Travel ideas!

[wigi-lou]

So, it turns out that I am going to get a chunk of change from the sale of a property that I own, the deal closes the first week of July.

I was thinking of taking a trip with some of the proceeds, but I am not sure what to do.

Long road trip? Vegas? Europe? See our country? Go to Alaska via B.C.?

I am fascinated with that show where they eat at roadside diners and small restaurants...I was toying with the idea of doing a food tour of greasy spoons.

Or check out SGs naked resort...I'm a fairly rugged and outdoorsy girl, so any ideas that have to do with the wilderness are great, too.

I would like to keep the budget to around 2k, time is not really a factor.

What would you do? What have you done?

 

[Aaron_J88]

I'm so envious!

With that budget and all the time in the world, I would do a road trip for sure.

Route 66 - The Mother Road. Take you right through America, from Chi-town to LA.

I always wanted to back-pack through Europe, but now I'm too old for that sh!t.

 

[Mark V]

So funny that you mention Route 66...that was in my mind, too.

Guys, keep in mind that I will most likely be traveling alone. I do have a reliable vehicle and I love to drive...EXCEPT...my car has no air! lmfao (It wasn't hot out when I bought the car, and I deluded myself into thinking it wasn't a necessity. haha)

Edit; Also, how do you go about planning a trip like a backpacking through Europe kind of thing? Except for within Canada, and the U.S., I am not well traveled. There is a huge difference between booking a hotel for a few days and staying in one location than moving around such as for back packing or a road trip.

Do I just throw caution to the wind and believe that I will have accommodation wherever I end up, or do I plan an actual route and stick to it the best I can?

 

[redunicorn]

You could travel Europe on that budget. Backpacking and staying in B&B's, but I would definitely find travel companions; at this time of the year, there are lots of students going as long as you don't mind traveling with people of that age group...it could be pretty fun!

 

[Tom J]

For $2K, you could backpack through europe and get pretty much anywhere on a eurorail pass.

If you're not experienced travelling in different cultures, I'd probably advise against going it alone. It's not necessarily dangerous (though it can be). It can just be overwhelming in some countries/cultures.

For an unhurried road trip, there's nothing I like more than just hitting the road and seeing where the day takes me. There's gotta be a motel somewhere in the horizon. At worst, you can sleep in the car.

Just get a GPS, and I assume you have a BB or iphone. If you must find a Park Hyatt to destress, you can always hop on travelocity and book it!

 

[sazzle]

Thanks, guys!

I am not too worried about traveling alone. The thing about traveling with others is that you actually have to take what they want into account...and I was kind of hoping that I would not have to defer to anyone else, and just do my thing. I know, I'm selfish. You always hear stories about someone being a wet blanket, so I'd like to avoid that at all costs.

As for traveling Europe: I am bilingual, French and English. I find it easy to understand Spanish and Italian as well. I think that works in my favor, however, it's true that I've never been overseas.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Then you're way ahead in terms of getting around. I would rather do Europe than Route 66.

I barely speak English (j/k) and I was able to muddle my way through Italy and Portugal. You'll be fine in the big cities. I was surprised how the older locals spoke more English than the young ones.

You should check out: http://www.amazon.ca/Wanderlust-Lip...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277224216&sr=1-1

There is a whole series of books (by destination) with tips for women travellers.

 

[SJG]

As you suggested, it is a great time of year to visit the Canadian West. Perhaps to admire the Prairies (briefly) take the train to Calgary, then rent and drive through the Rockies:love:. Beautiful cool fresh air, numerous mountain lakes for canoeing or rowing, horseback excursions (hours to days), hiking, hand feed the ground squirrels & whiskeyjacks (NOT the bears!), and see lots of other wildlife. Take ski lifts for sight seeing and high level rambles.
If you decide to see Vancouver, dont miss the aquarium and skinny dipping at Wreck Beach.

 

[Warren]

These pics are from Alaska, Katmai National Park. Amazing!

View attachment 1347View attachment 1348View attachment 1349

Apparently the bears feed on Salmon all summer here. I think it would be amazing to see something like this!

 

[ranting_woman]

Perhaps travel across the country or head East and do the East Coast - the Maritimes and the East Coast of the United States. If you are thinking of going up to Alaska/ The West Coast, then include Vancouver Island - Victoria, Tofino, Comox Valley and the Queen Charlotte Islands, as they are beautiful and wonderful to see/travel by ferry. If you take Bear's 669's suggestion and take a train (something I have always wanted to do in Canada - have done so in Europe and Asia but not yet in Canada) - Lake Louise, Jasper and Banff, as well as the Okanagan Valley (Wine Tours, Beautiful Orchards and Great Lakes etc) would be amazing this time of the year.


If Europe is your choice, then an inexpensive flight - usually into Amsterdam but I am sure deals can be found for arrival into any city - Amsterdam is just very central - and then a EuroRail pass - good for 2 months is a great idea.

Another option is the Air Asia pass - although the flight/pass to Asia is more expensive, once there, travel and accomodations throughout SE Asia are relatively inexepensive and you can fly to quite a few different countries under this pass - Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Korea, KL...


So many options...

 

[15 MoRe WkS 2 g0!!]

I know! This is the problem, really. I am feeling bogged down in choice!

I love the idea of taking the train across the country. When I was little we took the train often, it has been SO LONG since I boarded a train...

 

[m&m&m]

How about making Toronto your first stop, you could earn a bit more travel money. :happy:

I like your idea of checking out diners and interesting greasy spoons, I did a lot of that when I took a month long drive down the US east coast.

 

[ohbrother]

I think that you and I should travel for a couple of before we elope in the Domican

 

[Jarvis]

Gosh my whole famn damily:! I miss the West!

 

[PaulKnorr]

Actually heading out to the east coast and then down through the US is an awesome trip. Plus it is cooler by the ocean.

You could hit new brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia then hit Maine, New Hampshire, and the Tetons around New York State.

I agree, the freedom of travelling alone is simple but after having travelled for 2 yrs for business alone, it does get boring after about the first week. I found that when you see something amazing, you turn to your right to say "isn't that amazing..." yet there's no one there.

Not to be the voice of reason, but driving anywhere is very inefficient and not very good for the environment. For the economy, I'd keep my $$ in North America, that way you help our economy, not someone else's.

If you speak french, you'd get along fine in Europe. If you like beaches etc you could have a blast along the med. So many places to see. I always wanted to do a motorcycle tour of europe. Great on gas and you can zip through traffic.

The thing is, 2 grand really isn't that much money. I'd say you'd blow half of it just on airfare going across the pond.

You could look up outward bound, I believe they arrange backpacking trips etc.

You could also try meet market adventures, they arrange all kinds of trips designed around the single person. This includes Jeep tours of the grand canyon, tours of carribean islands, even the south pole I think.

me? on that budget? I'd hit the east coast and eastern seaboard of the US. Get a small instaup tent and do a little camping instead of motels.

 

[Monique]

Maybe Niagara Falls?
[video=youtube;_yJBhzMWJCc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yJBhzMWJCc[/video]

 

[aeroqueen]

^^^Niagara Falls will be one of my smaller road trips this summer! It has been roughly five years since I went. I stayed around Niagara on the Lake, did the wineries and botanical gardens; and would love to do that again.



I think so too, HOF. I would want you eloping with me being completely and utterly informed. ha.

 

[edward s]

If you haven't been overseas, you should definitely visit Europe. I'd suggest flying into Amsterdam, then using discount airlines instead of a RailPass. Train travel in Europe is surprisingly expensive, and you can sometimes save money with companies like RyanAir... just make sure you use the bathroom before you get on the plane! ;-)

My favourite European cities are Barcelona and Athens, and if you don't mind using airports on the outskirts of town, you can keep your costs nice and low.

If you decide to stay in Canada, Vancouver is a beautiful city to visit, and you can drive up the coastline to Alaska. It might be about the same cost to fly there and rent a car; you save the cost of driving across the country, and you give yourself a few more days to enjoy the coast. Plus, a lot can go wrong during a cross-country road trip, so you might want to have a driving buddy with you; if you're going by yourself, fly out to Vancouver, rent a compact for $20-$30 a day, and go where the wind takes you.

If you can wait until after September 15th, you'll find the weather is still gorgeous, but it's not as crowded with North American students, and your flights and accommodations will be about 30% cheaper. Either way, go out and have some fun - there's nothing like visiting new places to energize your spirit!

 

[Corrie]

NOTL is a great little spot. I used to have reciprocal priviledges with the marina I kept my boat at so we could stay for free. Used to hit that a couple of times a summer.

Do some research and find out when they have some events going on. I was there once and there were concerts in the park, minstrels roaming the streets, and just about every restaurant had something going on......

 

[Elle]

Thank you to everyone who responded! Great ideas, and great tips. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I love the idea of going to Europe, but I think that might be a little ambitious, as I am planning to go on my own and it would be my first time overseas. I am not a nervous person as a rule, but the idea seems a bit overwhelming!

I wonder if a Mediterranean cruise might be the way to go, if I wanted to see some of Europe? At least it would be somewhat guided, and there would be others around. Are there such things as singles cruises? lol I don't want to be stuck with the geriatric crowd. No offense to my elders!