Robin

I'm curious how most people choose where to go on their next trip? How far in advance do you usually plan it? <BR> <BR>I try not to repeat destinations...well unless they're very special. My goal is to see as much of the world as possible and quite frankly, the world is just too large for one lifetime! <BR> <BR>My next two trips are planned and I'm trying to figure out where to go maybe late next year. There's just so much to see...how do you decide?

Mika

We plan about 6 month in advance for longer trips. How we decide: Travel Magazine articles, TV,Brochures and chance. Last time I wanted to go to Aethiopia and we ended up in India. Or in Iran instead of Syria.... Next time we are going to Myanmar for a river trip. I read about it in a magazine. (October). If we go somewhere in Europe we eather fly to a city for the weekend or we get into the car, look at the weather forecast and start driving... <BR>We live in Switzerland.

Karen

We start planning the next trip on the flight home from the current trip. How to decide? From travel magazines, talking to others, Travel channel on cable, novels that descibe wonderful places, etc. The list is always long, but my husband and I take turns on who decides the next one. Luckily, we have similar travel desires.

Capo

Easy. I consider every country in Europe...and then I return to France! :~) <BR> <BR>I used to feel a little guilty about returning to France when there are other countries I haven't seen but then I read Ina Caro's great book, <I>The Road from the Past: Traveling Through History in France</I>, where, in the introduction, she writes that she and her husband plan on going to another European country every year, but always return to France, so I didn't feel so bad anymore. <BR> <BR>Places I eventually hope to visit: <BR> <BR>France: Lyon, Alsace, the Dordogne, Normandy, Corsica <BR> <BR>Italy: the Italian Lakes, more of Tuscany besides Florence & Siena, the Veneto, Sicily <BR> <BR>Spain: Andalucia (especially Seville), northern Spain (especially San Sebastian), Madrid <BR> <BR>Portugal: Lisbon and the Algarve <BR> <BR>Austria: Vienna and Hallstaat <BR> <BR>Czech Republic: Prague <BR> <BR>Hungary: Budapest <BR> <BR>Denmark: Copenhagen

Sandi

Robin, <BR> <BR>I share your goal of wanting to see as many different places in the World as possible. It is harder to decide sometimes than others. Recently, I had the most difficult time in trying to pick a destination for my next trip this January. I'm a single gal who has taken trips with many different friends over the past ten years or so. I haven't quite got the nerve to go solo on a trip yet, but have considered it because half the time I usually go out in the evenings to explore more of a city on my own when my friends are pooped and would rather watch television in the hotel room. <BR> <BR>I think time of year you travel and historical weather patterns plays a part in the decision making. <BR> <BR>I get pretty restless if I don't have at least my next two destinations in mind, with the first having flight arrangements and so forth already booked. <BR> <BR>My two favorite friends to travel with play a big role, I tend to sway towards their choices in a destination just because I'm usually just happy to go someplace new anyway. I do try to talk up my choices, though. And I feel like I may not always have them to travel with, because of future responsibilities in their lives such as husbands and kids. I treasure my traveling friends so much because of the great times we've shared and for the adventures we can reminesce about over and over. <BR> <BR>I subscribe to several travel magazines also, and watch a lot of the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel. <BR> <BR>That about sums it up for me. Happy travel planning! <BR> <BR>Sandi <BR>

Escritora

I have my 6-continent wish list, and I'm making progress against it, but as often as not my travel is opportunistic. A $399 round-trip fare from NYC to Asia (no, that wasn't a typo) was all it took to get me to Hong Kong and Thailand. A $250 round-trip fare and free lodgings with my cousin made a return to London a no-brainer, even if it was March. I have standing invitations for lodging with friends in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Barcelona and Madrid as well. Serendipity plays a role, too--I wound up in the Galapagos last year though I'd begun the year thinking I was Alaska-bound. I guess what I'm saying is that since I want to go everywhere, I'm generally happy to be going anywhere!

kalena

Exactamundo, Escritora, it's the air-fares! When traveling from Hawaii x 4 it makes a BIG difference. Air Canada just expanded its South Pacific fleet. Hopefully it will make flying direct to Sydney that much easier. BTW, do not abandon that Alaska idea. It's amazing!

kavey

RObin <BR> <BR>I have a rolling wish list of destinations I want to go to and mentally have an idea of which ones I most long to get to... <BR> <BR>I tend to look at the upcoming year or two and roughly pencil in how many holidays I am taking (rough durations only) and about when they would be. <BR> <BR>THen I look back at that list and see if some places only work at certain times of year... those get pencilled in... and the smaller gaps get filled in with the short breaks like 5 days in France or a short trip to FLorence or Bologna. <BR> <BR>Right now I have only one trip definitely on the table. Venice for Easter 2002. <BR> <BR>But I also have several probables. Planning unusually far in advance for New England in spring 2003 and Africa in Summer 2004. Are also planning a family trip with my parents to Jordan and Petra for Feb 2003. <BR> <BR>I am determined to get Tallinn this year this May or June if it kills me... <BR> <BR>Also on my A list are: <BR> <BR>Bologna <BR>Egypt <BR>Florence <BR>Munich (friend lives there) <BR>Back to France <BR> <BR>Perhaps a B list might include <BR> <BR>Israel/ Red Sea/ Diving <BR>Alaska/ Canada (1 long trip) <BR>Mexico <BR>Madeira (3rd time but i love it) <BR> <BR>and there are so many others like China and more of the Far East, more of USA, more of Caribbeana and South America... <BR> <BR>I just kind of slot them in...

Marsha

I finally got my husband to really think about where he would like to travel. (We've traveled a lot, but have missed some places.) He listed Hawaii, Alaska, Italy, Greece and Egypt. (I always vote for France.) So I did my research and determined where we could go with the children as they grow. This spring, we have planned an extended stay in Hawaii. In 2004, we will have a 6 month sabbatical and we are looking at Alaska, a "gite" stay in France, and Italy. And, during this time, we have to think about trips in the continental US to help the kids understand US history and culture. <BR> Of course, the money to fund these trips requires planning several years in advance. I've also found out that Hawaii requires planning and reservations almost a year in advance. If you are going off-season to Europe, six-month planning is sufficient.

elvira

We've got a list for trips out to the year 2011...it's usually one of the girls READING something (illiteracy never looked so good) and announcing "we must go there!" <BR> <BR>Or, in the case of my sister, a bottle of wine, Saturday night, Discovery Channel. She's been banned from ever doing all three again. <BR> <BR>We usually choose the next trip on the plane home from the current trip; I swing into action about January for a Sept/Oct trip.

dan woodlief

May sound crazy, but I actually have a spreadsheet of the places I want to go. I too am a world traveler and don't like to go back to the same place too much because that means less time for new ones. I have a list in my head of about 30 countries and many other sites in the U.S. and abroad that are absolute musts in my lifetime. I also must get to at least the 6 inhabited continents (3 to go). I also have my favorites - France and Italy - for which I have long lists of places to go. I don't have any priorities as to what to do next. I just do what feels right at the time and generally plan 8-12 months ahead. I only planned Mexico for about two months though.

Linda

That's a toughie for me because there's so many places I want to go plus I want to go back to the countries I've been to to see what I didn't get a chance to the first time. Actually, the person that's going to Norway to see the Northern Lights now has me intrigued about doing that next year. I still haven't made it to Spain, Portugal, Wales, Ireland & Belgium. After that, who knows? Maybe a safari - Kavey's trip really sounded interesting also. I usually start planning 9 months in advance to nail down the airfare then doing the research and rough itinerary. It's hard to decide - I agree with the person who said she sometimes goes with what her traveling companion suggests - I did that when I went to Turkey and had a great, great trip.

Art

Actually for me, its where I've not been yet. There are so many places that I'd like to go back to, but so many places I've not been to yet. This year, of course, Linda and I are going to Poland and Romania with a one day stop in Budapest and Munich (for the Octoberfest). Next year I'm planning on taking my son to the British Isles where they speak a simular language to us. <BR>

Janine

Difficult question. <BR>Like everyone else on this forum I am in love with Europe, but also hope to visit China and the States in the course of my travelling life, and would also love to visit Mauritius. <BR>Over the last 1-2 years, I have formulated vague plans for China and the US, but this time I have settled on Europe. Like many others, I feel there are too many places in the world to keep returning to the same ones. So even though I have been to Europe before, I will be concentrating on areas that are new to me this time (Prague, Berlin and Bavaria). It all came about due to a chance meeting in February with a backpacker from Amsterdam, coinciding with a friend going to Prague and there the seeds of my upcoming trip in October were born.

Rex

I've had mixed feelings about answering this question, for fear that someone will label it an "advertisement" (for a "business" that I do NOT have)... <BR> <BR>... but like Elvira, I am (moving closer and closer to being) in the happy position that all my trips are suggested by someone else - - someone who approaches me and asks, "Rex will you (help) organize/plan/lead a trip to ... for me/us?" <BR> <BR>My last five trips were all this way, as are my next three (that I know of). My wife has lately been wondering about a trip for (possibly) just the two of us - - to Spain/Portugal perhaps; she has never been there, and I have not been there since 1995. <BR> <BR>I am still eager to add more of central Europe to my travels; I took a year of Russian thirty years ago, and I still feel like I could get back into Slavic language(s) with just the right motivation. I quite regret not being able to join Art Hussey on his trip to Poland/Romania THIS year! <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR>

Beth Anderson

one word: <BR> <BR>cheap air fares. <BR> <BR>ok, so maybe that was more than one word. <BR> <BR>I want to go everywhere, so, if I can get a cheap airfare to it, I jump on it. <BR> <BR>and I try to get back to London as much as I possibly can.

Kavey

Dan <BR> <BR>I have a spreadsheet too

Sue

I'd be interested to hear if people choose places based in part on how different they are from one's home. For example, we enjoy urban areas in Europe because we live in an area of rather low population density, and walking the streets of a thriving town or city makes for a nice change. However, I have to admit that there's an order of magnitude factor - I wouldn't want to spend all of my time in urban areas - just at least half. <BR> <BR>I'm wondering if those people from large cities (New York, for example) have the opposite sentiment - that you long for quiet countryside and small villages in relatively greater proportion than urban areas?

Escritora

In the last 3 years I have left NYC to visit Hong Kong, Bangkok, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Bergen, Oslo, Montreal, Quito, the Galapagos, London, and in about 10 weeks, Oaxaca--plus assorted weekend getaways to the Berkshires. With the exception of the Galapagos and the Berkshires, that's a lot of cities. Like many New Yorkers, I don't drive and so gravitate toward places with mass transit. Urban areas also are better suited to solo travel, which I have done on some of these trips. More than that, though, I guess we live here because we're wired for this pace of life, so that even a Stockholm is quiet and less urban by comparison. I'm always baffled by people who, for example, spend two weeks on a beach somewhere in Europe. But we all seek different things on our holidays.

eva

I am a museum and arts fan,checking exhibitions on the net,and if I find something interesting ,I go to see it.I can travel 4-5 times a year,once to London,once to Paris or Rome.Last week I saw photos of German cathedrals Worms,Mainz, Speyer,and now I'm already in the planning phase of a trip visiting that area.