Your dream destinations

[Saigon]

I do love beer - but would never order a Heineken when there are so many stunning Dutch and Belgian beers on tap.

I love those Trappist beers - they are completely unique. And often 8% alcohol, as well!

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I would have to say the Seychelles Islands. Anybody been?

 

[Saigon]

I would have to say the Seychelles Islands. Anybody been?

I haven't - and I'd love to go there as well. For me they and the Maldives are once in a lifetime places. Both expensive, but both must also be stunning. One drawback is the costs, though, a couple of people I know who have been have spents thousands.

 

[Unkotare]

I would have to say the Seychelles Islands. Anybody been?

Better get there quickly. They won't be there for too much longer.

 

[Skull Pilot]

On a less exotic note I would love to do another backpacking trip through Glacier National Park.

 

[Saigon]

On a less exotic note I would love to do another backpacking trip through Glacier National Park.

That sounds fairly exotic to me!

Being up in the glaciers is a world away from what I guess most of us experience in our daly life.

I love hiking and mountains - but in Finland we have enough snow I don't need to see it when I go on holiday!

 

[Skull Pilot]

On a less exotic note I would love to do another backpacking trip through Glacier National Park.

That sounds fairly exotic to me!

Being up in the glaciers is a world away from what I guess most of us experience in our daly life.

I love hiking and mountains - but in Finland we have enough snow I don't need to see it when I go on holiday!

My wife and I hiked the entire norther border of the park. 65 miles in 7 days. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

We slept in places like this every night

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I would have to say the Seychelles Islands. Anybody been?

I haven't - and I'd love to go there as well. For me they and the Maldives are once in a lifetime places. Both expensive, but both must also be stunning. One drawback is the costs, though, a couple of people I know who have been have spents thousands.

Thousands for a vaca isnt that bad. I would say our most expensive trip was two weeks in Jamaica at around $9000.00
Hell you cant get airfare for two for less then 2000.00 unless you find a good deal. And we found that a week in Florida is far more expensive then a week in Jamaica even with higher airfare. Although thats starting to change as Jamaica gets more popular. When we first started going 15 years ago you could get a two lobster dinner for 10 bucks and a Redstripe for less then a buck.
Prices are now almost even with the US as far as food and adult beverages go,but hotels are still much cheaper.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

On a less exotic note I would love to do another backpacking trip through Glacier National Park.

That sounds fairly exotic to me!

Being up in the glaciers is a world away from what I guess most of us experience in our daly life.

I love hiking and mountains - but in Finland we have enough snow I don't need to see it when I go on holiday!

My wife and I hiked the entire norther border of the park. 65 miles in 7 days. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

We slept in places like this every night

Nice!!
It sucks getting older. I love places like that but it's getting tough to hike them.

 

[Saigon]

WereWeGo -

I'm very much a budget traveller. I usually spend around €60 a day, and can generally get an airfare for about €700. So 4 - 5 weeks travel usually sets me back about €3000. Then again, I go to shitholes, so they tend to be a bit cheaper!

For the Maldives I think you're about right with US$9K or so.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I would have to say the Seychelles Islands. Anybody been?

Better get there quickly. They won't be there for too much longer.

Pretty sure they'll be there long after I'm gone.

 

[Saigon]

It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

That is gorgeous - reminds me of South Island, New Zealand, actually.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

WereWeGo -

I'm very much a budget traveller. I usually spend around €60 a day, and can generally get an airfare for about €700. So 4 - 5 weeks travel usually sets me back about €3000. Then again, I go to shitholes, so they tend to be a bit cheaper!

For the Maldives I think you're about right with US$9K or so.

You guys must have more free time. lol
I'm retired and the wife gets six weeks a year. She's lucky to take three of them. And no way would they allow her to be gone more then two weeks at a time.
If I could hit the road for 4-5 weeks I would definitely stay in more modest digs.
But when you're trying to squeeze in all the relaxing you can in a week or two you spend as much as you can afford. In other words...alcohol,calorie and "party material" limits go out the window.

 

[Saigon]

HWGA -

I am very fortunate, because I'm self-employed. There is an element of work in travel because I generally try and produce 4 stories per summer, but it's mainly holiday. But I decide where to go and how long to go for. Standard holidays in Finland are 5 weeks anyway, though, so it isn't unusual.

 

[Unkotare]

I would have to say the Seychelles Islands. Anybody been?

Better get there quickly. They won't be there for too much longer.

Pretty sure they'll be there long after I'm gone.

Maybe not too much longer than that.

 

[sfcalifornia]

I had always wanted to go to Paris. I'd been to a lot of other places. I finally got Paris last summer.

It exceeded expectations... which was the best part of the trip.

Paris is an incredibly beautiful city.

it really is. we stayed at a hotel opposite the tuilleries and could walk to the louvre and the champs elysee. the scale and grandeur was phenomenal. but more than anything, i'd always heard that parisians are rude... snotty... don't like americans. and we were treated so well. everywhere we went, people went out of their way to help us and try to communicate even if my french and their english were both bad.

best food, too. at one point, we found a cafe on the river just across the bridge from notre dame, and sat there having the most wonderful meal and watching people go by.

Wow!!

I'm so glad to hear you had the same experience. Parisians get an awfully bad rap. I spent New Year's there last year and it had been awhile since my last visit. I was blown away at how friendly and accommodating Parisians were. My friend and I noticed every day.

I've been to that cafe on the other side of the Seine (there's lots, I know. Wouldn't it be funny if we were at the same one?). There is nothing more magical than sitting on the Seine in the summer, watching the full moon rise over Notre Dame while sipping wine with friends, eating the best food in the world and watching the world go by. Life really doesn't get any better than that.

 

[Unkotare]

"Best food in the world"?

 

[sfcalifornia]

Jillian -

I LOVE Paris too - although I guess most people do!

The funny thing is that they have this reputation for being so rude. My French is terrible, but I've always got good service there, and to me they are no ruder than people in any other big city.

I've always joked, you haven't lived a full life until you've been thrown out of something by the French. One time long ago, a friend of mine and I got into a HUGE screaming fight with a hotel owner in Paris and at the end, it was mutually agreed there was no way in hell we were going to stay one more minute there. Admittedly, all parties involved handled the situation poorly and I'll regret my behavior forever.

When I happen to bump into an asshole while traveling, I remind myself not to judge an entire city or country just because I had a bad experience with someone that day. Sometimes you have the bad luck to run into two or three assholes in a day but let's face it, there are plenty of assholes living in your own home town, right?

 

[sfcalifornia]

"Best food in the world"?

LOL

I've been all over the world many times over and I can safely say: The French know how to cook!!

 

[Unkotare]

Well, the French like to think so.