jerirl

Hi all,

I am the family trip planner and I am not feeling inspired for this summer. I'm hoping you will give me some ideas of where to start. I know this isn't the most active forum, but please don't just tell me to post on specific area forums.

DH and I are in our sixties and in good health. We are looking for someplace to go this summer -July or beginning of August. We usually take a couple weeks, but are flexible on length of time. However we must go in summer due to job constraints. We are flying from Washington, DC.

Here are some of our interests
wildlife
scenery
culture
good food
beaches
historical sites

Here are some things we are not interested in
shopping
art museums
going somewhere you have to be dressed up

Here are the places we have gone in the last five years. Really enjoyed all of them except the Caribbean cruise which was just OK. First time on a large cruise ship and its just not our thing.
Caribbean cruise
Spain - Madrid, Seville and Zaragosa
Galapagos Islands
Iceland
Belgium, Alsace and Paris
Uganda with stopover in Amsterdam
Playa del Carmen, Mexico

We were thinking we'd like someplace other than Western Europe since we've been a few times recently. Originally thought southeast Asia might be a good destination. (We have previously been to China and India.) Unfortunately, it appears summer is the monsoon season. Also considered Australia, but it's their winter. DH suggested Yellowstone National Park, but lodgings in the park book up months in advance. Maybe next summer.

So, what do you suggest? Remember, it must be someplace that isn't booked up months in advance.

Thanks for your help.

thursdaysd

Atlantic Canada?

sparkchaser

Newfoundland. Beautiful scenery and you can still book B&Bs right now.

Morocco or Tunisia. But it will be HOT.

Istanbul.

You could do Eastern Europe. Croatia is the new hotness. Be prepared for heat.

crellston

Peru or Argentina

Sassafrass

You said probably not Western Europe, but San Sebastian, Spain might fit your desires. Also, the Azores and Croatia and Slovenia.

jerirl

Thanks for the replies so far. That is really helpful. I have already posted something on the Canada forums to get more specific advice. Eastern Europe also sounds like a possibility. If you have any other ideas, please let me know and I'll add them to my list. After all, there's always next year.

Just FYI, we have been to Peru and Istanbul. Also, just to clarify, when I gave the list of interests, I did not expect to find them all in one place.

sartoric

It is winter in Australia's southern parts, but the north is tropical, so there is no winter. July and August are in the dry season, and that's the best time to visit.
Kakadu National Park is stunning, Katherine Gorge is another beautiful spot, and the most amazing scenery is in the Kimberley region of Northern WA.

Cairns and Port Douglas are also perfect for this time of year, gateways to the Great Barrier Reef.
Another destination good for July or August is Uluru.

Just have to spruik my own fantastic country Australia, everything is very casual, we have some unique animals, beautiful beaches and scenery, and friendly people. (but Croatia is lovely too).

thursdaysd

Eastern Europe is certainly a worthwhile destination. Slovenia is very pretty, and Plitvice national park is not to be missed. If you like Art Nouveau southern Hungary and northern Serbia have some great stuff. Then there are the beaches along the coast. Click on my name for my B-trip TRs for that area.

I'd also suggest Romania, and would like to suggest Ukraine, but clearly that's off the table this year.

dulciusexasperis

Well first of all, I do not know of anywhere that HAS to be booked far in advance. There may be no rooms available at a particular hotel but that does not mean someone can't decide to visit somewhere like Yellowstone on a whim. The same is true of anywhere. So that dog won't hunt.

You have all of the world to choose from unless you put some limitations on it. You've said nothing about budget for example.

Northern Australia isn't out as thursdaysd has noted. All of the Pacific Islands are also possibilities. Really, there are simply too many possibilities.

They say Bora Bora is the most beautiful island in the world. How anyone can say that unless they have visited every island in the world in order to make that judgement, I don't know. But I can say that I have visited a great many islands in the world and Bora Bora is the most beautiful I have visited.......so far. You could go there and form an opinion.

I suggest you go to a Greek island and spend your 2 weeks studying how to procrastinate properly. It isn't enough time to learn everything but it's a start and of course any good procrastinator knows it is all right to just start and never get around to finishing.

Do you know what a Greek does when he feels the urge to do some work? I mean real physucal labour. He lies down until the urge goes away.

Learning how to do nothing successfully is an art and the Greeks are masters of it. The joke re the urge to do work is both a joke (to you the reader) and a truth to a Greek.

Someone could do worse than learning from them how to enjoy retirement before it comes time to put it into practice. They're born retired.