once in a lifetime trip

Old Apr 10th, 2012, 02:06 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
once in a lifetime trip

My husband and I, mid 50's have finally managed to get all 5 kids successfully on there own. We are now looking to take a once in a lifetime vacation. We have managed to save approximately $10,000 for the trip but can't decide where to go. We would like to make it at least a 10 day trip. We are certainly capable of some mild to moderate walking or hiking but that would be the limit. We are open to ideas anywhere the money will take us! Thanks!
angel4648 is offline  
Old Apr 10th, 2012, 05:33 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,138
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
What sort of activities do you enjoy? You mention hiking, are you looking for a primarily walking/hiking tour?

What type of weather? What time of year?
Femi is offline  
Old Apr 10th, 2012, 05:36 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 240
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We took a "once in a lifetime trip" 19 years ago. Since then we have done another 12 ! My advice.... plan a multi year strategy to see what interests you in the world. If this first one works out then do # 2 when you can.

I like Asia, my BH likes Africa, New Zealand and OZ.

May I suggest you put down a few parameters such as with a tour or independent,budget or mid, when etc.
christo is offline  
Old Apr 11th, 2012, 05:23 AM
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We love the out doors and are very interested in both history and nature. We have thought of everything from China to Manchu Pichu to the Galapogos Islands. We also considered 2 smaller trips, one on a cruise to Alaska and one somewhere else. As you can see we are very indecisive. Australia would be nice as well. I realize no one can make out choice for us I guess I am just hoping that maybe someone has ideas we haven't considered or suggestions about some of the things we have mentioned. This really will probably be the only really big trip we ever take.
angel4648 is offline  
Old Apr 11th, 2012, 06:04 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 11,716
Likes: 0
Received 17 Likes on 4 Posts
My advice would be to plan your trip of a lifetime sometime in the year after both of you retire. Take at least 30 days.
It is entirely possible to take a trip for 2 for less than $400 a day.
My still hoped for trip of a lifetime would be Australia and/or New Zealand. My style of travel tends to be train travel to a city and then renting a car if there is not great public transport.
How much of the US have you seen?
tomfuller is offline  
Old Apr 11th, 2012, 06:06 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,609
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
That is a great deal of money to spend on a 10 day trip! It would cover a number of longer ones, especially if you want to be outdoors. However, it is your trip. You really need to decide on at least the continent, and then go post on that board.

I'd suggest borrowing a lot of "picture" guidebooks from the library (or camping out at your neighborhood bookstore) and deciding on what most attracts you. E.g. DK Eyewitness, Insight, Fodor'a "See It", National Geographic, Knopf...

If you love the outdoors, how do you feel about wildlife? Doing an African safari in comfort can be pretty expensive.
thursdaysd is offline  
Old Apr 11th, 2012, 06:13 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,370
Received 79 Likes on 8 Posts
Well I hope it's not a "once in a lifetime" thing, but I get your meaning.

Don't know where you live or what time of year you'd go, but here's an idea with a scratch budget:

(Prices per couple, not per person)

Round trip airfare, Eastern USA to Johannesburg: $2000
Car rental plus fuel, one week: $400
Ordinary hotel, 5 nights: $1000
Safari, medium-tier private lodge in Kruger NP area, 3 nights: $2100
Food (not including safari lodge, which is inclusive) - say 5 days: $300
Internal flight to Cape Town: $250
Miscellaneous: $1000

Total: $7050 more or less.

Flying takes a day in each direction, so if you could extend your trip to 14 days it would be easier on the system. Most costs would only go up marginally; you could probably still stay under your budget cap.

The only problem with visiting South Africa is that you'll then have to start saving again for your return visit.
Gardyloo is offline  
Old Apr 11th, 2012, 12:36 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 97,141
Received 12 Likes on 11 Posts
Personally I'd forget about the "once in a lifetime" idea. That's a huge amount of money and enough for a couple 10 day trips imo.

Budgeting depends on so many variables. Where you are starting out? Where do you want to go? Because plane tickets are the single more expensive item.

I'd suggest in the broadest way a trip to Europe for 10 days, visiting 2-3 cities would be lovely and fit what you describe. London, Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Vienna, Rome, are all appealing and interesting.

That said, you could go an entirely different approach and fly to some place like Hawaii or the beach resort towns of Mexico. You could stay a month on that budget.

Basically the possibilities are endless.

I would start by checking some hard-copy guidebooks out from the library, look at the maps and photos, and try to narrow down what interests YOU!
suze is offline  
Old Apr 11th, 2012, 07:07 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,138
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The only problem with visiting South Africa is that you'll then have to start saving again for your return visit.
Mark Gardyloo's very true words very carefully!

Have you considered Turkey? It is one of my favorite destinations. Beautiful walks in the countryside, history galore, architecture that spans millenia, great food, the warmest people you will ever meet... I could go on and on. All this could probably be acheived very comfortably for less than two-thirds of your budget.
Femi is offline  
Old Apr 13th, 2012, 01:01 AM
  #10  
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I would suggest Europe, Hawaii or South Asia. All these places are great and include beautiful destinations. Just a 10 day trip is a less amount of time for covering a place entirely with the kind of budget that you have, since you have a lot to spend then why not spend it properly so that at least you enjoy entirely.
Rebelfone_Inc is offline  
Old Apr 14th, 2012, 05:01 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 415
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The trouble with anywhere in Africa is saving money to go back again!
Neuman605 is offline  
Old Apr 15th, 2012, 07:28 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 206
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Check with the travel companies in your area to see if there are any "travel fairs' planned. You may find one that has travel workshops/presentations that you can attend which give a good sense of various destinations. Also, talk to people you know who enjoy the same sorts of things you do and find out where they've been and what they liked about . Google "adventure travel companies' or something such and see what companies will mail you brochures.

You do need to narrow down your choices a bit: do you prefer luxury, or can you forgo some of the comforts of home for the sake of adventure and the affordability of a longer stay? Would you prefer to travel relatively independently, with a small group, or are you okay with a tour bus or large cruise ship? There is probably a website or two that asks "what kind of traveller are you" and then suggests destinations based on your responses.

How much flexibility do you have regarding the time of year you go? If you can visit a popular destination in the off/shoulder season you will save money and afford a longer/farther trip.
eliztravels is offline  
Old Apr 15th, 2012, 07:39 AM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 206
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Here's a link to get you started: www.adventurecenter.com

I poured over their brochures for weeks before booking a trip to China, and have been doing the same for an upcoming trip to Czech Republic.

Keep in mind that the most important thing is not where you go, but how you go. If you travel with a sense of adventure, curiosity about the world and people around you, with the realistic expectation that not every moment will be perfect and not all will go exactly as planned, you will truly have a trip of a lifetime.

Go luck with your planning, and let us know what you decide.
eliztravels is offline  
Old Apr 19th, 2012, 09:44 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 24,530
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I think you'll find South America much more affordable than many of these other choices. Peru including Machu Picchu and a side trip to the Amazon would be a good choice for a 10 day trip, and if you do the planning yourselves you should have enough left over for another trip.

My #1 tip is to travel off season, keep an eye on airfares to get a feel for what is good, and sign up for fare alerts. I have a $650 round trip ticket to Peru next month that I bought in mid-December last year. A few years before there were sales for under $300 from New York and Miami.
mlgb is offline  
Old May 7th, 2012, 01:57 PM
  #15  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You guys are wonderful.....thanks for all the insight. Never would have considered Africa but it certainly seems worth considering now. BTW, luxury is not necessary but sleeping in tents is not my thing either....lol
angel4648 is offline  
Old May 8th, 2012, 02:10 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 17,926
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Angel - tents in Africa are very nice - proper beds, some even have flushing loos. I can recommend them.
I don't do camping either - my one request when we went to Tanzania was a proper bed to sleep in. We stayed in lovely tented camps, with real beds, bucket showers and chemical toilets. Fell asleep to the sounds of zebras, and wildebeest. Woke in the night to sounds of lions. Never felt scared, never felt uncomfortable. It proved to be my once in a lifetime trip sadly, though I'd go back in a heartbeat if I had the money.
We chose tented camps simply to get the sounds and experiences and interaction with Masai you don't get staying in the big lodges in Tanzania.
hetismij2 is offline  
Old May 8th, 2012, 01:01 PM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,082
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
to me most trips I look at as a Trip of a Lifetime cause you never know what the next year will bring in your life. That being said, some of our favorites have been Viking river cruise in China with extra time just for us without the tour, Machu Picchu and the Galapagos with Linblad/National Geographic and our 3 weeks in Italy when we rented an old farmouse in the hills of Umbria and did day trips to some hill towns. Africa woud be fabulous too and perhaps soon for us cause like i said, you never know what the next year will bring in your life. DON'T wait for that trip. take it soon
Shar is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
sf7307
Australia & the Pacific
15
Apr 24th, 2018 05:08 PM
Maggi
Australia & the Pacific
16
May 3rd, 2015 06:52 PM
sycamore
Australia & the Pacific
4
Apr 24th, 2011 10:30 AM
Dora_Flesher
Australia & the Pacific
10
Apr 10th, 2011 07:45 PM
luce
United States
10
Sep 3rd, 2002 01:05 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -