<BR>Time for the big guns . . . <BR> <BR>Well as you know perfectly well my name is Tony and I am a single male (surprised? hehe) living in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. I currently work for the local authority,Midlothian, just South of Edinburgh as a Highway Engineer. Well it's about as exciting as it sounds hence the reason I am also studying at University for my Masters degree. When I get that I will be off. <BR> <BR>Some of you may remember my questions regarding a proposed dash across all 48 lower states of America mooted for 1999. Well, it's still on - perhaps as early as September. <BR> <BR>For a 27 year old I like to think of myself as fairly well travelled - covered majority of Europe (student backpacker/family holidays etc . .) and parts of North and South America as well as Africa. <BR> <BR>I'm one of those kids that was taken on holiday before i could walk and I've never really looked back. <BR> <BR>Making money from travelling isn't that difficult - making a living from it is a little harder !! I write at least 10,000 words about each trip i take. I have actually had a few stories printed by smaller newspapers, although I'm still waiting for Readers Digest to bite - only a matter of time !!! <BR> <BR>Now if you follow this forum closely you may see i sometimes argue a point with people - I dont do it to be awkward, I just hate sloppy advice and/or sloppy writing. <BR> <BR>Now please tell me this: why do people enter questions such as 'Going to Senatobia on vacation, what should i see/do when i get there?' - WHY ARE YOU GOING THERE THEN????? <BR>I just don't get it. <BR> <BR>Now as for Edinburgh. I've lived here for about ten years and to me it's a smelly, dirty city full of litter and dog mess. I always expect tourists to come once and then not come back again but many people i speak to are only too glad to extol the virtues of my city. Perhaps it's because i live there that i dont see anything magical about walking along the Royal Mile, or having a large Castle in the middle of my city or any number of other things i could list in my city that are there for the edification of discerning tourists. <BR> <BR>I must point out that i am no American-basher - i love your country, as far as i am concerned its my favourite place to stay and, indeed, i am currently trying to find a sutable job in America - not necessarily as an Engineer - I'm open to offers, please give me a job someone. <BR> <BR>Enough of me though . . .

This is a fun question. I especially enjoyed going through all the replies. <BR> <BR>First, it was pleasant surprise to see a reply from Bill Barr of Scotland as Barr is my surname as well. Second, it was great to see so many Canadians replying. I am a Canadian citizen living in Pasadena, California as my father emigrated for his job when I was seven. <BR> <BR>My father's job....well, he worked for Air Canada so you can see immediately how I got hooked on travelling. Once I started there was no stopping me. I will say that after the benefits of basically free travel throughout my teens and young adulthood, it was a rude awakening to have to begin to pay for my air travel. <BR> <BR>Where have I been? Many times to Europe and tons of times to the British Isles in particular. Favorite European cities include London, Venice, Florence, Rome, Vienna, Salzburg, and Edinburgh. Favorite locations include the Greek islands, Pompeii and Swiss Alps. Been to the Far East once - enjoyed Hong Kong immensely. Been to New Zealand twice - truly one of the most amazing countries in the world -- so much of the best of the rest of the world. Been to the Middle East - Jordan, Israel & Egypt. Incredible if you are into history. Been to Africa on safari trips twice - once to East Africa (Kenya) and once to Southern Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia). If you haven't been to Africa yet, it is truly magical. <BR> <BR>As I tell my co-workers, I work to travel. Although the next trip is not set in stone, probably Ireland or I am contemplating going back to Africa. <BR> <BR>Anyway, keep these replies coming. And thanks for asking Denise (yes...I will eventually make it Down Under). <BR> <BR>Deb Barr <BR>

First of all, thanks to all contributors that have given us their input on our last two trips. <BR> <BR>PERSONAL. Born, raised and educated in Texas. Live in San Antonio and have another office in Dallas. Married with 4 children. Own a TPA firm (we design and administor retirement plans). Thanks to American Express, we have received approximately 2 international round trips for each of the past several years. Love to sail and travel. Anticipation is ALMOST as good as realization. <BR> <BR>FOREIGN TRAVELS. 5 trips to Europe (6 working to Italy); Asia (including Beijing); New Zealand; French Polynesia; Israel; Central American; Mexico; Egypt; Turkey; VI; etc. <BR> <BR>FUTURE DESTINATIONS? Bali; Scandinavia; South Africia; etc. WHERE ARE YOU GOING NEXT? <BR> <BR>Happy New Year! <BR>

I'm not a "star contributor" to this site as I am a new poster (8 months) and I have been to Europe only 6 times (just got back Dec 1). But, here goes. I live in Tampa, Florida, USA, my husband and I are two of the six Floridians Neal Sanders referred to. "Mustangs81" is my net name because in 1981, my husband and I formed the Tampa Mustangs, a girl's traveling softball team. Ours teams have won 7 national championships since then. We only do leisure travel between softball tournaments. I am a training officer for Chase Manhattan Bank, travel back and forth to/from Manhattan contributes to my frequent flyer miles. My husband and I are very compatible travel companions and have been successful travelers even before we found this web site. But the information that I have gleaned from this site's knowledgeable contributors helped us fine tune our trip to Western Europe over the Thanksgiving holiday. I am particularly pleased to see responses to Denise's question from countries other than the US. I would love to visit Australia but that's one trip that will have to wait until I'm not eking out every day possible from my allocation of vacation days. One thing I have wondered about is...is there a site like this for travelers coming to the US? I would love to help visitors coming here.

I'm not a "star contributor" to this site as I am a new poster (8 months) and I have been to Europe only 6 times (just got back Dec 1). But, here goes. I live in Tampa, Florida, USA, my husband and I are two of the six Floridians Neal Sanders referred to. "Mustangs81" is my net name because in 1981, my husband and I formed the Tampa Mustangs, a girl's traveling softball team. Ours teams have won 7 national championships since then. We only do leisure travel between softball tournaments. I am a training officer for Chase Manhattan Bank, travel back and forth to/from Manhattan contributes to my frequent flyer miles. My husband and I are very compatible travel companions and have been successful travelers even before we found this web site. But the information that I have gleaned from this site's knowledgeable contributors helped us fine tune our trip to Western Europe over the Thanksgiving holiday. I am particularly pleased to see responses to Denise's question from countries other than the US. I would love to visit Australia but that's one trip that will have to wait until I'm not eking out every day possible from my allocation of vacation days. One thing I have wondered about is...is there a site like this for travelers coming to the US? I would love to help visitors coming here.

I am an engineer/project manager with one of the major US corporations. I'm 53 years old. From age 27 until about 6 years ago, I spent most of my time either working, playing bridge or doing white-water boating (open canoe & kayak). About 6 years ago, I accepted the karma of the time, ended up married (very happily, thank you), and for the first time in my life ventured outside the US. First trip was to Russia & Ukraine (first and only tour). My then-to-become wife and I found that we loved travel (for pleasure, not work) but tours really do not suit us. Since then we have been to Europe a number of times. We always do our own planning and booking -- there are no good travel agents where we live. We travel only with ourselves or with one other couple whose company we enjoy on these trips. (However, we -- I.E., us and the other couple -- do always rent separate cars -- find it works much better that way and is almost as cheap as renting one suitably large car.) We look for bargains, but we are not on a limited budget, so our hotel choices tend to be middle to up-scale. Currently we try to go to Europe twice a year, once in the Spring, and once around Thanksgiving (late November). My wife tends to "shop" and I tend to sight-see. We don't travel to go to the "must sees." We do a good bit of research -- so normally we know what is in the area. But, then we just try to experience whatever turns up. Doing it this way, I am sure we miss a lot -- but we also end up with some really unique and memorable experiences.

Hi Denise: I've been an avid reader and occasional contributor for several years and have received some great advice. Thanks for suggesting this thread. <BR>As for my background; in the early '50's I heeded the call of the Navy to "see the world" and I've been hooked ever since. I spent 4 years on submarines and travelled to the Far East many times. Got out of the Navy and came back to the US Midwest, (Wisconsin) and raised a great family of 3 girls. I'm a retired Sales Engineer. <BR> <BR>My wife Mary and I did the "Cruise " thing for over 20 years and really enjoyed it, but since retiring we're into foreign travel, primarily Europe. I'm amazed at Mary's acceptance of the fact that we can travel just as easily with 2 small suitcases as we used to with 4-5 big ones. <BR>Every year we extend ourselves by trying something different and it's worked out very very well. <BR>Since retiring, we're livin' the good life!! We ski in the Winter with our family, spend 6 weeks in Arizona in the late Winter ,early Spring, golf in Wisconsin in the Summer go to Europe in the Fall and can't wait for the cycle to start all over again. We've never lost sight of the fact how fortunate we are. Thanks again Denise, for allowing me to get my 2 cents in......Paul J

Denise, you are too cool! Thanks for this opportunity to get to know all the wonderful folks who have helped me on my travels. <BR> <BR>I'm in Itasca, Il and I'm a certified financial planner. As an independent contractor, I schedule my client meetings around my travel plans, which is working out very well. I travel some with my husband, who can't always take time off, or with three friends who run their own shows and can take time off. <BR> <BR>Life in the States is client-activity, husband, and Siamese cat. My library is filled with travel books, photos, diaries, and dreams. I'll probably be in Europe 4 times this year: the four-day Brussels thing on Sabena in February; Spring Break with my 18-yr old niece in March to Ireland for a week; two weeks in France and the Loire in May, and then two weeks in Scotland in July for my birthday (I start celebrating July 1 and don't quit until July 31). <BR> <BR>Sounds like a lot of crossings, but as my one travel friend puts it: "we live in Europe, merely work in the States." <BR> <BR>Happy Holidays and Much Prosperity to all of you in 1999. Thank you for my daily dose of sanity with this departure lounge. <BR> <BR>Donna

I am a travelaholic from Calgary, Canada. I lived in Oxford, England for 1 year and did lots of travelling in Britain and Europe. Why don't you check out my travel site @ http://www. <BR>telusplanet.net/public/albear1/alistairbeartravelpage.html <BR>Hope to see you there <BR>

<BR>I am a person of mystery. I post under many names and have for years here. <BR>I don't like to be pinned down. <BR>Currently I live in the Pacific Northwest of the USA when I'm not travelling. I've lived in many US states. I've lived in Europe in the past too. And I've made *many* trips there the past 27 years. Also travelled a lot worldwide. My goal is to go to every country in the world before I die (I'm up to about 80 countries now so I have quite a ways to go still). To travel is to live. To travel is to be free.

This is a great idea! I too have wondered about all the people contributing to this forum. Maybe a "Class Reunion" would be a good idea. How about in Italy? <BR>I'm a retired contractor in northern California and am looking forward to being able to travel more. I've only been to Europe 3 times, but I would go every year if possible. <BR>My wife is English, and when we married 40 years ago, I promised her one day we'd go to England so she could show me her home and where she grew up. <BR>I truly never had any real interest in traveling anywhere but the US, but a promise is a promise. In 1977, we went to England and I fell in love with the place. I also learned a lot about my own heritage (Italian). I started planning another trip and thought maybe this time we'd do 2 weeks in England and take a tour to Italy for a few days. I got a copy of Michelin's Green Guide and started picking places we couldn't miss. By the time I finished planning, we ended with 3 weeks in Italy and 2 weeks in England. Unfortunately, we couldn't do the trip until 1985. I decided to take my mother (age 77) with us to see the hometown she left 60 years earlier. <BR>The trip was an awakening for me as well as my wife, we both fell in love with Italy and the people. My mother said she felt like she died and went to heaven, she saw places and things she never knew existed when she was a young girl. We traveled from Sicily to the Lakes. After putting my mother on the plane for the US, we went on to England. <BR>We returned again in '89, and traveled <BR>to Paris, the French Riviera, northern Italy, and Switzerland. <BR>I've been trying to get back again these past few years since my retirement, but although she wants to go, my wife is troubled by the long flight. I'm thinking of a lay-over in NY to solve that problem. Any suggestions about this would be welcome. <BR>It's been great meeting you all and look forward to reading more in the future. <BR>Phil

I post under NTB as well the above, and my husband and I are stockbrokers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. We have three kids, so I've posted some stuff on traveling with children. My hobby is rare books, art and archeology, writing, kids sports, snowboarding, cooking, etc. My husband's hobbies are sports and football (Go Vikings!). Our major passion is traveling of course. Great questions, great responses, I feel like I should print out all the responses and use them as my personal resource notebook when needing some information. Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts and recommendations with us over the years.

Hey Denise! Thanks for the question. Wish I'd thought of it. My husband Mark and I are both teachers in little towns outside of Sacramento, California. I have lived here all my life, so if anyone wants California info, feel free to e-mail me directly. I am extremely lucky to be the daughter of an educational consultant who flies all over the world and he is very generous with his frequent flier miles. So, I have been to Europe three times and since we are teachers, we can stay for a long time in the summer!! Our next trip is planned for 2000 to Germany for the Passion Play in Oberammergau. I'd like to thank Lanny for some very informative postings on O'gau. We are especially fond of Wengen in Switzerland as many of you probably know since I answer every posting about it. Hey Denise...Everyone thinks California is such a sunny place. Well here in Northern Cal it's pretty bleak in the winter but very hot in the summer. When I retire from teaching, I want to buy a house in Alice Springs so I can be hot all year round. I'd like to thank everyone most sincerely for all their help. It seems like people are always in a rush to help out and I find that so refreshing. I keep a notebook next to my computer at school to write down all the hints so I can better plan my 2000 trip. I also need my "daily fix" and I'm glad to hear that there are others like me. Now here's a twist: Even though I love to travel, I absolutely hate to fly and I'm getting worse all the time. So far it hasn't kept me home, but I'm just a basket case on a flight. I know just how stupid it is but I can't seem to help myself. Anyone have any sure-fire hints? Also, my parents live on the island of Kauai and I have been there so many times I've lost count. If anyone wants info about this beautiful island, please contact me. Am also hoping to hear from Tricia--I enjoy hearing your stories of travelling in Holland. I'm the one that said you shouldn't travel with a poopy companion. I wish all of you the best in 1999 and have happy and safe travels.

Hi Denise, <BR>I'm from North Central Arkansas and have found Fodor's quite helpful. It has helped us through Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Belgium. I am a church financial secretary and my husband manages a large funeral home and is also organist-choir director of our 3500+ parish. We stay quite busy but love to travel. We are always planning our next trip. Europe is our favorite. My husband speaks fluent German so he really likes going to Germany, Austria, Switzerland. We are great fans of Rick Steves. His travel philosophy is so refreshing. I wish also to thank all the contributors to this forum. Your ideas are great. Lynda <BR>

Thanks all for your contributions. My husband and I are fascinated by all the responses. Keep them rolling in. I too am going to keep these handy so I can refer to each and every one at some time. Thanks Denise HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL - MAY 1999 BE FULL OF WONDERFUL THINGS - TRAVEL, FRIENDS, FOOD, HEALTH - ALL THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE <BR>

What a wonderful idea, Denise! I know that I have not contributed any helpful <BR>information to this forum (yet) but I read it daily and I have made many inquiries myself, as we are planning our <BR>first European vacation for June, 1999, and I feel that I have received so much helpful advice from everyone! Thanks! <BR>My husband is semi-retired, and I manage a computer lab in a local middle school in South Carolina. This trip will also be for the purpose of a special summer vacation before our baby daughter goes off to college, so as you can tell, this will be very special to us all. We have traveled extensively in the states, and I am anxious to go abroad. Like someone <BR>else, I work to travel! Happy New Year to all of you wonderful people, and thank you again, Denise, for bringing this group closer! Kathy <BR> <BR>

Great question, I have travelled a lot, and I have four grandchildren, which means I have been traveling for quite a long time....nevertheless I love to read the good answers that come up so often.I feel I get a lot of information and facts that I ignore. <BR>I live in Miami Beach facing the ocean, I was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, joined the foreign service at 24 right after college and have lived all over the world.Now our home is Miami Bech. <BR>I love the honest replies one can get at the forum which are a hundred thousand times better that the artificial staff of <BR>travel magazines. <BR>Let us keep the good work.....

<BR>Time to add my few cents worth! I am 52 and retired on an "early retirement" from the Fed Govt last year. I now live way out in the country in SE Arizona, but spent most of my growing-up years in the North East. I was born in a DP camp in Germany - my parents fled from their homeland - Latvia - to escape the Communist invasion. I'm married, and although my wonderful husband doesn't share my wanderlust, we do travel some together - Alaska, British Columbia and places which have magnificent scenery and few large cities. The rest of my travels are either solo or with some friends. Currently, I write a travel column for an Arizona magazine. I have been actively seeing the world since my first "adult" trip to Europe in 1968 - when I was "evicted" by the Allied forces from Berlin when the Czechs were uprising in the south. I have traveled to Australia and NZ, No. Africa, Japan, the Caribbean, Hawaii and throughout most of Europe many times over. I try, albeit not always successfully, to do one European trip each year. 'Twas easier and far cheaper when I lived on the East Coast! Lots of places left on my "someday" list. When I read the postings, my one regret is that I never kept a journal - like many of us - I could write a book about the funny, embarrassing and otherwise delightful ventures abroad.

Happy New Year to all from the next European. I live in Poland /Warsaw/ with my husband and son. I have only been reading this interesting forum . Your discussion is fascinated. We love to travel, to read about another countries and to exchange experiences. We have been in many countries but our most interested travel was to Egypt. This year we`d like to go to Portugal and Morocco. Thank you to everyone for your informations in this forum and wish you a lot of interesting travels, Eva <BR>

Dear Denise <BR> <BR> I first learned about the forum from one of my fodors books. My husband and I took a great trip to The Republic of Ireland and England,Wales and and Scotland. I learned a great deal from this forum and it made our trip fun and easy. I'am a Registered nurse and my husband is a Architect. We live in a neat town called Evansville, Indiana. We are looking forward to going back to the Republic of Ireland again. <BR> <BR> Peace Robbie <BR> <BR>

Denise, All of your responses have been quite interesting reading. I'm 38 years old and live near Cincinnati, Ohio with my husband and dog. My friends and I are card carrying members of Travelers Anonymous...wanting to travel EVERYWHERE we can, but having limited funds and vacation days! I envy your responders who have had widespread travels. <BR>I've been to all but 8 states, Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. I've only contributed to this forum once or twice. My grandfather immigrated from Switzerland. I'm going back this winter to visit family and friends. Hoping to add France to my list. I'll be going to San Francisco and Phoenix this month. Who knows where I might be next New Years...maybe Norway! Happy New Year!

I am SO envious of those of you who are able to travel extensively. I have been to England twice, France once, and visited in Germany and Austria for two weeks last summer (a trip made great by contributors to this wonderful forum). I am a 53 -yr.old high school media specialist/ librarian and former English teacher, and I'm not nearly as stodgy and boring as that sounds. I live in a small Arkansas town which is fine as long as I can travel outside it. I'm married to a great guy, and I have a daughter in Atlanta, GA, who backpacked across Europe for 8 weeks last summer. My goal is to lose weight so I won't LOOK like an American in England. :) <BR>

5th grade TEACHER CONNECTING WITH THE WORLD! No, I am not well traveled and have not been out of the US. But I look forward to a nightly check gleening any new, exciting tips from our most gracious Fodor's contributors. We study world geography and cultures at school. You have been an endless supply of real information my students have truly enjoyed orally. Wish we had a site kid's could access and teachers could depend on being appropriate. I tell each class about "MY" trip to Europe someday. They all plan a six destination trip on four continents. It is always the yearly favorite project. Europe, this 47 year old teacher from Washington state is coming your way in the next few years. I will be well prepared for my trip of a lifetime. The hubby wants to bring his bike.

My family and I have been taking europe by storm! Norway is the best!!!!!!! <BR>Finally, we have the means to travel, but oh, miranda is 1 and 1/2 years old, we can't, practically, go very far. though our older daughter is a fabulous traveller. Still, this summer father and two daughters should be free to go anywhere. And though this is the europe forum, we are leaning toward staying in nothern california. In any case, we have reservations for Yosemite- MAKE ONE YEAR IN ADVANCE- if you want to stay in the valley during the summer. Try to stay at the Ahwahnee if you can. If you have to, the Marriot Temaya, right outside the valley is the logical second choice. <BR>HEIA NORGE. Norge over Brasil!!!!! <BR>

Hi! I'm from Tulsa, Oklahoma and my passion is traveling. Haven't done just a whole lot (spent a summer studying in Russia, 2 weeks traveling through France, and I've been to Aruba, and Mexico), but I'm getting ready for some serious travel. Going to Guadeloupe Jan. 16, Mediterranean cruise in March, Washington state in April and Western Europe by rail in June. I've been spending hours trying to find interesting sites for all of these, so any advise or suggestions are welcomed. And I love to share experiences!

What a great treat to get a sense of who everybody is and where we are! I just discovered the forum last summer planning atrip to the East coast and have found it to be a great way to get info. <BR> <BR>I guess I am sort of a "blend" of some of the people here. Like Cheryl, I live in Seattle (but part-time in Paris) and like Kate, I was born in Kansas City. Like Francesca, my husband is French and I have been a placement consultant, but now I work mostly as a project consultant on internet projects. The latest one was with SONY in Europe around developing a virtual community site geared towards Europeans called friendfactory.com That project took me to Germany a lot last year-and boy is it frustrating not speaking the language! I have been lucky because I was an exchange student in Argentina, so I speak Spanish, but after marrying my French husband almost 23 years ago now (obviously a child bride :)), whenever, I speak Spanish it comes out mostly in French. <BR> <BR>Like all of us here, I love travel and I am happy to help anyone on info on Paris-I spend part-time there and we have a house on the Atlantic near Bordeaux, so I have gone through the Loire a lot, so that is a region I know fairly well. I also travel a lot in Bretagne-so if anyone wants info there-I might be able to help. <BR> <BR>Anyway, thanks Denise for this thread! My husband and I are hoping to make a trip down your direction soon-we hear it is spectacular.

Hi Denise, <BR> Love the question and wish I could contribute more often...I'm 35, and live in San Diego. I work for a major software company here. Love to travel with my friends, sister, parents...basically anyone who'll put up with my crazy ideas. Drove around Portugal for three weeks, did the Greek islands of Amorgos, Naxos, Santorini, drove around Crete for a three week period, we did Quebec City for a couple weeks last year, and are going to Bali and Sulawesi in May of this year. Love to answer peoples inquiries. <BR> <BR>.m.

Hello from another Aussie! I've been posting and responding to queries on this site for over two years now - I found out about it on the Lonely Planet site (which I found too bitchy and full of bad language). I am 37 years old and live in Sydney, in the southern suburbs right by the Royal National Park. I have travelled approximately every 2 years since 1981, usually to Europe, the Middle East or Asia. Haven't yet been to the States - I'm saving that for my long service leave holiday (3 months) hopefully in the next three years. I work for a towage and salvage company (towing and salvaging ships, not road vehicles). As Denise says, our airfares are high and that's why we make so much good use of our annual leave of 4 weeks per annum (I use 8 weeks every 2 years) - otherwise it would be too expensive to do several smaller jaunts. I hope to do my next trip in April/May 2000 to Spain and Portugal - plus visiting my sister in London. My major interests are historic sites - particularly ancient and mediaeval, art galleries and museums. But I also love long lunches and cafe afternoons watching the world go by (oh, and a bit of shopping too!).

Hi Joanna - You may three of us Aussies. Surely we aren't the only ones in Australia who have a computer and know about Fodors. <BR>Thanks everyone - file is bulging. <BR>Denise <BR>

I'm mid forties, from the UK. I was born in north east London and live in Chatham Kent. I work as a photographer in central London, off Holborn. My hunting ground is the Mediterranean and near east. I've travelled all over Turkey, freelance and with tours. Additionally over the years I've done a lot of the tours in the Cosmos brochure, except Italy.

Like everyone else, I applaud Denise for posting her query -- and everyone who has responded. It IS neat to get a sense of who some of the regulars are - esp since just this morning, I was making a guess at one of you (turns out I was wrong!). <BR> <BR>I'm in mid-life, a native Chicagoan now semi-retired in rural northeast Wisconsin - and loving it. My spouse is a Manhattan native, who was moved to Chicago in his teen years (but we share an abiding love of NYC, just wish we got there more often). We both have newspaper backgrounds, and continue our former vocations, now in a more limited fashion. We also enjoy having the world come to our door (well, a very limited part of it) thru participation in an over-50's B&B organization that I highly recommend. (check out http://www. EvergreenClub.com Or e-m me. <BR>No gain here, just sharing helpful info) <BR> <BR>Though we've done considerable travelling thru the US, I often feel....a little awed by some of the posters in this forum, where the knowledge is so much more wide-ranging, and current, than I can offer. We made our first overseas trip in '84 - three weeks in the British Isles (falling in love with Wales, Scotland came in second!). The following year, we did a fabulous two-week-by-car discovery of Ireland (and fell in love all over again!). Then, we were confined stateside ($$, college, etc) until this year when we ventured forth again to London, Paris and the south of England (and are still recovering from our foolish attempts to motor around England so close to London. Oy, the angst and the expense!) Lately, we're trying to work up our courage, and pocketbooks, for a return to Paris and some French countryside explorations. <BR> <BR>Looking forward to many more happy hours reading your posts/advice...and gettin' itchy feet for places I otherwise might never have contemplated.

What a great idea! I have been away from this forum since December 23 as my office has been closed for the holidays and I do not have a computer at home. I work at the University of California, Irvine as a Grants Officer and my husband is a manager at a sporting goods store. My husband and I are 29 and we live in Orange County, California. We have been to Europe six times since 1986. Next, we are planning a trip to Italy and France in May, 1999. I have been an avid reader of and occassional contriubuter to this forum for the past year and a half. Everyone's advice has been so helpful, I really missed the forum over the holidays! Happy New Year!

Hi all, <BR> <BR>I'm a legal editor in my early 30's in the Chicago area (Hinsdale to be exact). I'm Minnesota born and raised though. So far I've only posted questions and read many other postings in preparation for my trip to England and Paris in February (I can hardly wait). I hope to be more of a contributor after my trip. The only other time I was in Europe was a trip to Germany in 1991. It was a wonderful time. I've travelled fairly extensively through the US. A year ago I took a windjammer cruise from Grenada to St. Lucia. Australia and New Zealand are high on my list for future destinations. I also dream of going to Italy. But really I'd like to go pretty much everywhere. Happy 1999!

I have enjoyed reading about everyone and their travels. I just recently found this forum while planning a trip to Italy in June. My only other trip to Europe was to Paris in 1997 (loved It). I am in my midforties and live in Dyersburg, Tennessee. I work for a local law office. My husband and I have 2 children, girl 18 and boy 14. We have traveled mostly over our 20 years of marriage to mountains and beaches in the states. I went to Broadway in New York this year and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I love this forum and read it daily. Thanks for all the advise.

This has been a fun thread! Like many, my husband and I are in our 50s. Actually my 50th last May was cause for our first trip to Paris! We are shameless researchers. We read guidebooks, scour the internet and haunt libraries for months planning our trips to just about anywhere! Since our daughter left for college and our son hit high school, we've found time to do some travel as a pair again, and it is grand. While raising those younguns, our vacations were primarily East Coast -- we live halfway between Washington DC and Baltimore MD, and there is an awful lot to do around here, so we've done it! Both sets of Grandparents lived on West Coast of FLA, though my mom has since moved to Mt.Dora near Orlando, which is a delightful travel destination in itself. I work in media research, primarily radio, and enjoy checking out radio/TV/newspapers and magazines wherever we travel. I do a lot of national traveling for business. Internationally, I hadn't been overseas for nearly 25 years until last May. We'll be going back, maybe in October, to Italy or the south of France. We also enjoy the Caribbean.

Hi Denise! I am Erwin, 26 years old, from the Philippines. I am working in Citibank Singapore. I love to travel and I want that before I reach 30 I have travelled to almost all parts of the world. Europe (UK and France) is next in my list. Hey, how's London and Paris during the Holy Week? Is it advisable to got there during that time? <BR>Cheers....

Hi Denise. Here's another Aussie to boost those numbers. I'm 28 years old and live in Perth, Western Australia. To all those people who have yet to make the trip; come on. I know we're far away but we're worth the trip; especially if you like the beaches. <BR> <BR>Unfortunately I haven't done a lot of travelling myself; bit of a late bloomer. Have been to New Zealand, the Northern Territory (in Oz) and have just recently come back from my dream trip of 2 months in Europe (London, Italy and Switzerland - I had my first ever snowball fight !!!) Now I have the travel bug I don't think I'll ever be able to shake it. <BR> <BR>Have just started a new job (I'm a computer analyst) so it will be at least a year before I can return to Europe, but I'm counting the days and already planning. Until then, I'll have to get my fix through this wonderful forum. <BR> <BR>Thankyou everyone for taking the time to answer all the questions posted here. It redeems my faith in the world that there are people who are willing to help others. <BR> <BR>Happy travels to you all.

Hi everyone! I'm a regular reader and an occasional poster, and it's great to put some names together with some "identities." Thanks to everyone, especially the real regulars, for telling a bit about themselves. <BR> <BR>Me, I'm living in Prague (I was born here but am now a US citizen) and in my mid-30s. We moved to the US when I was 5, and when I go home for Christmas, I go either to upstate NY where my parents live or the hills of Colorado where my sister lives with her husband and kids. Here in Prague, I'm a co-founder and marketing/PR director of a startup software company. I haven't taken the opportunity to travel as much as I would have liked in the 5 years I've lived here, but the end it seems that indeed I've been to a lot of places. I'm lucky enough to be part of an well-travelled, internationally-minded family, and have learned French and Spanish (now rusty, unfortunately) in addition to my Czech and English. I get a huge sense of satisfaction out of being able to conduct business in a foreign language. <BR> <BR>I've enjoyed posting information to this site about travelling to areas I know, especially Prague and the Czech Republic. I can recite all the right DOs and DON'Ts of travel, but on my own travels, I'm not good at planning trips, I pack way too much for any human to carry, and my claim to fame is that I've moved almost an entire household of stuff here in my luggage, piece by piece. My parents and friends have played pack mules too - and have no shortage of stories about the crazy things you suddenly "need" from the US when you're not there. I don't spend enough time preparing for trips, but I usually make up for it by having a lot of energy for endless walking around and learning by doing. I really admire those travellers who prepare, and I hope to learn that skill someday. That, and packing light. I've discovered an inverse relationship between the amount of time I have for packing and how much stuff I bring. I've also observed a similar inverse relationship between the length of my trip and the amount of stuff I pack. I should make this problem my New Year's Resolution. <BR> <BR>I don't have an image of one "ideal" vacation, but I especially enjoy active trips where there's a lot of walking, biking, or something strenuous. I love to explore, and have a camera that's way more advanced at photography than I am. I'm now planning a trip to Australia for New Year's 1999. <BR> <BR>

My turn to check in. It's great to be able to put some background with the names we have all become familiar with. <BR> <BR>I am in my late 40's and I'm a librarian at Boston University. I've lived in the Boston area since I left NJ to attend BU back in the 60's. My first major travel experience (aside from living from coast to coast for my first 14 years) was as a college student in Oxforshire, England during my junior year. I was able to travel to Israel during spring break and spent another six weeks doing the eurail thing (Norway and Venice...farthest north and south) the following summer. I figured I'd be back to Europe very soon after that trip, but it finally took 27 years to return to England! I did get back to Paris a mere 21 years later when my daughter and I visited my brother who was living there at the time. <BR> <BR>My husband and I have done a lot of travel in US and Canada over the years, but it took our 20th aniversary to get him to obtain a passport and venture over an ocean. He did enjoy our trip to England (and a day in Paris via the Chunnel, one of his dreams...the Chunnel, not Paris;-)) but he is reluctant to make another long air trip again in coach, and who can afford business? So, I get to travel vicariously on the Forum, adding my two cents when I feel I have something worth saying. <BR> <BR>Somehow my daughter has a bad case of the travel bug (not from her dad...) and I love to read the Forum to glean info for her as well. She's not quite 17 and already she's been to Paris and London with me, Berlin with a school group, and in a few weeks she leaves for a four month stay in Beijing, China, as an exchange student. Less than a month after her return from China she leaves for a six week trip to Israel (and I'm begining to see why I can't afford to travel these days). I don't plan to visit her in China this year (my husband has refused to make that length of trip) but I'm sure I'll get there within a few years with my daughter as my guide. <BR> <BR>Thanks to Denise for starting this thread. I feel like I should print it out as a reference guide to future postings, or maybe not.

Another late poster signing in! Guess why??? Yes, we were off again - in France for the holidays. Another fantastic trip made even better by the great hints and ideas received here. Thanks for the info about Ventimiglia, the Riviera Corniches, the ice-skating in front of the Hotel de Ville in Paris. <BR>We're in our late 40's, live in Virgina close to DC, and take advantage as much as possible of Dulles airports easy access to Europe. <BR>I am a piano teacher and performer (alot of our trips have been music-related), and also manage the hospitality center for an international Christian ministry, Prison Fellowship. My husband is director of business development for a small corporation. <BR> I think my wanderlust started when we moved to Quito, Ecuador when I was 13. Loved living out of the country! Such a great growing-up experience. <BR>Our major travels together as a married couple began with a 2 week trip to <BR>Spain in '88. Since then we've been to south and central america, and several times to Europe. Although we didn't expect this, France has become our favorite! Last summer we explored the Dordogne area, and most recently we were in the Provence/Riviera region. Also have enjoyed Normandy and the Loire.