Hey all,

Very new to the forums here and travel in general. I've always wanted to 'see the world,' but until now, couldn't really afford it.

Now, I can afford it, but due to my work schedule can't get much time off. How's that for cruelty? On the plus side, I work 4 on and 4 off so that gives me some time.

I live in the Southeast U.S. And would probably be leaving from Atlanta, Ga if flight were involved.

First, I would love to tour Alaska, and want to know if that would be possible in four days from my location. Of course, I'd be willing to break the 'tour' up into several trips, but my concern is that I would spend most of my four days off 'on the road.'

So, opinions? Would a 4 day Alaska trip be feasible? If so, any suggestions as to where in Alaska? I have extremely varied interests, so all ideas would be welcome.

As an extended question, does anyone have any other ideas for 4 day trips from my locale? Car, plane, train, I'm not picky. I want to experience it all. If it helps, more specifically, I'm living in central Alabama. Any ideas would be welcome.

Thanks.

Given the time it would take you to get to Alaska and the size of the state, I don't think it's weorth it for four days. We were there for 17 days, and there's a lot we never even got near.

I like cities, so I'd suggest Atlanta, New Orleans, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, NYC, Boston, Chicago, Miami.

Wow, life is cruel. Just for kicks I looked up on Expedia a flight from Atlanta to Anchorage the shortest flight is a little over 10 hours, so there's most of day one. If you go at a time when the sun is out all day, it would be better but getting home and going back to work is going to interesting.
Are there any other places that you've wanted to go?

What is it about Alaska?

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately, you've confirmed what I already thought. I guess I just needed to hear it from someone else.

Abram - Thanks for the city ideas. I've spent a fair amount of time in Atlanta and New Orleans (both great cities). I'm not so keen on Miami, but I would like to visit D.C., Boston, and NYC. Of those, I think I'm most interested in NYC. Do you have any recommendations for New York? Must see spots? Must do's, etc?

LSky - "Interesting" is an understatement. Presently, I work nights, so don't sleep much on the four days I work. I can't imagine what I'd be like not getting much sleep for 12 straight days.

As for what it is about Alaska, I guess I'm just attracted to wide open, rugged, scenic, unsettled areas. Maybe its just the whole "final frontier" idea. Also I know a guy who lived there a few years, and lots of people that have visited. I've heard a lot of great things, and not too much negative. If I could pick a place to live for a few years, Alaska would probably be it (and, yes, I know it gets to be 30 below in the winter)

As for other places I'd like to visit, in no particular order, Egypt, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Italy, and Greece. And I'm sure I'm forgetting quite a few. Unfortunately, not really places one can visit in 4 days.

Again, thanks for the replies. Now I've kind of gotten the idea of New York in my head. It may be in my near future. Any suggestions?

Alaska- New York, hmmm, guess they are both offer equally exciting wildlife. New York is a lot more doable in weekend. Especially from where you are.

I'm not an expert on New York although, I love it. What do you need to know? Do you use the search function here on Fodor's?

I'd suggest getting a guidebook from the library and reading about NY. Everyone's ideas of "must-do" thin gs is different, depending on their interests.

So right abram. For me, the best way to begin to plan a vacation is with what really interests me, then I fill in with the "sights" later.

As a first trip to NY, one of my main interests would be sites like the Statue of Liberty, the Met, the Bronx Zoo, etc. One of my favorite things to do in new places is just drive or wander the streets. Check out interesting sites, restaraunts, museums, etc. Just to see a bit of the local life. Not sure where I should start in NY though.

I've used the search function a bit, but not a whole lot here.

I guess I was thinking of setting aside time to see the above sites, and leaving a fair bit of time (preferably in daylight hours) to explore bits of the city. Would this be a bad idea? Any thoughts?

I've only been to New York once and it was a great city to just wander around.

We started with the Metropolition and the Guggenhiem museums of art. The Met because of the collection and the Gug for the building itself. Around the corner from the Guggenhiem was a Design Museum called the Cooper Hewitt that I loved but it's a little off the track.

It's an easy city to get around in and getting a pass for the subway for a couple of days is cheap and it's easy to use.
My husband wanted to take a boat cruise while we were there and so my sister in law (she lives in NYC) and I endured. He loved this, we didn't so it's a toss up if you do something like that.

If you go up to the Empire State Building do it at sunset and buy a ticket ahead of time.

The search function is easy to use. Example to look up New York just go to the US forum and go to "view by state" you'll see a lot on New York.

For hotel reviews, I'd suggest going to Tripadvisor.com and typing in New York City.

"setting aside time to see the above sites, and leaving a fair bit of time (preferably in daylight hours) to explore bits of the city. Would this be a bad idea? "

Great idea. Also check out the times for attractions because many are open late. The Met has a night Thurs?? that it's open until 9.

We went for a 4 day trip a3 years ago to see the start of the Iditerod. DW is going again next year. In general though, I think it impractical. All flights were paid with FF miles.