So this is a random post (which I'm posting on both the US and Europe boards) and I know this is totally a matter of individual preference, but I really can't decide where to go for vacation. Here are the details - DH and I are in our late twenties, live in ATL and have about 10 days for vacation coming up at the end of June (soon, I know!). We have been wanting to do a PAR-BRU-AMS trip for a while but we are also trying to budget for this vacation as we're doing some remodeling and airfare to Europe is $$$ this summer. But then again, I don't want to take a vacation I really don't love just to save $500.

Cons for Europe are: 1) cheapest airfare is $1037 (and yes I've tried every search engine/date combination imaginable); 2) not enough time to plan a Europe trip the way I really like to; 3) it will be crowded (I've never gone to EU during "season"); 4) we will end up in crappy hotels because this is so last minute. Pros for Europe: 1) probably won't spend as much on hotel as S/V; 2) tons to do - museums, checking out architecture, shopping, hanging out in cafes, etc.; 3) great inexpensive food.

Cons for Seattle/Vancouver: 1) is there really enough to do? will it be interesting?; 2) food/hotel more expensive. Pros for Seattle/Vancouver: 1) airfare is $350; 2) beautiful scenery; 3) we love to hike.

So there it is - any opinions?

Audrey, I am not the expert on the Europe portion of the question, but I am a native Portlandian and lived in Seattle for 11 years until a job reloc put me in the Midwest about a year ago.

If you love to hike, I think you would have no problem in the Seattle/Vancouver area for 10 days. You can get to the Olympic Peninsula and do a ton of hiking in the rain forest, do a couple days in the San Juan Islands, from Seattle, take the Victoria Clipper (a "high speed water taxi" ish type thing.) to Victoria, B.C., Snoqualmie Falls would have day hike options. Of course, there's the Seattle proper "stuff" (i.e. Pike's Place, Space Needle, etc) Of course there's also Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens, Rainier being quite a bit closer to SEA than St Helens.

Vancouver is a great city as well. Unfortunately, the shopping deals are not as great with the current exchange rate. Vancouver is a very "walkable" city, as NYC or similar. If time allows a couple days up to Whistler would be fantastic. It's about 2.5 hours or so from Vancouover. A beautiful drive and Whistler itself is wonderful. Biking, hiking, horseback riding, etc.

At any rate, I would not worry about being able to fill your itinerary in the NW. You should be able to get a good mix of urban and hiking adventure(s).

June could be a bit iffy for weather in Seattle, just so you know. Of course, everyone thinks it rains constantly in Seattle, but...whatever. hehe When it's a nice sunny day, it can't be beat and makes the rainy days worth it.

Plenty of fantasic restaurants in both Seattle and Vancouver - especially if you like seafood or pan-asian/pacific rim cuisine.

Good luck in your decision making/planning.

I have done both trips you describe in the last 2 years! Loved them both! You cannot go wrong with either.

I am in Europe right now and the crowds are beginning to grow. In a month it will be even busier.

thats about the cheapest you will find for airfare, so if i were you i would count on paying that or more. you will probably spend less $$ in seattle vanc because the dollar has such a terrible exchange rate. i know because i travel to europe about 2 times a year.

but europe is a great experience you will have so much to do and the time will go by fast. my friend went to amsterdam and loved it and had a blast, another friend of mine spent some time in paris and loved it. i dont know anything about brussels.

if you go to the pacific nw and like to hike oregon has a lot of hiking, no sales tax, and good weather. if you take your vacation to the pacific nw it will probably be more laid back than going to europe.
if really want to go to europe then just go and dont worry about the money. seriously, we only live once and when we are gone the money isnt going to matter.

There is plenty to do in Seattle to keep some people busy for a lifetime. It's a beautiful and interesting place; however, it is no Paris.

Hard decision. We lived in Seattle for quite a while and are down in OR now. Anyway, we always say our summers begin July 5th The end of June can be really great weather, or it can be truly cold and nasty. We are hikers/backpackers, and yes, there are loads of great hiking places nearby. You will definitely not run out of stuff to do for 10 days. You will most likely be kicking yourself that you don't have much time.

Having said that, I can relate to wanting to go to Paris in June. We are headed there next month and can't wait! Since the exchange rate with the euro is not great, there seems to be more availability in hotels and such. If you decide on this trip, just get the hotels and air booked asap and then worry about other stuff later.

Maybe toss a coin???

Wow, thanks for all the quick replies. Okay, I guess I'm leaning toward NW at this point. I know it won't be Paris, I don't expect it to be and I have already been to Paris once - so I think as long as expectations are clear I won't be disappointed. And, frankly, I might be more disappointed if we went to Paris and everything was a crowded, hot hassle as when I was there before it was in the spring with beautiful weather and few crowds . . .

LOL, mms, maybe I should just toss a coin. I studied abroad in Spain with a very diverse and indecisive group of people and this ended up being how we made most decisions about where to go and what to do - and we had a blast!

audrey--We have always gone to Europe during the off season and really enjoyed it. This will be the first time for us in the summer. I am not looking forward to the crowds, but hey, it is Paris so it can't be bad

Seattle is gorgeous in the summer, especially OUTSIDE the city.

I don't know really how you can compare it to a trip to Europe. Hardly seems possible, or fair, to either place.

One more question given the comment about the weather - will it be too cold to hike either outside of Seattle or Vancouver in either the third or fourth week of June? A major reason for going w/the NW trip is to enjoy the outdoors and the weather . . . I'm not opposed to cool nights or whatever (since I'm coming from Hotlanta and all), but I'd like decent days for hiking.

No, hiking at that time is fine. When we lived in Seattle, we started hiking in late March.

Unless, you want to go to Europe so bad that you are willing to pay the more expensive prices and be willing to go for "what you can get" in the hotel dept., hold off on it. Amsterdam and Paris are fabulous but I think it is better to go with a little more advanced planning, particular during the peak season. Go to the Northwest and enjoy that cool weather!

Weather is always a roll of the dice. On our only visit to Paris it rained both days...and we live in the Seattle area.

No it won't be too cold. June is summer here, likely in the 70's or 80's during the day.

Amsterdam is an ideal city for a short weekend break with plenty of cheap bargain flights from the UK and discount hotels. Alive with fine restaurants, steeped in history and culture and with excellent travel links and good hotels, it's a great choice for a short city break.

I really would suggest Amsterdam as a place to go to. There is a great review here www.travelsavvy-amsterdam.com

It could be in the 70s and 80s and sunny in the Pacific NW, or it could be in the 50s and rainy, or anywhere in between. But it's not likely to be rainy and cool the *whole* time you're here--probably a mix of both ends of the spectrum.

And some of the higher elevation hiking trails may not yet be completely melted out, so you'll want to check the status of any higher elevation hikes you're planning to do. The Olympic Peninsula has a great range of hikes at lower elevations so I'd suggest including that as one of your destinations (the North Cascades is also fantastic for hiking but check with the ranger stations up there to get a sense of the snow level). The plus of going to the North Cascades in late June is that it's going to be warmer and drier as a rule than Western WA, plus there's the possibility of a very fun rafting trip on the Mazama if you're into that.

I love Europe and am happy for any excuse to visit Paris and Amsterdam but I really prefer to go in the off-season. I just got back from Turkey and even in late May/early June it was getting *crowded*.