Trip me.

December 1, 2006 12:29 AM

I've vacationed to 'Nam and the Jersey Shore... that's about it. Now that I'm a grown-up and can afford to travel anywhere in the world, where should I go?

The past few years since graduation from college have been work, work, work. I haven't had any 'real' vacations other than long weekends outside Los Angeles here and there. Before graduating college, I wasn't much of a traveler. Other than a business trip to Vietnam, and the typical trips around the continental USA (and one to the Virgin Islands) -- I haven't traveled outside the country.

So now that I'm finally making some good money, and have the time and means to take a vacation, where should I (and my girlfriend) go?

I'm looking for suggestions on destinations that are either really relaxing, or really on the exploring/out-and-about style. I'd also prefer something off the beat-and-path... but no "roughing it" (hostels, backpacks, sofabeds, etc..); When I do it, I want to do it right and in style. I'm also a big foodie, and love great hotels. Something with a romantic twist is always good, too.

Any memorable trips or destinations to suggest?

posted by donguanella to travel & transportation (29 comments total)

The Greek Isles if you want to relax. Ios and Santorini if you want to relax on the beach during the day and party at night...almost any of the other islands if you just want to get away.

Trust me, the Greek isles are amazingly beautiful.
posted by ASM at 12:45 AM on December 1, 2006

New Zealand
posted by edgeways at 12:52 AM on December 1, 2006

I was just going to say Greece too, but the Pelopenees. Go in the off season, use Nafplion as your base. Rent a car and hit some of the ruins, Corinth, Epidarus, Mycenae...
head up to Delphi. Eat, eat, eat and drink great cheap local wine! It's great, the rates are cheap, the facilities are nice and available, the people friendly. It's great.
posted by Pollomacho at 12:53 AM on December 1, 2006

Alaska is a phenomenal bargain. I'm ever so glad it was my first big trip. Do Seward, Denali and a nice Glacier tour.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:06 AM on December 1, 2006

Sicily has great food, lots to see, romance, potential for relaxation and scope for adventure. To get away from it all I would try the Aeolian Islands (off the north coast) in, say, April or September.
posted by rongorongo at 1:26 AM on December 1, 2006

If you like treking then try Peru for the Inca Trail - there are plenty of nice hotels in Cusco (e.g.) for relaxing when you get back.

For romance you can't beat Rome or Venice.
posted by markdj at 1:36 AM on December 1, 2006

Having been to both fairly recently my impression was that Sicily is less touristy than Santorini, which is regularly swamped by cruise ships. Sicily's too big for that. On the other hand, Santorini's astonishingly scenic (not that Sicily isn't beautiful as well, and Sicily has a greater variety of terrain) and it seems virtually everyone on Santorini speaks English as a second language.
posted by furiousthought at 2:13 AM on December 1, 2006

European cities of culture: Amsterdam. Paris. Bruges. Barcelona. Prague. Venice, Dublin, Edinburgh.

The former eastern Europe: Prague, Krakow, Riga, Vilnius (go before they get too westernised - you're already a bit late, particularly with Prague).
posted by handee at 2:47 AM on December 1, 2006

How much time do you have? What other interests? It is possible to do adventure or relaxation in so many places in so many ways.

I've had great times in Scotland playing golf in the morning and spending the afternoons in a spa or doing falconry. South Africa, around Capetown, is stunning with fantastic food, wine, culture, and scenery. Turkey is a beautiful place with adventure, antiquities, amazing food and kind and generous people. The archipelagoes outside of Stockholm during the summer are idilic.
posted by michswiss at 2:49 AM on December 1, 2006

Seconding (thirding?) Sicily. Especially Syracuse.
posted by Paragon at 2:50 AM on December 1, 2006

I second New Zealand.

Also, I am a little biased but the state of Bahia in Brazil is a just an amazing place. I've lived here for almost two years now and am still blown away by the natural beauty. Different parts of Bahia can offer you different things--adventure sports, history, a place to just sit on the beach. And in the past five or ten years there has been an incredible amount of development, especially in the tourism industry, so there are all kinds of great resorts and hotels. (If you find one that is brand-new they usually have "first year" prices that are a steal!)
posted by wallaby at 3:21 AM on December 1, 2006

Iceland (where I live) is great for adventurous trips. If you don't mind the tempered (and windy) climate, there's all kinds of interesting stuff going on, such as snowmobiling on glaciers and white water rafting. You can find first rate hotels and resturants here too.

I've been to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates a few times, and if you have the money to spend, it is quite awsome. The best hotels in the world, the most extravagant architecture you'll find anywhere, and lots of interesting activities too. I went jeep rideing on sand dunes in the desert, tried riding a camel, we went on expeditions into less civilized neighboring territories... It's a brilliant mix of all kinds of stuff.
posted by svenni at 3:25 AM on December 1, 2006

Just to second some of the above places:

Brazil: I've never been to Bahia, but man, do I love everywhere else I've been (a lot): Rio de Janeiro, Iguazú, Ilhabela, and, for your more rustic destinations, the hot springs and nature parks at Ilha do Bananal, Tocantins. You can choose between swank hotels and hammocks from one day to the next; the food is fantastic and there are so many delicious regional fruits; not everyone speaks English but it's not so hard to understand people anyway; everyone's incredibly friendly and welcoming - even in the cities but especially outside; and we're coming on the best time of year to visit.

South Africa: mountains, wineries, harbor cruising, beach bumming, road tripping, game parks, and more. I never got to leave Cape Town, but it's worth it just to go there. More exotic meats than you can shake a stick at. Lots of very developed properties, in terms of tourism, hotels, and restaurants, but you still get reminded that you're in Africa, not Europe.

(I'm happy to give specific recommendations on either of these places, and have before here on AskMe.)
posted by whatzit at 3:41 AM on December 1, 2006

Oh yeah, seconding wallaby, Brazil is great too. I liked Parati which is just a few hours outside of Rio. Get a room in a pousada and take a boat out around the beaches.
posted by markdj at 3:43 AM on December 1, 2006

Some great suggestions already, but I'll third New Zealand and second Iceland. However, given what you say in your original post, I think NZ might shade it. Walking in the Abel Tasman national park is brilliant - I did a three day guided hike there over Christmas 2004 - walking during the day and staying in nice, beachfront lodges over night. The scenery is just beautiful, and as it's a national park, there's no cell phone signals and no cars, so it's very relaxing...
posted by Sifter at 3:43 AM on December 1, 2006

Once in your life, you have to visit Petra.
posted by felix betachat at 4:36 AM on December 1, 2006

Vegas, Baby!
posted by thilmony at 4:48 AM on December 1, 2006

For relaxing, go to Seychelles.

For good food (and romance), consider a tour of France and/or Italy. Not just Paris and Rome, but a proper tour.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 5:54 AM on December 1, 2006

Bali
posted by trinarian at 6:29 AM on December 1, 2006

Krakow was really great last December - lovely Christmas market, lots of locals out and about, a compact center with lots to see and do all around the area. I think the major cities of Eastern Europe would be a great fit.

Turkey was an incredibly bargain - I loved Istanbul and the Bosporus just gets more romantic no matter how many times you look at it.

Also think about:

Morocco
Japan
South Africa
Brazil
New Zealand
Portugal
Thailand
Italy
Costa Rica
posted by mdonley at 6:45 AM on December 1, 2006

Just about anywhere ... but I 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) the following:
Amsterdam/Den Haag
Paris
Prague

It really depends on what you like. My list here is for the "high" cultural experiences.
posted by allelopath at 7:02 AM on December 1, 2006

Hong Kong. Imagine Times Square transplanted on a tropical island.

China: Shanghai is a spectacle, no doubting that. Beijing is smelly and noisy but kind of amazing (you can feel it building itself practically as you walk around).

Walk the Great Wall (take the more difficult climb of the two paths) and tell me it doesn't change your concept of life on this planet.

I've always wanted to go to Meteora, in Greece. And India and Japan...
posted by dmaterialized at 7:06 AM on December 1, 2006

Croatia. Romantic, sort of off the beaten track, no roughing it, easy to really relax, gorgeous, delicious venetian-inspired food.
posted by Amizu at 7:41 AM on December 1, 2006

All great suggestions so far, but if you really want to go off the beaten track, Africa is the place.

There are some exquisite high-end experiences to be had in Southern Africa. Use Johannesburg as your base (specifically, The Grace in Rosebank) and head out from there.

First and foremost: Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. It's a reserve the size of Switzerland and there are only about a hundred people in it at any given time. Plus the food and accomodations are about as luxurious as you can get, anywhere. Ask for Bashi as your ranger.

Head down to Cape Town, where you can stay at the Metropole. It's in a safe area of the downtown, but away from the harbor tourist trap. While you're there, make sure to take a day excursion down to the the Cape of Good Hope.

If wild animals and legendary capes at the other end of the world aren't romantic enough for you, there is also of course Victoria Falls. While it was a bit too ostentatious for my tastes, the Royal Livingstone should fit the bill as a romantic getaway spot. (If I'm there again I'll stay at it's sister hotel, the Zambezi Sun, which has more of a resort feel to it, but has access to the same (excellent) restaurants.) Make sure you take a helicopter trip over the falls -- I also hear the whitewater rafting is excellent.

In fairness I should give a small plug to the man who hooked me up with all of these places, the inestimable David of DavidTravel. If Africa seems a bit too much to plan yourself, he can help.
posted by tkolar at 8:37 AM on December 1, 2006 [1 favorite]

Hiking in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was one of the highlights of my life, and I can't recommend it enough.

The Sierra Club offers a few trips each summer via their Outings program that make this easy to do (they take care of bush flight scheduling, permitting, etc.).
posted by ryanshepard at 9:05 AM on December 1, 2006

Ah, missed your "no roughing it" stipulation - ANWR is well worth roughing it, for, though ;)
posted by ryanshepard at 9:08 AM on December 1, 2006

I will second (I think) Peru. My wife and I spent 10 days there this summer and it was fantastic. The people are wonderful, getting around was much easier than I had anticipated, and the ruins and colonial architecture are amazing. You can also get in a wide range of activities in the same trip. We saw Cusco and the main Inca sites (staying in hotels, etc, no Inca Trail for us), and also went to the Amazon Basin for four days in a rainforest lodge.

Also, Croatia, as someone else mentioned, is wonderful as well. I spent a few days in Dubrovnik and Split last year as part of a longer trip and Dubrovnik is probably the most beatiful city I've ever been to. And that list includes, Paris, Florence, Prague, etc.

Have fun!
posted by sbrollins at 9:38 AM on December 1, 2006

Another vote for New Zealand! Absolutely beautiful, with scenery ranging from beaches to alps.
posted by scody at 11:48 AM on December 1, 2006

I just got back from a week in France and I absolutely loved it. I spent time in Paris, Lyon, and Grenoble. Paris was, well, Paris. It's a classic; old, beautiful, and big enough that you won't run out of touristy things to do, if that's your style. Lyon is smaller than Paris, but still packed full of amazing restaurants, beautiful cathedrals/basilicas/churches, etc. It's known as the "gastronomy capitol" of France. Grenoble is much, much smaller than the other two cities, but I think I liked as much or better than either of them. It spreads out on a valley floor and is completely surrounded by mountains. Everywhere you look you can see a snow covered peak this time of year. It was home to the 1968 winter olympics and if skiing and hiking are things you like to do, go here in the winter. It also has an excellent and cheap public transit system and plenty of restaurants, museums, and other things to do.

I heartily recommend France, whether you spend all of your time getting to know one city very well or taking a tour to all parts of the country.

Good luck and have fun!
posted by zachk at 11:02 PM on December 1, 2006