The Travel Thread

[EdwardsOtherSide]

The Jersey shore trip went well enough.
I got a little surfing in. I am not very good, but that is okay, as the surf conditions weren't very good either.

Yes, I ended up with a pretty awesome bruise, but totally worth it.

People watching was pretty good. People drop a lot of pretense when they are on vacation at the beach.

Over all, I still can't recommend it as a destination and I only went because of family.

 

[13Fantasies]

Heading to Kansas City tomorrow

 

[EdwardsOtherSide]

Heading to Kansas City tomorrow

Seriously underrated town.

I considered relocating there.

Underrated, unless you are a vegan, in which case you wouldn't appreciate the awesome barbecue scene there.
Great art, sports, nightlife.
My big criticism (aside from "too far from the ocean") was that the summers were very hot and the winters were very cold.

If you are a history guy, the WWI museum is a "must see".
If you have a free afternoon, the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth is amazing and sort of horrifying.

 

[13Fantasies]

Seriously underrated town.

I considered relocating there.

Underrated, unless you are a vegan, in which case you wouldn't appreciate the awesome barbecue scene there.
Great art, sports, nightlife.
My big criticism (aside from "too far from the ocean") was that the summers were very hot and the winters were very cold.

If you are a history guy, the WWI museum is a "must see".
If you have a free afternoon, the Federal Penitentiary at Leavenworth is amazing and sort of horrifying.

I've been there multiple times, so I enjoy the place. Seeing a Royals game, maybe a museum. Only there a short time.

Great ideas though. Thanks!

 

[EdwardsOtherSide]

I've been there multiple times, so I enjoy the place. Seeing a Royals game, maybe a museum. Only there a short time.

Great ideas though. Thanks!

The Army sent me to Leavenworth several times.

Take that as you will.

 

[seela]

Poland! One of my favorite places to be.

 

[seela]

A person spoke Polish to me. I accidentally answered in Spanish. Is that a sign of some sort of a weird brain episode? Should I be worried?

I still haven’t spoken any English though, so the trip is going to plan 100%.

 

[Massacre_]

No overseas trips for me, I don't even have my passport unfortunately, but I'm hoping to make it over towards Mt. Dora, Florida in September to meet a friend. I want to stay in a hotel with a lazy river or a really nice pool so it's more vacation like. Next year I have to go up to New York to see family since it's been 5+ years since my last visit. I'm just a chicken and I've never flown alone..

 

[EdwardsOtherSide]

No overseas trips for me, I don't even have my passport unfortunately, but I'm hoping to make it over towards Mt. Dora, Florida in September to meet a friend. I want to stay in a hotel with a lazy river or a really nice pool so it's more vacation like. Next year I have to go up to New York to see family since it's been 5+ years since my last visit. I'm just a chicken and I've never flown alone..

Never flown alone?
Take the train.

 

[seela]

It was such a good trip, I do need me a regular Poland fix.

Görlitz and Zgorzelec were an extremely interesting destination because of the history. I think I have even more questions now than I did before visiting there.

I went completely overboard and bought so much stuff to bring back home. I usually only bring back edible things, but now I also bought 4 books and some makeup, nail polish, underwear and perfume. Most of my goodies were still food items. Parsley root, oscypek and korbacz cheese, twaróg, mustard, all sorts of pickley veggie goodness, chocolate, apple jelly candies, krówki and beer. Probably something more, too.

 

[EdwardsOtherSide]

I am annoyed.

A serious "once in a lifetime" trip I have been planning for a while just got famous. Which means the prices will go up...

The trip is the Aranui cruise (https://www.aranui.com/us), now know for being used as an Olympic Village for the surfing events in Tahiti.

Still aiming for fall of 2025.

 

[seela]

I am annoyed.

A serious "once in a lifetime" trip I have been planning for a while just got famous. Which means the prices will go up...

The trip is the Aranui cruise (https://www.aranui.com/us), now know for being used as an Olympic Village for the surfing events in Tahiti.

Still aiming for fall of 2025.

Interesting. I've never heard of such a thing. Do you enjoy cruises in general or is that interesting to you because of the location?

Personally I've never quite understood the fascination of cruises, but they seem very popular based on how many big ships end up here as well. It seems to me that you mostly just experience the ship and not really the cities you visit, based on what I know. But I don't really know much about the topic. I did enjoy watching The Love Boat as a kid, though, so maybe I could be swayed if I gave cruises a shot.

 

[Mrtenant]

Interesting. I've never heard of such a thing. Do you enjoy cruises in general or is that interesting to you because of the location?

Personally I've never quite understood the fascination of cruises, but they seem very popular based on how many big ships end up here as well. It seems to me that you mostly just experience the ship and not really the cities you visit, based on what I know. But I don't really know much about the topic. I did enjoy watching The Love Boat as a kid, though, so maybe I could be swayed if I gave cruises a shot.

Having just returned from one, they are fun- lots to do, or nothing at all, just chill. It is what you make of it, like any vacation.

 

[Strixaluco]

If I could afford, I'd go on a cruise on Rhine. A very moderately sized ship, stops at nice places etc. I think it could be much nicer than a road trip.

 

[seela]

Having just returned from one, they are fun- lots to do, or nothing at all, just chill. It is what you make of it, like any vacation.

Nice! What kind of a cruise was it?

Are there cruises where you get to experience one city for more than a few hours or are they all short stops in the port? That's really the main thing I struggle with in regards to cruises. It seems to me (but this might be just a misconception I have) like you spend so much time on the ship and so little in the cities that it sounds more like any other resort vacation, except now the resort is moving rather than stationary on land. Or is the ship generally the main event for cruises and the little stops in cities are just an added bonus?

Maybe that's why I've had a hard time with understanding the appeal - I've always thought of the ship just as the mode of transportation whereas it actually might be the actual attraction to many. In my head cruises are "a lot of the annoying bit" (the actual traveling from a place to place on a ship) and "very little of the good bit" (getting to experience the history and everyday life in different cities), but with this realization that maybe the ship part isn't just an obligatory evil to many people, maybe I now get the point of cruises a little better.

 

[seela]

If I could afford, I'd go on a cruise on Rhine. A very moderately sized ship, stops at nice places etc. I think it could be much nicer than a road trip.

I've done a short Danube cruise ages ago. It was okay, nice to see familiar scenery from a different point of view. I think if I hadn't already been familiar with most places, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it, because I would have wanted to see more of each place where we stopped.

Might be nice if there was a Eurorail type of thing for river boats. I could be into that. I could hop on and hop off as I please without being tied to the ship's schedule. That would allow me to explore the places for as long or short as I please and then take the next boat to the next destination I'm interested in. Maybe there is such a thing? I've never looked into it.

 

[Strixaluco]

I think if I hadn't already been familiar with most places, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it, because I would have wanted to see more of each place where we stopped.

Spending "enough" time everywhere would be even more expensive...

I probably wouldn't really do Eurorail - but I might consider a caravan. Switching hotel (or even worse, hostel) every 1-3 nights is so exhausting. I want to settle somewhere at least for a week or so - even if it's just a cruise cabin or a caravan.

 

[seela]

Spending "enough" time everywhere would be even more expensive...

I probably wouldn't really do Eurorail - but I might consider a caravan. Switching hotel (or even worse, hostel) every 1-3 nights is so exhausting. I want to settle somewhere at least for a week or so - even if it's just a cruise cabin or a caravan.

Yup, money always stands in the way for me too. That and the limited amout of days off I can take. Sigh.

Sometimes I wonder if going back to my old profession might be a good idea, because at least then I wouldn't be limited to certain amount of vacation days. That would cause bigger problems on the money front, though. It's always one or the other that's the issue, or both.

 

[Strixaluco]

Yup, money always stands in the way for me too. That and the limited amout of days off I can take. Sigh.

Yeah. Time or money, both never seem to happen at the same time - except possibly after retirement, when there is then possibly less energy...

Here 4 weeks is normal amount of summer holiday (some have even more), but I wouldn't spend it all travelling. 2 weeks at most.

 

[Dreamliner]

I am annoyed.

A serious "once in a lifetime" trip I have been planning for a while just got famous. Which means the prices will go up...

The trip is the Aranui cruise (https://www.aranui.com/us), now know for being used as an Olympic Village for the surfing events in Tahiti.

Still aiming for fall of 2025.

Book the Marquesas on your travels, you will not be disappointed.

 

[Dreamliner]

I have always set-up a base from which to explore the regions around, travelling either by car or train. travelling every day to the next destination on a tour or boat cruise does not interest me. I do though have an interest in a canal boat through France.

 

[EdwardsOtherSide]

Interesting. I've never heard of such a thing. Do you enjoy cruises in general or is that interesting to you because of the location?

Personally I've never quite understood the fascination of cruises, but they seem very popular based on how many big ships end up here as well. It seems to me that you mostly just experience the ship and not really the cities you visit, based on what I know. But I don't really know much about the topic. I did enjoy watching The Love Boat as a kid, though, so maybe I could be swayed if I gave cruises a shot.

I have been on two; a Disney cruise with my kids and the one week cruise around Hawai'i.

Very different experiences.

The Disney cruise was (to me) more about shipboard stuff; food, entertainment, lying in the sun by the pool than about the excursions. The excursions that stood out to me were visiting the touristy side of Nassau, Bahamas a bit, and a beach trip that included feeding and swimming with rays. The excursions weren't bad, but the ship was glorious.

The NCL cruise around Hawai'i was more about the excursions. The ship wasn't bad, but it wasn't as great as the Disney ship. The excursions however, were far better. Kayaking on Kauai, the road to Hana, and Volcanoes national park really stand out in my memory. Seeing the lava flow into the ocean at night was also amazing.

I think the Aranui is more about the excursions, but the ship has some novel things about it (yes, I plan on going to the on-board tattoo artist).

The Viking River Cruises in Europe are interesting, but I am familiar enough with the trains that I don't need my transportation managed for me. A friend just got back from one and loved it though.

 

[EdwardsOtherSide]

... In my head cruises are "a lot of the annoying bit" (the actual traveling from a place to place on a ship) and "very little of the good bit" (getting to experience the history and everyday life in different cities), but with this realization that maybe the ship part isn't just an obligatory evil to many people, maybe I now get the point of cruises a little bebetter.

The actual travel... the annoying bit?

That's why I like trains! They make the "annoying bit" a chance to put my feet up, let someone else drive (while being able to get up and stretch my legs at my convenience), and enjoy watching the world go by. Cruises are sort of like resorts, in that they don't really want you looking out the windows too much, but enjoying their facilities.

 

[EdwardsOtherSide]

Yeah. Time or money, both never seem to happen at the same time - except possibly after retirement, when there is then possibly less energy...

Here 4 weeks is normal amount of summer holiday (some have even more), but I wouldn't spend it all travelling. 2 weeks at most.

Here (east coast, USA) the days off depends on your employer, but 10 days paid time off (two weeks) plus 10 federal holidays is a typical starting point.

Because of my schedule, I have a lot of flexibility with the holiday hours.

 

[seela]

The actual travel... the annoying bit?

That's why I like trains! They make the "annoying bit" a chance to put my feet up, let someone else drive (while being able to get up and stretch my legs at my convenience), and enjoy watching the world go by. Cruises are sort of like resorts, in that they don't really want you looking out the windows too much, but enjoying their facilities.

Teleportation would be my preferred mode of transport, but I think that’s quite from being reality.

I’d rather spend my time in the destination, not on my way there. Add to that my tendency towards motion sickness, which means that I can’t always read or do crosswords or look out of the window. Some days I’m fine reading in a moving vehicle , others I’m very not fine, and so far I haven’t learned what causes the not-fine so that I could try to avoid that. So yeah… The getting to the destination is definitely the sucky, boring bit for me.