Five Year Plans: Do you have one for travel?

1. California and the southwest US
summer 2008
2. Smoky Mountains cabin
summer 2009
3. Colorado and the Rockies
Summer 2009
4. England/Scotland/Ireland
2010
5. Italy

Yes we do have one major aim in our five year plan, and that is a multi-week visit to Australia and New Zealand. Other than that, just continue to visit the islands, Mexico, cruise often, and hopefully Europe if and when the dollar regains some strength. The last trip to Italy, Greece and Croatia in November 2007 was painful when paying for meals, hotels, etc...ouch my poor credit card!

We have a ten-year plan! In no particular order:

Turkey
Portugal
Romania
Bosnia
Slovakia
Open in St. Andrews, Scotland
Poland
Hungary
return to Croatia
southern France
Lithuania
Estonia

I'm so lucky. I've done my 'big dream' trips.

Argentina this year is a dream come true.

I'd love to return to Europe to see more. I haven't been to Spain or Portugal. I want to see more of Italy.

I'd love to return to New Zealand.

I'd love to see more of North America, in particular the west and also the east coast.

That should get me through the next 5 years!!

Katie, I love the Smoky Mountains.

Morocco
Turkey
Thailand
India
And returns to Mexico, other Latin American countries, and Europe.

Also a real long shot to Ethiopia.

I'm pretty sure I can't do these trips in only 5 years, but they are:

Turkey
Egypt and Jordan in one trip
Peru
Cambodia and Thailand in one trip

I guess I am thinking more along the lines of where I want to go in my lifetime rather than 5 years. I guess it will be 5 years and my kids will be finishing college. So, where would I want to take the kids over the next 5 years????

This summer we are visiting Paris, Munich and all of Austria. This will be our first european vacation as a family (even since we are married 20 years!) We have watched Chevy Chase's movie and we are prepared to NOT act like them. Although that was very funny!

Next, I would like to take them to other countries in Europe if we can afford to do this again. Spain, Italy, England (see a football match!), are on the short list of must sees.
I would love to go to the Orient as some point in my life. See China, possible Thailand, who knows. MY youngest wants to go to Africa. Iwill need to win the lottery to do all of this!
Oh so many places to go and not enough time!
Most likely before the 5 years is up, we will make another european vacation. After that, who knows?

Currently working on a definite 3-year plan.
2008- Visiting family in New England (summer) and Germany (Christmas)
2009 - Fiji
2010 - Africa (World Cup and Safari)

Squeezed in there somewhere will be:
Yellowstone and Glacier NP's in summer,
Bryce Canyon
Spain & Portugal
Croatia
We'll also add in several ski, camping, spa and weekend getaways, plus college-visiting trips.

I would also like to return to Italy and Hawaii, but not sure where that fits in. Also, Asia & South America will have to get pushed into the 10-year plan.(except for 14yo DD, who will be going to China this summer with her school band)

Not so much a plan of places but a travel strategy that's been working pretty well for us in the four years we've had it.

Odd-numbered years - paid business class round-the-world trips - usually North America - Europe - Africa - Australia/NZ - N. America (or substitute Asia for Oz/NZ or S. America for Africa, etc.)

These are relatively expensive (although excellent value compared to ordinary trips, especially in business/first class) but serve three purposes: (1) we get to go to places that we really couldn't afford absent the cost-savings of the RTW; (2) we maintain elite status in our frequent flyer programs, good for the alternate years; and (3) we earn enough miles in those trips (in addition to other trips and credit card purchases etc.) to cover...

Even-numbered years - award air travel and/or mileage upgrades to first/business class travel for discounted economy tickets, plus domestic surface travel (car trips etc.) to take a break from flying.

Averaged out over two years, the RTWs create enormous bang for the travel buck, seeing how they cover a lot of "free" domestic or international travel in the process.

For example, last year's RTW miles will be (partially) spent this year for business-class RTs to South America for a cruise around the Horn (maybe an Antarctic side trip). The year before last (during the last even-year period) we used miles from the prior year's RTW for award tickets to fly to/from Eastern Europe and South Africa.

I don't see any reason to change the strategy, at least as long as we're physically able to go to FAPWSSNs (far-away places with strange sounding names.)

1. Turkey is also at the top of my list.

2. Starting this year I'm going to start exploring South America. I've been to Peru and would love to go back.

3. Jordan & Israel

4. More time in the USA

Not really.

For the past couple of years my trips have been planned around work, destination weddings, and marathons.

I just sort of let travel happen to me.

We don't have a five year plan, but New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong (again), China (again), Argentina and Chile, Turkey, Morocco, and Portugal (again) are all on our list of intended destinations. We will also continue to visit France annually as long as we are solvent and upright.

Gardyloo, thanks for describing that strategy you are using. Something similar has been percolating in the back of my mind for several years, but I hadn't described it to myself as clearly as you have just done. Time to do some RTW thinking.

Anselm

Tuscany in the fall (as soon as possible)
Greece
back to Paris and Provence
Probably my first cruise in about 35 years

Until then, trips tacked on to business travel and back to California and NY. Those are DEFINITES for this year

I don't really have a plan, but the top places I want to go (in no particular order) are:

Egypt/Jordan
Laos (combine with return to Cambodia and Vietnam)
South Africa
Kenya/Tanzania
Turkey

Mixed in with shorter trips to Central/South America since those are pretty easy flights from Miami.

I think this is do-able in 5-6 years.

No plan really - life is really changing here - lots of different things going on -

We have planned a trip local to a beach house in 08 and a family trip to Lake George NY in August 08.

In December 08 I am trying to nab our timeshare in Lake Tahoe - for after Christmas... and that is about it for now...

I would love to do a Grandcanyon trip or Alaska cruise sometime in the next 5 years...does that count?

2008 - Central Europe (Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Venice - don't know what we'll do the second week...kidding)

South Bend for my loser alma mater San Diego State vs. Notre Dame.

Perhaps, Rome for Christmas.

2009 - Norway to see the relatives (they don't know what they're in for).

Perhaps waltzing in Vienna for New Years (I better go to dance class).

2010 - The "Everywhere in France" trip (we do to France what we did to Italy in 2005)

2011 - Wild Card Year! I'm guessing it will be a big U.S. trip.

2012 - 60th birthday (now I know why I don't make five year plans....60!!!!!) in Italia.

Of course, this plan (except for 2008) will change 100 times in the next five years.

For travel, I don't really think in 5 year chunks since you never know what the world economy will be like. But for 2008, the big trip will be Vietnam, and in 2009, South Africa. I'll just toodle around the United States to keep my travel passion satisfied in between, as well.

Nope, I have no master travel plan in my life, never have.

My travel interests change over time and on a whim. Caribbean when I was young, then Mexico for a decade, on to Europe for the first time...

Being older, now I also find myself more concerned with a workable plan of how to spend some of my retirement years out of the country, that being more important in the grand scheme of things for me than short vacation trips at the present.

suze do you want to move out of the country?

Gardyloo, thanks for posting your strategy. You've started the wheels turning in my head. IT's something I've never thought about...but it sure sounds good.

Like others, no firm 5 year plan.

This August we are going to Papua New Guinea. And maybe a trip in September to England for a 100th birthday celebration of a lovely lady over there.

Next year we'd like to take our two oldest grandboys to England; they'll be a good age for it then.
I want to go back to Italy, with my husband this time. Maybe that can also be done next year.

After that--???

Gardyloo's strategy is something I need to add into my dreaming.

What a great question. Here's my list in no particular order

Peru
Turkey
Syria/Lebanon
China
Thailand/Cambodia
India/Nepal
Croatia/Slovenia

Southern California is on the list every year.

Chepar our interests are very similar. You listed all of the countries I want to visit and I've just returned from Egypt and Jordan.

Wow, I am glad to see so many people with so many interests. Syria? Papua New Guinea? How cool.

P_M and Chepar... really interested to hear how all these trips go. I'm keepin' up on that Egypt trip now. Y'alls tastes are sort of like ours.

We've done the Thailand/Cambodia mix. Personal taste suggestion: check out more of Cambodia than just Siem Reap! Loved Morocco FYI, since it was on so many lists.

All that said. We have no plan. None at all. Usually about 3 or 5 months before an open block of time, we figure out what from the very long list will fit into it. We usually do the one shorter trip and one longer trip per year too. We just decided the short trip in May would be to Nicaragua (Granada based). Later in '08, either Vietnam or Mongolia maybe. We really do get wild hairs and sometimes come up with something we didn't expect. Like I've been just fascinated with Kashgar, the Pamirs and the whole Great Game thing lately. Dunno why... My wife's going to have a lot of questions if I suddenly suggest Tajikistan

The top of the list for likely places in the next few years:

Vietnam
Mongolia (DW's #1 choice)
Peru/Bolivia
Germany
back to Cambodia
South Africa
I want Ethiopia. Could be a tough sell.

I have no plans. Egypt would be my first. A safari in Africa second. Australia, third.

Paris and London always. Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. More of Tuscany. Greece at some point. I'd love to go back to Sweden and see more there.

See some of the south in the US and also I want to get back to Santa Fe..I was there many years ago and loved it. Also, would love to drive up the coast from the Bay Area to Seattle. I'd like to go back to Vancouver and Victoria and spend a bit more time and see some other areas of Canada.

Buenos Aries and Mexico City.
Reality rears it's head and I know there's no way I'm going to be doing all that but I must get to Egypt...WITH Immodium preferably.

Not a real plan, but absolutely number 1 is:
Rwanda. I will be happy to combine it with either Kenya (only been to Nairobi) or Tanzania (again but would like to see Selous and Ruaha this time). If I could squeeze Ethiopia in there without ransoming my future, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Oh, and Gabon!

Then, in no firm order:
France (again), Italy (again), colonial Mexico (again, but haven't been in many, many years). Vietnam is looking pretty possible too.

As a wildlife lover, the African safaris are top priority; they also cost the most, so whatever/whenever otherwise. There aren't too many places I'm not interested in going once I start reading about them.

I have more than just a "five-year plan", I have a "seven-year system".

I have a notebook for each main destination in my plan. In the notebook, I write down specifics, ideas, activities, etc. as I find them. I write down general costs for airfare, lodging, etc. and update them as they increase, etc. I write down possible dates for the trip for the year(s) I think I want to do it.

I have my vacation time earned and used in spreadsheets for the next 15 years and I plug in general times for each destination (i.e., England, Wales and Scotland will use 31 days of vacation) - this way I can see how taking New Year's Eve this year will affect my trips.

I track my "vacation fund" on a spreadsheet and adjust the calculations on estimated costs for each trip as they (or my plans) change.

My current plan includes:

Nova Scotia (this coming summer)
Alberta
British Columbia
Ottawa for the winter festival
Italy
France
Africa
England, Wales & Scotland

I've also given my nieces (11 and 14) notebooks to plan their "dream trips". I told them I would give them funds to help make their dream trips a reality. The older niece has currently decided she is going to Egypt. I am starting to have her look at more specific ideas on her trip and when it gets closer, I will have her start looking at costs, how long she can stay, etc.

Nope, I'm not a planner.

Wow, toedtoes--and I was feeling smug because I have a spreadsheet for my time off work for the next two years!

Well, this year is Scotland, and we'll also be trying to start a family, so all bets may be off after that for a while.

However, the short list for the next five years (barring motherhood) include Alaska, Italy, Scandinavia, Greece, and Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.

P_M -

What a coincidence - I had read your Egypt/Jordan trip report the other day and thought to myself that your observations sounded like something I could have written - especially the part about going to England and thinking you're going to see Prince William.

When I do make that trip, I will probably be traveling alone, so your report was of special interest. I made sure to bookmark the website of the tour operator you used.

No definite 5 year plans except this year we have booked trips to Florida in February then London and Paris for a week in April.

Trying to decide if Hawaii is on the cards again this year or if we'll get to Australia (if not 2008 then 2009 for definite). Japan is also being considered.

Perhaps we could do all three in a RTW trip in 2009...or perhaps Argentina and Peru instead?

See, I can't make decisions for 2 years ahead let alone 5!

Not a 5 year, but we do have a 3 year plan. It includes:

Switzerland
Costa Rica
Alaska
Cape Cod
Italy

greendragon - good luck on starting your family That is a very exciting time!

Thanks, Dawn - the fun is in the practice

Right now we only have a two-year "plan" which includes China, Viet Nam, and Singapore next year and attendance (again) at the Oberammergau Passion Play in 2010 for which we are about to order tickets.

greendragon - I was going to add that but thought better

I have a ten year plan since I have a baby right now.
My ten year plan is to go to as many European countries as possible.

I always joke with my friends that the list of where I don't want to go is shorter than the list where I do.
Over the next 5 years I'd like to get to:
Spain & Greece (maybe slip Portugal in there)
Thailand
Australia & New Zealand
Costa Rica
Argentina

Realistically I hope to make 2 or 3 of those but I definitely will go somewhere every year even if it's not my dream destinations.

Every October we go on a boat trip for a week in Europe and then tour four days before and five days afterwards...

1. 2006 - Danube on Peter Deilmann - Passau & Regensburg Germany

2. 2007 - Rhone on Peter Deilmann- Lyon, St. Remy, Aix, Nimes, Les Baux, Vence, Eze and Nice

3. 2008 - Rhine & Moselle on Peter Deilmann - Strasbourg, Colmer, Trier Germany and Luxumborg

4. 2009 - Elbe on Peter Deilmann -
Prague & Berlin

5. 2010 - OAT boat trip to Croatia and Athens

6. 2011 - Windstar cruise Greek Isles and Istanbul

7. 2012 - Rhine & Danube on Peter Deilmann - Amsterdam and Budapest

8. 2013 - OAT boat trip to Egypt on the Nile - Cairo and Alexandria

9. 2014 - Danube on Peter Deilmann - Budapest to the Black Sea

10. 2015 - Boat trip from Kiev Ukraine to the Black Sea

Year 1 - Italy
Year 2 - Italy
Year 3 - Italy
Year 4 - Italy
Year 5 - Italy

Those are my plans although the actual trips may end being to different places.

2008
Las Vegas
Disney World
Bahama Cruise
2009
The Philippines
2010
Paris and London
2011
Somewhere in Africa
2012
Cruising on the Mediterranean Sea
If I win the lottery, a world tour for the next ten years.

greendragon and snow88. My advice would be get all of your "off season" traveling in now. Once they become school-aged, you may be stuck with the rest of us vacationing mostly during school holidays.

I may have to alter my 5-year plan, substituting Fiji 2009 with sailing the Greek Isles 2009. You never know when opportunity will knock! Fingers crossed!

Five years from now this thread needs to resurrected to see how accurate all of the predictions are.

Katie, No Africa in there?! Hopefully we convinced you over om the Africa forum to include that destination in your plans, so you'll have to revise your list.

Speaking of, I've got one taker who stated she would meet me in Botswana about Sept of 2011, and that's 3 3/4 years out.

Five years is nothing, I have 20+ years of Africa Adventures laid out. Though some may be pipe dreams, I'm betting 80% gets accomplished.

If planning is half the fun, then we've got five years of fun by marking the calendar so far in advance.

Clifton Unless you are purposely going to Mongolia because you also want to see the Olympics in Beijing, you may want to reconsider 2008 in Mongolia if it is during the summer. I am practicing what I preach and going to Mongolia in 2009.

2008 - England, Scotland, and Wales
2009 - Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
2010 - Carnival Cruise
2011 - Eastern Europe
2012 - Ireland

Not really a 5 year plan. I try to alternate between international and domestic travel each year. Last year was Prague so this year my big trip will be domestic. Although, I'm so tired from planning that big trip to Prague my domestic trip may suffer.
I'm trying to get better motivated about it now.

Here goes.

2008 New Orleans

2009 Russia

2010 Vancouver for Winter Olympics/ Cape Cod

2011 Egypt

2012 Alaska

Planner that I am, there's no way I can have a five year plan. There's just no telling where we might be. We currently live in Indonesia and hope to leave sometime this year, so we haven't planned any further than a return trip to NZ in March.

I'm with GoTravel on this one. And the perfect example is that our next big trip will be our daughter's wedding in Ireland sometime in the spring or early summer of '09.

Just saw your post, GreenDragon. Good luck! Motherhood is the wildest ride of all! And the best, IMHO.

Sometime within a year, i'd like to go to washington dc. (first trip i will take alone) Hopefully in January, but then, as my mom pointed out, it'd be during the inauguration, so maybe not then. If not, then maybe in November if i can manage the cash by then.

Then, the next year, hopefully London.

Beyond that, not sure. Have to see how those turn out first.

My 5 year plan..........hmmm.
I'm pretty lucky, I get to combine my skill with my passion. I am a nurse and I do medical missions that allow me to visit some pretty spectacular countries. I have been to Colombia (x2), Peru (got to got to Cusco and Machu Picchu), China, Nicaragua and Cambodia (Phnom Penh and Siem Reap). I go with the mission to these countries, work my butt off for a couple of weeks and then take advantage of traveling in-country while I am there. My five year plan will have to revolve around my mission assignments. This year I am trying to get on missions to India or Kazakhstan. Next year? Who knows.
Personally, I would like to travel to Egypt, Africa, Greece, Israel, Morocco, Italy again, France again, Germany, Eastern Europe and Scotland.
Like someone else said, LOL, the list of where I don't want to go is shorter.
SS

I too like to take one ambitious trip a year with a couple of mini-trips. Feeds my want for adventure!

This year- Tanzania! and then in no particular order except my 35th birthday...
China
Scotland & Norway for my 35th birthday year! (2010)
NYC & Kauai...can't stop visiting and finding more adventures
Mexico
Road trips and backpacking in the U.S. particularly Idaho, I love the mountains!
Grant Tetons & Yellowstone National Park- my husband cannot believe I've never been to YNP- he believes everyone should visit as a child!
And...I believe after our experience in Tanzania will put and keep Africa in the mix!

Lynn... Africa is in the plan...just not the five year plan. But you never know-- I am spontaneous!

Hi Lynn. That's a very good observation about the Olympics, I just never thought about it having an effect on Mongolia next door. I could see that though.

We usually travel in spring or fall, but seeing a Naadam in a smaller town/city is a big draw so I think it probably would be summer in this case. Great point!

Thanks for the update Katie. Clifton, I'll be interested in your 08 plan, since I'd like to follow suit in 09. I found the opening ceremonies for the National Naadam to be quite moving and fascinating and I don't like to attend sporting events, big concerts, or anything with crowds. Have fun!

Here's mine...

I'd like to do a 2nd rtw trip except to stretch it fr 1 mth to..."around the world in 90 days" well, 2 mths would be gd enough.

Doing an ancient history trip rtw would be amazing to me ..ie, if you're into ancient history.

I've got my "fat little notebook" next to my laptop which is like my "Bible!" Info endorsed in there that can't insured!

It's brewing...I've got enough pts to fly rtw for 2 but need enough dough.

My first rtw trip was a "whizz bang" - picked some cities & organised fr there. If only I could turn the hands of the hands of the clocks backwards..

I have trips planned through 2023!!! Even then I think there will still be placed I still want to see and I can always go back to favorites

Vicky,

Why stop at 2023?

Hey Lynn, I'll let you know but your really got me thinking now. I did say we didn't plan very well. Just thinking how close summer of '08 is. lol. No way we'd make that actually. We're already got the Nica thing going in May. With my workload, I realized I wasn't going to get out again a month or two later. I betcha we end up doing '09 too if we want to see the naadam festival. Maybe somewhere else in the fall instead, in the meantime. Been taking Spanish classes twice weekly... so maybe use it and take that S. America trip. Not sure yet!