Ya, we've been kicking that around. A week in one place feels like too much to me, but I hear you. We're not sure when we'll be able to do another big trip, so that's the reason for squeezing London in. But in all reality, if everything is on points and we get there and decide it's not worth it, it wouldn't be the end of the world to take a train to London just to fly home.
sooner or later they’re going to have to return all those artifacts and then it will be harder to see them at once
We're going to Paris for 3 nights for our honeymoon in two months and I was originally thinking I wouldn't be too excited for it, but now I'm already kicking myself that we're not spending moretime there. Between a day trip to the champagne region, trip to the Monet lilies, or just generally spending a lot more time eating and drinking in the city, its very easy to do 5-6 days there. Ultimately your call though so totally depends on what you're feeling and where you get the best point value from
You could easily spend a week in Paris, especially if you take a day trip to Versailles or Chartres or Amiens
I opened up the convo on dropping the London leg tonight and now she wants to look into Nice. Feels like that backfired haha
random: any recs for Key West and Miami lodging... we will go Hilton or plan B Hyatt if something is worth paying cash for.
First time I went to Paris I stayed 6 weeks. I was 21 and I thought it was the greatest city on earth. I still think it’s amazing. if I could have a coffee on the steps of Sacré Cœur every morning at sunrise I’d never have a bad day. Relevant for Lyrtch and others who like to do the fine dining thing: https://www.eater.com/23627315/michelin-guide-announces-2023-stars-france-guy-savoy-loses-star
Did Northern Thailand, then did the Islands in the south. Did 2 nights in Bangkok on the end (after 1 the first night due to layovers). Front end was fine, but after a 3 hour ferry, 1 hour cab to airport, flight, travel back into the city....I was fucking dead for two days and didn't want to do much of anything. Actually ordered room service
So our lovely US Passport Agency. 9 weeks it sits in 1st status. Goes to "in process" day after I upgraded shipping. Website says possibly 8-11 more weeks so I upgrade to Priority. It shipped yesterday I wasted $80 last week and it shipped today.
First time I went to Bangkok I hated it. Second time I was like, OK I see the draw. Have now been a total of 5 or 6 times and it's one of my favorite cities in the world. It's fucking crazy, especially if it's your first introduction to SE Asia. The heat can be overwhelming, the people, the noise, it's basically an Asian NYC. But if you can get past the sensory overload, there's so much to do and eat. Best street food city in the world, maybe only CDMX is on par. Go to Chinatown for dinner several times or you're doing it wrong. The skytrain and metro are super easy and can take you almost anywhere in the city for less than $1usd
The reviews that say Emirates first class on the 777 are better are for the newly renovated seats. Only six of those to a plane. Floor to ceiling doors. It looks great, but you’d be cut off from you BFF. Also have to make sure you’re getting one of the updated 777s. With only six seats, it may be tough to get one. First class on the A380 gets you the shower. Access to every high end food/drink at all times. Can order ala carte the entire trip. Both first class and biz get access to the bar on the A380. There isn’t one on the 777. It can be tough to find availability for first on the A380. My gf and I got it, but had two other friends get stuck in biz class. They tried to use points to upgrade at check in, but not possible. Only 4 of the 14 first class seats were taken. I think they limit each flight to only 3 first class award seats.
bRamonceTaylor i see you’re looking at Hyatt properties for a few cities as well. Be aware that Hyatt is changing redemption rates for many properties at the end of March. You can save some points by booking now if they’re scheduled to increase.
Does anyone have any recommend car transfer / car ride services in Europe they would recommend? My buddy and I went to Europe in 2019 and there were no direct flights between Budapest and Split so we rented a car and stopped in Plitvice and it was insanely expensive. The driver who took us from the Split airport where we dropped off the car to our hotel said he would have driven us the whole day in a Mercedes sprinter van and stopped at Plitvice for less than it cost us to rent the car. I priced out a trip from Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat to St. Tropez with a 2.5 hour stop in Nice for lunch on this site and it was 400 euros for a Mercedes E class for a trip that goes from around 9 AM to 2 PM. Feels like I could do slightly better but not sure https://mydaytrip.com/
Any Cancun suggestions for families? Staying at Club Med in a couple weeks and will be with my wife and 7 year old. Curious on if walking around the hotel zone is interesting or if we should leave and go farther out.
Ya, we're going with the A380 flight from JFK in biz. The leg from DXB to NBO is a 777, but I doubt that would be a route they would prioritize. I'm sure the A380 will be plenty nice and the bar should be a fun novelty for putting ourselves to sleep in the middle of the day US time. Yep, saw that the other day which has me pressing to get this itinerary locked down. Maybe I can double book if we're down to 2 options before the change and then cancel one later. RIP to my Chase points balance.
Did not see anything in a quick search, but reading about Nug getting blasted for not having TSA reminded me. We have global entry, highly recommend if you do not. One item I just found out is there are preclearance locations in different parts of the world, and said to be expanding. This list for now. https://www.cbp.gov/travel/preclearance Idea being you clear in that airport and you’re done. No lines when you come back through. I know two sets of people who just used this, one in the Bahamas and one through Dublin. Not going to be ideal for everyone ITT but might help some. Everyone obviously has to be cleared, but at these airports there are two lines for citizens. One of them can take an hour or two, the other has you drinking at your favorite bar in the airport.
Thanks. Looks like they have point availability for our dates next week. Was your room type a two bedroom?
I'm planning a last minute trip to Thailand in two weeks. We'll have 8-9 days in Thailand. So far I'm thinking: 2-3 days in Bangkok 2 days in Khao Sok National Park Few Days in Railay Beach (Day trip to Phi Phi Islands) Anything I'm missing here that I'm going to regret?
Someone talk to me about Italy. I just purchased some Ryder Cup tix in Rome and wanted to put a little trip together. It would potentially be with my parents so it cant get too crazy with travel. I was thinking a few days in Rome to hit up the Vatican and all that Rome offers, a day at the Ryder Cup which is like an hour drive from Rome. Anywhere else close by someone would recommend for a few days? I would love to go to Lake Como or Cinque, but worried that is going to be too much travel for just a few days. Probably looking around a 7 day trip.
Man I tried to like Todos Santos, but this town just isn't for me. Have spent the past 3-4 months in Bohemian beach towns so heading to CDMX today until mid-April. Excited for some urbanization in my life. Have a place in Roma Norte for 5 weeks. Head home to see the parents for a bit in April, Seattle for some business and bachelor party, then back to Mexico for May-June. Not sure where yet. On another note, my Spanish has progressed tremendously, feel much more confident than I ever have. I taught Guillermo how to facetime so we can continue my lessons, but we'll see if that actually works. /diary
it happens every year during the winter dry season, when the farmers burn crops to prepare for the upcoming season. Awful practice they have but not sure what the alternative is. They strongly advise avoiding northern Thailand from like Jan - March
Yeah, I'm going to plan a trip around just northern Thailand in the future as long as I don't hate the 15 hour flight to Asia.
Spots outside of Rome will depend upon whether you rent a car or travel by train. Traveling outside of Rome by car is fairly easy until you get to the cities. I would recommend car if going north into Siena or Tuscany. Train if going south to Naples/Pompei or Sorrento on the coast. You have to take the train to Cinque Terre NW of Rome and it’s far. It’s nearly impossible to access by car. We did, and it took us 1.5 hours to go the last 25-30 miles. Nothing but switchbacks and white knuckle driving. If you drive to other cities, some have restrictions upon driving into the old section of town. You need to check. For example, we had an exemption to drive into old Florence because our hotel was in the old section of town. In Pisa, I was fined for driving in the old city because I’m a dumb American who couldn’t read the signs. I really liked Assisi if you want a short car trip—2 or 2.5 hours from Rome. You can drive into it and park easily. It’s basically a medieval walled, mountain fortress, relatively intact from the 13th and 14th centuries. We parked in an underground garage, then walked everywhere. (Not my photos Assisi)
soooo I took an extended time off from work (going back may 1st tentatively), and now I'm looking for somewhere to go. I've done most of Western Europe, but never done anywhere else. If you were me, where would you go?