The Travel Thread

[Doctor Doog]

I have cheated as well, and edited Tredman's list.

Countries of North America

Canada

US

Mexico

Countries of Europe

Norway

Sweden

Finland

Estonia

Latvia

Ireland

UK

Denmark

Portugal

Spain

France

Switzerland

Belgium

Netherlands

Germany

Italy

Poland

Czech Republic

Austria

Hungary

North Macedonia

Iceland

Countries of Africa

Lesotho

South Africa

Countries of Asia

China (including Hong Kong)

India

Malaysia

Singapore

Japan

Thailand

South Korea

Indonesia

Countries of Oceania

Australia

Non-UN Member Nations

Kosovo

Vatican City

 

[Trips]

It amazes me when people say that and it's only 49 quid on a plane.

I think that's what puts me off!

I'm not as well travelled as most seem to be on here. NYC is easily the best place I've been, could keep going back. I also loved Dublin when I went last year

 

[Johnny75]

NYC is the favourite place I've been. Gone 6 times and always something different to get up to. Unlike a few on here I wasn't a fan of Boston, although I liked the wider New England area. The place stinks of cannabis everywhere you go.

Certainly my favourite American city. I had the privilege of living in NJ for a couple of years so got into NYC as often as I could. Never once was I bored.

And if green space is your thing Central Park is the place to go in the summer.

Best view of NYC is from Hoboken though.

 

[Keef]

America has never really interested me,
Grand Canyon,
Decent show in vegas ( Tom jones ideally) but that means I’d have to go to vegas, which doesn’t appeal at all outside seeing the show.
Elvis’s house even though it’s the size of a Barrett home,
Nothing else screams come visit

 

[Alan]

Graceland is such a weird little building. Definitely worth seeing just to learn how eccentric Elvis could be when left to his own devices.

The St. Louis arch is a great visit. You can feel it sway up top; I was dying to get back down but glad I experienced it.

 

[Tony Towner]

Graceland is such a weird little building. Definitely worth seeing just to learn how eccentric Elvis could be when left to his own devices.

The thing they've done well with Graceland is make the visit itself 4 hours or so even though the house is under an hour. He died at a very unfortunate time in history to have his tastes captured for ever

 

[Kenny]

New York is ace.
Would move to the States if it was close to NYC and I am someone that gets pissed off in a crowd of people on a shitty high street somewhere but can cope with the chaos of Times Square and other tourist hotspots but like in any place I visit, the best bits are off the main drag.
Loved grabbing breakfast in a Diner on 1st Avenue, mixing with locals etc

 

[Langers]

Although I'd love to go to some places in the US, Vegas is with Dubai as somewhere that just doesn't interest me at all.

Plenty of friends have been to one or both of them and honestly, even after seeing their photos they wouldn't be in the top 50 cities I'd like to visit.

 

[Tony Towner]

Didn't enjoy Vegas, maybe on a lads holiday it would be different, but worth going just so you can go a couple of hours out to the Grand Canyon which is stunning and photos will never do justice

 

[UKYankieWWFC]

Graceland is such a weird little building. Definitely worth seeing just to learn how eccentric Elvis could be when left to his own devices.

The St. Louis arch is a great visit. You can feel it sway up top; I was dying to get back down but glad I experienced it.

Was in St Louis just before Christmas at a supplier.
Didn't make the arch, (but saw it from the aircraft) but ended up at a casino and bagging $300 instead.

 

[Kenny]

Vegas was OK. Take it for what it is and it's fine.
As mentioned Grand Canyon is worth a visit, especially if you get a helicopter down to the base of it.
Boulder City is a cracking place as well.
Delighted I did the drive from LA to Vegas as well. Made a right racket in the Mustang on Route 66.

 

[Alan]

Vegas is just a filthy patch in the desert, and no casino or fancy hotel will ever change that.

 

[Aikiwolf]

You (or anyone else) ever been to Seattle?

Reason for asking is am going back to Vancouver in July and taking the a ship up to Alaska, but doing a linear trip further north ending up in Anchorage. I don’t really want to fly back to Van afterwards so the return options are whittled down to a few days in Las Vegas (did that once, never again) or a few in Seattle.

The practical thing would be to go to Seattle but it does seem very expensive and not that inspiring, but that might just be the bit of a downer on all things American I seem to have at the moment.

I have and I loved it. Bainbridge island is a nice trip out on the ferry - had amazing Vietnamese food there (weird that we got Vietnamese food there but it was lovely!)

I enjoyed the museum of pop culture and seeing instruments used by Nirvana and Hendrix, plus the original Starbucks (and there's a Polish pastry shop just a little bit down from there which does delicious marzipan pastries).

There are a few issues with drugs, much like many US cities at the moment.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

Europe:

UK
France
Spain
Portugal
Italy
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Poland
Germany
Belgium
Holland
Greece
Latvia
Luxembourg




 ROW:

Canada
USA six times
Russia
Dubai
Singapore
 Bali
Caribbean 3 times

I lived in Vancouver Canada for a year which was amazing, but my overall favourite place is the Caribbean. Just love the vibes, scenery and weather.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Which part of the caribbean though?

St Lucia is different to Barbados etc etc

 

[EpsomWolf]

Interesting reading the mixed thoughts on the US.

I’m having a bit of a downer on it and am ready to call it a day after this trip tbh. Same with Canada and the Caribbean although there’s no downer on those, just that I think my calling is more to the east. Am looking forward to Costa Rica and would like to go to S America, the Amazon etc, but Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos is where the natural pull is.

I think it’s gets a bit galling eventually being milked for every single dime also. The Americans are extremely good at that and it really begins to grate. That’s probably one of the mains reasons the draw is to the east too.

 

[Langers]

Interesting reading the mixed thoughts on the US.

I’m having a bit of a downer on it and am ready to call it a day after this trip tbh. Same with Canada and the Caribbean although there’s no downer on those, just that I think my calling is more to the east. Am looking forward to Costa Rica and would like to go to S America, the Amazon etc, but Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos is where the natural pull is.

I think it’s gets a bit galling eventually being milked for every single dime also. The Americans are extremely good at that and it really begins to grate. That’s probably one of the mains reasons the draw is to the east too.

I'd give Cuba a go for these reasons. Beautiful and fascinating country - couldn't recommend it enough. Havana is incredible and the valleys to the west of the island are stunning.

 

[Kenny]

I think it’s gets a bit galling eventually being milked for every single dime also. The Americans are extremely good at that and it really begins to grate. That’s probably one of the mains reasons the draw is to the east too.

All about moving out of the main areas for me. Things become normal and more enjoyable.

Last trip I did over the there where my bases were Atlanta, Memphis and Nashville the best bits were visiting the towns of Athens, New Albany, Toledo, Brilliant, Paris etc

Memphis is certainly a place I wouldn't return to. The Beale Street area is fine and couple of other places worth a visit, such as Sun Studios & their Baseball Team ($20 a ticket with a Hot dog and mac n cheese buffet thrown in...bargain) but on the whole didn't feel safe there but a trip across the river and into West Memphis in Arkansas was superb.

The main places are fine and some great things to do there but they are just like any western City in general. NYC apart, I can't class USA trips as City Breaks as too much to see around and outside of that area.
Have a few more road trip ideas to try and do over there but the pull of the rest of the world is difficult to resist and that's why we went with the Bangkok trip that starts at the very end of next month.

Essentially too much I want to see but not enough time or money to do it all

 

[EpsomWolf]

I'd give Cuba a go for these reasons. Beautiful and fascinating country - couldn't recommend it enough. Havana is incredible and the valleys to the west of the island are stunning.

We went in the summer just gone. Loved Havana and the sea was amazing, but…. the timing was dreadful and the whole thing was almost a disaster. A word of warning to anyone thinking of visiting……..

Firstly, it was unimaginably expensive. Apparently the Cuban Peso was the world’s 2nd worst performing currency against the dollar the previous year. With the closed currency it meant the US Dollar, the Euro and Sterling were all treated as equal and the Brits came out worst of that. Cuba I think used to be a fairly cheap way of visiting the Caribbean but it certainly isn’t like that now.

Trump also took the opportunity to ramp up the sanctions meaning there was very limited food and shops are empty. The locals have money but nothing to spend it on. We were offered money for things like snorkel masks and other stuff we take for granted.

Then, the invasion of Ukraine had just kicked off and because the Russians have limited travel options the place was FULL of them. You can read into it as you wish but I’ve never known a ruder, more obnoxious and generally unpleasant group of people.

Lastly, because of Trump’s demonisation of Cuba (amongst other countries), it is now on the list of countries (with Iran etc) whereby you can no longer visit the US on an ETSA Visa if you’ve been to Cuba on or after Jan 12 2021. I can’t begin to tell you the stress that caused getting the necessary Visa to go to the US later in the year - an appointment at the US Embassy in London is required and that is not quick and easy nor cheap.

So yes I do agree it is a fascinating place, but as you can imagine I’m a bit scarred and ready to head east now!

 

[Langers]

We went in the summer just gone. Loved Havana and the sea was amazing, but…. the timing was dreadful and the whole thing was almost a disaster. A word of warning to anyone thinking of visiting……..

Firstly, it was unimaginably expensive. Apparently the Cuban Peso was the world’s 2nd worst performing currency against the dollar the previous year. With the closed currency it meant the US Dollar, the Euro and Sterling were all treated as equal and the Brits came out worst of that. Cuba I think used to be a fairly cheap way of visiting the Caribbean but it certainly isn’t like that now.

Trump also took the opportunity to ramp up the sanctions meaning there was very limited food and shops are empty. The locals have money but nothing to spend it on. We were offered money for things like snorkel masks and other stuff we take for granted.

Then, the invasion of Ukraine had just kicked off and because the Russians have limited travel options the place was FULL of them. You can read into it as you wish but I’ve never known a ruder, more obnoxious and generally unpleasant group of people.

Lastly, because of Trump’s demonisation of Cuba (amongst other countries), it is now on the list of countries (with Iran etc) whereby you can no longer visit the US on an ETSA Visa if you’ve been to Cuba on or after Jan 12 2021. I can’t begin to tell you the stress that caused getting the necessary Visa to go to the US later in the year - an appointment at the US Embassy in London is required and that is not quick and easy nor cheap.

So yes I do agree it is a fascinating place, but as you can imagine I’m a bit scarred and ready to head east now!

Wow, that sounds horrific!! No wonder you wouldn't want to go back.

I went in 2007 and fortunately didn't encounter those issues. I do remember being given a travel card at passport control, rather than a stamp in your passport which would then prohibit travel to the US, so that wasn't a problem.

The poverty and rationing was very much in force though, it's what I found so fascinating - we were told to pack things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, toiletries to give to staff etc (as you say, things you take for granted) as they find it hard to get these items.

Not sure if this is still the case, but then, Cubans were paid in Cuban Pesos - that was the only way they could pay for rent and bills, but their other currency (Convertible Cuban Pesos) is what was needed to buy any sort of goods, and it had an awful exchange rate for them. It certainly wasn't expensive to visit then at all - GBP to Convertible Pesos was a really good exchange rate so it was mega cheap in 2007.

I found Cuban people to be incredibly friendly, welcoming and kind and it's a stunningly beautiful country.

IIRC when we went, the US had started to relax some of the sanctions somewhat after Fidel stepped down in 2006 so whereas you went at a really bad time, we probably went at a very good time!