The New Travel Thread: Now with write ups in the OP

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Jax Teller, Apr 8, 2015.

  1. wolfpck

    wolfpck haters gonna hate
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    You liked Durty Nellys? I thought our consensus was that was the worst of our trip? Definitely not a bad hostel and has a good location, but I feel pretty meh about it in hindsight when comparing it to places like Lukas, Saint Jordi and MadHouse.
     
  2. wolfpck

    wolfpck haters gonna hate
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    About to leave for the airport. Vegas here I come!
     
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  3. KNOTT

    KNOTT Well-Known Member
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    One of my buddies has already text me asking "Did you get my text about Nov. 7th?".
    Already trying to switch dates imo. :facepalm: The europe trip is separate(for my job) from the Vegas trip. Had to work it out with my boss for me to come couple days later, so I could do both.

    Just starting things to do in Ireland. Guinness brewery, with passes for The Connoisseur Experience ($100.00 for two people). I have never played golf but will during this trip. We are going from Dublin to Kerry for the Notre Dame Golf tourney. Brú na Bóinne may get a look as well. Old Jameson Distillery(Jameson Reserve tasting $50.00). Don't know about the Cliffs of Moher. Blarney Castle and stone maybe.
     
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  4. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Dublin to Blarney seems cheap and worth it.
     
  5. Joe Louis

    Joe Louis no thank you turkish, i'm sweet enough
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    I'll be there for a week. Really just plan on doing a lot of drugs and wandering around the city ...
     
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  6. Dillingham

    Dillingham Well-Known Member
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    Starting to think about a trip to Southeast Asia in May or June, what airport and what price range is a good place to start?
     
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  7. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    How long are you going and what countries are priority
     
  8. Dillingham

    Dillingham Well-Known Member
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    Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, I guess. Honestly I've never been and am just starting to look into it so I'm open to suggestions. Probably 21 - 25 days
     
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  9. KNOTT

    KNOTT Well-Known Member
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    yeah. I just want to be sure i do leave a day or two for Space cakes and booze.
     
  10. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    If you're going for that long you can pretty much fly into anywhere and work your way around. Depending on your airport Bangkok and ho chi Minh are usually the cheapest. Should be able to do it between 8-950. Could possibly hit 750
     
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  11. KNOTT

    KNOTT Well-Known Member
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    Suppose to take train from Dublin to Kerry area. Cant wait.


    [​IMG]



    Then heading for Club Vandersexx

     
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  12. NC Wolfpack

    NC Wolfpack Go Pack Go
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    When comparing it to those hostels yea, it sucks but I dont think you have many options like that in Amsterdam. Atleast not that are both nice and great location.
     
  13. Druce

    Druce Fuck football.
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    Thinking about swapping out London for Florence/Rome to go with Paris and Barcelona for our honey moon. Does that sound like a good idea?
     
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  14. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
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    Yes, great idea. London is a great city but I would much rather go to Italy for a honeymoon.
     
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  15. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
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    Went to Southern Italy (Naples / Amalfi Coast) from August 8th to August 17th, and now that I had some time Friday afternoon in the office, wanted to type up a quick trip report.

    This was my second time in Italy and I was very happy with how I segmented the two trips - they are two very different trips and I was glad I did the first one first. Northern Italy is very much about the sight seeing (Vatican, Duomo, Grand Canal, Colosseum, etc.) while Southern Italy is like Italy Course 202 - it's a little crazier, a little more challenging, a little more 'open' so the more you plan and want to do the more you get out of it. Overall, a truly amazing place.

    -Flew into Naples on Saturday, August 8th and stayed until Tuesday, August 11th. Naples gets a bad rap because its the home of organized crime (birthplace of the Mafia and the Gomorrah - there are pictures on the wall throughout the city of "innocent victims killed of organized crime" - makes you feel real safe!), in the late 2000s there was a garbage worker's strike so trash totally polluted the city, and it doesn't have the reputation as a pretty city like Florence or Venice. Overall, I was very happy me and my girlfriend decided to stay here. The city is buzzing with activity, hectic, crazy, and a ton of fun to explore. There's one or two must-dos (the museum is amazing, and we took a tour of some underground tunnels), but it was mostly just fun to explore the city. On Monday, we took the train out to Pompeii and explored the ruins of Pompeii. This completely blew my expectations away. I expected a bunch of ruins and crowded, touristy craziness, but instead was pleasantly surprised by how much detail and historical perspective you could get from the buildings that are there, and how large and open the space is - you just get lost in exploring all the buildings and it's truly like nothing else I've every been to, with Mt. Vesuvius still looming in the background 5 miles away...

    -From Tuesday to Friday we were in Positano along the Amalfi Coast. It's everything it's cracked up to be and more. Pictures almost don't do it justice how gorgeous it is. The drive along the coast is spellbinding and the town (pretty much straight vertical up a hill) is amazing to just wander around. Every article / guide book I read said the beaches would be absurdly packed, but only on Friday would I even call it "crowded." On Thursday, we took a boat trip with ~10 people to the island of Capri. If you go to Capri, do not simply take the ferry (~30 euros roundtrip) there and back, but pay the extra (~70 euros for the day) for the day boat tour experience. They pick you up at 9 AM, give you beer, pop, and snacks, you take a medium sized boat, they give you a tour of the island, drop you off for swimming, drop you off on the island for 4 hours and return you afterwards with a couple cool stops along the way. It was incredible and while the actual island is crowded and hectic, the experience of boating around it and swimming in the sea off the coast was unforgettable.

    -Last two days were spent in Sorrento, which was the flat version of Positano's vertical city. It's a gorgeous city with a cool port / marina / beachfront area, but there was less to do and less excitement than either of the other two cities; actually not a bad experience to "come down" before the flight home.

    In summary, hard to find a more beautiful place than southern Italy / the Amalfi coast. At first I was hesitant about spending all 9 days of our vacation here vs. 6 days here and 3 in another city, but there was more than enough stuff to do here. Going to the island of Ischia and taking a day trip to the city of Ravello are already on our to-do list for next time. I achingly miss Positano already.
     
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  16. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    I heard space cakes can fuck your day up
     
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  17. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Can't really go wrong either way, but London is a top 3 city in the world for me. Italy is probably more romantic though.
     
  18. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Go on google flights and set your home airport and see whats cheapest. If you're coming from west coast, you could probably snag something around $700-$800 w good timing. With serious luck I've seen LA to Bangkok or Bali for sub $600 but you'd be flying like tuesday to tuesday. Probably a bit more from east coast. Hong kong, Bangkok, Singapore are the bigger gateway cities in southeast asia.
     
  19. 09knight

    09knight UCF-Beer-Bolts
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    Going to Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Munich and Berlin next month.

    Hitting a bunch of breweries and Oktoberfest plus a few other items on itenary.

    Any must hit spots for you guys?
     
  20. Nug

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    In the Lima airport, about to fly to Cusco.

    I was told by several people that Lima wasn't all that great, but it was incredible. Ate 2 of the best meals of my life and clubbed it until sunrise last night. Coca tea is a lifesaver.

    The girls here are absolutely ridiculous.
     
  21. southside

    southside Well-Known Member
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    Who can give ark and I a Colombia run down? Doing 10 days in October. Planning bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena.
     
  22. Embree/Yung

    Embree/Yung Tad Boyle, bitch.
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    Depends how long you'll be in Cartagena, but I just got back so it's still pretty fresh.
     
  23. southside

    southside Well-Known Member
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    Somewhere around 3/4 days would be my guess
     
  24. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    probably taking 5-6 day vacation with just the wife in April

    going to stay in continental US probably, maaaybbbeeee Hawaii

    looking at Austin or NYC, we're food/drinkers when traveling
     
  25. PJP3

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    Haven't been to Bogota, but have been to medellin, cartagena, and parque tayrona/tagonga. Medellin is awesome. Stay by the Zona Rosa. Happy Buddha was one of the better hostels I've ever stayed in. Partying here is awesome, so make sure you're there on a weekend. Cartagena awesome as well, not as good as medellin for partying, but much more to do/see. Definitely have some conversational spanish. You'll need it. What else specific do you want to know?
     
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  26. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
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    ark can, he went to school there
     
  27. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Help pls
     
  28. Embree/Yung

    Embree/Yung Tad Boyle, bitch.
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    Renting a boat through www.boats4u.co is an absolute must. Affordable for 8 hours and they're English friendly off-boat. Just make sure someone in your group knows a bit of Spanish on board so the captain can explain the places you're at. Eat breakfast at Pasteleria Mila, often. Eat dinner at D'Res Steakhouse. Attend a Wednesday night hostel party in Getsemani. Rent bikes and bike around the walled city. Smoke cigars at Baluarte San Ignacio.

    Almost no one in Cartagena speaks English, so getting around without Spanish would be very difficult. Walking around the walled city is the best thing to do, along with a quick trip to Baru on the boat. Doing Boats4u was the best thing we did all trip.
     
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  29. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
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    Anybody been to Big Sur before? Any recommendations? Me and the gf have it circled to do on a three day weekend sometime later this year potentially.
     
  30. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    You guys could go to Austin for SXSW in March.
     
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  31. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    rushed through it to get to Santa Barbara based off advice from someone who knew me personally. I like wine/beach/food/views and I think I made the right choice. SB is incredible.

    Anyway, cheap in Big Sur: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/398599?guests=1&s=bSDD
     
  32. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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  33. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    So my buddy needs to get to Santiago on Jan 1... We want to do new years somewhere down there that we can get to cheap before he has to fly there. Any ideas? Colombia is kind of looking like the best bet
     
  34. WhiskeyDelta

    WhiskeyDelta Well-Known Member
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    If you're running the coast in that area, the Paris Bakery in Monterey is incredible, as is Salinas City BBQ in Salinas, and harumi sushi in seaside.
     
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  35. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    I've lost my voice and may be dying. TYW Greece is fantastic, but aggressive.
     
  36. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Will there be video?
     
  37. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Back from Machu Picchu, at the hostel in Cusco.

    Did the 4 day/3 night Salkantay Trek. One of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Up at 4 AM every morning, hiking up 2 mile high mountains for 9 hours/day. Hiked about 45 miles in 4 days.

    Having said that, also one of the coolest things Ive ever done. Kicked my ass but so glad I did it. Machu Picchu was absolutely incredible. Tried to go out a little tonight, but had one beer and hit a wall. Tomorrow night is my last night, will rest up and hit it hard.

    I like SE Asia for the food/culture more, but Peru's party scene is out of this world. Slept with a Brazilian that will be my bride, whether she knows it or not. Can't recommend Cusco enough. Crazy fucking city. Pariwana hostel is one of the best I've ever stayed at.

    Will have pics and a good write-up when I get back to the US.
     
  38. Wee Bey

    Wee Bey racially ambiguous
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    In then KLM Lounge in Amsterdam Airport coming home from India. My goodness it feels so nice to be around civilized people. India ain't nothing to funk wit. Dudes are all up in your shit 24/7. That being said, glad I went, would only go back for free and under my circumstances.

    At the lounge In Hyderabad I meta girl who got some great deals on jewelry. I don't know anything about it so I'd pass on it. She did negotiate my way up to business class on air India so go me.
     
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  39. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    I've long thought people go to places like that purely for ego reasons. So they can tell friends about their enlightenment and shit.

    I've heard so many stories in hostels from backpackers who just adored their 18 hour train ride in a 1 foot by 1 foot cube full of

    Thoughts?
     
  40. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    My friend who lives in Myanmar was previously in Jakarta. When his boss was trying to decide on their next location for their project he went to India. Was checking into a hotel and in walks a fucking ape through the automatic doors and he's just hanging out in the lobby and everyone was acting like it was normal

    He left and scratched India off his list
     
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  41. CTownND

    CTownND Well-Known Member
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    Dammit the "post trip, earliest I can go somewhere for a week again is next summer" blues have kicked in...
     
  42. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    New site that helps with planning apparently. Pick your start city, a month or two you want to leave and length of trip. Gives you options all over the world.

    http://www.fareness.com/
     
  43. Pasta88

    Pasta88 Canes, Bruins, Raps, Jays and Sunderland.
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    I somewhat agree.

    I also hate the traveller vs. tourist labels. It's just a way for people to try feel superior to others. To me, if you don't live there or are from there, then you're a tourist. I feel like some of the "enlightened travellers" would be brought to tears if a local called them a tourist.
     
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  44. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Anyone ever do st. Patty's day in Dublin?

    Gin Buckets
     
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  45. 47 straight

    47 straight Well-Known Member
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    I believe he has but I'm sure he's traveling right now on his way back from Greece. I've actually been kicking that around for my next big trip. Was thinking Iceland/Ireland/Scotland around St Pattys
     
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  46. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    I just realized my March vacation date aligns with Patty's day. I just don't know if it is worth going to Dublin when it's that busy. Although it does seem like a bucket list item. I didn't know if it would be a mistake like NYC on new years.
     
  47. NC Wolfpack

    NC Wolfpack Go Pack Go
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    I havent done St Pattys in Dublin but a few guys I studied abroad with did. I remember them saying that it was fun, but nothing special. Apparently it was all Americans there partying and wasn't much of a local thing.
     
  48. bro

    bro Your Mother’s Favorite Shitposter
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    might post some pics but Vancouver/Seattle was awesome
     
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  49. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Ironic. Well, whatever. International people partying would be fun too in addition to locals.
     
  50. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Im considering doing it next March, have a bunch of buddies interested. AerLingus has flights for <$600 from NYC