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

Those prices are insane. I stayed at an Airbnb about a 20 minute walk from where you're looking, it was maybe a few blocks away from Roma Termini, for over half the cost. We had no problems getting to all the main sights, some of the we used the trains if it was a further walk. Also had a king size bed

 

Why do y’all not like AirBnBs?

 

The fees add up way too much, no points, no status, I don't like that there's really no recourse if something goes wrong

 

Just curious. I agree about the fees. We have friends that use them in Hawaii and New York, so we we’re leaning that way for the future.

 

I agree with the no points/no status, but I don't dislike them. We have stayed at them several places where points and status were worthless or non-existent for a much better rate. In Europe we've stayed at some that were a little outside the central tourist areas so that we could get a better local feel and they were extremely discounted compared to other options. There's also places like Iceland where we used one because there were no options for my hotel chain of choice at the time. The one we stayed at in Florence last year may have been our best Airbnb experience ever and it was something like $90 per night simply because it was a 25 minute walk to the cathedral/Duomo area

 

We have three teenagers so AirBnBs allow us the space to stretch out. We stayed in one overlooking the Pantheon last November, for less than the price of those hotels. Wife found great AirBnBs in both Florence and Siena, too.They seem a bit more authentic to us than hotels, but there's a greater possibility of problems, I suppose.

 

I don't find those prices to be that crazy. $300-400 a night seems pretty standard for a pretty good hotel in Rome in a decent location. Hell when I was looking for a hotel in Manhattan for New Years this year, it was $500+ a night.

 

Booked a long weekend (Wednesday to Sunday) trip to Belize in October. Never been. Guess it's time to start doing a little bit of research.

 

Tbh I haven't paid money for a hotel in a very long time

Just some sticker shock

 

don't stay in belize city.

 

Version 276 of the first-day-back-in-the-office-blues.

Spain was amazing. Best food in Europe I've ever had (never been to Italy), the seafood was fucking amazing. Partied way too much, but it was also awesome for that. Will get a write-up soon enough.

 

Correct.Its a shithole. Go straight to the islands or to smaller towns.

Besides going out to the islands on ferries I stayed in San Ignacio which is a safe little town near Guatemala. There are Mayan ruins (Tikal) & guided cave tours nearby (Actun Tunichil) where you swim and walk to get to deep caves with burial remains and artifacts. You can get cell service, but towns like that are nice to get away from a lot of people after being in more touristy areas.

 

We went to Caye Caulker first which is a smaller/quieter island. Its better if you just want to relax, read, walk a few blocks down beach front and sit at a picnic table while someone grills up seafood and you smoke weed you bought at the basketball court/park next to the police station. lol .Not a lot to do though besides take a boat to other places. (Hol Chan, Blue Hole, Ambergris,etc)

Flying isnt a bad idea as long as weather is decent. They're puddle jumpers so couldn't pay me to get into one when its dicey.

 

Give a look at Skinny Dip Falls and Looking Glass Falls

 

will search through the thread in a bit, but wanted to just ask the quick question:

have a friend going to Tokyo, asking me for advice as I like researching trips. Any top bars/restaurants I should pass along?

 

Do a search for Pantheon in this thread. During 2019 there have been some hotel recommendations. Those prices seem typical for good hotels in the area. We’re renting a 4BR home near there for a little bit more (AirBnB), but sharing the cost with 3 other couples. Beds in Italy have improved. It used to be that a single was the norm. A double was 2 singles pushed together. This is still the case in most hotels. At least there are other options now at the nicer hotels.

 

Long time lurker, first time poster.
But since nobody else has answered, and I live near the national park I'll give some suggestions.

This is the best resource for hiking in the national park http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/
I have used this site for Western NC hikes and it's pretty good https://www.hikewnc.info/

Being in the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is terrible, mostly because of the people that choose to vacation in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The cabin you posted is not in a bad location, you are near restaurants in Gatlinburg, but you are not in the middle of everything. It's also a location where you can get to more of the park easily, so staying in a cabin off of HWY 321 with your wife for the weekend might be an option, just be north and east of Gatlinburg proper.

Also if you are flying into Knoxville take HWY 441 into Sevierville and continue to HWY 416/ HWY 454 to the cabin. Your GPS will probably tell you take 441 all the way to 321, but that takes you through the middle of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and traffic is usually terrible, especially on weekends.

There are not many other options close to the park that are very developed. Townsend is one. It's closer to Cades Cove which is one of the more popular areas of the park. It has a few restaurants but not much else in the form of entertainment, but if you just want to hike it's a good base.
Wears Valley is another option. Again a few restaurants, but not much else. Wears Valley has pretty easy access to Pigeon Forge, but probably less close to hiking than Townsend.

Maggie Valley might be an option in NC. It's more developed and tourist oriented, but not to the gaudy level of Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg. Bryson City might be another option on the NC side. I've never stayed there, but it is the city closest to the park on the NC side.

Hikes:
If you can only do one hike in the Smokies I would recommend Charlies Bunion. It a pretty easy hike on the AT to a great viewpoint. It's about eight miles roundtrip with a gradual uphill. The last half mile is a steep decent which makes a steep ascent on the way back for that half mile. Take the spur trail to the Jump Off on the way back for another good view (do not jump off, you will die).
If rain is in the forecast or it has just rained in Gatlinburg that morning skip this one, it's near the high point on the Tennessee side and clouds will hang around up there. I've done it before and when I got to the bunion I had about two feet of visibility.

Nearby Charlies Bunion is Clingman's Dome. Its a steep, short paved trail to a tower that is the highest point in Tennessee. Great 360 degree views. If the crowd at the dome is overwhelming you can hike Abrams Bald from there, its a short easy hike to good views, but not as good as at the tower.

Mt. Leconte is always a popular hike so start early. It's the highest peak in Tennessee and there are several routes to the top. The Alum Cave route is the best, it's about 12 miles roundtrip. There is a "lodge" at the top you can spend the night at, but getting a reservation now is probably a long shot.

Near where you are staying with your work is the Greenbrier area of the park and has two of my favorite hikes. Porters Creek is the best easy hike in the park, and you could do it easily do it if you had some free time one evening. It's also a good hike to do with a small group, because most of the trail in wide. Ramsey Cascade is one of the more underrated hikes in the park in my opinion. It's 8 miles roundtrip to the largest waterfall in the park. It has several beautiful creek crossings and a few old growth trees, which are rare anywhere in TN/NC.

The Chimney Tops is another good one near Gatlinburg. It's 3 miles but very steep. The wild fires a few years ago destroyed much of the trail, and I have not done it since it has been rebuilt. Once you get to the top there is rocky spine you can walk out on to what they call the Chimney, which is pretty neat.

From Cades Cove you can hike to the top of the actual Rocky Top, which might appeal to a college football fan. It is the most difficult hike I have done in the Smokies. It's about 15 miles and very steep, but has good views at the top and from a nice bald near the top. The bald is also good place to stop for a picnic, because the last mile or so is the toughest section. Much of the trail follows the AT, and some people want the experience of hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Gregory's Bald is another popular hike to good views. It's about 10 miles round trip, but not as steep as some of the others. This hike is more popular in spring/ early summer because of blooming Azaleas, but fall foliage should still be nice.

On the NC side Shuckstack Firetower is one of my favorite hikes. Six miles to an old fire tower you can climb up in. Part of the appeal of this one is the drive to it. From Gatlinburg you can take the newly opened Foothills Parkway which has several nice pull offs. You can take that to HWY 129 and the Dragon. People come from all over the world to ride their motorcycles on the dragon, and several die each year, but it's a neat winding mountain road.

Off of the Foothills Parkway is the Look Rock Tower. It's a lesser known spot and one of the best places in the area watch the sunset.

Another nice sunset spot is Max Patch. Its outside the park just across the NC border. There is an exit for it off of I-40, but then you take a dirt road up a mountain to the the parking lot. It's a nice bald that sits on the AT.

Abrams Falls is probably the most popular trail in the park. Because of that it has been several years since I have done it, but it's easy to get to if you are driving the Cades Cove loop. Roughly five easy miles round trip to a large water fall and swimming hole.

Spruce Flats Falls is a lesser known and easy hike near Townsend. It's about two miles round trip with little elevation gain to a nice water fall. the last two times I have done this one I have run into bears, so keep your head a swivel. I've never felt danger around bears in the park, they are much smaller than out west and pretty skittish, but there have been a few more incidents than normal in recent years. Give them space and let them move on before you continue on the trail.

In general in the fall I would rather hike to scenic vistas than water falls because the waterfalls are going to be running lower and less impressive unless there has been recent rain.

 

tspa coming in HOT

 

I did AirBnB in Rome and wasn’t far from there and I was happy

 

I don't drink so I'm probably not much help, and surprised by that. But Blount and Knox County both have liquor stores. So you could stop and pick up whatever you need between the airport and cabin.
Cosby, just down the road from your cabin, is frequently on the show moonshiners. It's where Popcorn Sutton is from. So if you ask around some shady places in Cosby you might end up with some real good home made stuff.

 

So I’m thinking about making a trip to Machu Picchu next year and saw there were a lot of posts about it and Peru in general in the thread. Will probably be looking at a 9-10 day trip as I took two weeks off work to go to Europe this year and don’t think I can do back to back years of trips like that without feeling slightly bad. I also saw a lot of people suggesting the hike but due to time constraints and me being out of shape, I’d be taking the train. How many days do I need in that case? Four it seems?

Also my gf would like to have some beach time to relax. How are the beaches in Peru by Lima? She’s more interested in Colombia. Worth breaking the trip up to do 4/5 days in Colombia and Peru each? Or should I try and sell her on just Peru? Or any other good suggestions? I’ve never been to South America so up for other options as well.

 

If you're not hiking to MP, you could do it in about 4-5. Sample:

Day 1 - arrive in Cusco
Day 2 - Cusco (need to acclimate)
Day 3 - train to Aguas Calientes (pretty much base camp for MP)
Day 4 - MP that AM / train back to Cusco that night
Day 5 - out of Cusco

That's still a pretty tight window, imo. And that omits anything of Lima/etc. Cusco is also an awesome city in its own right.

Lima doesn't have great beaches, but there are some great beaches in Peru. I think Mancora is the best, but I have not been.

I would not try to combine Peru with another country over 9-10 days. Only if you have a full 2 weeks.

Short answer: if you're set on MP (which is amazing), I'd devote at least 5 days to that part, and try to include another 3-4 somewhere in Peru. Lima has great food options (some of the best in the world), but is pretty 'meh' as a city.

 

Just got back from this trip. Copenhagen is an awesome city but god damn is it expensive. Ate at Restaurant Barr. It was delicious but we grossly under-estimated the portion size for main entrees and ended up ordering too much. Kind of felt like the server swindled us. Also did the Torvehallame food hall, good stuff. Got smorrebord in Nyhavn at The Kompesset, very good but pricey. And you were right Tivoli was definitely worth it. Did the swings and the Demon roller coaster.

We flew from Copenhagen to Bergen, Norway for a night. Then took train, bus, and finally a ferry through fjords to Flam. Cruising through the fjords is just wild. It was cold and a bit rainy but the sun would poke out every now and it would be stunning. After a night in Flam, we took train to Oslo for a couple nights. Our hotel was the size of a shoebox but we probably had the best meal of the trip at Arakataka and only spent $80. It was an awesome trip. Only qualms are that Scandinavia is just expensive as shit and the bathrooms in hotels are fucking tiny.

flam

Spoiler

 

Let's be honest, he doesn't need to acclimate if he's going by train and bus

 

Es verdad. Pero, Cusco es simplemente increíble

 

Post more often

 

I agree but it's also higher in altitude than MP so unless you're hiking you should go just for funsies

 

9-10 is doable for the hike. Wouldn’t leave a ton much else. I wouldn’t try to do a MP trip and a beach trip in 10 days. The coast near Lima is cool, but not much beach wise.

But seriously do the hike.

 

Echoing this. I also wouldn't be worried about being in shape. Several reasons:

-you'll have porters and donkeys that will carry your gear and food/water
-assuming you aren't leaving in the next few weeks, you have plenty of time to get into shape, and it could be good motivation
-you don't really have to be in that good of shape. There were people on my trek that I would not consider "in shape," and I know people that have gone that are not "in shape"
-the hike is fucking incredible

 

The Salkantay was the most difficult thing I've ever done and also one of the coolest but he should definitely do one of the easier ones

 

It's certainly not easy. But yes, amazing.

And letan there is no shortage of available hikes for all difficulty levels. I also did the Salkantay and loved it.

 

Salkantay was sick...did it right after college, fitness was fine but feet were chewed up a the end. One of fav trips of all time

 

The hike does seem cool and I’m not planning on going until May so I would have time to be in good enough shape to do it. Now how would I go convincing my gf, who is definitely anti-hiking, to also want to do it? BamaNug Room 15 ohhaithur

I think I’ve got her off the beach part and more into checking out Lima and what it has to offer.

 

It would be pretty tough....my aunt and uncle did it for their 20th wedding anniversary but they did the Salkantay luxury hike. Lodges at all the stopping points with electricity and food.

Gf would be when to be cool taking a shit in a hole on the frozen tunrda the first night...other than that it’s alot of smaller towns and more tropical weather

 

Lol yea she’s definitely not shitting in any holes

 

Don't let us pressure you into Salkantay

Do the Inca trail. Personally I think taking a train and a bus to show up as a typical American and flip-flops and fannypack for your Instagram picture is a waste of time and sells the experience short

 

Leave the gf at home imo

 

Aunt is in Hallstatt, posting pics on old people social media. Jealous. Wife is researching flight options because we need to go back, like, now

 

Where Eagles Dare 941Gator 9-15 foot at 13-15 seconds with off shores from the outer banks up to New Jersey this weekend

Will any sandbar outside of obx be able to harness that craziness

 

I follow Jeannette’s Pier and North Buxton on Surfline, and if you search google for Jeannette’s, you get 2 other views from a more southerly angle.

 

I thought I read everything was going to be onshore and shitty. At least that's what surf line was saying.

Jersey and OBX probably your best guess