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

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

  1. LeonardWashington

    LeonardWashington Leader of Tuanon
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    By train or by flight? I'm assuming train because you can fly literally anywhere from Milan or Venice

    Depends on what kind of honeymoon you want:

    If you want one full of activity Bernese Oberland area of Switzlerand would be my overwhelming choice, though that's going to be a lot of hiking in the most beautiful area of the world. Shortish train ride to get there from Milan. If you're looking to sit back and relax, maybe not the spot though.

    I've heard Sardinia is great and absolutely beautiful if you're going for a more lazy, sit on the beach vibe. Obviously that will require a flight but a very, very short one.

    French Riviera/Monaco also would be a very strong choice for that sort of thing and pretty easily accessible by train from Northern Italy.

    Obviously lots of spots in Northern Italy itself as well- Tuscany, Venice, Lake Como, Cinque Terre but assuming you'll be hitting those up if you're already going to be in Northern Italy.
     
  2. DollarBillHokie

    DollarBillHokie Usher is the worst
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    Flights are fine. The location was to eliminate East Asia, South America, and the U.S. from the options.
     
  3. herb.burdette

    herb.burdette Meet me at the corner of 8th and Worthington
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    What do you want to do, ie your interests?

    If you are going alpine and north, Lake Como or Lauterbrunnen (below).

    I really liked the Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terra if you want Italian coast.

    upload_2025-2-22_12-2-24.jpeg
     
  4. AptosDuck

    AptosDuck Pedantic Hausfrau
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    I've never known anybody to be sorry they went to Hallstatt

    [​IMG]
     
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  5. herb.burdette

    herb.burdette Meet me at the corner of 8th and Worthington
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    What level of English speaking locals do you see if you get off the beaten path in Austria? We’re contemplating side trips on a Euro trip in May 2026. My son will have two years of German, but American HS teaching German.
     
  6. AptosDuck

    AptosDuck Pedantic Hausfrau
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    I don't know that there is such a thing as off the beaten path in Austria anymore. English has served as the common tongue for a while now in most of Europe, a way for Romanians or Poles to talk to French or Germans, and we've found that in Austria there's been a big influx of cheaper labor from the east along with regular tourists, so pretty much everybody at this point will speak better English than your son will speak German. They'll say they don't or say, "a little," then proceed to speak clearly and fluently. And if you're in Austria, they'll tell you their life's story and invite you to dinner.

    Gemütlichkeit (German pronunciation: [ɡəˈmyːtlɪçkaɪt] ) is a German-language word used to convey the idea of a state or feeling of warmth, friendliness,[1] and good cheer. Other qualities encompassed by the term include cosiness, peace of mind, and a sense of belonging and well-being springing from social acceptance. The adjective "gemütlich" is translated as "cosy", so "Gemütlichkeit" could be simply translated as "cosiness".

    "Gemütlichkeit" derives from gemütlich, the adjective of Gemüt, which means "heart, mind, temper, feeling" expressed by (and cognate with) English mood. The German abstract noun Gemütlichkeit has been adopted into English.[2] The current meaning of the word derives from its use in the Biedermeier period. By the second half of the 19th century, it also became associated with a set of traits supposedly unique to the Austrian culture.
     
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  7. ScFan27

    ScFan27 Well-Known Member
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    Lugano, Switzerland. Stay at Grand Hotel Villa Castagnola
     
  8. construxboy

    construxboy xenForo is the new TMB
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    Day trip to Bellagio from there.
     
  9. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Yeah but the upgraded metal loops vs the plastic ones are really gonna make me toss these on my carry-on now.

    Screenshot_20250222-190013.png
     
  10. Good Effort! Good Game!

    Good Effort! Good Game! Dallas Clark's biggest fan
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    Ascona, Switzerland is pretty incredible. Took this from the roof of Art Hotel Riposo, which I'd highly recommend. 90 minutes from Milan airport
     

    Attached Files:

  11. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    If you rock a status tag I assume you're the biggest loser
     
  12. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Feel like it's a badge of honor for some of these folks flying 3-4 legs a week. I don't get it
     
  13. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Think we're going to head to St John in June. Haven't been in about a decade, pretty excited to go back. One of the few places I've re-vacationed.

    Doing some early research and it does appear cannabis is legal in the USVI and St John has 3 shops :prawl:. Anyone been recently?
     
  14. Lawnole23

    Lawnole23 FSU Seminoles 2020 National Champions
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    We stayed in Wendel, Switzerland and then Bellagio on Lake Como. It was pretty awesome.
     
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  15. Pac_Lion

    Pac_Lion Mr. Rubber Burner
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    Was there in October. Weed was kinda shitty imo
     
  16. BayouMafia

    BayouMafia Thought Leader in Posting
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    back when I had Executive Platinum status on AA I put one of the personalized bag tags they send you for free on my carryon. A year or so later they changed the design and then at some point mine disappeared from my bag.

    I figured the plastic loop that came with it broke or something, but not long after that I saw a post on an ExPlat group where a guy said he was discreetly breaking the old tags off peoples’ bags when he saw them in the overhead because anyone rocking one was holding on to old status which was akin to stolen valor to him. A few replies told him he wasn’t the only one doing that. Truly lost people.
     
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  17. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Well, shirt weed is better than no weed
     
  18. phunkybuck

    phunkybuck Your pennies have been in my ass
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    You looking for flower or what? At this point, I’m far more comfortable bringing my own cartridges and/or edibles than trying to source from a potentially sketchy location at my destination. Just my :twocents:
     
  19. steamengine

    steamengine I don’t want to press one for English!
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    Probably gonna hurt a few feelings here but airline/hotel status discussed and gatekeepers are up there with Isis and the Big H in terms of worst humans.
     
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  20. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Usually have no worries flying domestically with pens or gummies. But it's just a nice touch when it is legal where I'm going.
     
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  21. phunkybuck

    phunkybuck Your pennies have been in my ass
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    Agreed that it’s enjoyable purchasing in a new locale like that. I’d probably take the essentials and then anything I could grab at my destination would be a bonus.
     
  22. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    does anyone use seat.aero

    got a pile of points I want to use, but this shit is turbo nerd
     
  23. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    also I used to pay for Going(Cheap Flights) but found I wasn't getting many deals so bailed. does anyone still subscribe to any of those flight deal services?
     
  24. Lawnole23

    Lawnole23 FSU Seminoles 2020 National Champions
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    I'm still on Going. It's still saving me on money but I usually plan my vacations around the deals I find.
     
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  25. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    tbh this is why I miss it, used to give me the little kick in the ass to plan somewhere new
     
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  26. AptosDuck

    AptosDuck Pedantic Hausfrau
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    Rick Steves says he's cancer free. Not a fan of the term, but it suggests his treatment was successful, which is good news
     
  27. xec

    xec Well-Known Member
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    Typically I’m a big fan of Italy for this, but be aware that in early September all of the popular and well known romantic destinations from Rome northward will be over-crowded with international tourists. I can’t speak to south of Rome. Maybe north of Rome Grosetto or to the east Marche and Abruzzo aren’t. But even in the north the small towns aren’t. If you have a car those are more accessible. A village like Lierna on Lake Como won’t be crowded. It has a train station and a handful of very nice restaurants. By rail you can day trip to Varenna and larger towns. Even ferry to Bellagio from Varenna. But both Varenna and Bellagio will be packed with tourists.
     
    #33227 xec, Feb 23, 2025
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2025
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  28. herb.burdette

    herb.burdette Meet me at the corner of 8th and Worthington
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    I would not do this. Just because TSA or someone else hasn’t flagged it doesn’t mean they won’t.
     
  29. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    Pens way riskier than gummies.
     
  30. BellottiBold

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    Yes. It's wonderful. GoodForAnother too iirc.
     
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  31. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
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    You have it set up with all the filters and alerts or just use it to search?
     
  32. BellottiBold

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    I mean I'll set alerts up if I'm gunning for something specific, but otherwise it's just manual searching.
    Also if you get the pro account, highly recommend joining the discord. (Actually you can still get good info from it even w/out pro)
     
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  33. Cousin Eddie

    Cousin Eddie Lookin for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
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    Trip coming up next month. Visiting grandparents in Germany then going to Edinburgh and London. Should be a great time.
     
  34. devine

    devine hi, i am user devine
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    Can you get pens in italy?
     
  35. PJP3

    PJP3 Well-Known Member
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    Roame has worked great for me. especially if you’re flexible w date and location. You can pick a multiple month window and just put Europe and it’ll show you everything available.
     
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  36. BellottiBold

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    Seats does that too. I also like the aliases it has for collections of airports. You can base your searching on all of the west coast gateways for example... "large European airports" etc...
     
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  37. Irush

    Irush Well-Known Member
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    Anyone here ever done Prague? Have any recs or advice on going solo?

    Thinking of going for like 2-3 days real quick before a work trip to Europe I have in May.
     
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  38. Cousin Eddie

    Cousin Eddie Lookin for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
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    Prague is fucking awesome. I stayed at Hostel One Home which was excellent. Not sure if you are still at an age/stage of life where you want to stay in hostels. Definitely a party vibe and a ton of fun. We did a walking tour including old town and the Charles Bridge which was neat. Prague Castle is cool as well. We went to a Sparta Prague match and enjoyed that. Other than that we went to some breweries which I don't remember the names of tbh but I feel like they were all relatively similar.
     
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  39. Irush

    Irush Well-Known Member
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    Sweet thank you, I’m in my mid 30’s and definitely like to party but a hostel may be a young man’s game idk

    I definitely wanna explore the city center, go to Pilsner Urquell and see some museums. Prague looks beautiful so I’m excited to see it
     
  40. WC

    WC Bad Company, ‘til the day I die.
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    #33240 WC, Feb 23, 2025
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2025
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  41. THEBLUERAIDER

    THEBLUERAIDER Well-Known Member
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    Thinking of going somewhere in August and hopefully another trip in December around Christmas. Visited Paris last fall and have the travel bug.

    Need suggestions and recommendations. August trip will likely be a chill, all inclusive type. Would love an awesome Christmas experience for December.

    Flying out of Denver. Hilton points and United miles to use.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  42. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
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    Germany/Austria for Christmas markets if that’s the type of thing you’re looking for.
     
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  43. LeonardWashington

    LeonardWashington Leader of Tuanon
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    my sf post is very current but happy to answer any questions about any of the spots or any new spots you read about. Let me know what your favorite type of food or the kind of restaurants you like and that may help narrow it down. SF is very spoiled and just overloaded with great options.

    In Big Sur, if you like fine dining and want to splurge you have to do Sierra Mar. One of the most unique and best views of any restaurant in the world. Fun fact…It’s on the cover of the book “1000 Best Restaurants in the world. If there’s one place you eat at this trip, eat there. Nepenthe also has a wonderful view and some great history, but is best for a drink because the food is not really comparable to sierra mar.

    haven’t found a place in Carmel by the Sea I absolutely love. Lots of pretty good, nothing great I’ve found so far. Honestly the pub at Pebble Beach is my favorite for lunch. For fine dining the restaurant at Bernardus is Carmel Valley is very good
     
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  44. steamengine

    steamengine I don’t want to press one for English!
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    I found Carmel incredibly disappointing. Monterrey is great though.

    just make sure you plan for Big Sur to to be closed if if you planned on driving all the way through.
     
  45. LeonardWashington

    LeonardWashington Leader of Tuanon
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    what didn’t you like about it
     
  46. steamengine

    steamengine I don’t want to press one for English!
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    Crowded and lacking infrastructure for how many visitors it takes on. Not much can be done about it, I get why people want to be there, but I want zero people near me if I’m Oceanside.
     
  47. LeonardWashington

    LeonardWashington Leader of Tuanon
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    that’s very true and a very fair point
     
  48. jvo25

    jvo25 Well-Known Member
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    going in a month. Any recs?
     
  49. herb.burdette

    herb.burdette Meet me at the corner of 8th and Worthington
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    Cambria at the south end of Big Sur is one of my favorite spots anywhere. Food options aren’t great, but the relaxation vibe is perfect.
     
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  50. THEBLUERAIDER

    THEBLUERAIDER Well-Known Member
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    What were the adults only all inclusives in Mexico that people were recommending a while back? Can’t find it through search.