with the exception of Philly, the UP, and Alaska. Montana does sound like it would be a really fun trip. I probably need to hold off until at least next year even for a mini- stateside vacation. I may be able to swing a long weekend in the smokies near Asheville. I'm a guilty "leafer", waiting for October for the leaves to change colors

JonnyPistachio

btw, if you're on facebook, this is a nice group to "like". I see pics posted from this page which make me want to travel more.

http://www.facebook.com/FascinatingPlaces

he.who.forgets

just wanted to link these threads, 81.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=187460

Indifference71

Was a very big fan of Denver when I went there last year. Very cool city. Going to St. Lucia in October for my honeymoon and Nashville later on in the year.

goldrush

he.who.forgets wrote:

So after our European trip prompted of course by Pearl Jam, the wife and I have concluded that life's just too damn short not to see the world. We're hoping/planning on taking an international trip once every 3 or 4 years while still trying to see as much of our own country in between.

So, tell me about the favorite places you've visited. Photos & stories are welcome and encouraged

Apart from a school skiing trip to Austria when I was 12 or 13 I hadn't done any travelling until I turned 30. In fact the time I ever got on a plane was 2 days after my 30th and my first flight was from London to Hong Kong!

In the last 5 years I have tried to do as much travelling as possible but there's just so much to see out there. You are so right when you say that life's too short. It would be impossible to rank them in order but my favourite places would have to be:

Australia - I liked it so much I moved here!
Iceland - such a beautiful country, and also the place that I proposed to my wife
Peru - Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley are awe-inspiring
New Zealand - the North Island is great to drive around, the South is great for doing crazy shit!

Here are some photo sets I posted online of places I've been to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bealjarna/sets/72157622437973551/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bealjarna/sets/72157622465846102/

he.who.forgets

Almost forgot to post about Finca Bellavista. For anyone trying to get completely off the grid whether it be for a short vacation or to live permantently, this treehouse village in Costa Rica is awesome. I havent had the pleasure of visiting yet, but two friends of mine lived down there for about 2 months as a volunteer opportunity.
http://www.fincabellavista.net/
http://www.businessinsider.com/finca-be ... z22CMNYTNL
Pura Vida!

DS1119

he.who.forgets wrote:

I'm a guilty "leafer", waiting for October for the leaves to change colors

Nothing to feel guilty with about that. Beautiful time of year. :thumbup:

dimitrispearljam

as for my country,we have so many places,

Santorini is a destination,noone forgets for the view



other places i loved,was Barcelona,Stockholm,Prague Larnaka,Pafos...so beautiful places

he.who.forgets

So the Mrs. and I are planning a west coast adventure next summer. Our plan is to fly into Seattle, rent a car, and drive down the Pacific Coast HWY making stops along the way. The plan is to finish in San Fran and spend the last few days relaxing in Napa Valley where we'll meet up with my mom and sister to celebrate their 30th and 65th birthdays. Total trip will be about 10 days or so.
Anyone ever done something similar?
Any recommendations on towns/cities/places to stop along the way?
We're more than game to drive inland a bit as I do want to check out Portland, OR.
Your comments are appreciated!
Cheers

81

he.who.forgets wrote:

So the Mrs. and I are planning a west coast adventure next summer. Our plan is to fly into Seattle, rent a car, and drive down the Pacific Coast HWY making stops along the way. The plan is to finish in San Fran and spend the last few days relaxing in Napa Valley where we'll meet up with my mom and sister to celebrate their 30th and 65th birthdays. Total trip will be about 10 days or so.
Anyone ever done something similar?
Any recommendations on towns/cities/places to stop along the way?
We're more than game to drive inland a bit as I do want to check out Portland, OR.
Your comments are appreciated!
Cheers

san fran is a good time. if you like baseball, make sure to hit up both ball parks

he.who.forgets

81 wrote:

he.who.forgets wrote:

So the Mrs. and I are planning a west coast adventure next summer. Our plan is to fly into Seattle, rent a car, and drive down the Pacific Coast HWY making stops along the way. The plan is to finish in San Fran and spend the last few days relaxing in Napa Valley where we'll meet up with my mom and sister to celebrate their 30th and 65th birthdays. Total trip will be about 10 days or so.
Anyone ever done something similar?
Any recommendations on towns/cities/places to stop along the way?
We're more than game to drive inland a bit as I do want to check out Portland, OR.
Your comments are appreciated!
Cheers

san fran is a good time. if you like baseball, make sure to hit up both ball parks

yea man, AT&T Park is the prettiest park I've been to.

neilybabes86

san fran was a cool town..granted 3 pj shows in 4 nights helps on the fun scale

neilybabes86

can't wait to get to New Orleans next week ...never been there

should be interesting to say the least

81

he.who.forgets wrote:

81 wrote:

he.who.forgets wrote:

So the Mrs. and I are planning a west coast adventure next summer. Our plan is to fly into Seattle, rent a car, and drive down the Pacific Coast HWY making stops along the way. The plan is to finish in San Fran and spend the last few days relaxing in Napa Valley where we'll meet up with my mom and sister to celebrate their 30th and 65th birthdays. Total trip will be about 10 days or so.
Anyone ever done something similar?
Any recommendations on towns/cities/places to stop along the way?
We're more than game to drive inland a bit as I do want to check out Portland, OR.
Your comments are appreciated!
Cheers

san fran is a good time. if you like baseball, make sure to hit up both ball parks

yea man, AT&T Park is the prettiest park I've been to.

have you been to the oakland park? not nearly as nice as san fran, but worth the price of admission.