GTKY Travel Edition

[Deleted]

Last week's Friday Ticker Change group did a GTKY Travel question that I thought I'd open to the whole group! I love talking about travel!

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US?


If you aren't from the US, what country are you from?


Where is your single most favorite spot in the US?


Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US?


Brag about your travel! Where have you been?


What's your favorite family trip?


Favorite trip without kids?


What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet?

[steveo]

If you aren't from the US, what country are you from? Canada

Where is your single most favorite spot in the US? Probably NYC, although I did love the Grand Canyon and I still have a weird fascination with seeing Mt. Rushmore in person.

Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US? I said Macchu Picchu last week was my favorite trip, but my favorite place to travel to is definitely SE Asia -- I've been to HK, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos (for a day), Myanmar (also for a day) -- we're definitely going back to explore more.

Brag about your travel! Where have you been? At last count, I've been to I think 38 41 (recounted ) countries, and on every continent except for Antarctica (and no real interest in going there). Some of the cooler / weirder / off the beaten track spots: Andorra, Israel / Jordan / West Bank, Namibia, the deep Amazon in Guyana, Varanasi, India...

What's your favorite family trip? Because of J's health challenges, we haven't yet taken many trips with our small family. But my family growing up were huge travelers -- I think my favorite trip was when we rented a minivan and spent 3 weeks driving all over Italy.

Favorite trip without kids? Definitely our honeymoon -- which started in March and lasted until July going around the world.

What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet? Can't narrow to just one, but on my list currently: Uganda (gorillas!), Croatia, Russia and Belize. I think most likely to happen soon is Belize because we can combine adventure with resort time, and no crazy long flights

[steveo]

@aest, great thread idea! I LOVE talking travel.

heartbot, DO IT. Our trip felt so hard to plan, but it was so so so worth it. Our retirement plan now is to have a couple of small home bases in different countries, and just travel full time. Although with AirBnB we may not even need that any more. I love the simplicity of living out of a single small bag.

@pennygirl2013, my parents & 1/2 of my siblings live in Brisbane -- did you get up to the Sunshine Coast? My grandparents still live in Noosa -- we visited them every other year growing up, some of my best childhood memories.

@ismellbooks, if you're going to Greece, go in June! We accidentally did, but everything is cheaper then, the crowds haven't arrived yet, and the weather is still amazing...

[Deleted]

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US?
Originally from Florida

Where is your single most favorite spot in the US?
Denver, Colorado or maybe Golden but I would definitely move back to Denver, we spent 2 years there.

Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US?


Brag about your travel! Where have you been?
Mexico, France, Germany, the Philippines (we lived there), Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia and Japan. I've hit about 30ish states but that was mostly during road trips so some of them I've basically only seen from the highway.

What's your favorite family trip?
When I was a kid, probably Las Vegas. We went a lot and I thought it was such a fun place. With DD I think Myanmar was just amazing and surprised me so much that it really made the trip memorable.

Favorite trip without kids?
DH and I have only been on 2 trips without DD since she was born but I'd probably pick Cambodia even though I loved Taiwan (and ended up going there 3 times). I think the experience in Cambodia was just more awe inspiring.

What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet?
Iceland. We had flights in '09 then they went bankrupt so we changed our trip. We wanted to go for our honeymoon but ended up with car trouble and had to buy a car instead so we took smaller trips instead. We'll get there one day.

[JoeLies]

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US? Born and raised in Mass, but I've been in CT now for 14 years.

Where is your single most favorite spot in the US? Hawaii - partially because it's forever linked to our honeymoon and partially because it's so incredibly beautiful. It's hard to reconcile that you're still in the US.

Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US? Spain will forever have my heart.

Brag about your travel! Where have you been? I've always loved to travel and DH is big on miles/points, so we've been all over the place. Plus we're old, LOL. I studied in Seville during undergrad, then went to Chile and Argentina with grad school. I spent about 5 months working in the UK right after getting engaged. That was amazing - I went to Bath all the time and took long weekend trips to Edinburgh and Dublin, among other places. I visited my old roommate after she moved to Sydney and checked out Melbourne, the Blue Mountains and Jervis Bay while there. DH and I traveled all over Italy, spent a New Year's in Paris, and traveled to Hong Kong, Seoul, Kyoto and Tokyo during my first tri with C. We've also been to Canada, Mexico and all over the US. There are so many more places I want to go!

What's your favorite family trip? I think Hilton Head is my new favorite family vacation destination. We took C this summer and I can only imagine it being more fun as he gets older.

Favorite trip without kids? New Orleans maybe? So much eating, along with lots of day drinking!

What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet? I've always wanted to go to Egypt, but I didn't feel like it was a safe option the last time we were planning a big international trip.

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2015 14:08:09 GMT -5 @pennygirl2013 said:

What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet?
France and Germany. DH and I will definitely go there someday!

I think we used Ryan Air to go to Berlin from Paris so we hit both countries in one trip a few years ago and it was pretty affordable. It was so much fun, I'd really like to go back to Germany!

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2015 14:10:31 GMT -5 steveo said:

Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US? I said Macchu Picchu last week was my favorite trip, but my favorite place to travel to is definitely SE Asia -- I've been to HK, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos (for a day), Myanmar (also for a day) -- we're definitely going back to explore more.

Brag about your travel! Where have you been? At last count, I've been to I think 38 41 (recounted ) countries, and on every continent except for Antarctica (and no real interest in going there). Some of the cooler / weirder / off the beaten track spots: Andorra, Israel / Jordan / West Bank, Namibia, the deep Amazon in Guyana, Varanasi, India...

I hope to aspire to your travel highness! I'm really hoping to get to every continent. I have 3 and will have South America next year after this LO is born.

Also SE Asia rocks.

[steveo]

@aest, almost all my travel was done in my late teens with my family / on my own in my 20s / with MH for our honeymoon (plus I lived in Japan for a year, which really helps with getting to see Asia). Having kids definitely complicates things! I wouldn't trade it for the world, but it does make me rethink some risky stuff that I would have done when I was young and single...

[steveo]

I'm so thankful for this thread right now -- I was having a bad day for pregnancy anxiety, and now I'm looking at flights to Belize Mental vacation FTW!

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2015 14:27:50 GMT -5 steveo said:

@aest, almost all my travel was done in my late teens with my family / on my own in my 20s / with MH for our honeymoon (plus I lived in Japan for a year, which really helps with getting to see Asia). Having kids definitely complicates things! I wouldn't trade it for the world, but it does make me rethink some risky stuff that I would have done when I was young and single...

Yeah everything except France, Germany and Cambodia (so glad we did not take her there) have been with DD but it was just so easy, especially when she was a lap baby while we were living in Asia.

ETA it is sometimes a little nerve wracking. The bomb that just exploded in Bangkok was around the corner from the hotel we stayed at while we were there but stuff can happen anytime/anywhere so I try not to fret too much.

[steveo]

@aest, the lack of car seats in most developing countries really stresses me out -- like, it's fine for me to ride around in a tuk tuk in the middle of traffic going a million miles an hour, but put M in there with me? I'd be a basketcase...

We figure our family trips will be mostly developed countries until they are a bit older...when did I get to be such a fuddy duddy?

[Deleted]

steveo, sigh. Yes. I just won't talk about how we got around with DD. We were going so fast headed into Kuala Lumpur I was freaking out a little bit.

[steveo]

Aug 19, 2015 14:36:42 GMT -5 @aest said:

steveo, sigh. Yes. I just won't talk about how we got around with DD. We were going so fast headed into Kuala Lumpur I was freaking out a little bit.

And I'm positive you probably passed a family with 3-4 young kids with no helmets all hanging on for dear life to a motorbike that their dad was driving...things are just totally different in other countries -- sometimes when you're traveling you do what you gotta do

[samesister]

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US? I am from Ohio but currently live in Iowa. We are trying to move back to Ohio this fall.



Where is your single most favorite spot in the US? The Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We vacationed there every year as a kid. It is so peaceful.


Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US? I don't have one yet!


Brag about your travel! Where have you been? Haven't done a lot of international traveling. I've been to Canada, Mexico, and Jamaica. Never been to Europe. I've been to a lot of places in the US. DH and I haven't done much traveling. I can't get him convinced to spend money on trips.


What's your favorite family trip? The UP. It's a great family getaway. I prefer the cabin/lake sort of trip as opposed to a crowded beach.


Favorite trip without kids? New Orleans, or Jamaica.


What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet? I would love to go anywhere in Europe but I think Ireland would be the first place I'd want to go.

[Deleted]

Aug 19, 2015 14:39:23 GMT -5 steveo said:

Aug 19, 2015 14:36:42 GMT -5 @aest said:

steveo, sigh. Yes. I just won't talk about how we got around with DD. We were going so fast headed into Kuala Lumpur I was freaking out a little bit.

And I'm positive you probably passed a family with 3-4 young kids with no helmets all hanging on for dear life to a motorbike that their dad was driving...things are just totally different in other countries -- sometimes when you're traveling you do what you gotta do

Don't forget the dog in the very front with its front paws on the handlebars. Yes. I've seen that.

[doublehammock]

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US? Florida


Where is your single most favorite spot in the US? Chicago has been my most favorite city I've visited.


Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US?
London, but Venice is a close 2nd.

Brag about your travel! Where have you been? I studied abroad in London for a summer in college. I got to travel around a lot that summer. Prague was one of my favorites. DH and I went to Italy a few years ago and it was amazing. European travel is by far my favorite.


What's your favorite family trip?
Beach weeks.

Favorite trip without kids?
Italy and Chicago.


What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet?
Spain is top of my list. Also I would love to drive the California coast.

[lilmonk]

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US? Born and raised in Louisiana, then moved to Idaho as a teen.

Where is your single most favorite spot in the US? Too hard to pick one, but New Orleans is always a fav.


Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US? Capri


Brag about your travel! Where have you been? Pretty much most of the continental U.S., Germany, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, and then since moving overseas, domestic travel in Australia.


What's your favorite family trip? Growing we did a lot of road trips to the typical US sites. Disneyland was fun as a kid myself, but with DS we did a week at the islands here and that was a blast.


Favorite trip without kids? My drunken tour of Italy.


What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet? Ireland, UK. DH has some family in Ireland so hopefully we can use the connections one day.

[numbersgirl08]

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US? Southeast

Where is your single most favorite spot in the US? NYC

Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US? Hmmmm... Probably Paris

Brag about your travel! Where have you been? Most of the U.S., including Alaska (but not Hawaii yet). In college I spent a summer in Thailand, a summer in China, and a summer studying in Europe, so I hit most of the Western European countries backpacking. Since getting married we've been to Aruba, France, Italy, Germany, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.

What's your favorite family trip? Growing up my favorite trips were ski trips. With my daughter, we just took a trip to Jamaica that was amazing and our first international trip as a family.

Favorite trip without kids? Definitely Italy. We used miles and points and flew business class and stayed in fancy hotels and the whole trip felt luxurious and amazing. Plus I just love their food and wine.

What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet? I want to stay in an overwater bungalow in the Maldives or French Polynesia.

[ladywolff]

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US?
I'm not.

If you aren't from the US, what country are you from?
Germany, but we live in Denmark.

Where is your single most favorite spot in the US?
I've only ever been to New York, since my mom is from Brooklyn.

Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US?
I love Egypt, I've been six times. I also love Amsterdam, but it's only an hour and a half's flight away.

Brag about your travel! Where have you been?
Egypt, India, Pakistan, Nepal, China, Japan, Russia, pretty much all of Europe, New York, Mexico, Brasil, South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Sudan, Tunisia and Thailand. ETA: I've just checked, I've been to 65 countries.

What's your favorite family trip?
This is my first child, so I've never been away on a family trip as an adult. As a child myself, I loved when we spend a summer in Australia and New Zealand about 14 years ago.

Favorite trip without kids? Amsterdam, always.


What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet? I want to go back to India, and I've always wanted to spend some more time in the US and Canada.

[samesister]

Aug 19, 2015 14:50:51 GMT -5 @ismellbooks said:

Aug 19, 2015 14:43:54 GMT -5 samesister said:

Brag about your travel! Where have you been? Haven't done a lot of international traveling. I've been to Canada, Mexico, and Jamaica. Never been to Europe. I've been to a lot of places in the US. DH and I haven't done much traveling. I can't get him convinced to spend money on trips.

To travel, and to see the world is the absolute best reason to spend money, if you ask me.

I definitely don't disagree. But MH is just weird about it. I mean he didn't ride an airplane until he was 20 years old, first time he saw the ocean was our honeymoon, and he's hasn't been to very many states. He grew up on a dairy farm and his family could never take trips or leave the farm so he just never caught the travel bug. After this next LO is a little older I am going to try to convince him to take a trip just the two of us. We'll see how that goes.

[iamlindabelcher]

f you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US?
Ohio


Where is your single most favorite spot in the US?
This one is hard, I'm going to go with Juneau, Alaska


Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US?
Munich, Germany


Brag about your travel! Where have you been?
Germany (Berlin, Munich, Dinglefing, Regensburg, Nueremburg, Augsburg, Passau, Neuschwanstein), Spain (Barcelona), England (London), Austria (Salzburg, Ireland (Dublin), Alaska and Hawaii (and many more continental states)


What's your favorite family trip?
As a family we ONLY ever went to Gatlinburg.


Favorite trip without kids?
DH and I went to Seattle/Juneau/Skagway/Ketchikan for our honeymoon before we had kids and it was fucking phenomenal.


What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet?
Argentina, South Africa, Italy, Australia, Scotland, Sweden and Wales.

and everywhere else in the world.

[feisty]

If you feel like sharing what state/region are you from in the US? Originally from the east coast (NJ), live in AZ now


If you aren't from the US, what country are you from?


Where is your single most favorite spot in the US? hmm..Vegas?


Where is your single most favorite spot outside of the US? Caribbea


Brag about your travel! Where have you been? We have done a lot of cruising, so most islands. I haven't been abroad yet


What's your favorite family trip? We went on a cruise last year with DS (he was 1 then), we really haven't traveled much together except for visiting family


Favorite trip without kids? Hawaii (Maui)


What is your dream destination? The one you just haven't been able to reach yet? I want to go to Fiji