First off, Wisconsin would be a great place. You've the the fun summerness of the Wisconsin Dells, the college atmosphere of Madison, the big city atmosphere of Milwaukee, plus the history of Green Bay Packers, Door County, whitewater rafting, cheap cheese, beer, and brats, and lots of camping and other fun stuff!
Otherwise, it's a hard question to answer. What are you looking for? You want beaches, lack of people, classical architecture?
Mexico City was fun and cheap.
London was amazing and easy to get around. Lived there for 6 months and it's one of my favorite places on earth. But 2 to 1, it's expensive.
Scotland was beautiful! I would love to retire there some day. Go to Edinburgh, then take a several day tour to Northern Scotland and see Eilean Donan Castle, you know, from the movie Highlander. See Glencoe and Loch Ness, it's surreal, especially if you get a good bus guide that make the history POP.
Ireland was great too. Dublin was fun, but I was done after a couple days. Take a trip through the southern part of the island to get another beautiful scenery similar to Scotland.
Italy was a place of its own. Venice may well be the most beautiful city in existence (and quickly sinking) and Rome if just one big history lesson. Amazing! But make sure you go at the right time, especially in Venice (the city literally floods during the rainy season and gets stinky in the hot months of summer. Spring is the best).
Barcelona was a blast. Great city, great beaches, great toplessness at said beaches, and you have the work of [Antonio Gaudí everywhere! Plus drunkness and gorgeous people galore! It was a time to remember. ¿Le puedo besar yo?
Germany is great. Cologne is quaint and fun, Hamburg is beautiful, and Berlin is magical. Plus they have a different sausage for everyday of the week, so you'll never get board. MMMMM, Currywurst...
Greece was amazing too. Athens is good for a day or two, then get on a fairy and island hope in the Cyclades. My god the cyclades....and 5star hotels are reasonably affordable at around 100 euros a night. Get a moped and take it with you from island to island, then just explore and go to the beaches and scuba dive. The people are friendly, they love to cook, and they love to make sure you have a good time. It works best if you have a beautiful lady to accompany you on your trip....ah Greece.
Stockholm, Sweeden was a delightful place too, but it's much more interesting after seeing a lot of European cities. I say this because they were neutral during the wars, and their city is so well intact compared to the rest of the continent. Everyone speaks English there, and oh boy the Sweedish women. Ofcourse, if the original poster here is a female, or unavailable, then this may not be an enticement. But Stockholm is enjoyable nonetheless.
Then there's the ones I wanted to, but didn't have time to go, Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam.
But all of this depends on your requirements. What's your budget, what are you looking for, how long will you be there, do you want to do more than one country, where do you think you'll otherwise never get the chance to go (in which case go there) what languages can you speak (in some ways, don't go to a country that can speak that language), what cultures/ethnicities/food/etc have you ever been enticed by? These will help to narrow down the responses.
Sorry, I screwed that spanish line up. Try ¿Te puedo besar? or Hace rato que te observo y eres la chica mas guapa aqui, or Quiero hacerte el amor followed by ¿Tienes un condon?
i am actually wrestling with this question right now as I will journey on my first trip abroad this summer! Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions!
. . . . .
Using Cambridge, UK as my base I will be in Europe for 26 days (minus travel), from June 30-Jul 25. Thusfar plans include London (and surrounding areas) Rome, Paris, and Spain (probably Barcelona, Madrid or a southern coastal city). Berlin and Amsterdam could be added pending travel arrangements.
We are fortunate enough to have my roommate's brother covering housing for us as he is currently stationed in the military and has friends throughout Europe.
My question, to anyone whose planned a similar trip on their own, is how much is to much to take on? Is visiting 6-8 European cities and some countryside in a 3-31/2 week period too much to ask? We're most likely to use domestic flights (i.e. RyanAir) when possible, some trains.
That said.. I would be happy with any of the aforementioned places seeing as I currently reside in the armpit of America (albeit a friendly one).
I always thought one of the best things about europe was the ability to travel everywhere by high-speed rail very cheaply with a euro pass. Unless the world's completely gone mad, I'd probably stick to trains.
I lived and worked there for about 6 months, and went to a different country 8 times and that was a lot (as told to me by Londoners). I had a hard time fitting anything else, and I didn't get much of a chance to check out other UK cities as a result. If you were there for just under 4 weeks without any other requirements (ie, you didn't have to go to school) then you could do it. Otherwise, nail it down to like 3.
Also, Ryan Air is obnoxious. If you can, pick Easy Jet, another cheap airline. But if Ryan Air is like 1/5 of the price, then you can't beat that. Just book them as far advance as you can (like 3 months if possible). Use skyscanner.net to search all the cheap airlines.
If I had to pick the top 3 that I went to and you could fit in that time frame:
Barcelona
Venice/Rome
Edinburgh and N.Scotland, Berlin, or Greek Cyclades
Ofcourse I could replace one of them with Paris, Amsterdam, or Prague. The Greek Cyclades really need like a week of time to spend with since there are so many islands. I actually need to go back and spend like a month there, they were amazing.
Also, trains out of the UK into places like Paris are pricey (150-200 pounds) but its like 2 hours from London to Paris. The discount airlines can be as cheap as 30 pounds (including fees and tax) but they take you to outlining airports of cities where u might need to take an hour or so train/bus to get into the city, plus the extra time of airport security and time.
If you travel in Italy, you can apply for a student pass at the train station, and get tickets for as low as 50% of the price.
Greek Cyclades are amazing, I have to keep on stressing that.
Sorry, one more note, since you're actually living in Cambridge, you need to allot plenty of time for London, it's big, amazing, and way too much to do in a weekend's time.
Fortunately, I don't have any other obligations while I'm there. The trip is kind of a post-MArch graduation present to myself, and to fill the time between finishing my curriculm and an August commencement! I couldn't think of a better way to spend the time.
I just booked my international flight last week and was able to get a deal through AirFrance, which gives me a cumulative layover of 10 hours in Paris. I understand this effectively zero time to see the city, but I figure if we cannot fit Paris into the body of our trip at least I took in the Charles de Gaulle and the surrounding areas.
I think about a week in London sounds right, and beyond that I would probably get priority to the rest as such, and likely travel means (to get us back to the original question):
1. Barcelona/Coastal Spain (domestic airline)
2. Berlin, and Deutschland in general (ferry + train)
3. Rome (domestic airline + train)
4. Amsterdam (ferry)
5. Rural Ireland, N. Scotland (train/vehicle)
What about Zurich or Dublin? Either of those crack the top 5? Also, do you know anything about the ferry from London to Amsterdam?
The GSD for free - this fall. haha - not happening though. I know I'll probably catch some shit for this from all you Ivy haters - but I said for free, not 150K in debt.
Well, I've seen all the big tourist things...Europe, N. America, Caribbean, Hawaii, etc. Guess I could go see Asia or S. America, but for a truly once in a lifetime trip I'd really like to visit just weird off the wall places that most people would rather no visit. Here's a short list of places that I've read about and would love to visit. Yes, I'm weird.
The Aral Sea in Uzbekistan/Kazakstan. A huge environmental tragedy of the Soviet Union. I can't get past the photos of big fishing vessels sitting on dry land that used to be a healthy inland sea.
The Chernobyl Exclusion zone in the Ukraine. Another environmental tragedy that fascinates me. I'd love to see the abandoned city of Pryipat...but not stay too long.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon islands off Newfoundland. It's basically France in North America and hardly anybody, even Canadians, know it's there.
Adak, Alaska. An island in the Aleutians that was a former military base with a population in the thousands. Today there are less than 100 inhabitants. A cold war leftover that's frozen in time given it's isolation.
Attu Station in the Aleutians...the farthest eastern part of the USA as it's past the international dateline. Would be a trip just getting there, and pretty cool to say you've been there.
Pitcairn Islands in the south pacific. Probably more isolated than Easter Island and much less known. Only satellite phones there. Perfect place to get away from it all. Be sure to bring your own booze though...or trade with a passing freighter.
Wrong question... It should have been where wouldn't I go?
I've told my wife, family and friends many times that if I had the $$$ I'd never come back home. I'd just travel endlessly and when I miss them I'd pay for them to come travel with me for a week or two.
So many places, so much time spent working to visit them for a week or two at a time.
i would really love to go somewhere very autumnal, strewn with red orange gold leaves and something sad something beautiful, something breezy, something left unsaid in the air. maybe somewhere in canada or the midwest usa?...i've never stepped foot on that continent yet. maple sauce and corner charred melancholy. where would i find somethin like that? where people know the meaning of Enough!
noctilucent - try the bluff country of SE Minnesota. I find it's very similar to what you're describing. My wife and I travel there at least once a year and try a new bed & breakfast. With the hills many places won't even get cellphone signals. It's far enough from Chicago that it's not overrun like Wisconsin and most Mpls/St. Paul folks head to the north woods for their getaways.
notilucent, don't go anywhere but new hampshire / vermont. the midwest has some great foliage but, and i hate to admit this, it ain't got nothing on new england. fucking amazing in the fall.
me, i'd go to perth, australia. that or st. maartens.
if you could go anywhere in the world.. where would you go?
where would you recommend to go..... -- especially if this is your first trip abroad?
wisconsin.
wisco!
i'd recommend going to a beach with lots of uncrowded waterfront. or an island - all to yourself. it's friggin freezing here.
Antarctica...
to sleep.............
I don't care, just give me palm trees, fruity drinks with good tequila and no cell/internet!
A topless beach couldn't hurt, either ;-)
a bar with lots of rare whiskeys...
italy
first time abroad? i'm having a hard time deciding on a recommendation...west indies...bali...france...india...south america...greece
Chile
backstage at a 'victoria's secret' runway show....grin....did that sound creepy or was it just me?
Depends on the day... today I wouldn't mind boogie boarding/surfing somewhere.
Iceland
barca
i gotta go poo-poo
...home.
Sigur Ros Studio in Iceland
angkor wat
tibet
morocco
india
nepal
egypt
tehran
buenos aires
fiji
the list goes on and on...
Machu Picchu
[img]http://www.wayfaring.info/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/the-floating-houses.jpg/img]
lake union floating houses - seattle
at least go for something a little more modern...
Wow, what a loaded question/
First off, Wisconsin would be a great place. You've the the fun summerness of the Wisconsin Dells, the college atmosphere of Madison, the big city atmosphere of Milwaukee, plus the history of Green Bay Packers, Door County, whitewater rafting, cheap cheese, beer, and brats, and lots of camping and other fun stuff!
Otherwise, it's a hard question to answer. What are you looking for? You want beaches, lack of people, classical architecture?
Mexico City was fun and cheap.
London was amazing and easy to get around. Lived there for 6 months and it's one of my favorite places on earth. But 2 to 1, it's expensive.
Scotland was beautiful! I would love to retire there some day. Go to Edinburgh, then take a several day tour to Northern Scotland and see Eilean Donan Castle, you know, from the movie Highlander. See Glencoe and Loch Ness, it's surreal, especially if you get a good bus guide that make the history POP.
Ireland was great too. Dublin was fun, but I was done after a couple days. Take a trip through the southern part of the island to get another beautiful scenery similar to Scotland.
Italy was a place of its own. Venice may well be the most beautiful city in existence (and quickly sinking) and Rome if just one big history lesson. Amazing! But make sure you go at the right time, especially in Venice (the city literally floods during the rainy season and gets stinky in the hot months of summer. Spring is the best).
Barcelona was a blast. Great city, great beaches, great toplessness at said beaches, and you have the work of [Antonio Gaudí everywhere! Plus drunkness and gorgeous people galore! It was a time to remember. ¿Le puedo besar yo?
Germany is great. Cologne is quaint and fun, Hamburg is beautiful, and Berlin is magical. Plus they have a different sausage for everyday of the week, so you'll never get board. MMMMM, Currywurst...
Greece was amazing too. Athens is good for a day or two, then get on a fairy and island hope in the Cyclades. My god the cyclades....and 5star hotels are reasonably affordable at around 100 euros a night. Get a moped and take it with you from island to island, then just explore and go to the beaches and scuba dive. The people are friendly, they love to cook, and they love to make sure you have a good time. It works best if you have a beautiful lady to accompany you on your trip....ah Greece.
Stockholm, Sweeden was a delightful place too, but it's much more interesting after seeing a lot of European cities. I say this because they were neutral during the wars, and their city is so well intact compared to the rest of the continent. Everyone speaks English there, and oh boy the Sweedish women. Ofcourse, if the original poster here is a female, or unavailable, then this may not be an enticement. But Stockholm is enjoyable nonetheless.
Then there's the ones I wanted to, but didn't have time to go, Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam.
But all of this depends on your requirements. What's your budget, what are you looking for, how long will you be there, do you want to do more than one country, where do you think you'll otherwise never get the chance to go (in which case go there) what languages can you speak (in some ways, don't go to a country that can speak that language), what cultures/ethnicities/food/etc have you ever been enticed by? These will help to narrow down the responses.
Sorry, I screwed that spanish line up. Try ¿Te puedo besar? or Hace rato que te observo y eres la chica mas guapa aqui, or Quiero hacerte el amor followed by ¿Tienes un condon?
A secluded island in micronesia, to spend the rest of my life fishing and diving in its beautiful waters.
SBd -- Wisconsin, and no mention of Wright ?
Quizzical got my choice. . .
Richland Center, the place he was born...and my DAD!!!
Ah. . .
I once saw a photo of ancient stonework in Wales, and it was a dead ringer for Wright's craggiest ashlar.
i am actually wrestling with this question right now as I will journey on my first trip abroad this summer! Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions!
. . . . .
Using Cambridge, UK as my base I will be in Europe for 26 days (minus travel), from June 30-Jul 25. Thusfar plans include London (and surrounding areas) Rome, Paris, and Spain (probably Barcelona, Madrid or a southern coastal city). Berlin and Amsterdam could be added pending travel arrangements.
We are fortunate enough to have my roommate's brother covering housing for us as he is currently stationed in the military and has friends throughout Europe.
My question, to anyone whose planned a similar trip on their own, is how much is to much to take on? Is visiting 6-8 European cities and some countryside in a 3-31/2 week period too much to ask? We're most likely to use domestic flights (i.e. RyanAir) when possible, some trains.
That said.. I would be happy with any of the aforementioned places seeing as I currently reside in the armpit of America (albeit a friendly one).
A place where everyone knows my name...
I always thought one of the best things about europe was the ability to travel everywhere by high-speed rail very cheaply with a euro pass. Unless the world's completely gone mad, I'd probably stick to trains.
ryanj,
Yes, way too much.
I lived and worked there for about 6 months, and went to a different country 8 times and that was a lot (as told to me by Londoners). I had a hard time fitting anything else, and I didn't get much of a chance to check out other UK cities as a result. If you were there for just under 4 weeks without any other requirements (ie, you didn't have to go to school) then you could do it. Otherwise, nail it down to like 3.
Also, Ryan Air is obnoxious. If you can, pick Easy Jet, another cheap airline. But if Ryan Air is like 1/5 of the price, then you can't beat that. Just book them as far advance as you can (like 3 months if possible). Use skyscanner.net to search all the cheap airlines.
If I had to pick the top 3 that I went to and you could fit in that time frame:
Barcelona
Venice/Rome
Edinburgh and N.Scotland, Berlin, or Greek Cyclades
Ofcourse I could replace one of them with Paris, Amsterdam, or Prague. The Greek Cyclades really need like a week of time to spend with since there are so many islands. I actually need to go back and spend like a month there, they were amazing.
Also, trains out of the UK into places like Paris are pricey (150-200 pounds) but its like 2 hours from London to Paris. The discount airlines can be as cheap as 30 pounds (including fees and tax) but they take you to outlining airports of cities where u might need to take an hour or so train/bus to get into the city, plus the extra time of airport security and time.
If you travel in Italy, you can apply for a student pass at the train station, and get tickets for as low as 50% of the price.
Greek Cyclades are amazing, I have to keep on stressing that.
Sorry, one more note, since you're actually living in Cambridge, you need to allot plenty of time for London, it's big, amazing, and way too much to do in a weekend's time.
why doesn't anyone want to go to canada?
it's ok.
there are trees, igloos, and other fun winter activities.
we have critical regionalism, and better hockey.
why is there no canadian love?
SBd, thanks for the great tips!
Fortunately, I don't have any other obligations while I'm there. The trip is kind of a post-MArch graduation present to myself, and to fill the time between finishing my curriculm and an August commencement! I couldn't think of a better way to spend the time.
I just booked my international flight last week and was able to get a deal through AirFrance, which gives me a cumulative layover of 10 hours in Paris. I understand this effectively zero time to see the city, but I figure if we cannot fit Paris into the body of our trip at least I took in the Charles de Gaulle and the surrounding areas.
I think about a week in London sounds right, and beyond that I would probably get priority to the rest as such, and likely travel means (to get us back to the original question):
1. Barcelona/Coastal Spain (domestic airline)
2. Berlin, and Deutschland in general (ferry + train)
3. Rome (domestic airline + train)
4. Amsterdam (ferry)
5. Rural Ireland, N. Scotland (train/vehicle)
What about Zurich or Dublin? Either of those crack the top 5? Also, do you know anything about the ferry from London to Amsterdam?
Of the places I've been in the U.S. I would probably go to:
Fort Myers Beach, FL
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Urbanity's got nothing on Mother Nature!
Because its too fucking cold there 99% of the time.
That was in regard to Canada BTW.
RIO DE JANEIRO!!!
Dubai... a fast growing sunny city
The GSD for free - this fall. haha - not happening though. I know I'll probably catch some shit for this from all you Ivy haters - but I said for free, not 150K in debt.
Well, I've seen all the big tourist things...Europe, N. America, Caribbean, Hawaii, etc. Guess I could go see Asia or S. America, but for a truly once in a lifetime trip I'd really like to visit just weird off the wall places that most people would rather no visit. Here's a short list of places that I've read about and would love to visit. Yes, I'm weird.
The Aral Sea in Uzbekistan/Kazakstan. A huge environmental tragedy of the Soviet Union. I can't get past the photos of big fishing vessels sitting on dry land that used to be a healthy inland sea.
The Chernobyl Exclusion zone in the Ukraine. Another environmental tragedy that fascinates me. I'd love to see the abandoned city of Pryipat...but not stay too long.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon islands off Newfoundland. It's basically France in North America and hardly anybody, even Canadians, know it's there.
Adak, Alaska. An island in the Aleutians that was a former military base with a population in the thousands. Today there are less than 100 inhabitants. A cold war leftover that's frozen in time given it's isolation.
Attu Station in the Aleutians...the farthest eastern part of the USA as it's past the international dateline. Would be a trip just getting there, and pretty cool to say you've been there.
Pitcairn Islands in the south pacific. Probably more isolated than Easter Island and much less known. Only satellite phones there. Perfect place to get away from it all. Be sure to bring your own booze though...or trade with a passing freighter.
Wrong question... It should have been where wouldn't I go?
I've told my wife, family and friends many times that if I had the $$$ I'd never come back home. I'd just travel endlessly and when I miss them I'd pay for them to come travel with me for a week or two.
So many places, so much time spent working to visit them for a week or two at a time.
"down south"
^^^ I'm right there with you Rottnme.
i would really love to go somewhere very autumnal, strewn with red orange gold leaves and something sad something beautiful, something breezy, something left unsaid in the air. maybe somewhere in canada or the midwest usa?...i've never stepped foot on that continent yet. maple sauce and corner charred melancholy. where would i find somethin like that? where people know the meaning of Enough!
new england? vancouver?
noctilucent - try the bluff country of SE Minnesota. I find it's very similar to what you're describing. My wife and I travel there at least once a year and try a new bed & breakfast. With the hills many places won't even get cellphone signals. It's far enough from Chicago that it's not overrun like Wisconsin and most Mpls/St. Paul folks head to the north woods for their getaways.
Brasil.
notilucent, don't go anywhere but new hampshire / vermont. the midwest has some great foliage but, and i hate to admit this, it ain't got nothing on new england. fucking amazing in the fall.
me, i'd go to perth, australia. that or st. maartens.
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