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

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

  1. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    its mostly full as of now

    but we'll seeeeee, message board degenerates elsewhere are convinced the cruise ship offboarding is going to cause a massive outbreak
     
  2. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
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    I was just looking at flights from SFO to Singapore this Friday on United and they are wide open. 100+ open seats on each flight.
     
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  3. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
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    Anyone have experience renting a car in Brazil? No way we'd do it in a city like Rio or Sao Paolo, but early research seems to be that the best way to get to Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park is to fly to Brasilia and drive the 3.5 hours from there.
     
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  4. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    Flying to OZ on Saturday for 2 weeks. Will keep an eye out for Dorothy and Todo.
     
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  5. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Florida Gators

    Need a vacation from Hawaii? Asshole
     
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  6. AptosDuck

    AptosDuck Pedantic Hausfrau
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    My in-laws considered relocating to Hawaii for retirement in the mid-1990s. They decided to spend a few months over there in one of their rentals to see if they'd like it, and after two months they came running back to their home in California. There's only so much golf my FIL could play, and my MIL got claustrophobic with all that water around her all the time
     
  7. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    You’re preaching to the choir. Between the baby on its way, and me passing the bar and trying to start a business, it’s a terrible time for us to travel.

    The issue is LadyPokes gets a ton of vacation, but has to schedule it a year in advance, so there’s always going to be a bit of juggling the vacations and life stuff.

    At least OZ should be kinda quiet during the summer dog days. All the islands are slammed right now. It’ll be nice to get away from the crowds.
     
  8. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    If you don’t have a job or family here, and you’re not willing to immerse yourself in the culture (surfing, swimming, biking, agriculture, conservation, hiking, paddling, etc...), it could be a lonely place to live.

    It takes awhile to develop relationships here because so many people try to make the move and quickly return to the mainland. People like to feel you out and get a sense of whether you’re serious about staying.
     
  9. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Florida Gators

    Island fever
     
  10. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    Especially on Oahu and Kauai. At least Maui and the Big Island you feel like you can “get away” without having to leave the island.
     
  11. AptosDuck

    AptosDuck Pedantic Hausfrau
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    California Golden Bears

    I know I couldn't do it unless I was throwing myself into a job, and even then I'm not sure I could sustain it. Love visiting but after about ten days I need to get back to the mainland
     
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  12. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Florida Gators

    Grew up on a 7 mile island. It can easily feel like a bubble, especially as a kid.
     
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  13. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    I love it. First place I’ve lived that I can see myself staying forever. I’ve always enjoyed traveling, but now whenever we leave I can’t wait to get back home.

    Aside from Lanai and Molokai (and Niihau but that doesn’t really count), the Big Island is the closest you can get to “old Hawaii.” The culture here is very local and not completely dominated by transients and tourists.
     
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  14. Thoros of Beer

    Thoros of Beer Academy Award-Winning Actor, Tim Allen
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    are there any good travel forums that you guys frequent?
     
  15. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    The Mainboard dot com
     
  16. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    i read flyertalk but more so for flight/points stuff

    and also to track coronavirus stuff that might lead to me cancelling my trip in a week RIP
     
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  17. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    When you come back pls don't sneeze on TMB and get us infected
     
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  18. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    honestly not worried about my own health, more the quarantine risk, they're already cancelling public events, next will be public spaces/museums/etc if it doesn't slow down. not worth it if everythings deserted
     
  19. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
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    Everything being deserted sounds like the perfect time to go! No crowds!!
     
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  20. Thoros of Beer

    Thoros of Beer Academy Award-Winning Actor, Tim Allen
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    I said good lol
     
  21. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    U wot mate?
     
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  22. xec

    xec Well-Known Member
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    Trip Advisor. There are golden nuggets buried in the mud.
     
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  23. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Florida Gators

    I don’t need full details... but what are top 2-3 credit cards to get in regards to points/traveling perks etc?
     
  24. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    Chase Sapphire Reserve IMO but this isn’t really a one-size-fits-all thing.
     
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  25. rezy

    rezy Member
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    Paging ohhaithur also check out the credit card thread. Definitely depends on where you want to go/stay and how deep you’re willing to go
     
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  26. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Yeah you can shoot me a PM with your details and I can help
     
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  27. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
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    You can trust him, he's a wizard.
     
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  28. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    New life hack:

    Step 1 — book international tickets on Jetstar

    Step 2 — inform your wife/gf that they’re limited to 15 lbs total for luggage

    Step 3 — enjoy a stress free trip not carrying around 60 lbs of unnecessary crap that you’ll never use
     
  29. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Florida Gators

    Not for me. I was just going to give her a couple rec’s to point her in the right direction. But in effort to help you help me:

    900 credit score
    Maybe 40k a year salary
    Travels 3 times a year in US and 1 international
     
  30. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    900 credit score?

    Anyway, she should choose one of the following, likely. I'd need a lot more info but:

    Chase Sapphire Reserve if she is willing to pay effectively $150 per year for benefits that will certainly be worth it
    A specific airline card if she lives in a hub (i.e. she only flies Delta or Southwest)
    Citi Doublecash if she just wants 2% back on her purchases, no annual fee and never think about anything ever again
     
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  31. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    Downtown Sydney Airbnb. ~100USD/night

    12B4CB68-DCDF-456B-A07D-895B2758A1DC.jpeg

    BEE5ECE6-B2B3-46E7-ACFE-6B5FF446F628.jpeg
     
  32. Spontaneous Cumbustion

    Spontaneous Cumbustion Well-Known Member
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    Currently planning a trip to Australia in the fall. Going to Sydney, Melbourne and then a beach somewhere. Let me know if anyone has any recommendations for those three places.
     
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  33. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
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    Check out Byron Bay for a cool surf town. My favorite beach in Sydney was Manly. Took the ferry from downtown Sydney to Manly.
     
  34. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    We’ll be flying to Brisbane in a couple days and are still weighing options on where to stay. Everyone we’ve talked to, American and Aussie, have told us to skip the Gold Coast and focus on the Sunshine Coast. Dunno if we’ll bother w Manly/Bondi since we live on a beach, but we might do it just to say we did.
     
  35. Menelaus

    Menelaus The Red-Haired King
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    Coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy. Supposed to be on a flight to Rome on Saturday for a week (Rome, Tuscany/Florence). Here’s to hoping we actually make it. fucking nervous
     
  36. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    So we ended up doing Manly, skipped Bondi. Manly is fun and combos very well w the zoo and Watson Bay. You can buy a hop on/off 2 day ferry pass along w zoo tickets for <$40USD/person. It’s def worth it for the trip to the zoo alone, add in all the other stops and views of the harbor and it’s a no brainer. We took one of the private ferry services; the city boats might be even cheaper.

    Staying in Byron tonight, then going to head up to the Sunshine Coast and Noosa for a few days. Byron is a cool spot and I’d return for a longer stay without hesitation. Surfer’s Paradise is nice too, not as much character as Byron but very beautiful (think Miami minus a lot of the gaudiness), and better surfing than Byron.
     
  37. Why?Pokes

    Why?Pokes Take me back to the kine
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    Re: Sydney

    We stayed in the Darling Harbor area of downtown, mostly because we weren’t planning to rent a car for that leg of our trip. It was very convenient and there are tons of trendy neighborhood bars and cafes in the area. The art museums are free and worth checking out, and the botanical gardens next to the Opera House are a great walk. We did a tour of the Opera but no show. If you’re thinking about a show book ahead and save yourself a ton of money.

    The city is super young and diverse. If you stay downtown make sure you check closing times on restaurants as they tend to shut down a lot earlier than the bars.
     
  38. DuffandMuff

    DuffandMuff Well-Known Member
    Tampa Bay LightningSan Diego Padres

    I stayed with friends for a couple weeks who live in Bondi Junction, so I was at Bondi a ton. Getting to Manly was a nice change.

    I forgot to mention Watson Bay. Definitely check that out with the Gap Lookout on the other side. You can walk a trail along the cliff for some cool views.
     
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  39. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
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    Looking into a trip for the GF and I over Memorial Day (current plan is 5/22 - 5/31) and am dancing between 3 options:

    - Costa Rica
    - Guatemala
    - Peru

    Obviously those are entire countries so there is a lot of options within each one, but from a general stand-point, does anyone have any suggestions? We are definitely not the type to sit around on a beach for a week so we are looking for things that can have some downtime but mostly be active. Once the location is decided I plan to read through this thread to find more information and suggestions.
     
  40. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    I haven't been to Guatemala but I would say:

    Costa Rica if you want the most diversity. Surfing, jungle, volcano, city

    Peru if you want to do a lengthy Machu Picchu trek

    I generally did not like Peru outside of the trek, but the trek itself was fantastic
     
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  41. phunkybuck

    phunkybuck Your pennies have been in my ass
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    Planning a trip to Central Europe this summer (Germany, Prague, Austria, Switzerland) and have been waiting for deals from Scott's Cheap Flights, but none thus far. I realize this is the most popular time to travel there, but wondering if long-time subscribers recall good deals popping up for summer European travel. I've got all the major airports within ~3 hours from Columbus (and O'Hare) in my search criteria.
     
  42. Room 15

    Room 15 Mi equipo esta Los Tigres
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    It sounds like I liked Peru more than you did, but the itinerary I'd recommend (Cusco -> MP trek -> Huacachina -> Lima) may be tight for 9 days.

    Costa Rica certainly has a bevy of options to be active.
     
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  43. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    the fucking flies in sydney are insane and awful

    Bondi is cool, start on the north side and walk down towards Tamarama/bronte bath and if really wanting to go for it just walk all the way to Coogee, Manly(4 pines brewery is legit) is cool and make sure to at least walk up to Shelly beach. the ferries are really easy to use and cheap. zoo is good.

    we split our trip with a couple days in surry hills the kind of hipster neighborhood and other half up at the park hyatt in the super touristy area.

    too many restaurant and bar recs to list, Mr Wong was fantastic, Restaurant Hubert happy hour was worth the trek, any specific food/drink preference I probably have something flagged.
     
  44. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    I would cut out Lima entirely but it's hard to fly in anywhere else
     
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  45. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
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    For those that have been to Iguacu, is there any reason to cross into Paraguay other than to somewhat disingenuously cross it off the country list?
     
  46. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    We never even considered it, there doesn't seem to be much there besides a passport stamp
     
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  47. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Nah. Go to Puerto Iguazu and check out the river that divides Argentina/Brazil/Paraguay is all I can recommend.
     
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  48. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
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    How long do you think this kind of trip would require? 14 days?
     
  49. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    Florida Gators

    I posted about my non trek trip in here. Maybe in op. Don’t get to hike but it is faster obviously.
     
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  50. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    My minimum Peru trip is 11 days, but can be 9 if you do a different trek

    Day 1: Fly into Lima
    Day 2: Fly into Cusco asap
    Day 3: Cusco/hydrate
    Day 4: Cusco/hydrate
    Day 5, 6, 7, 8, 9: Salkantay trek (only 3 days for Inca)
    Day 10: To Lima
    Day 11: Home
     
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