The $20,000. Question
 

If you had $20,000-(USD) and all the time you wanted, Where would you go?
Where would you stay? House, flat, hotel?
Would you go here and there or one place?
Would you rent a car?
Would the language make a difference, if you spoke it or not?
How long would $20,000- last in the place you would choose?
Thank you:)
Scarlett~

jeez, Scarlett, At my dear Degas's style, $20,000 will not get me very far.

Uh-oh...Scarlett is bored. No trip to plan at this moment ?
My choice would be renting a small cottage in Germany and use it as a base for travels all over Europe. I'd watch my money carefully so I could stay indefinitely.

Darling husband and I were sitting just this morning on the deck of our friend's beach house in St. Pete, reading the paper. The newspaper said the Florida lottery jackpot was up to $62 million (or some other ridiculously large figure). Of course this provoked lively coffee-time musings about what we'd all do with a wad of cash like that. Frankly, the enormous possibilities and responsibilities of that kind of money repelled me, so Scarlett, I will gladly answer your much more manageable and delightful $20,000 question!

Tightwad that I am, I would not spend it all in one trip. I'd stretch it out into approximately $3,000 increments, which would provide DH and me with a two week vacation to a European destination (I'll stick to Europe this time since it's this forum) every other year for seven years, Scarlett, if you would be so generous as to allow me a $1000 budget overrun. And to make it interesting, I'd plan it so that one year it was my choice of destination, the next my husband's. With no complaining, either, and no repeating destinations.

So with such a wild card as husbandly travel planning, it would be an adventure, so I couldn't say where, what, when, or which language! Because you see, we'd be in a competition to top each other's trip...but wouldn't that make for great trip reports?

Above mentioned husband just read over my shoulder what I wrote and commented that "I punted on the question." He said that means I didn't really answer it. I told him he could give me $20,000 and then I'd provide details. ((L))

I'd do pretty much what I did this year...backpack around where the wind took me. Thinking back to what I spent in 4 months, I think with 20K, I could disappear for a year!

Scarlett,
First of all, I'd prefer to have 20,000 Euro! ;;) just because they will last somewhat longer!

I'd rent a small house on a small island somewhere in Thailand. I'd have a bicycle and wouldn't need a car. Most people do at least speak some English, so that's no issue and I'd speak some Thai within some months anyway. >:D<
Depending on how many financial escapades (shopping and alike) I will do, that amount should be good for two years. Pretty good, eh? :D

I'd use $6000 to immediately go to France and Italy this fall. I'd invest the rest in the stock market, hoping to parlay that into many more trips in the future. But that reminds of a situation awhile back:

I was tearing down an old chicken coop behind Aunt Nellie's place back when I was a boy and found 20,000 Confederate States of America dollars. We used those in the outhouse in place of the Sweetwater Gazatte.

There were also several heavy wooden crates with CSA Treasury/Rickmond VA on the sides and funny looking yellow bars inside. Being an ambitious lad, I drilled holes in all the bars, painted them black and sold them as boat anchors to fishermen on Shellcracker Lake. I used the $20 from that slick little operation to get started in a thriving earthworm business.

Now you know part of my secret source of income for trips across the pond. Don't tell the IRS!

Well Ms Scarlett, your query fueled my dreams all night! I think I would probably pick a couple of destinations, Italy and Croatia, and find a small place to rent for six months each. Nailing down the exact towns will be on my mind all day!

Be sure you have internet access wherever it is!

Thank you, thank you!
auntgrape, Scarlett goes shopping when she is bored. I do like your idea of a cottage somewhere though.
Mimi, Not so! You would make it last and it would be wonderful!
Mina, I thought of you and your adventures! Although I am spoiled and need my creature comforts, I would use your way of travel as a guide.
dln,funny you should mention husbandly planning! That is where this idea came from, that devilish Yankee of mine had this idea..we will see where it goes:)
Ursula, as always, you are perfect! Thailand is on my list, as well as Japan (personal reasons,you know) and I picture boat rides and shopping :)
Monsieur Degas, as charming and amusing as ever, while I have no outhouse to plunder, I will go check out the dog house, maybe he has been hoarding gold bouillon!
This is fun, please, Ya'll, do Come on in and add your thoughts!!

Oh wow, that's a hard one. Assuming I had the time to go with the money, I might just go over to Europe and travel from place to place as the whim struck me until the money ran out. But I have never been to Australia/New Zealand, Central America, Asia, or Africa, and I'd love to go to all those places, so it would be tempting to do some of that too. I think the bottom line is, $20,000 isn't nearly enough for all the traveling I still want to do! Can I have $50,000, Scarlett, please????

My dear Scarlett, Ursula has the right idea--it has to be 20,000 Euros because they'll go farther. Now you know darned well that I'd base myself in Rome, but that couldn't stop me from visiting Venice for a long weekend, or the Amalfi coast, or Nice for a week or our buddies in the UK. BTW, am I permitted to give English lessons to supplement my income?

BC

If there is a lottery involved, $50K or more is possible:)
For now though, I must stay within the confines of a mere $20K :D

Grasshopper, I know you will come up with the best possible solution and YES! internet at all times!!

I am liking the idea of a place (base) in the countryside-Italy? France? and having a car and just taking off from there..
next problem to overcome: PUP!

Ah, My dear Bookiness~
I had no doubt that Italy would be your choice! You can give me Italian lessons if you please:)
I picture the Yankee and myself as Peter Mayle and his wife part time, then as those wacky people from the television Rough Guides the rest of the time..picture it. I in my heels with my Prada bag and Himself in his comfy shoes and linen shirts..hiking along through .... where?

I would use 1/2 for a return trip to Scotland & Ireland. Hubby & I would rent a flat in Scotland (around Edinburgh) and B&B around Ireland. We would use buses and trains.
Then the 2nd 1/2 would be used to get us to Australia / NZ for a cruise and Land tour.

Heading west from the East Coast, my first stop would be:

1. New Zealand for about a month
2. Japan for about 2 weeks, an expensive location so I don't want to spend all my resources here. Then fly to:
3. China for about 4 weeks and then a stop in Bhutan for about a week.
4. Final stop would be the Northern Africa/Mediterranean locations of Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Turkey and Morocco for about 2 months.

RE: Scarlett

Tell please you are not married to or have any way, a close relationship with a Yankee!

Did that foul carpetbagger hold a dear family member hostage and force you to submit to his wicked aggression?

Where would I go? It would be a many stop trip, but it would start with 3 weeks in Madagascar in a nice hotel with money for a wildlife guide. That would take care of about £5k

Then I'd go to Greece, and spend time in total relaxation- books and wine and sun and sea, preferably in a small house near the beach.

And if I had any money left I'd go to Paris and stay in Monmartre in a flat

Would I rent a car? only in Greece
Would the language make a difference, if Ispoke it or not? No
How long would $20,000- last in the places I would choose?- altogether maybe 3 months?

Scarlett,

This question fuels my fantasies. I'd base myself in a chambre d'hote in Provence where I could store the extra clothes, shoes and guidebooks I'd need for an extended stay. Since it's demi-board I'd meet lots of great folks doing what I love to do (travel) and we'd swap adventures around the dinner table. I'd have easy access to other parts of France, Spain, and Italy and would whimsically pack up and travel around and then return to home base when I became travel weary; rejuvenate and begin again.

I would rent a car and I don't care if I speak the local language. In my fantasies the $20,000 would last forever; in reality about 3 months.

adrienne

Oh Degas, you know how it is!!
That Yankee just grabbed me and carried me up those stairs! That did it!
But I do work on him each day, making him a little more of a Southern Gentleman, it seems to be working!
((F))

I am topping this because I want more ideas :)

Well I'm figuring, when you add souvineers, and all expenses, taking my 2 kids on a 3+ week trip to Italy next year is gonna be nearly $9000, (unless airfare goes down) that's half so I'd take the other half and take them on a trip to Africa.

Oh my, I think I'd like to do Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand. But I would need quite a while to plan that trip. I guess I could also do about 6 weeks in Italy or France. I'd plan a mix of villas/flats and small but comfy hotels.

I am thinking that a couple of weeks in Japan, then on to New Zealand. Then to France where we would get a place and bum around for as long as the money holds out. Visiting Spain and Portugal,some time in Italy, I have to see David. Then on to some time spent in Tuscany, and to Venice. Then to England where we can visit friends. I must spend at least a weekend in Scotland, there is someone there I have to see :)
I think Uhoh has a good idea, flats and cottages, small hotels.

This is sooooo tough:

First thought is to go to China for as many months as I could, staying in houses or small hotels whenever I could, or floating in a houseboat or dragonboat somewhere; the language would just have to make do, I'm afraid! The money would probably last longer here on my own than in Europe....

Then, of course, there's Australia and New Zealand, next of the dream spots.

Or I could just return to Iceland, and maybe get three weeks out of the money! (if I got a really good deal on airfare.) That's kind of a joke, but not really. My favorite spot on earth would, of course, be this extremely expensive one. SIgh.

I would stay for as long as the $20K would allow me to in East and South Africa doing as many safari trips as possible.
This is coming from a non-believer, but if there is a God, this whole area must be his own back yard, or as the bible calls it "GARDEN OF EDEN". :-)

Definately, would go to India/Tibet/Nepal, the Maldives, then on to Thailand to veg out where you can live very cheap and make some side trips to Cambodia/Vietnam...I would be lucky if the 20,000.00 would get me and my husband to all these places, but I would somehow find a way!! But definately we would stay in huts on the beach when available..Anyhow, that is what I would do!! But I am planning on it anyhow, it just might not be all in 1 trip!!

How funny, Scarlett! I just asked my hub the very same question a few days ago! :)

I might go tour the south Pacific. Or maybe spend a year on a little Thai island. I've had a hankerin' for a beautiful beach lately.

Hey Peep!
We might become neighbours! :)

Peep :) We might ALL be neighbors :lol

Oh, sorry, Scarlett, for having left you out. My bad. X(
Just saw Japan...

Message: For $20,000 (preferably euro) my husband and I could have an updated version of a magnificent experience.

In 1972 we took our four kids (7-13 years old) to Ireland for three weeks visiting family and touring. We had a wonderful time and it put the travelbug in all the kids.

For the updated version (which comes with experience and frugality) we would take the kids, their spouses and assorted 9 grandchildren to Umbria. Why Umbria? Firstoff, it's beautiful, it's right in the middle of every place we would like to visit, and lastly, it's relatively free from tourists like ourselves.

A big house, maybe a cook thrown in so the ladies won't have to take turn cooking and perhaps a few euros thrown in for spending money.

We could easily go through the 20K euro, and then some. But we would have a conversation piece for years to come and in our family, that would be priceless.

Thejamlady

jamlady, sounds perfect :)

Miss Scarlett, what a fun question! I'd do a "great hotel" tour of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and down into Italy. I just love great old hotels. :)

(Please may I have some more money?:o)

CAIRO - for a year.... with frequesnt tirps to sinair and the south...

Where would you go?

-Buck Creek Indiana

Where would you stay? House, flat, hotel?

-Trailer Park

Would you go here and there or one place?

-The feed shop

Would you rent a car?

-Take the bus and lots of walking

Would the language make a difference, if you spoke it or not?

-I would try to blend in by affecting a drawl

How long would $20,000- last in the place you would choose?

-Eternity

Scarlett,
Before I make a decision...I'd go to
http://www.worldisround.com
and check out the photos from around the world. Maybe add a destintion that I hadn't thought of previously!! Or throw a dart at a map?
Great query!!
Bailey

Thank you!!!
I am off on a short holiday and while there will contemplate all these answers and figure this out..factoring in Pup sitter fees and all!
BTW-I might be in a city near you in the future, we might be able to GTG ((F))
Scarlett~