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

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

  1. aspenbuff

    aspenbuff Well-Known Member
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    Maybe it will be better flying within the Schengen zone as I think that is a different terminal/entry point. Still, the airport is poorly marked, the people who work there give you wrong information and the international terminal was so overcrowded that not only was there nowhere to sit in the entire terminal, but there was no space on the ground to sit down. There was, I think, 1 food option for a grab n go sandwich type thing, and again, it was so overcrowded that people would be randomly standing in a spot where people were actively boarding another plane. Total unorganized zoo.
     
  2. Room 15

    Room 15 Mi equipo esta Los Tigres
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    This girl I hooked up with in Valparaiso is going to SE Asia and asked for recommendations. I said I've never been but I could send her a few write ups. Start reading BamaNug s and it's like a hookup highlight reel. Definitely not editing, I look forward to the reaction.
     
  3. heelfan

    heelfan Well-Known Member
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    Room 15 BamaNug
    Hostel recs for BA? BamaNug your rundown from last July has me pumped. Do you recommend the Eco Pampa that you stayed at?
     
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  4. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    Looks beautiful on satellite photography...What's wrong with orly
     
  5. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I'll readily admit that I don't have much 'game,' but for whatever reason when I'm out of the country I'm able to hook up with a ton of girls---I don't have nearly as much success when I'm back home. Hostel lifestyle + stunning good looks + the most cultured man in South Alabama

    Yea, I'd absolutely recommend Eco Pampa. If you're not about that dorm life, I'd probably get a private room--the dorms are loud and very average. A guy I met was staying in a private room and said it was legit, I would've done that if I knew beforehand.

    A lot of people may tell you to stay at Millhouse (I think that's the name of it), which is supposed to be a pretty famous party hostel. However, it's really far out of the way---you want to stay in Palermo, it's where almost everything is. Eco Pampa's location is perfect, and you can party in the lobby all night/don't have to be quiet and sneak in when you get back. Make friends with the staff, they're awesome (assuming some are the same).
     
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  6. heelfan

    heelfan Well-Known Member
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    Thanks man. I'm sorta similar in the first part, my travel buddy looks like Goebbels' wet dream so I'm pretty sure he's going to crush it there. I'll be chasing what's left. I'm 24 and he's 23, so I think we can handle the dorm life.
     
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  7. aspenbuff

    aspenbuff Well-Known Member
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    In short, it's completely overcrowded and lacking in amenities. Visually it's not bad, outside of security at least.
     
  8. Room 15

    Room 15 Mi equipo esta Los Tigres
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    I stayed for a week in Eco Pampa as well, solid spot. Yea Millhouse is a big rager from all accounts, lots of drugs, but not in the best part of town. Definitely stay in Palermo.
     
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  9. Room 15

    Room 15 Mi equipo esta Los Tigres
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  10. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Definitely agree on staying in Palermo. We stayed at Millhouse one night and left to go back and stay in Palermo. Its a big party hostel, but its all just non Argentinian backpackers and there's not much nightlife outside of the hostel party in that area.
     
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  11. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    If anyone was trying to book travel soon, ebates has Travelocity at 14% back
     
  12. Room 15

    Room 15 Mi equipo esta Los Tigres
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    How old are y'all? Do you drink/party at all? How's your Spanish?

    If you're truly prioritizing outdoor activities then i might tell you to only spend 3 days in BA, the plan of Iguazu that BamaNug posted (he'll be the pro there, I still haven't been), and then 3-5 days closer to Patagonia, either in Bariloche or Calafate/El Chalten. I love BA, but it's a big metropolitan city, plenty of nice parks but nothing really in the way of hiking/rafting/etc (and all Argentine beaches suck, you'd need to go to Uruguay if you wanted a decent beach)

    My favorite day treks were in El Chalten, a tiny town based entirely on the trekking tourism about 2 hours north of Calafate. Beautiful hikes with stunning landscapes. You could do 2 days here and 1-2 days in Calafate (seeing Perito Moreno Glacier is the big driver here; huge and gorgeous).

    Bariloche would also be a really nice place for you to go. Many people compare it to a Swiss Mountain town. Nice city right on a huge lake, surrounded by green mountains. Lots of good hikes here, there would probably be more options for other adventure sports here as well.

    Here are two blogs I wrote on those two legs of my trip:

    http://www.loggingoff.work/logging-off/2017/1/14/bariloche-and-el-bolson
    http://www.loggingoff.work/logging-off/2017/1/21/el-chalten-and-el-calafate

    (and there's 4 months of posts on Buenos Aires if you care to read through any of that).

    I'm just now realizing that you said this summer which means winter, which may change some of my advice. I'll think through it. Just know the weather is pretty extreme in Southern Argentina so maybe look into the weather in those cities in winter (I haven't experienced it) and keep it in mind when deciding what y'all want to do.

    My general BA recommendations
    My favorite empanada place - Guimpi V, a tiny hole in the wall, it was my go to.
    Best choripan place - Nuestra Parilla (credit to BN for telling me about it) - maybe my parents favorite meal and really cheap. Pairs well with the San Telmo Market on Sundays if that lines up with your dates.
    Eat at a parilla - Don Julio, La Cabrera, Rio Alba are some popular top of the line ones.
    See tango of some sort...either free street performances, taking a lesson, or seeing a show. I can give recs based on what you'd want to do.
    Try some ice cream, it's incredible.
    Every Monday night, there's a performance by La Bomba Del Tiempo which is a 18 piece percussion group, pretty cool to do.
    Depending on your level of Spanish - English tours of some of the more famous monuments (Casa Rosada, Recoleta Cemetery, Congreso Nacional) are only on certain days/times so worth looking into. Also the BA tourism site is chock full of information.

    Kind of a brain dump, if I think of anything else I'll let you know, but shoot me any questions.
     
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  13. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    If you guys wanted to intentionally schedule a long layover in a certain city how do you go about doing it ?
     
  14. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Whatre you trying to do
     
  15. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I was thinking of Nuestra Parilla the other day. That's still some of the best meat I've ever tasted in my life. Strong homo.

    I've heard Don Julio is somewhat disappointing compared to the rest, but I'm also sure it'll be a top-tier steak. I went to La Cabrera and it was incredible, highly recommend.

    When in Puerto Iguazu (if that's where you decide to stay), I strongly recommend this place to stay. Real good hotel, and has an amazing restaurant in the center of it:

    Boutique De la Fonte --
    https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...erto_Iguazu_Province_of_Misiones_Litoral.html
     
  16. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Layover in Mexico City for 12 hours to see the US Soccer game on June 11. Maybe to Peru?
     
  17. Room 15

    Room 15 Mi equipo esta Los Tigres
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    I went to Don Julio and thoroughly enjoyed it. Tried sweetbreads for the first time there...not so much.
     
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  18. Open Carry

    Open Carry TMB Rib Master
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  19. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    I've messed around on clever lay over before. Sometimes with a kayak search I'll know who's routing through where and just figure it out that way with a long leg input filter
     
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  20. Open Carry

    Open Carry TMB Rib Master
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    Got the first room booked for my 3 week Europe trip. Staying in Bad Schandau for two nights between Berlin and Prague to see Germany's biggest fortress and some neat nature in Saxon Switzerland. BamaNug you see any of this?

    Bad Schandau
    [​IMG]

    Konigstein Fortess
    [​IMG]

    Bastei
    [​IMG]
     
  21. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Negative, but I have a friend that spent significant time in Germany and he highly recommended the bottom 2. I was also there during the dead of winter, so I imagine it'll be much more enjoyable in the summer
     
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  22. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
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    I just turned 40 yesterday.
    We drink, but at this point in our lives we're not hitting clubs. A spot to get drunk and chill and/or listen to music is right up our alley though.
    Spanish is pretty poor. We're both fluent in French but have only a very basic knowledge of Spanish meaning we can figure out some signs but can't hold a conversation at all. I've been doing a few minutes a day on Duolingo for the past few weeks so if I keep that up over the next few months we'll see if that helps.

    Thanks for the awesome write-up. Will definitely read through your blog posts and may have a few other questions. I've figured the reverse seasons may work in our favor in Buenos Aires in giving us some pretty pleasant weather but yeah not sure if it will be too cold for more Southern or Mountain spots.
     
    #7822 BayouMafia, Feb 14, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2017
  23. Open Carry

    Open Carry TMB Rib Master
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    Did you find yourself using the daypack? I'm stuck between the farpoint 55 and deuter transit 50 which both have attached daypacks, and the porter 46.
     
  24. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I've only used it on one trip (over NYE), and I did not remove it, so I can't really comment. But I am planning on utilizing that feature during my next trip.
     
  25. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    more places are getting stricter on back/day packs in Europe, in my experience.
     
  26. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
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    Attractions?
     
  27. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
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    Just boarded in Atlanta, about to head to Nassau :cool:
     
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  28. zachary

    zachary <3
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    looking for a city to visit for a couple of nights during spring break with my girlfriend, any recommendations? we really only care about good beer and food
     
  29. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Need to be more specific than that brosef. Where you at? I would assume staying in the US?
     
  30. zachary

    zachary <3
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    I'm in Texas so something preferably outside of it and I'm moving to Colorado in June so not really looking for an outdoorsy trip
     
  31. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    That's pretty broad. I would put the dates you want into google flights and pull open the map and see where you can get a direct flight to for cheap. Might bring up a random place you wouldn't have thought of. I assume there's a lot of direct flights if you're near dallas or houston. Off hand I'd throw out San Diego, Vegas, New Orleans. All good for a weekend and good places to eat and drink. Also would be good weather in spring.
     
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  32. zachary

    zachary <3
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    Yeah it is very broad, we're not really looking for anything particular..just somewhere to have fun for a couple of nights and eat some good local food. Not wanting to spend too much money of course..
     
  33. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I second NOLA, but check the dates. Spring Break and Mardi Gras overlap a lot. I think Mardi Gras is really early this year, though.

    Agree with just pull up a Google Flights map and see what you can get for cheap
     
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  34. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    Charleston
     
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  35. Hugo Boss

    Hugo Boss The poster formerly known as CarolinaRPh
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    Nashville
     
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  36. Jimmy the Saint

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    Portland would also fit the bill. Gf and I went for 4 days/3 nights last June. We could've easily spent weeks there just eating and drinking.
     
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  37. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    I'd personally save portland for a time with better weather. Spring can still be pretty wet. It's amazing when its sunny during the summer though.
     
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  38. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    zachary I don't know where in Texas you live but Southwest Houston to Charleston has some easy direct options
     
  39. zachary

    zachary <3
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    Im a little over an hours drive from houston, that's where we will be flying out of.
     
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  40. allothersnsused

    allothersnsused Wow that’s crazy
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    Anybody done a Boat/Bike tour? I met some people in the Netherlands who were doing it and it seemed like a cool idea. Did some preliminary research on it today and it seemed like a really easy way to see a lot of out of the way places. I also like the idea of getting a good amount of exercise.

    Thinking about looking into it more seriously with the lady friend but would love to hear any experiences that others had. Just hoping its not too kitschy/touristy/Cruise-like.
     
  41. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Arkadin and I were just talking offline

    At what point does it make sense for you to do business over economy?

    I'm looking at a trip on AA for 40k economy or 60k business. That one seems easy.

    Where do you all value business?
     
  42. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Going to Thailand in early April. Lots of talk recently about it here. Planning on 10 days there. Was hoping for more, but piggy backing off wife's work trip to China.

    Arriving on April 1st. Hopefully in the early AM. Thinking....

    Land April 1st in Bangkok. Stay for 2 nights
    April 3rd Fly to Chiang Mai Stay for 4 nights
    April 6th/7th fly to the Islands and stay 4 nights

    Sounds easily doable, yeah? Now have to figure out where to go in south Thailand....
     
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  43. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Depends a lot on the length of the flight imo. If it's like NY to London or something I'd probably still do economy. Anything like 8+ hours I'd think a lot more about it.
     
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  44. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Look at when the monsoon season is for the islands, it's different for Phuket and Phi Phi (West side) and Koa Tao/Samui (East side)
     
  45. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Tripadvisor tells me on about on the end/beginning of good times for both sides
     
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  46. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Yeah April will usually be good anywhere but you could get unlucky like ohhaithur
     
  47. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Dry season my ass
     
  48. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    What's the route?
     
  49. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Indy Miami Lima
     
  50. Where Eagles Dare

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    Any of you Thailand guys ever been to any of the Trang Islands?