It's looking like I am booking flights out to Kona for the gf's birthday in mid-March. I searched the thread to see if anyone had any suggestions on the Kona area but only a few mentions of Kona brewing and the downtown area. Anyone have any guidance for while we are there? I know Kona is on the Big Island but that is about all I know. Never been to Hawaii before. Will be there for around 4.5 days. Should we stay in the Kona area or rent a car and drive around the island? Should we spend a day or two there and then book a flight and jump to another island for a few days? Why?Pokes FriendsofJtyler
Never been, but friends have loved the Kona area. If you've only got 4.5 days there, I'd recommend staying there and not spending precious time island-hopping. Friends have enjoyed the Waikoloa area, two have recommended Los Tres Mex there for their fish tacos. Hapuna Beach is great for bodysurfing. Volcano National Park might be a good day trip. And if it's in season, snorkel with the manta rays. https://www.fair-wind.com/kona-snorkel-destinations/manta-rays/
From yesterday, so I'd hurry Spoiler TO: Honolulu (HNL) Albuquerque (ABQ) - $409 Allentown (ABE) - $537 Austin (AUS) - $513 Billings (BIL) - $406 Boise (BOI) - $363 Boston (BOS) - $549 Bozeman (BZN) - $401 Burbank (BUR) - $397 Calgary (YYC) - $464 CAD Chicago (ORD) - $493 Dallas (DFW) - $503 Daytona Beach (DAB) - $544 Denver (DEN) - $437 Edmonton (YEG) - $585 CAD El Paso (ELP) - $429 Eugene (EUG) - $371 Fresno (FAT) - $417 Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) - $540 Glacier Park (FCA) - $411 Great Falls (GTF) - $390 Indianapolis (IND) - $483 Kansas City (MCI) - $476 Las Vegas (LAS) - $383 Long Beach (LGB) - $358* Los Angeles (LAX) - $358* Medford (MFR) - $375 Milwaukee (MKE) - $483 Minneapolis (MSP) - $501 Missoula (MSO) - $397 Montreal (YUL) - $549 CAD Nashville (BNA) - $483 New Orleans (MSY) - $485 New York City (JFK) - $535* Oakland (OAK) - $317 Oklahoma City (OKC) - $425 Omaha (OMA) - $483 Ontario (ONT) - $393 Orange County (SNA) - $413 Orlando (MCO) - $519 Ottawa (YOW) - $545 CAD Palm Springs (PSP) - $415 Pasco (PSC) - $365 Phoenix (PHX) - $473 Pittsburgh (PIT) - $490 Portland (PDX) - $348* Redmond (RDM) - $373 Reno (RNO) - $387 Sacramento (SMF) - $375 Salt Lake City (SLC) - $457 San Antonio (SAT) - $483 San Diego (SAN) - $353 San Francisco (SFO) - $358* San Jose (SJC) - $309 Santa Barbara (SBA) - $443 Saskatoon (YXE) - $458 CAD Seattle (SEA) - $308* Spokane (GEG) - $375 St. Louis (STL) - $483 Sun Valley (SUN) - $399 Toronto (YYZ) - $537 CAD Tucson (TUS) - $425 Vancouver (YVR) - $412 CAD* Victoria (YYJ) - $372 CAD Wichita (ICT) - $483 Winnipeg (YWG) - $463 CAD TO: Kona (KOA) Billings (BIL) - $398 Boise (BOI) - $363 Boston (BOS) - $517 Bozeman (BZN) - $401 Burbank (BUR) - $397 Calgary (YYC) - $478 CAD Edmonton (YEG) - $540 CAD Eugene (EUG) - $371 Fredericton (YFC) - $576 CAD Fresno (FAT) - $417 Glacier Park (FCA) - $437 Great Falls (GTF) - $375 Halifax (YHZ) - $551 CAD Indianapolis (IND) - $491 Kansas City (MCI) - $441 Las Vegas (LAS) - $398 Long Beach (LGB) - $425 Los Angeles (LAX) - $357 Medford (MFR) - $375 Milwaukee (MKE) - $491 Minneapolis (MSP) - $517 Missoula (MSO) - $416 Moncton (YQM) - $554 CAD Montreal (YUL) - $549 CAD Nashville (BNA) - $443 New Orleans (MSY) - $485 New York City (JFK) - $503 New York City (LGA) - $530 Oakland (OAK) - $300 Oklahoma City (OKC) - $429 Omaha (OMA) - $461 Ontario (ONT) - $393 Orange County (SNA) - $413 Orlando (MCO) - $529 Ottawa (YOW) - $540 CAD Palm Springs (PSP) - $400 Pasco (PSC) - $369 Portland (PDX) - $294 Raleigh (RDU) - $476 Redmond (RDM) - $374 Regina (YQR) - $480 CAD Reno (RNO) - $387 Sacramento (SMF) - $328 San Antonio (SAT) - $491 San Diego (SAN) - $294 San Francisco (SFO) - $318* San Jose (SJC) - $336 Saskatoon (YXE) - $476 CAD Seattle (SEA) - $300* Spokane (GEG) - $395 St. Louis (STL) - $468 Sun Valley (SUN) - $403 Toronto (YYZ) - $537 CAD Tucson (TUS) - $425 Vancouver (YVR) - $440 CAD Victoria (YYJ) - $437 CAD Winnipeg (YWG) - $501 CAD TO: Maui (OGG) Allentown (ABE) - $537 Austin (AUS) - $501 Baltimore (BWI) - $485 Bellingham (BLI) - $318* Billings (BIL) - $436 Boise (BOI) - $371 Bozeman (BZN) - $440 Burbank (BUR) - $385 Calgary (YYC) - $437 CAD Chicago (ORD) - $493 Dallas (DFW) - $503 Daytona Beach (DAB) - $544 Edmonton (YEG) - $463 CAD Eugene (EUG) - $410 Fredericton (YFC) - $538 CAD Fresno (FAT) - $410 Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) - $547 Glacier Park (FCA) - $532 Great Falls (GTF) - $509 Halifax (YHZ) - $540 CAD Hamilton (YHM) - $499 CAD Kansas City (MCI) - $484 Las Vegas (LAS) - $421 Long Beach (LGB) - $406 Los Angeles (LAX) - $358* Medford (MFR) - $413 Milwaukee (MKE) - $484 Missoula (MSO) - $442 Moncton (YQM) - $631 CAD Montreal (YUL) - $539 CAD Nashville (BNA) - $484 New York City (JFK) - $518 New York City (LGA) - $527 Newark (EWR) - $545 Oakland (OAK) - $318* Omaha (OMA) - $470 Ontario (ONT) - $431 Orange County (SNA) - $405 Ottawa (YOW) - $530 CAD Palm Springs (PSP) - $420 Pasco (PSC) - $408 Portland (PDX) - $338* Quebec (YQB) - $549 CAD Raleigh (RDU) - $551 Redmond (RDM) - $410 Regina (YQR) - $466 CAD Reno (RNO) - $389 Sacramento (SMF) - $300* San Diego (SAN) - $338* San Francisco (SFO) - $338* San Jose (SJC) - $318* Saskatoon (YXE) - $450 CAD Seattle (SEA) - $418 Spokane (GEG) - $419 St. Louis (STL) - $484 Sun Valley (SUN) - $474 Toronto (YYZ) - $517 CAD Tucson (TUS) - $445 Vancouver (YVR) - $378 CAD Victoria (YYJ) - $413 CAD Winnipeg (YWG) - $473 CAD TO: Kauai (LIH) Austin (AUS) - $474 Baltimore (BWI) - $445 Billings (BIL) - $398 Boise (BOI) - $363 Boston (BOS) - $513 Bozeman (BZN) - $405 Burbank (BUR) - $386 Calgary (YYC) - $463 CAD Dallas (DFW) - $497 Denver (DEN) - $455 Edmonton (YEG) - $465 CAD Eugene (EUG) - $371 Fresno (FAT) - $390 Glacier Park (FCA) - $451 Great Falls (GTF) - $483 Houston (IAH) - $553 Kansas City (MCI) - $441 Las Vegas (LAS) - $383 Long Beach (LGB) - $376 Los Angeles (LAX) - $373* Medford (MFR) - $375 Minneapolis (MSP) - $523 Missoula (MSO) - $416 Montreal (YUL) - $532 CAD New York City (JFK) - $503 New York City (LGA) - $530 Newark (EWR) - $546 Oakland (OAK) - $318* Oklahoma City (OKC) - $528 Omaha (OMA) - $491 Ontario (ONT) - $393 Orange County (SNA) - $386 Ottawa (YOW) - $598 CAD Palm Springs (PSP) - $414 Pasco (PSC) - $366 Portland (PDX) - $300* Redmond (RDM) - $373 Regina (YQR) - $472 CAD Reno (RNO) - $387 Sacramento (SMF) - $381 Salt Lake City (SLC) - $396 San Diego (SAN) - $294 San Francisco (SFO) - $369 San Jose (SJC) - $346* Santa Barbara (SBA) - $443 Saskatoon (YXE) - $466 CAD Seattle (SEA) - $368* Spokane (GEG) - $381 Sun Valley (SUN) - $471 Toronto (YYZ) - $523 CAD Tucson (TUS) - $425 Vancouver (YVR) - $384 CAD* Victoria (YYJ) - $419 CAD Winnipeg (YWG) - $491 CAD * - nonstop / direct WHEN: Varies significantly by route. Generally February through April 2019. Some routes have additional availability in May and June.
Also, there's an ATL to Sydney for like $560 right now as well on Secret Flying. In other news, does anyone use the TripIt app? I have for years, and have always really liked it -- would recommend. That said, I just got a notification from the app telling me my trip to SLC is starting soon with a confirmation number for flights and everything. Now I'm worried that I accidentally booked a trip when I was out with a buddy a month or 2 ago, but I can't find the source of where the app pulled this information as it's not in my inbox. If I did book a flight while drunk, I'd like to salvage as much as possible since I'm flying to France 2 days after I'm supposed to get back from SLC.
That's why I was asking. I jumped on that and currently have a flight on hold until tomorrow at midnight.
I would stick to the Big Island if you’ve only got 4-1/2 days. Definitely rent a car, you’ll need it to even get around Kona, and you’ll want to venture outside the town at least for some good beach time regardless of how much of the island you decide to see. Try to get a Wrangler if you can. Kona is a neat city, lots of hotel and Airbnb options. It has good surfing, snorkling, kayaking, parasailing, diving, etc... Also most of the coffee plantations are located in the mountain above it. If you’re looking for a resort-experience, the best hotels are north of Kona up the Kohala Coast were you find the nicest beaches. The hotels in Kona are more affordable. Kona Brewing is worth checking out, their selection is great and the food is decent. They tend to be the cheapest good beer on the island, often undercutting the macros at the grocery stores. The brewery has a ton of stuff on tap that you can’t find elsewhere. Also Ola Brewing has a tasting room right around the corner, great beer, no kitchen, but there’s usually a food truck in the parking lot. Big Island Brewhaus in Waimea has really good food and beer up the coast. Only other micro on the island is Mehana in Hilo. Their tasting room is tiny but quaint and worth checking out if you happen to be in the area. Must-sees in and around Kona: -For snorkling, Kahalu’u on Ali’I Drive in town and Two Step down by Captain Cook are the best, with Two Step being unbelievably good. The area around the Captain Cook Monument is suppose to be good too but is a bit of a hike to reach. The drive from Kona to Cook is worth it for the spectacular views alone. -For beaches, Kua Bay and Makalawena are by far the best but a little north of the city. Kua is smaller, more crowded, and easy to get to. Makalawena is the best beach on the island, remote, and requires a hike over a lava field or a low-range 4wd vehicle. In town, Magic Sands and Airport Beach are the best options, but they’re either extremely crowded (Sands), or not great for swimming (Airport). Further up the coast, A-Bay, Waialea Bay also called Beach 69, Hapuna, and the beaches at Mauna Kea are all great. 69 and Hapuna cost $5 for parking and Mauna Kea has a limited number of public spots so you have to get there early. -For eating, Sun Dried Specialties south of town is my favorite spot on the island. Absolutely amazing lobster cakes. Everything is caught daily and cooked to order. Closer to town the best Poke is probably Umeke’s or Da Poke Shack. Have heard Foster’s is good but haven’t been. Further up the coast I like Pueo’s in Waikoloa; the fish shack and Seafood Bar’n’Grill in Kawaihae; Sushi Rock in Hawi; and Brewhaus, Fish and the Hog, Hina Rae’s, Kamuela Kitchen, Island Burger, Coffee Company, Merrimans, and Red Water in Waimea. Those last two are a little spendy but Merrimans does a good happy hour from 2-5 Fri-Sun with some great deals. Stuff to see outside Kona: -For hiking, Pololu Valley past Hawi and Waipi’o Valley past Honoka’a are my favorites. Similar to one another, they offer some rigorous vertical and amazing black sand beaches on the valley floors. Waimanu Valley is gorgeous too but you’d probably want to spend at least two days on it. A lot of the hikes around Volcanos Nat’l Park are currently closed but in the process of being reopened. -For general sightseeing, the Hamakua Coast, Kohala Peninsula, Mauna Kea observatories, waterfalls around Hilo, Volcano Park, and Southpoint area in Ka’u are all great, but they’re spread out and you’ll want to pick and choose what sounds the most fun for you so you don’t spend your entire stay driving around. I like Hilo but it can rain like the wrath of God so check the forecast beforehand if you’re thinking about going. The green sand beach by Southpoint is one of my favorite spots on the island but is one of if not the biggest drives on the island, although a little closer to Kona if that’s were you end up staying. I don’t know if I’d recommend it for a 4 day trip unless you’re also planning on going to Volcano the same day. Also it requires 4wd or a bit of a hike. -For Volcano, as I mentioned previously a lot of the Park is still closed. The best parts right now are the caldera overlook by the visitor’s center and Chain of Craters road to the coast. If you do go try to give yourself time to check out the winery, it won’t blow you away but it’s worth a stop just for the ridiculousness of a winery being a mile away from the most active volcano on earth. They have some interesting wines too. If you have any questions or need some more detailed rec’s I’m happy to help.
Oh yeah if you feel like really blowing it out for a meal but don’t want to do a traditional nice dinner, Sunday brunch at the Mauna Kea is a glutton’s paradise of all-you-can eat ahi sashimi, smoked salmon, sushi rolls, crab legs, dimsum, omelets, benedicts, island salads, etc... Also a great way to ensure yourself a parking spot for the beach as you can valet for free and walk down to the sand before and/or after your meal. The restaurant, Manta, has great views of the water and, as the name implies, a viewing area for manta rays in the evening. Which speaking off, a lot of people rave about the manga dives, either scuba or snorkel. We still haven’t done it yet but it’s on our short list. There are several companies out of Kona that can arrange one for you. It’s probably way too late but you could always throw out a lifeline to Takenoko in Hilo and see if they’ve had any cancellations. Last time I called was around Thanksgiving and they were booked through June, but worst they can say is no.
TO: Melbourne (MEL) Albany (ALB) - $683 Anchorage (ANC) - $763 Appleton (ATW) - $713 Asheville (AVL) - $693 Austin (AUS) - $685 Billings (BIL) - $622 Birmingham (BHM) - $725 Boise (BOI) - $650 Boston (BOS) - $679 Bozeman (BZN) - $644 Buffalo (BUF) - $683 Burlington (BTV) - $684 Cedar Rapids (CID) - $706 Charleston (CHS) - $650 Charlottesville (CHO) - $722 Chattanooga (CHA) - $683 Chicago (ORD) - $557 Cincinnati (CVG) - $683 Cleveland (CLE) - $679 Cody (COD) - $665 Columbia (CAE) - $650 Columbus (CMH) - $683 Corpus Christi (CRP) - $683 Dallas (DFW) - $531 Dayton (DAY) - $683 Denver (DEN) - $608 Des Moines (DSM) - $712 Destin (VPS) - $683 Durango (DRO) - $667 El Paso (ELP) - $725 Eugene (EUG) - $663 Evansville (EVV) - $662 Fargo (FAR) - $683 Fayetteville (XNA) - $757 Fort Myers (RSW) - $683 Fort Wayne (FWA) - $683 Fresno (FAT) - $658 Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) - $683 Glacier Park (FCA) - $665 Grand Junction (GJT) - $526 Grand Rapids (GRR) - $662 Greenville (GSP) - $650 Hartford (BDL) - $683 Houston (IAH) - $539 Huntsville (HSV) - $683 Indianapolis (IND) - $713 Jackson Hole (JAC) - $640 Kansas City (MCI) - $730 Knoxville (TYS) - $725 Las Vegas (LAS) - $619 Lexington (LEX) - $683 Los Angeles (LAX) - $470* Louisville (SDF) - $682 Madison (MSN) - $700 Manchester (MHT) - $759 Medford (MFR) - $658 Memphis (MEM) - $683 Milwaukee (MKE) - $662 Minot (MOT) - $663 Missoula (MSO) - $665 Mobile (MOB) - $683 Moline (MLI) - $526 Montrose (MTJ) - $662 Nashville (BNA) - $683 Newark (EWR) - $574 Norfolk (ORF) - $722 Oklahoma City (OKC) - $662 Omaha (OMA) - $683 Ontario (ONT) - $597 Orange County (SNA) - $585 Orlando (MCO) - $704 Palm Springs (PSP) - $623 Panama City FL (ECP) - $744 Pensacola (PNS) - $683 Phoenix (PHX) - $608 Pittsburgh (PIT) - $678 Portland (PDX) - $709 Portland ME (PWM) - $683 Providence (PVD) - $684 Raleigh (RDU) - $670 Rapid City (RAP) - $662 Redmond (RDM) - $658 Reno (RNO) - $700 Richmond (RIC) - $722 Roanoke (ROA) - $722 Rochester (ROC) - $683 Sacramento (SMF) - $619 San Antonio (SAT) - $662 San Diego (SAN) - $619 San Diego (SAN) - $619 San Francisco (SFO) - $588 San Jose (SJC) - $679 Santa Barbara (SBA) - $561 Sarasota (SRQ) - $705 Savannah (SAV) - $688 Shreveport (SHV) - $725 Sioux Falls (FSD) - $662 South Bend (SBN) - $712 Spokane (GEG) - $665 St. Louis (STL) - $662 Syracuse (SYR) - $683 Tampa (TPA) - $732 Tucson (TUS) - $578 Tulsa (TUL) - $704 Washington DC (IAD) - $613 West Palm Beach (PBI) - $693 Westchester (HPN) - $750 Wichita (ICT) - $704 Wilmington (ILM) - $650 TO: Sydney (SYD) Albany (ALB) - $695 Appleton (ATW) - $695 Aspen (ASE) - $678 Austin (AUS) - $692 Billings (BIL) - $676 Birmingham (BHM) - $695 Boise (BOI) - $668 Boston (BOS) - $691 Bozeman (BZN) - $673 Buffalo (BUF) - $695 Burbank (BUR) - $535 Burlington (BTV) - $695 Cedar Rapids (CID) - $695 Charleston (CHS) - $662 Chattanooga (CHA) - $695 Cincinnati (CVG) - $695 Cleveland (CLE) - $691 Cody (COD) - $677 Columbia (CAE) - $662 Columbus (CMH) - $695 Corpus Christi (CRP) - $695 Dayton (DAY) - $695 Destin (VPS) - $695 Durango (DRO) - $548 El Paso (ELP) - $695 Fargo (FAR) - $712 Fayetteville (XNA) - $695 Fresno (FAT) - $673 Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) - $691 Glacier Park (FCA) - $677 Grand Junction (GJT) - $538 Grand Rapids (GRR) - $662 Great Falls (GTF) - $677 Green Bay (GRB) - $674 Greensboro (GSO) - $695 Greenville (GSP) - $695 Hartford (BDL) - $695 Huntsville (HSV) - $695 Indianapolis (IND) - $672 Jackson Hole (JAC) - $635 Kansas City (MCI) - $695 Killeen–Fort Hood (GRK) - $695 Knoxville (TYS) - $695 Lexington (LEX) - $695 Little Rock (LIT) - $695 Long Beach (LGB) - $590 Louisville (SDF) - $695 Madison (MSN) - $695 Manchester (MHT) - $695 McAllen (MFE) - $695 Memphis (MEM) - $695 Milwaukee (MKE) - $683 Minot (MOT) - $716 Missoula (MSO) - $677 Mobile (MOB) - $695 Montrose (MTJ) - $678 Myrtle Beach (MYR) - $695 Nashville (BNA) - $695 New Orleans (MSY) - $695 Oklahoma City (OKC) - $695 Ontario (ONT) - $497 Orange County (SNA) - $535 Orlando (MCO) - $691 Palm Springs (PSP) - $673 Panama City FL (ECP) - $695 Pittsburgh (PIT) - $677 Portland ME (PWM) - $695 Providence (PVD) - $695 Rochester (ROC) - $695 Sacramento (SMF) - $660 San Antonio (SAT) - $674 San Diego (SAN) - $680 Santa Barbara (SBA) - $573 Sarasota (SRQ) - $695 Savannah (SAV) - $695 Shreveport (SHV) - $695 Sioux Falls (FSD) - $712 Spokane (GEG) - $677 St. Louis (STL) - $670 Sun Valley (SUN) - $673 Syracuse (SYR) - $695 Tampa (TPA) - $691 Tulsa (TUL) - $695 West Palm Beach (PBI) - $695 Westchester (HPN) - $635 Wilmington (ILM) - $695 * - nonstop / direct WHEN: Varies greatly by route. Generally February through December 2019
Getting on a KLM flight today after an Emirates, I wanted to cry. Also if you haven’t been to Dubai, it’s a must. Place was unreal
Easy and cheap Asia jump off point TO: Hong Kong (HKG) FROM: Chicago (ORD) - $427 Newark (EWR) - $427 WHEN: February through May 2019
I found that Melbourne fair from Tucson in November - might need to go back and explore Australia this time....
TO: Paris (CDG) FROM: Atlanta (ATL) - $353 WHEN: March through early May and September through October 2019
Bkk seems easiest to get into price wise and flights up into laos are cheapest from there. Unless something comes up I believe that's the play. Think I'm gonna do a lot of rural laos shit for the entirety
rank these 4 cities (I understand that other cities in these countries might be better, but that's not the question): 1) Oslo 2) Coppenhagen 3) Stockholm 4) Helsinki
Only been to Copenhagen, it’s awesome. Bet in the summer it’s incredible. Have heard pretty meh things about Oslo, definitely head to Northern Norway. Know little about the other two beyond a google search.
Been to Copenhagen and Stockholm, I like Copenhagen better.......was awesome in the summer but also not anywhere u neee to spend too much time in
I only did Luang Prabang in Laos, but for what its worth its probably my least favorite place Ive been in SE asia.
Probably going to jump to chiang rai or chiang mai then cross and do a trek in huay xai. Eventually get to vientiane and vang vieng with some other stuff mixed in. I'd like to do at least two days in luang prabang as well and hit the waterfalls for a day
The Kuang Si waterfalls are awesome and was the only thing I liked. Look up what is going on currently in Vang Vieng though. Pretty sure they mostly shut down all the float bar/drug hopping thing that made it popular with backpackers a few years back. Theyve made it more of a tourist town full of Chinese than the party backpacking town it used to be. I had wanted to go there after reading about it 7-8 years ago, but by the time I made it to Laos in 2017, it was all over.
Yeah they closed most of the tubing side stuff like crazy bars and slides and zip lining after 27 fucking people died in 2011. Its insane. Can still tube the Mekong though which is pretty cool, and kayak from there as well. Also there's a shit load of caves around there you can explore.
Probably end up spending like 3-4 days in chiang rai, 3-4 huay xai, then the balance in the other places. Or maybe Chiang mai over rai because it's my favorite but I really should do rai
Do we have a Scotland write up? Wife wants to go there next, idk bit super pumped for it. Anyone? Probably try to pair it with another city
A friend of mine is Scottish. Will see him this week sometime and ask must dos from his point of view
Neither of us are scotch ppl, but old castles could be cool. Idk what all to do. White English speaking counties seem to always be way down my list
Went when I studied abroad in London. Edinburgh is awesome. I did a daylong bus tour of the Highlands, obviously have some more control over how long and what you see if you just rent a car and DIY.
This is what I plan on doing in Huay Xai. You hike into the forest and stay in a treehouse like 40 meters up and zipline all around the forest whenever you want to. It's a national park and the money goes to conservation https://www.gibbonexperience.org/
Towns, sights like Loch Ness, stuff like that. Could easily make the trip just exploring the Highlands if you really wanted to. We did the Scotch Whisky Experience. It was interesting but also kinda cheesy and super touristy as it isn't an actual distillery. But I was 20 at the time so the trip was a little different than how I'd plan it now. Nevertheless, Edinburgh is worth visiting. It was well worth the 9 hour bus ride to and from London.
I think my app messed up. I hope at least. I forgot to try and check in. That said, I fly out Friday to Paris and then Geneva to ski in Chamonix.
Australia sale price drop TO: Melbourne (MEL) Albany (ALB) - $628 Anchorage (ANC) - $661 Appleton (ATW) - $610 Asheville (AVL) - $600 Austin (AUS) - $581 Billings (BIL) - $573 Birmingham (BHM) - $628 Boise (BOI) - $575 Boston (BOS) - $628 Bozeman (BZN) - $575 Buffalo (BUF) - $628 Burlington (BTV) - $628 Cedar Rapids (CID) - $629 Charleston (CHS) - $600 Charlottesville (CHO) - $663 Chicago (ORD) - $500 Cincinnati (CVG) - $628 Cody (COD) - $594 Columbus (CMH) - $628 Corpus Christi (CRP) - $628 Denver (DEN) - $558 Des Moines (DSM) - $610 Durango (DRO) - $611 El Paso (ELP) - $628 Eugene (EUG) - $605 Evansville (EVV) - $610 Fargo (FAR) - $610 Fayetteville (XNA) - $628 Fort Myers (RSW) - $628 Fort Wayne (FWA) - $610 Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) - $628 Grand Rapids (GRR) - $610 Hartford (BDL) - $628 Huntsville (HSV) - $628 Indianapolis (IND) - $610 Kansas City (MCI) - $600 Knoxville (TYS) - $628 Las Vegas (LAS) - $564 Lexington (LEX) - $628 Louisville (SDF) - $626 Madison (MSN) - $605 Manchester (MHT) - $682 Medford (MFR) - $605 Memphis (MEM) - $628 Milwaukee (MKE) - $610 Minot (MOT) - $610 Missoula (MSO) - $575 Mobile (MOB) - $628 Montrose (MTJ) - $610 Nashville (BNA) - $619 Norfolk (ORF) - $663 Oklahoma City (OKC) - $610 Omaha (OMA) - $610 Orlando (MCO) - $618 Pensacola (PNS) - $628 Phoenix (PHX) - $563 Pittsburgh (PIT) - $634 Portland ME (PWM) - $628 Raleigh (RDU) - $617 Rapid City (RAP) - $610 Redmond (RDM) - $628 Reno (RNO) - $605 Rochester (ROC) - $628 Sacramento (SMF) - $570 San Antonio (SAT) - $581 San Diego (SAN) - $545 San Jose (SJC) - $583 Savannah (SAV) - $636 Shreveport (SHV) - $628 Sioux Falls (FSD) - $610 South Bend (SBN) - $610 Spokane (GEG) - $575 St. Louis (STL) - $610 Syracuse (SYR) - $628 Tampa (TPA) - $628 Tucson (TUS) - $578 Tulsa (TUL) - $610 Washington DC (IAD) - $510 West Palm Beach (PBI) - $600 Wichita (ICT) - $610 TO: Sydney (SYD) Appleton (ATW) - $622 Aspen (ASE) - $539 Austin (AUS) - $593 Billings (BIL) - $585 Birmingham (BHM) - $640 Boise (BOI) - $582 Boston (BOS) - $635 Bozeman (BZN) - $606 Burlington (BTV) - $640 Cedar Rapids (CID) - $622 Cincinnati (CVG) - $640 Cleveland (CLE) - $635 Cody (COD) - $587 Columbus (CMH) - $640 Corpus Christi (CRP) - $640 Dayton (DAY) - $640 Destin (VPS) - $640 El Paso (ELP) - $640 Fargo (FAR) - $622 Fresno (FAT) - $617 Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) - $635 Glacier Park (FCA) - $587 Grand Rapids (GRR) - $622 Great Falls (GTF) - $587 Green Bay (GRB) - $622 Greensboro (GSO) - $612 Greenville (GSP) - $607 Hartford (BDL) - $640 Huntsville (HSV) - $640 Indianapolis (IND) - $622 Jackson Hole (JAC) - $574 Kansas City (MCI) - $593 Killeen–Fort Hood (GRK) - $623 Knoxville (TYS) - $640 Minot (MOT) - $659 Missoula (MSO) - $625 Montrose (MTJ) - $549 Nashville (BNA) - $625 New Orleans (MSY) - $649 Palm Springs (PSP) - $620 Sacramento (SMF) - $576 San Diego (SAN) - $620 Sioux Falls (FSD) - $622 Spokane (GEG) - $582 Syracuse (SYR) - $640 Tampa (TPA) - $635 Tulsa (TUL) - $622 Wilmington (ILM) - $612 WHEN: Varies greatly by route. Some routes have a much more limited availability. Generally February through December 2019
The highlands is just a gorgeous area. Rolling mountains and hills with little towns scattered throughout. We spent all our time between Inverness, Isle of Skye, and Fort William. Isle of Skye was our favorite as we went for genealogical purposes for my wife and hiking. And on the Isle we were able to find the ruins of the town that her family came from and then the hikes were some of the best I've ever done in my life. If you go in the summer it's supposedly an absolute terror to get around as many roads on the Isle are a single lane and you have to stop and move to the side any time someone is coming from the other direction. In the fall and winter this isn't a problem, we went in September and almost never passed by anyone which also made the hikes incredible because there was no one else on the trails. Inverness was a nice little town and a good starting spot if you want to explore Loch Ness, around here we stayed in a 15th century castle and that was fun. Fort William was somewhere I wished we spent more time. We hiked a little around Glen Coe but I'd love to do much more and really enjoyed the town. And around there was one of our favorite experiences. We were driving along the mountainside up above one of the lochs in the area and we passed a pull off and there was a guy in traditional Scottish dress playing bagpipes. We turned around and pulled off and sat there for the next twenty minutes just enjoying the scene and listening to the guy play. In regards to food and drink, every inn and pub we went to were great. I can't comment much about Edinburgh as that's actually where we spent the least amount of time.
Bangalore is kind of a shithole (even by Indian standards). If you have a chance, catch a train to Hampi, one of my favorite places in India, about an 8 hour overnight train. Not a whole lot around that part without jumping on a plane.
Here's a steal TO: Auckland (AKL) Chicago (ORD) - $668 Durango (DRO) - $649 Jackson Hole (JAC) - $689 Peoria (PIA) - $689 Philadelphia (PHL) - $628 Seattle (SEA) - $648 Tucson (TUS) - $630 Washington DC (DCA) - $668 Washington DC (IAD) - $668 TO: Christchurch (CHC) Chicago (ORD) - $683 Denver (DEN) - $643 Philadelphia (PHL) - $675 Salt Lake City (SLC) - $643 Seattle (SEA) - $640 Tucson (TUS) - $680 Washington DC (DCA) - $683 Washington DC (IAD) - $683 WHEN: Varies by route. Generally May through November 2019
TO: Bologna (BLQ) Milan (MXP) Naples (NAP) Pisa (PSA) Rome (FCO) Venice (VCE) FROM: Albany (ALB) - $476 Albuquerque (ABQ) - $478 Allentown (ABE) - $476 Appleton (ATW) - $478 Asheville (AVL) - $475 Austin (AUS) - $473 Billings (BIL) - $498 Birmingham (BHM) - $475 Bloomington (BMI) - $478 Boise (BOI) - $487 Boston (BOS) - $473 Buffalo (BUF) - $476 Burbank (BUR) - $492 Burlington (BTV) - $476 Cedar Rapids (CID) - $476 Charlottesville (CHO) - $475 Chattanooga (CHA) - $476 Cheyenne (CYS) - $491 Cincinnati (CVG) - $473 Cleveland (CLE) - $473 Columbia (CAE) - $475 Columbus (CMH) - $473 Corpus Christi (CRP) - $478 Dayton (DAY) - $475 Daytona Beach (DAB) - $475 Des Moines (DSM) - $476 Destin (VPS) - $475 Detroit (DTW) - $474 Durango (DRO) - $478 El Paso (ELP) - $478 Eugene (EUG) - $492 Evansville (EVV) - $492 Fayetteville (XNA) - $475 Fort Myers (RSW) - $475 Fort Wayne (FWA) - $477 Fresno (FAT) - $492 Grand Junction (GJT) - $478 Grand Rapids (GRR) - $475 Green Bay (GRB) - $478 Greensboro (GSO) - $474 Greenville (GSP) - $470 Harrisburg (MDT) - $475 Hartford (BDL) - $473 Honolulu (HNL) - $491 Huntsville (HSV) - $475 Indianapolis (IND) - $473 Jackson (JAN) - $475 Jacksonville (JAX) - $473 Jacksonville NC (OAJ) - $475 Kansas City (MCI) - $473 Key West (EYW) - $473 Killeen–Fort Hood (GRK) - $478 Las Vegas (LAS) - $473 Little Rock (LIT) - $475 Long Beach (LGB) - $478 Los Angeles (LAX) - $473 Louisville (SDF) - $472 Madison (MSN) - $475 Manchester (MHT) - $476 McAllen (MFE) - $478 Medford (MFR) - $492 Memphis (MEM) - $473 Milwaukee (MKE) - $475 Minneapolis (MSP) - $474 Mobile (MOB) - $475 Moline (MLI) - $478 Myrtle Beach (MYR) - $475 Nashville (BNA) - $473 New Bern (EWN) - $475 New Orleans (MSY) - $473 New York City (JFK) - $459* Norfolk (ORF) - $473 Oklahoma City (OKC) - $478 Omaha (OMA) - $492 Ontario (ONT) - $491 Orange County (SNA) - $478 Orlando (MCO) - $473 Panama City FL (ECP) - $476 Pensacola (PNS) - $473 Peoria (PIA) - $475 Pittsburgh (PIT) - $473 Portland (PDX) - $476 Portland ME (PWM) - $476 Providence (PVD) - $476 Raleigh (RDU) - $473 Rapid City (RAP) - $478 Redmond (RDM) - $492 Reno (RNO) - $491 Richmond (RIC) - $476 Roanoke (ROA) - $475 Rochester (ROC) - $476 Sacramento (SMF) - $478 Salt Lake City (SLC) - $476 San Antonio (SAT) - $473 San Diego (SAN) - $473 Sarasota (SRQ) - $476 Savannah (SAV) - $473 Seattle (SEA) - $473 Shreveport (SHV) - $475 Sioux Falls (FSD) - $492 South Bend (SBN) - $475 Spokane (GEG) - $492 Springfield (Missouri) (SGF) - $492 St. Louis (STL) - $473 Syracuse (SYR) - $476 Tallahassee (TLH) - $473 Tampa (TPA) - $473 Tucson (TUS) - $478 Tulsa (TUL) - $492 Wichita (ICT) - $478 Wilmington (ILM) - $475 Worcester (ORH) - $478 * - nonstop / direct WHEN: February through March and October through early December 2019, including Thanksgiving availability on many routes
TO: Sydney (SYD) FROM: Chicago (ORD) - $493 Dallas (DFW) - $461 Denver (DEN) - $496 Houston (IAH) - $482* New York City (LGA) - $496 Newark (EWR) - $496 Philadelphia (PHL) - $496 Phoenix (PHX) - $494 Seattle (SEA) - $532 Washington DC (DCA) - $496 Washington DC (IAD) - $496 * - nonstop / direct WHEN: February through November 2019