Hi,
Big 50 comming up in September, want to do something special. Haven't been to Europe, but also love the US and caribbean, if you have any idea's or suggestions would love to hear them.
Want to go for a week up to 10 days.

Pick the place you have most wanted to see in Europe and go there. Is it Paris? Rome? London?

A Paris-London trip with day trips out of both cities would be great.

Another idea is to fly to Rome and return from Milan, visiting Florence,
Siena, and Venice on the way.

Would you consider Argentina? It is a real travel value now with the good exchange rate---especially compared to Europe. Buenos Aires is like any large European city (London, Paris, Rome, Milan). It has history, museums, cultural events, wonderful food and wine, great shopping and friendly people. It is an easy city for walking, but the taxis fares are very inexpensive. It is not necessary to speak Spanish to travel easily in Argentina. IMO BA beats London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Prague (2nd choice) hands down. Check the posts here for Argentina to see why people can't wait to return!

I celebrated my 50th in Hawaii; 5 nights in Oahu and 8 in Maui! It was wonderful. Would also recommend Italy; we've been there twice and visited Venice, Rome, Florence & Tuscany. I would go back to Tuscany in a minute. We've also been to France (Paris, Loire Valley and Normandy) and heading back there (Nice/Provence area) in September. I would pick a couple of GREAT spots that you are interested in, study them me and book the place most appealing. ENJOY ----! ! !

I second--or is it third?--the suggestion of Europe. This may sound silly, but it's quite compact geographically, so you really could do Paris-London-Rome in 10 days, or several cities/towns in one country, or one city and some countryside. We've done England-Scotland-Wales in 10 days, for instance. What tickles your fancy?

Thanks for the suggestions. I was actually thinking about Italy. Would like to see Rome, Tuscany, Capri.. Not sure where to start.
Would a tour like Tauk be good? Don't know if I want to be on a bus with senior citizens, not that I have anything against them.
I guess I could also do London and Paris..

I was going to spend my 50th in Tuscany and taking day trips out and about. Actually, here's the place I had reserved - www.letorri.com.

Alas, life got in the way. Maybe this next birthday....

If you're thinking about Italy, or even about London and Paris, you should take a look at the Europe forum. There are lots of experienced travelers who will help you plan a trip if you want to do it independently instead of take a tour. Many, many first-time Europe travelers do it themselves and have a great time.

Perhaps not an obvious choice, but I'm a similar age to you and I really enjoyed Nice. Having usually only ever travelled through this wonderful city, it was by complete chance that I ended up there. There is an excellent quick review here of the main sights.

www.travelsavvy-nice.com

Do you have any frequent flyer miles to use? If so, start asking about availability of routes now. If you're interested in Italy, it would be a great place to celebrate. Try the Europe board. I've posted trip reports for Rome, Florence, Venice, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Nice. I was able to get United FF miles to fly into Rome and home from Nice last May. It was a 15 night stay. It was an amazing visit.
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What about Athens or Greek Islands? I completely recommend Tuscany or Positano in Italy.. and Nice have fun.. Key West always comes up with 50-somethings... it's super relaxing, laid back and beautiful sunsets.. but you risk hurricane season.

Here's a real bummer: Two of my KIDS are going to be in Italy on my 50th birthday! Hardly seems fair, does it? (School choir tour, during their spring break.)

Hawaii is the 50th State!

Italy is wonderful too!

Italy is a great choice....don't miss Capri. There are so many choices in Italy! And it's pretty easy to get around on the train. I wouldn't recommend London this year - the dollar is so weak in the UK. Just returned from a trip to Scotland (our dollar is basically worth 50 cents).

Have you considered a California road trip? My husband and I drove from San Diego to San Francisco last summer, making many stops along the way. With 10 days, you may need to start in LA. It was an incredible vacation!

Another suggestion would be San Francisco, including stops in Yosemite and the Napa Valley.

I just spent my 50th in Harbour Island in the Bahamas. I had a wonderful time

Gosh so many ideas..my birthday is in September too and I always go somewhere fun but its what I like so it maybe different from yours but I gotta tell you that it doesn't get any better than Paris...you could combo pak another city like Provence or London, if you do 10 days.
Moorea, Tahiti is beyond stunning...get an overwater bungalow.
Kauai at the Grand Hyatt/Princeville or a condo/home.
Buenos Aires would be incredible.
Peru and go to Machu Picchu and Cuzco.
I would not go the Caribbean or parts of Mexico because of the risk of hurricanes.
Have a great time wherever you go and let us know what you have decided.

i went to Honolulu for my 50th...

for my 50th we are renting a big house in Vancouver and taking a bunch of friends up there with us for the 2010 winter olympics.