My husband and I have been traveling to Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Costa Rica for the past 8 years. We have been uninspired lately and are looking to venture out to other parts of the world.

We are planning on going away early January for 2-3 weeks from Vancouver. Maybe visit 2-3 different places (1 being a beach to relax), as we don't want to super-busy rushed vacation where we spend more time traveling to different places than actually exploring.

We want culture, sights, friendly people, excellent food, good weather, nice beach, nice place to stay and maybe a bit of nightlife. Culture, sights, people & food are the most important. We don't like super touristy areas.

We plan on spending $5,000 - $6,000 for 2, air, hotel, food (everything).

Any suggestions for where to go next?

Panama or Argentina.

Turkey.
We are returning in Feb.
M (SMdA, Gto, MX)

I'm not sure how it will turn out, but your desired trip sounds a lot like our planned trip to Colombia in January. We'll fly to Cartagena for some city time, perhaps head to the Parque Nacional Tayrona, then fly up to San Andres/Providencia for a week of beach time.

We loved Hawaii, and you can't beat the beaches there. I posted a similar question on another board, and Belize and Panama were suggested as great places to go. Our recent addiction is Costa Rica, but I see you've been there, done that.

We enjoyed Greece and Italy - either of those might fit the bill for you. Both have great culture, sights, good weather, and the food is to die for.

Must it be in Latin America. Thailand
fits the bill for everything you mentioned and January would be a great time. If you've never been, I highly recommend going. You can get reasonable airfares if you watch...ours were under $700.

Argentina would be perfect. It is summer there in January, and offers everything you want. I would suggest starting with several days in Buenos Aires, a large fascinating city rich with culture and history. For beach time, you could visit Punta del Este in neighboring Uruguay... known as the Riviera of South America. You would also have time for at least one other adventure... perhaps a few days at Iguazu falls, or a stay on an estancia, or exploring Patagonia. If food is important, you will enjoy some of the most delicious steak and wine in the world, and all for a very reasonable price.

Think about El Salvador, for that budget you could live like kings. El Salavdor is very small but makes a good base to explore Honduras and Guatemala. Do a search for Suchitoto, the small colonial town where I have lived for the past 8 years. For more information feel free to contact me directly at [email protected]

Is the beach a must have? Just that Turkey is a wonderful destination but will be a bit cold in January. Ditto other possibilities like Morocco or Egypt.

Egypt - mmm ...

Thailand would be good too.

Have you thought about New Zealand - January is a wonderful month weather wise, albeit school holiday time which makes accommo a bit more of a challenge. But not insurmountable.

Or the Cook Islands?

I am trying to get my head around your budget which I assume is in Canadian dollars. How much do you see yourselves spending on accommodation? Like what sort of accommo is acceptable to you? Three stars, four stars? Is it just a bed to sleep in?

The less you want to spend on accommo the more you can spend on airfares, so look forward to hearing more.

And how much do you know about WHERE you can go to from Vancouver - always a good starting point as there are so many places to see. Often it is where you can get to cheaply that makes a short list for you.

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. We prefer to stay in 4 star accommodations, or a really good 3 star. Hopefully this doesn't limit us too much!

Cook Islands might be of interest, especially since you could easily island hop. I was there in mid February and the weather was very nice. You have to look for nightlife but that is part of the fun. Resorts have entertainment but many of the restaurants "shut" as they put it fairly early. Very friendly, relaxing place.