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

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

  1. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Like I said about happy buddha, if you party hard that's cool

    No reason to not try to be quiet in rooms when people are sleeping
     
  2. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
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    People who have done Italy...is it worth it to pay extra to stay on the island for Venice or is it easy enough to take the train in from Mestre each day? Only staying two nights but it's a significant price difference
     
  3. Fran Tarkenton

    Fran Tarkenton Hilton Honors VIP
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    yea Id stay in Venice proper
     
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  4. Goose

    Goose Hi
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    Where else in Colombia are you going?
     
  5. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
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    As with everything with vacationing, it depends on your preference. For a lot of people Venice is “Italy as a Theme Park” and it’s something to check off but not all that great an experience. If for you “touristy” is a huge negative then I’d recommend staying a little further outside in Padova, which is a really cool college town (and has been for like 800 years) and train in to Venice in the morning. Of course if you’re flying in/out of Venice rather than train hopping through Italy then this would add a layer of complexity that’s probably not needed.

    On the other hand if you take a more idealized view of Venice then staying there would definitely be a more convenient and immersive experience.

    I’ve done both and due to personal preference I enjoyed the Padova option a hundred times more than the second option.
     
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  6. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
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    We are planning on getting to Venice on 3/29 and fly out the afternoon of 3/31. The girlfriend is wanting to stay on the island but I've found a couple of options right next to the main station in Mestre that say it takes 10 minutes to get to Venice from there so she would probably be on board with that for half the price in lodging. I was thinking that location would probably be pretty convenient for getting to the airport as well
     
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  7. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    am I the only that goes private room in hostel?
     
  8. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I pretty much always do when theyre available. Sometimes I wait too long and only dorms are available.
     
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  9. Room 15

    Room 15 Mi equipo esta Los Tigres
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    I only did a few times when I was treating myself. I also had no income though.
     
  10. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    I do it when I can but if you travel long periods over holidays shit sometimes happens
     
  11. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Yeah private rooms aren't always available or they have one room that's like 20 times the price of a bunk
     
  12. Dildo Dawgins

    Dildo Dawgins Well-Known Member
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    Anyone have any advice for Bermuda? Wife and I are doing the baby moon thing and Bermuda and Hawaii were only non-zika “tropical" options but Hawaii was too far for her. Not sure what area/parish to stay in - somewhere close to a nice beach. Do I need a rental car?
     
  13. 941Gator

    941Gator TMB's resident beach bum
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    ba·by·moon
    ˈbābēˌmo͞on/
    noun
    informal
    noun: baby-moon
    1. a relaxing or romantic vacation taken by parents-to-be before their baby is born.
      "on the eve of my third trimester, we boarded a plane for a week-long babymoon among the quiet canals of Amsterdam"
     
  14. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    White women are the worst
     
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  15. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Today I learned there's a new road to pai that's significantly quicker and easier and now it's getting flooded with people. That's disappointing
     
  16. Dildo Dawgins

    Dildo Dawgins Well-Known Member
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    Agreed. Also the CEO/board of directors at etsy convinced a new generation of women that there's a thing called a "push present"
     
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  17. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Wonder what he's getting her for a push present

    Edit: Southlick'd
     
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  18. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    So pregnancy is now four gifts?
     
  19. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    That blows. I remember when I was there in 2014 everyone was pissed off because they had recently installed the first traffic light. Big part of the allure is the remoteness/difficulty to get to. Place will probably be a tourist trap soon, if it’s not already.
     
  20. southside

    southside Well-Known Member
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    What are the hostels in Cusco y’all really like?
     
  21. Room 15

    Room 15 Mi equipo esta Los Tigres
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    Pariwana.

    Don't go to the Wild Rover it's too far up the damn hill.
     
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  22. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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  23. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I stayed at the Pariwana in Lima as well and it was also good.
     
  24. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Yeah Pariwana but again, private room

    I switched after two days but not as bad as I just had it in Colombia
     
  25. playhosea

    playhosea Put me in coach
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    Heading to Vail in March. Anyone know of any things that you have to do/see while you're there?
     
  26. enjj

    enjj Well-Known Member
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    Flying into Miami and driving is a pretty cool experience. Takes about 3 hours to get to Key West but it’s such a cool drive. First rule...do not speed at all.
    Get mopeds and tour around town/island. Also find a catamaran tour out to the reefs and get drunk on the way back. Most usually have an open bar for the trip back.
     
  27. Oranjello

    Oranjello Well-Known Member
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    Ski to Blue Sky Basin, drink beer, and explore Blue Sky while doing laps around chair 37/39. Ski the back bowls if you know how to ski and are not looking to drink beer while skiing. If you're not that great of a skier, do laps down Lodgepole and explore the runs around Lift 2. If you're in fairly decent shape and want to get a workout in with a solid reward at the end, do the Minturn Mile at the end of the day and finish it off with a beer at the tavern. Go hang out with the hippies and see a show at Shakedown Street. Depending on the weekend, enjoy one of the Spring Back to Vail free concerts. Apres Ski at the George and shoot pool. There's also pretty good shopping, but it's largely geared towards women. In March, you may be able to get some fly fishing in, depending on how the winter goes and your tolerance for cold.

    I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty of other things, but what it pretty much boils down to is how good of a skier you are and whether you're looking to party or take it easy. Vail is great and has options for everyone.

    EDIT: To answer your specific question, no I can't think of any must-do's. Vail is an outdoors town, so go do shit outdoors.
     
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  28. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Speaking of pai, this morning at 4 am the owner of a hostel shot and killed the owner of the restaurant attached to his hostel, his wife, and a restaurant worker
     
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  29. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    Which hostel?
     
  30. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    I'm not sure. The chick I was talking to was Thai and I couldn't really understand the name of the hostel
     
  31. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    Standard day in Florida
     
  32. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
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    Aviation videos have become my new time-killer, I'm fascinated by them

     
  33. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    PJP3 BamaNug what should I look for in a halong bay tour
     
  34. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Definitely only do 2 day 1 night. We did 3/2 and the 2nd day you are off the big boat the whole time on a small “day boat” then when you get back to the ship, you do the exact same path you did night one. Not worth it. Kinda disappointing when we paid a bunch of money to be on this nice boat and then spend 8 hours on a dinkey one. Was very happy with the experience minus the day boat though. I basically picked our cruise (orchid) bc it was nice and new, and went out of Haiphong instead of Halong so it was only 2 hours drive from Hanoi instead of 4 yet still sailed in the same areas. Besides that, Id just look for one with good ratings thats in your budget. Theres a lot of highly ranked ones, and I don’t think youre going to find too much difference bt them.
     
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  35. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    I enjoyed the 3 day/2 night, but our 2nd night was on Cat Ba Island, not on the boat. I know a bunch of tours stay on Cat Ba the 2nd night and it's all included in the price. Cool island, lots of nature, can rent scooters, hike, etc.

    There are a million companies, so I'd just trust TripAdvisor. Most all of them will offer some sort of kayaking, jumping off the boat, etc. But definitely stay on Cat Ba if you're going to do 3 days, otherwise I'd take PJP3's advice and just do 2 days/1 night. It's incredible, but after a few hours there's not a lot else to see.
     
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  36. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    I was looking at Copenhagen hostels for next year and one is 520+ a night for a private room... Who the fuck pays that?
     
  37. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    We did the Zabb E Lee cooking school in chiang Mai. Was #2 on trip advisor. That was fucking awesome. Guy was great, food was great, atmosphere was great. Had a lot of fun
     
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  38. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Must be some big event going on. I was in London right before the '12 olympics and this shitty hostel I stayed in was going to be charging $100/night for a bed in an 8 bed dorm during the olympics. One of the worst hostels I've ever stayed in.
     
  39. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    August is just busy I guess. Most places were 200-250 for a private room but one hostel was all 520+. I can Airbnb for like 100-150 so whatever
     
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  40. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
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    Wow this is a thing?
     
  41. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Yeah, couple airlines have similar cabins now. Shits nuts
     
  42. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
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    If you have enough money everything is a thing
     
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  43. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Or miles...
     
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  44. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    I do it on every international trip pretty much. If I'm completely solo, I'll probably share, but anything else I'm going private.
     
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  45. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Pricing out two weeks of lodging in Germany/austria/copenhagen is fucking depressing
     
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  46. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    Flights to Alaska booked

    First time I've used my Alaska Companion pass in 3 years of owning the card :facepalm:

    Still looking to go somewhere warm in late Feb/early March.
     
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  47. Nug

    Nug MexicanNug
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    CPH is expensive as balls. Germany, as least in the big cities, isn't far behind.
     
  48. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
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    Its insane. Basically need to budget 100/night on average with two of us. I just spent like 450 bucks for two weeks in thailand on lodging for two people lol
     
  49. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
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    Do any of you use those travel package websites like TravelZoo, Expedia, etc...? I want to use my signing bonus on a trip for the gf and I (also going to double dip and call it her bday present) but have never used one of those type groups before. Are tehy worth it or would it be most cost efficient to take the time to plan it out myself?
     
  50. REGGNECK

    REGGNECK You wanna know what I been down , DONT BOTHER ME
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    Used Expedia once to go to DR .. worked out well .
     
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