Help me make last minute travel plans?
December 24, 2018 12:35 PM Subscribe
I recently learned that I'll have three weeks off with relatively short notice (Jan 21 - Feb 8). I've had a pretty stressful year, and I have a number of hard decisions that I need to make soon, so I'd like to spend one of those weeks de-stressing and thinking about things away from home. I'm a relatively inexperienced traveller, so I could use some help in deciding where to go to properly relax.
Requirements:
* Less than $1500 spent on travel + 4-6 days of lodging (this is flexible, but not very flexible)
* Awesome food options (I absolutely love trying out local food places or new kinds of food)
* Nearby places to go hiking/walking, or cozy places to sit and read/write
* Reachable by flight from Chicago, or less than a 10 hour drive from Chicago
Nice-to-haves:
* Warmer than Chicago (ideally light sweatshirt weather)
* If driving, somewhere I can bring my elderly dog that she would enjoy as well (she loves walks)
* Not a big, busy city (e.g. Chicago, NYC, or SF)
Right now, Gatlinburg, TN is the only place I've looked into, and while it seems promising, I'd prefer somewhere a bit warmer. Do you have any suggestions?
Requirements:
* Less than $1500 spent on travel + 4-6 days of lodging (this is flexible, but not very flexible)
* Awesome food options (I absolutely love trying out local food places or new kinds of food)
* Nearby places to go hiking/walking, or cozy places to sit and read/write
* Reachable by flight from Chicago, or less than a 10 hour drive from Chicago
Nice-to-haves:
* Warmer than Chicago (ideally light sweatshirt weather)
* If driving, somewhere I can bring my elderly dog that she would enjoy as well (she loves walks)
* Not a big, busy city (e.g. Chicago, NYC, or SF)
Right now, Gatlinburg, TN is the only place I've looked into, and while it seems promising, I'd prefer somewhere a bit warmer. Do you have any suggestions?
* Reachable by flight from Chicago, or less than a 10 hour drive from Chicago
a friend used to work for United Airlines. Pretty much every route of theirs goes through Chicago, so it sounds like you could go pretty much anywhere ...
And if you do choose air travel, something that unintentionally worked well for me a few years back (at pretty much the same time of year) was NOT buying my ticket too far in advance. That is, the first time I checked for tickets to my destination, the prices were about what I expected at reasonably short notice (ie: high). But then, maybe ten days away from my departure date (which I hadn't been able to confirm until then), prices dropped rather significantly. Lucky me. I paid less than two-thirds what I was expecting.
As I understand it, prices I was seeing at first were effectively premium. But then, getting closer to the departure date with the airlines now trying to fill every available seat, there were suddenly deals ...
Good luck.
posted by philip-random at 1:37 PM on December 24, 2018
a friend used to work for United Airlines. Pretty much every route of theirs goes through Chicago, so it sounds like you could go pretty much anywhere ...
And if you do choose air travel, something that unintentionally worked well for me a few years back (at pretty much the same time of year) was NOT buying my ticket too far in advance. That is, the first time I checked for tickets to my destination, the prices were about what I expected at reasonably short notice (ie: high). But then, maybe ten days away from my departure date (which I hadn't been able to confirm until then), prices dropped rather significantly. Lucky me. I paid less than two-thirds what I was expecting.
As I understand it, prices I was seeing at first were effectively premium. But then, getting closer to the departure date with the airlines now trying to fill every available seat, there were suddenly deals ...
Good luck.
posted by philip-random at 1:37 PM on December 24, 2018
Chicagoan here. I spent a winter in Austin and the weather was a pleasure. Great food in town and great hiking options either right outside of town or just a little further away, like Enchanted Rock, though you’d have to rent a car. Direct flights from Chicago.
posted by chimpsonfilm at 4:27 PM on December 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by chimpsonfilm at 4:27 PM on December 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: For quiet and relaxing that time of year, I vote for Copamarina resort in Puerto Rico. They are up and running and I can't wait until we can go back. They have cabanas IN THE WATER, so you're sitting in this lovely warm ocean and you're shaded.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 4:46 PM on December 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Ms Vegetable at 4:46 PM on December 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
Why not Hawaii? Looks like flights to the big island are under $500 to go for a week, and I can find a bunch of AirBnB rooms under $100 a night. Leaves a lot of space for adventuring and hiking and the weather will be toasty and pleasant.
posted by that girl at 8:30 PM on December 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by that girl at 8:30 PM on December 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
I live on the West Coast and head to San Diego, CA and Portland, OR whenever I’m looking for this sort of vacation.
With San Diego at that time of year you’re playing a little bit of the lotto on weather - could be 80 and sunny, could be a bit rainy in the 50s, but you should get a few good days if you’re there for 4-6 days. There’s a huge park in the middle of the city and you can take a car up to La Jolla or out to Cabrillo National Monument for some nice hiking (or tide pooling!) Great food options especially if you want to go on a fish taco safari.
Portland is likely to be in the 50s and rainy, but it’s a great cozy coffee shop city with a ton of good restaurants and bars, plus some nice parks and gardens in the city. It’s not peak season, but I love to sit in the tea house in the Chinese garden and drink a nice pot of tea while admiring the landscaping.
In either place you should be able to get a 4 star hotel for $120-200/night and the flight shouldn’t be more than $400 and might be under $300.
posted by asphericalcow at 9:43 PM on December 24, 2018
With San Diego at that time of year you’re playing a little bit of the lotto on weather - could be 80 and sunny, could be a bit rainy in the 50s, but you should get a few good days if you’re there for 4-6 days. There’s a huge park in the middle of the city and you can take a car up to La Jolla or out to Cabrillo National Monument for some nice hiking (or tide pooling!) Great food options especially if you want to go on a fish taco safari.
Portland is likely to be in the 50s and rainy, but it’s a great cozy coffee shop city with a ton of good restaurants and bars, plus some nice parks and gardens in the city. It’s not peak season, but I love to sit in the tea house in the Chinese garden and drink a nice pot of tea while admiring the landscaping.
In either place you should be able to get a 4 star hotel for $120-200/night and the flight shouldn’t be more than $400 and might be under $300.
posted by asphericalcow at 9:43 PM on December 24, 2018
What about Santa Fe? World class art, food, hiking, shopping, opera, rafting, hot springs, camping, great weather.... I went there last year and was blown away by the huge range and quality of the activities. Drive. Make a trip out of it. Camp a couple nights then stay in a hotel or Air B&B.
posted by xammerboy at 9:54 PM on December 24, 2018
posted by xammerboy at 9:54 PM on December 24, 2018
Best answer: Savannah is more like a 14 hr drive, but way more interesting and warmer than Gatlinburg. Great dog park. Lots of interesting food. Museums, old houses, and even a beach, although dogs aren't allowed. It's a very walkable city. There are also some good nature trails nearby.
Check airbnb listings.
I live there, feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
posted by mareli at 12:13 PM on December 25, 2018
Check airbnb listings.
I live there, feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
posted by mareli at 12:13 PM on December 25, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by August Fury at 1:35 PM on December 24, 2018