Over the years there have been heaps of folks posting holiday questions/experiences, and I reckon an omnibus version might go over OK.
SO, in 3 weeks I’m off to Malaysia and Thailand for 36 days in total. Got a wickedly cheap fare from Melb - KL return ($180AUD with meals getouttahere!) so as I had long service leave due, it was the perfect time.
Nine days in Malaysia (KL, Langkawi and Penang) then off to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Chang and a day in Pattaya before flying back to KL to fly home.
I’ve not been to Malaysia or Thailand before, but catching up with a friend in Bangkok who lived there for a few years and returns a couple of times a year. He’ll be going south when I go north to Chiang Mai.
Sooooo…tell us about your planned trips (don’t need to be international), give us some advice about our itineraries, and GO.
I haven’t been to South East Asia for about 30 years (well apart from a week in Singapore) so can’t help much there. We have just come back from Europe ( a fortnight ago) and to be honest I never want to see a plane again after 30 hours of drunks, screaming children, and bogans. However, that being said, we are thinking od Scandanavia again… be Gold Lotto I think.
My current favoritest way to vacation is on a cruise. Aboard ship, your every need is met - well, most of them, anyway. You unpack on the first day and pack on the last night. No cooking, no cleaning, no fuss, no muss. Then most every day, you’re in a new place for a quick sample of that area. Sometimes the ship remains overnight, and you get a double sample. And these samples can lead to plans to revisit the destination for a longer stay (we’re planning a return to Iceland!)
As far as I’m concerned, the downside is getting to the ship, especially if it involves a flight, but that’s the price you pay. OK, the other downside is a ship overrun with children, but with proper planning, you can avoid that also. Bottom line: cruising, baby!
If you’re vacationing in Trinidad and/or Tobago, be sure to go in the summer, that’s their off season and accommodations are way cheaper. Wouldn’t surprise me if Caribbean vacay spots had the same practice.
I don’t mind flying, just loathe hanging around in airports. And being a budget flyer, my boarding dock is always at the very far end of the terminal. I guess it keeps me fit though.
I have friends (with kids) who swear by cruising. Every year they do the same one…Sydney to Noumea etc. I must admit I’d be bored shitless going to the same destination every year, but the cheaper cruises (in my pay scale) don’t go anywhere much else. But at least one cruise is on my bucket-list.
My advice applies mainly to European travel and it’s from an American point of view
I’m planning my annual UK trip right now, I usually plan from January-March, it helps me get through the long slog of a Chicago winter. I get my annual bonus in March and then I book the flights/hotels/trains. Then, I can start planning the fun stuff as to exactly what I’ll do abroad.
I think it’s important to plan, but build in a lot of flexibility. I don’t agree at all with just ‘winging it.’ My free spirited friend just had a disaster of a first trip to Europe, which started off by missing his flight because he was at the wrong airline! It didn’t get much better as he was constantly confused by European dates and times. He missed a day trip by train because he didn’t bring the credit card he’d booked with and had also made the mistake of booking through a 3rd party.
True, it’s boring planning the basics of travel, but it’s important. You’ve spent a lot to get there and many Americans have precious little vacation time anyway.
My hints? Use YouTube a lot. You can find videos on any place on the planet that you’ll consider. There are even travel videos for North Korea! Don’t change cities too often. It’s an amazing time suck when you have to pack up, get to the train station or airport, wait for the flight/train, then get to your new hotel and then find your way around in the new city. You’re losing valuable sightseeing time. That might be ok if you’re a college student backpacking around for two months, but time on the ground is very precious for an office worker with two weeks off.
Additional advice is to use Google street view and map your route around the hotel and take a look at landmarks nearby. Also, don’t over plan your trip like it’s a military drill. You’ll most likely find that you’ve scheduled too much and museum/cathedral fatigue will set in. It’s perfectly ok to spend some time relaxing with a coffee/tea/beer/wine and miss a museum.
Other advice is to ignore outdated advice. I’m glad your coworker backpacked around Europe after college, but Eurail passes are basically a thing of the past. Spending time on the TripAdvisor forums or other travel boards can be invaluable. My final advice is that it’s perfectly fine to split up if you’re traveling with a partner. If you know you’re bored to tears by art museums, then let your travel partner do it while you explore a neighborhood nearby. Travel is stressful enough, you don’t have to compromise like you would in your home city.
