Suggestions for a May/June anniversary trip

[RockNVoll]

If you're bored and want to daydream about travel, I could use some help!

DH and I will be celebrating our 15th anniversary at the end of May (where does the time go?!).  I am behind on planning some kind of big trip to celebrate and can't even decide where to go, just know that we want it to be foreign and ideally at least warm.  I had considered places that are on our travel bucket list like New Zealand and the Galapagos, but I don't think that's the best time of year for either.

So, any suggestions for me?  Other considerations:

• We'd have up to two weeks to play with (though realistically I'd probably like to keep it closer to 10 days)
• We prefer exploring places as opposed to sitting on a beach 
• We love to eat, but it doesn't have to be the focus for a trip
• Probably best to avoid Asia for now
• Some popular places we've already been: Dublin and Ring of Kerry, great deal of the UK (we lived in London),  Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin and Munich, Santorini and Naxos, Prague, safari in Tanzania and Kenya, highlights of Peru, Rio de Janeiro, Costa Rica

We'd go back to some of these countries if there are other areas you'd recommend exploring.  Any and all ideas welcome!

[Deleted]

Well I was going to suggest Japan since that’s where we are going this summer. Haha. I’ll still suggest it. It seems that the month before the Olympics is actually going to be a great time to go since the infrastructure for the Olympics will mostly be in place and the weather is supposed to be great at that time of year. And there’s tons to do. And I’m just not worried about COVID-19 in Japan (almost all of Japan’s cases have been on that cruise ship) in May/June.

[RockNVoll]

Feb 20, 2020 11:06:42 GMT -5 @mrsgreeko said:

Well I was going to suggest Japan since that’s where we are going this summer. Haha. I’ll still suggest it. It seems that the month before the Olympics is actually going to be a great time to go since the infrastructure for the Olympics will mostly be in place and the weather is supposed to be great at that time of year. And there’s tons to do. And I’m just not worried about COVID-19 in Japan (almost all of Japan’s cases have been on that cruise ship) in May/June.

I didn't list the places in Asia we've been to, but Japan is one of them Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Nara. It was a great trip (and part of a longer five-week exploration of multiple Asian countries)! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did, and thanks for the suggestion.

[Deleted]

Feb 20, 2020 12:08:35 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Feb 20, 2020 11:06:42 GMT -5 @mrsgreeko said:

Well I was going to suggest Japan since that’s where we are going this summer. Haha. I’ll still suggest it. It seems that the month before the Olympics is actually going to be a great time to go since the infrastructure for the Olympics will mostly be in place and the weather is supposed to be great at that time of year. And there’s tons to do. And I’m just not worried about COVID-19 in Japan (almost all of Japan’s cases have been on that cruise ship) in May/June.

I didn't list the places in Asia we've been to, but Japan is one of them Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Nara. It was a great trip (and part of a longer five-week exploration of multiple Asian countries)! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did, and thanks for the suggestion.

We went to Croatia a couple years ago and that was amazing so I’ll suggest there instead. And I think late May/June is shoulder season (we went in March in the off season and I’ve heard July and August are ridiculously crowded). We started in Zagreb and ended in Split and hit up Plitvice and Krka on the journey between the 2. Amazing country and culture and cheap (at least in the off season it was).

[RockNVoll]

Feb 20, 2020 12:14:25 GMT -5 @mrsgreeko said:

Feb 20, 2020 12:08:35 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

I didn't list the places in Asia we've been to, but Japan is one of them Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Nara. It was a great trip (and part of a longer five-week exploration of multiple Asian countries)! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did, and thanks for the suggestion.

We went to Croatia a couple years ago and that was amazing so I’ll suggest there instead. And I think late May/June is shoulder season (we went in March in the off season and I’ve heard July and August are ridiculously crowded). We started in Zagreb and ended in Split and hit up Plitvice and Krka on the journey between the 2. Amazing country and culture and cheap (at least in the off season it was).

I'm going to be that annoying person and say we've been there, too.  I didn't want my "been to" list to look ridiculous so I only listed the more commonly traveled/suggested spots--sorry!  We actually were there during shoulder season and it was glorious--beautiful weather and Plitvice and Krka were nearly empty.  Got to Zadar and Split while there, but not Dubrovnik or Zagreb so eventually we'll go back.

What else you got for me??? 

[meowmaps]

I don't know what the weather is like in May but several years ago we went to Panama for a week in March. We had a wonderful time. We definitely could've stayed longer and explored more of the country. We stayed close to Panama City but still found outdoorsy things to do. We went bird-watching, hiking, etc. We also went to Nicaragua and loved it. We weren't there for long because we were taking advantage of a great deal on a normally expensive ecolodge but we definitely would've stayed longer had we been able. Granada is lovely and we hiked near a volcano. I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff to do that we didn't get to. Mexico City is also a wonderful place to visit. Mexico is so vast you could probably pair Mexico City with other colonial cities and explore ruins, take a cooking class, etc.

Other places I think would fall under the same category but I haven't visited: Belize and Costa Rica.

[wanderingback]

I know you’ve been to Tanzania, but did you make it to South Africa?
May is a good time of year for South Africa before winter hits especially in Cape Town. With 2 weeks you could do South Africa and Namibia which would be lots of exploring.

[Deleted]

Feb 20, 2020 12:28:41 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

Feb 20, 2020 12:14:25 GMT -5 @mrsgreeko said:

We went to Croatia a couple years ago and that was amazing so I’ll suggest there instead. And I think late May/June is shoulder season (we went in March in the off season and I’ve heard July and August are ridiculously crowded). We started in Zagreb and ended in Split and hit up Plitvice and Krka on the journey between the 2. Amazing country and culture and cheap (at least in the off season it was).

I'm going to be that annoying person and say we've been there, too.  I didn't want my "been to" list to look ridiculous so I only listed the more commonly traveled/suggested spots--sorry!  We actually were there during shoulder season and it was glorious--beautiful weather and Plitvice and Krka were nearly empty.  Got to Zadar and Split while there, but not Dubrovnik or Zagreb so eventually we'll go back.

What else you got for me??? 

Hahaha. Okay. What about Panama? We went for our honeymoon 15 years ago, but it was interesting. Similar to Costa Rica in a lot of ways though. It was less touristy/built up than Costa Rica was at the time (we had visited Costa Rica a few months before Panama that year). I don’t know if that still holds. I know that when we went back to Costa Rica a couple years ago and again last year for a wedding it had been built up even more so I wonder if Panama has been as well).

Hawaii? We went last summer and had a good time (although we prefer to be more off the beaten path so we stayed in an illegal rental on the north shore which is no longer an option given the change in regulations as of August last year and on a marine base instead of Waikiki).

Puerto Rico? We went 13 years ago, but I know they are facing some struggles after the hurricanes and earthquakes so now might not be the best time....

I really really wanted to go to Paraguay this summer, but it was a little too off the beaten track for my DH to agree to with our kids. But, it sounded really interesting and the history that has shaped the culture sounded fascinating.

And my brother and his wife went to Colombia a few years ago and absolutely adored it so while it wasn’t on my list before, it’s been on my list since because it sounds amazing.

Alaska? It’s been on my list for awhile, but the logistics have gotten me.

[RockNVoll]

wanderingback , haven't got to South Africa yet and it's definitely on our must-go list. I actually have an acquaintance from Namibia, too, so maybe she could provide some inside tips there. Will have to think about these.

meowmaps , @mrsgreeko , I'll look into Panama, thanks for the suggestion! Guatemala and Belize have been on the list since we have a friend currently in Guatemala as an expat.  I'll have to do some research on Paraguay and Colombia. I'd consider Maui and/or the Big Island since I haven't been to those. Puerto Rico I visited with a native many years ago and that was great, and Alaska we did for our first anniversary though I want to go back for Denali since we didn't make it there.

[gardengal]

Morocco? Or would that be too hot?

I second Colombia & Belize (I want to do a combo Guatemala & Belize trip to go to Tikal).

Indonesia?

What has been your most favorite travel experience? Perhaps then people can help narrow down to things that are similar?

Honestly, when I'm stumped, I go to skyscanner or travelzoo & look at deals. It's gotten me interested in places that I never would have thought of.

Though, I know you lived in the UK, but if you haven't been to Cornwall, I'd highly recommend. Because of the jet stream passes over, it seemed to be slightly warmer (palms were growing in some of the NT gardens) and it's just really rugged. Excellent walks, a plethora of NT places to visit, charming accommodations, etc. It seems to be way off the beaten path, even for those that live in Britain (I spent hours experiencing NHS in London and, like a true American, chatted up the others that were in the waiting room with me). And Padstow is like a foodies paradise.

[gardengal]

Oh! And Georgia the country! It first got put on "my list" after reading about someone's trip...I think it was on here.

[RockNVoll]

gardengal, I find that my favorite travel experiences have tended to be the ones where we were away for longer periods of time, LOL! So five weeks in Asia, 2.5 weeks in Tanzania and Zanzibar, couple of weeks in Kenya and Rwanda. We definitely love safaris, but also love exploring cities and checking out all manner of new places.

Morocco is definitely on the bucket list as well and my mom and sister actually just got back from there. Good suggestion. And I just did the Skyscanner "Everywhere" search the other day! Unfortunately it didn't bring up any great deals (I long for the days of the £20 fares we'd see when searching from London, haha!) or ideas this time.

And funny you should mention Georgia, that actually popped into my mind last night. A friend has been and highly recommended it.

I'm building a good list here, thanks, all!

[orval]

What about Madrid and southern/central Spain? Malaga, Marbella, Grenada, Seville, Toldeo. Gibraltar
We did this several years ago and loved it in early June. We also took a day trip to Morrocco from there.

[majesty318]

Naples & Sicily - I loved both places and it will be warm but not tourist summer crowded in May
Anywhere in Spain
Nicaragua
Guatemala is also on my list so I second that

[mrsukyankee]

Romania (loved Bucharest - also has a fabulous indoor/outdoor spa/pool system) and that area (pop over to Moldova for the wine tours and to have another country on the list). So many other awesome countries nearby.

[gaudi]

DH and I did 14 days in Jordan/Egypt last summer and it was wonderful. If you dive, the Red Sea is amazing. Someone on this board posted about their Jordan trip a few weeks ago.

[wanderingback]

Feb 20, 2020 12:51:57 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

wanderingback , haven't got to South Africa yet and it's definitely on our must-go list. I actually have an acquaintance from Namibia, too, so maybe she could provide some inside tips there. Will have to think about these.

meowmaps , @mrsgreeko , I'll look into Panama, thanks for the suggestion! Guatemala and Belize have been on the list since we have a friend currently in Guatemala as an expat.  I'll have to do some research on Paraguay and Colombia. I'd consider Maui and/or the Big Island since I haven't been to those. Puerto Rico I visited with a native many years ago and that was great, and Alaska we did for our first anniversary though I want to go back for Denali since we didn't make it there.

Since you have 2 weeks I’d prob save Central America for when you have less time. I mean obviously you could spend 2 weeks in those countries but I think I did both in 9 days and it felt sufficient. It’s much harder to do the further away African countries or even Eastern European countries in a week.

[RockNVoll]

Feb 20, 2020 20:12:06 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Feb 20, 2020 12:51:57 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

wanderingback , haven't got to South Africa yet and it's definitely on our must-go list. I actually have an acquaintance from Namibia, too, so maybe she could provide some inside tips there. Will have to think about these.

meowmaps , @mrsgreeko , I'll look into Panama, thanks for the suggestion! Guatemala and Belize have been on the list since we have a friend currently in Guatemala as an expat.  I'll have to do some research on Paraguay and Colombia. I'd consider Maui and/or the Big Island since I haven't been to those. Puerto Rico I visited with a native many years ago and that was great, and Alaska we did for our first anniversary though I want to go back for Denali since we didn't make it there.

Since you have 2 weeks I’d prob save Central America for when you have less time. I mean obviously you could spend 2 weeks in those countries but I think I did both in 9 days and it felt sufficient. It’s much harder to do the further away African countries or even Eastern European countries in a week.

This is a good point.

[scout8]

We were in South Africa in Dec and it was one of my favorite trips.

Israel/Jordan

More of Eastern Europe? We did a trip a few years ago that included Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bulgaria and it was a lot of fun.

[emilyinchile]

You could do a cool trip in Colombia with 10 days - Medellín, the eje cafetero (I don't know how to say that in English, but it's the coffee region), and/or Cartagena.I haven't actually been to any of those places, so no tips! Not sure how much moving around you want to do.

I was going to say Egypt, but I am imagining that June is too hot to be comfortable. Depending on temps in early May maybe it's an option though? And I'd definitely look more into South Africa and Israel/Jordan (again, depending on temperatures there) because both of those are places that I want to go, so I think you should go to them too, haha.

[Vespasia]

We were in South Africa in late June and had really good weather. Just one rainy day while we were in Franschhoek but we were mostly inside tasting wine anyway! It was probably in the 60s each day and all the restaurants had signs out telling you to come in to warm by their fires. 

If I was planning a late May trip right now I would probably pick the Azores. I believe that is peak whale watching season. There is hiking and nature plus really good, cheap wine and food. You could do more than one island in ten days. 

Slovenia also looks amazing and you could do a road trip to see a lot of the country in that time. 

[ESF]

You say exploring places versus sitting on a beach, but how do you feel about exploring beachy places? French Polynesia was seriously amazing and that time of year is a great time to go. There are some islands that are great for snorkeling, hiking, exploring really interesting beach settings, cultural sites, etc. I'd look into Moorea and Raiatea/Tahaa (a pair of islands that share an airport/lagoon), and ten days would be the right amount of time.

[ESF]

Feb 21, 2020 7:29:02 GMT -5 scout8 said:

We were in South Africa in Dec and it was one of my favorite trips.

Israel/Jordan

More of Eastern Europe? We did a trip a few years ago that included Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bulgaria and it was a lot of fun.

Sorry for the threadjack, but this sounds really interesting! How long did you go for? Did you organize it all yourself?

[scout8]

Feb 22, 2020 10:09:25 GMT -5 ESF said:

Feb 21, 2020 7:29:02 GMT -5 scout8 said:

We were in South Africa in Dec and it was one of my favorite trips.

Israel/Jordan

More of Eastern Europe? We did a trip a few years ago that included Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bulgaria and it was a lot of fun.

Sorry for the threadjack, but this sounds really interesting! How long did you go for? Did you organize it all yourself?

We went for three weeks, but you could easily shorten it too. I forgot to include Dubrovnik on my list and we also did a day trip to Kosovo from Macedonia. We did organize it all ourselves. Since we were hitting mostly decent sized places, we took the bus between destinations. We did meet quite a few travelers who were driving too. The countries are all so small that the travel times aren't very long. We were there in the off season and it was very inexpensive. 

We had been to Slovenia on a different trip, but that is a popular one to add too. We met quite a few people who were doing Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia. 

[cattledogkisses]

Feb 22, 2020 10:09:25 GMT -5 ESF said:

Feb 21, 2020 7:29:02 GMT -5 scout8 said:

We were in South Africa in Dec and it was one of my favorite trips.

Israel/Jordan

More of Eastern Europe? We did a trip a few years ago that included Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bulgaria and it was a lot of fun.

Sorry for the threadjack, but this sounds really interesting! How long did you go for? Did you organize it all yourself?

Just popping in to say that I lived in this region for two years, so if you ever end up going and have any questions feel free to send me a PM!