She took the midnight train going aaaaaaaneeeeeee where...
April 18, 2023 1:15 AM Subscribe
Where should I go for my 40th birthday trip in September?
I have 2 weeks in late September to do something celebratory. Where should I go?
(stipulations and first-world problems inside)
-I'm in the southeast US, 2 weeks+ jetlag seems a little short to be worth going to most places in Asia, for example
-Ideally would be hut-to-hut hiking or bike touring, but any kind of moderately challenging outdoorsy activity is good. Would consider learning to surf or scuba dive.
-I've traveled a LOT in the US, especially the Southwest, Northwest and Hawaii but something amazing and little-known in the US would be welcomed. I was planning on Yosemite but the flooding is really messing things up this year.
-Spanish speaking country is a bonus, but I've already done the obvious stuff in Spain, Mexico and Peru and been to Nicaragua and Honduras.
-Budget is pretty generous for me, but my boyfriend could come if it was on the chea
-I'm in the southeast US, 2 weeks+ jetlag seems a little short to be worth going to most places in Asia, for example
-Ideally would be hut-to-hut hiking or bike touring, but any kind of moderately challenging outdoorsy activity is good. Would consider learning to surf or scuba dive.
-I've traveled a LOT in the US, especially the Southwest, Northwest and Hawaii but something amazing and little-known in the US would be welcomed. I was planning on Yosemite but the flooding is really messing things up this year.
-Spanish speaking country is a bonus, but I've already done the obvious stuff in Spain, Mexico and Peru and been to Nicaragua and Honduras.
-Budget is pretty generous for me, but my boyfriend could come if it was on the chea
Have you been to Ecuador? Spend a few days exploring Quito, then hop a flight and tour the Galapagos on a small boat.
posted by champers at 2:30 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by champers at 2:30 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
Chile might be worth considering, perhaps. I haven't done a large amount of hiking there, but a lot of people do. There's a huge breadth of wild places, from Torres del Paine in the south to the Atacama desert in the north and so many breathtaking places in between. Lots of national parks, though when I was last there, over 10 years ago, you pretty much needed a car or a tour group to get to a lot of them.
It's fairly cheap if you want it to be and hardly anyone speaks English outside Santiago and probably a few other major tourist centres.
If I had just two weeks and was prepared for the cold, I would probably fly straight to somewhere like Punta Arenas and hike my heart out down there.
posted by mewsic at 2:52 AM on April 18, 2023
It's fairly cheap if you want it to be and hardly anyone speaks English outside Santiago and probably a few other major tourist centres.
If I had just two weeks and was prepared for the cold, I would probably fly straight to somewhere like Punta Arenas and hike my heart out down there.
posted by mewsic at 2:52 AM on April 18, 2023
I was planning on Yosemite but the flooding is really messing things up this year.
I mean, I think you have been given some good alternates, but the snow melt situation in CA will be resolved by September.
I haven't been, but I've been looking into Ecuador myself, and there is a hostel-to-hostel hiking route. Depending which airport you're near, plane tickets can be pretty affordable.
posted by coffeecat at 6:44 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
I mean, I think you have been given some good alternates, but the snow melt situation in CA will be resolved by September.
I haven't been, but I've been looking into Ecuador myself, and there is a hostel-to-hostel hiking route. Depending which airport you're near, plane tickets can be pretty affordable.
posted by coffeecat at 6:44 AM on April 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Azores are really beautiful and a short direct plane ride from Boston. You might end up laying over in Lisbon if you leave from another major city. Bike rental and ferries between islands shouldn't be too expensive.
posted by soelo at 7:15 AM on April 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by soelo at 7:15 AM on April 18, 2023 [3 favorites]
Bike touring along the Oregon coast
Hut-to-hut hiking in the Alps is possible in late September, some huts close at the beginning of September but many are open until the end of September or mid October. And it's also possible to spend the night in villages rather than huts in places as well.
Here are some ideas (in French) for multi-day hikes in May (that would likely also be practicable in late September) and also for summer treks, some of which would still be possible, in the French mountains.
posted by orchidee at 9:19 AM on April 18, 2023
Hut-to-hut hiking in the Alps is possible in late September, some huts close at the beginning of September but many are open until the end of September or mid October. And it's also possible to spend the night in villages rather than huts in places as well.
Here are some ideas (in French) for multi-day hikes in May (that would likely also be practicable in late September) and also for summer treks, some of which would still be possible, in the French mountains.
posted by orchidee at 9:19 AM on April 18, 2023
There's a famous hut-to-hut mountain bike tour in Colorado? I think it's the 10th Mountain Division trail.
posted by suelac at 10:37 AM on April 18, 2023
posted by suelac at 10:37 AM on April 18, 2023
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Late September is just a little bit late for hut-to-hut hiking in the Alps, so probably would be the same for the Pyrenees...but I'm not sure.
Cicerone Press has helpful guidebooks for various walks, hikes and treks in Spain which may provide a starting point for you.
posted by lulu68 at 2:05 AM on April 18, 2023 [2 favorites]