Road trip? Have you seen Yellowstone, Glacier national park, and that area? I'd probably explore that whole area in two weeks. Plenty of good food, things to see and do. I haven't traveled nearly as much as you, but I loved spending a few weeks in Germany. We went to Austria and Poland as day trips, along with the Baltic Sea, and had a great time with a nice mix of city and country, exploring and relaxing.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
I vote Argentina. So much to see, from wine country to the pampas to el tren a las nubes (near Salta, I think, I didn't make it that far) to way down south and the glaciers, etc. Plus, Buenos Aires itself is really dreamy.
BUT, Colombia & Panama are on my list, specifically Cartagena and Bocas del Toro.
While I love Puerto Rico, to me, it's small and close enough and flights are reasonable enough to just plan last-minute if you have a long weekend or something. I wouldn't be fantasizing about that a year in advance.
Hong Kong ? I went for 2 weeks a few years ago and it was great!
This is an ignorant question - is there really 2 weeks worth of stuff to do in Hong Kong? I mean, I see it as a large, crowded metropolis, but not particularly heavy in tourism hot spots. A larger Singapore, essentially (not that I've been there, either).
What's the best time of year to go? rupertpenny - when is there the least humidity?
I thought so. We went to a lot of the small islands to see various sights, went to different parts of the city, etc.
However we didn't have a kid and spent quite a bit of time eating at restaurants.
Hong Kong ? I went for 2 weeks a few years ago and it was great!
This is an ignorant question - is there really 2 weeks worth of stuff to do in Hong Kong? I mean, I see it as a large, crowded metropolis, but not particularly heavy in tourism hot spots. A larger Singapore, essentially (not that I've been there, either).
What's the best time of year to go? rupertpenny - when is there the least humidity?
Hey, HK is way different than Singapore! I mean maybe not that different, but I think it is definitely more interesting. I may be biased.
I wouldn't really want to stay here for 2 whole weeks, I think 4 days would be optimal. It's a great starting off point for other parts of SE Asia though. I highly recommend Vietnam, especially Central Vietnam (the only part I went to, lol). We went to Hue, Da Nang, and Hoi An in April and loved it. Are you bringing your son? While Vietnam isn't exactly "child safe" it is VERY child friendly. He will be treated like a king.
The best weather in Hong Kong is in October/November/December. That's the rainly season in Vietnam though. January-April in Hong Kong is generally fine temperature wise, but more likely to be cloudy and smoggy, and it can get very humid into April and May.
I've spent a lot of time in Iceland, but I wouldn't want to do a two week trip there personally. There are only so many waterfalls you can see in a week before they start to get a little boring.
Post by rupertpenny on Jun 23, 2015 22:08:52 GMT -5
Also, Vietnam would be a good compromise if your H wants the beach. There are gorgeous beaches in Central Vietnam, but plenty of other stuff to do too so it isn't all beach all the time.
Ugh. I guess I should throw DH a bone with something beachy. Generally I avoid beach vacations. I almost got bored to death in Grand Cayman once.
SEE WHY WE DO LAST MINUTE TRIPS TO GUATEMALA?
This reminds me of the time I "planned" a trip to Mali for like 6 months (I bought the Lonely Planet, yo!) and then was spent and went nowhere for Thanksgiving that year.
I don't know how people plan these things so far out. I hate commitment!
Several of our friends added a few days to their trip to Hong Kong and went to a beach in Thailand. Maybe that would be a compromise?
Post by rupertpenny on Jun 23, 2015 22:10:26 GMT -5
I'm just going to keep posting. I'm currenty planning a week in Bali and I think it would be easy to do two weeks there. Obviously the beach is a big draw, but there seems to be lots of other stuff to do there too.
Love Iceland but I think two weeks is too long. Argentina is awesome but are you going in their winter or summer? Buenos aires is a cool city, we loved bariloche (Llao Llao resort was amazing). I loved chile, we have done Santiago, atacama desert and Easter island. Everyone I know from Colombia says skip bogota and doCartagena and Medellin. We are considering this in the fall. I have zero desire for Brazil, my husband has been 9 times in the last year and is very meh about it.
Laos and Cambodia was a great trip, but so so hot. Same with Singapore and Hong Kong.
So much to do in Europe. I would do a cruise up the Norwegian fjords. We also love the Baltic countries. I'm dying to go to Croatia.
I'm just going to keep posting. I'm currenty planning a week in Bali and I think it would be easy to do two weeks there. Obviously the beach is a big draw, but there seems to be lots of other stuff to do there too.
What are these other things? Because I want cutesy cities, cafes, and a fair number of restaurants to choose from.
Sometimes I'm at a beach and feel like I will definitely have a tan because I've been out for so long and it's been 20 minutes. So I really couldn't do more than 3-4 days at a beach and that is an "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, DH" type of stretch. I feel like the PR trip in May or an AI to Cancun could satisfy any beach needs.
We also theoretically want to move in 2017 to Europe or Asia, so I keep telling myself I should get my Western Hemisphere travel in. Of course, wanting to get a job overseas and actually doing so are two different stories.
Well, I think you can do other water activities besides just hang out at the beach, like snokeling and surfing, etc. There are a lot of small towns and villages on the island, and I think many have their own distinct character. Ubud in the center of the island is the cultural capital with a lot of local artists and nice shops and markets. There are lots of temples, as well as other UNESCO Heritage sites like terraced rice fields. There are a few volcanos on the island and I think some decent hiking. I think there is at least one elephant sanctuary you can visit. The food is supposed to be good, and you can get anything from street food to fine dining. I think a lot of the appeal of Bali is that it has it's own distinct culture, it is the only Hindu area in Indonesia and even so it is very different from other Hindu parts of the world. The people are also meant to be incredibly friendly. I haven't been yet, but ask me again in a month and I'll let you know if it really is as good as everyone says.
However, if you are seriously considering moving to Europe or Asia I would try and to a South America trip. And I think you should move to HK, from the little I know of you I think you and your H would have no problem finding jobs here and I think you would enjoy it.
Oh and Bali. We have been multiple times and are taking DD to Indonesia in January. I don't care for Kuta Beach, but Ubud is neat. DH's family goes 2-3 times per year and they always stay in a little slice of heaven on the north coast.
Food and services are cheap, imported booze is pricy.
Post by rupertpenny on Jun 23, 2015 22:54:49 GMT -5
@little_moxie, I am jealous of the EU citizenship! That would make things so much easier for moving there. I want to live in Europe next, but I don't think we'd be able to secure visas unless H is transferred there by his firm.
As for here, American trained lawyers are in high demand and speaking Mandarin is a HUGE bonus, but not necessary.
And lol to the hiking story. I mostly just like walking in nature on a mostly flat path and calling it a hike so I know where you're coming from.
I didn't read all the replies yet but I'm biased so I'll push for Asia. It's great for open jaw flights/sightseeing and you could see a lot in 2w. I'm doing 2 weeks in Bali this year and I'll do 2 weeks in Vietnam/Cambodia next year. I know people who have done thailand-Malaysia-Singapore. I like all those places but did them separately. Another good one is northeast Asia - tokyo, kyoto, Seoul, Hong Kong. That might be a lot of big cities in a row though.
Thinking about eating Swedish/Nordic food for 2 weeks gives me the shakes.
I spent 8 days in Ireland and could have gone longer. Their train system is great - you can home base in Dublin and see the whole country. I've heard the food scene has improved since I've been there. It's also easy to hop over to the UK. Bonus: Their summer months are delightfully cool.
My vote is LAM. My mom lived in Chile for a year teaching English and on her way back went to Colombia. There are a ton of places I'd want to go down there with a lot of cute towns and shops and some sights.