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

Yosemite is nice

 

Bueller? Bueller?

 

Are you looking for tips for taking your first cruise? Or for recs at those spots?

 

I think the albergo del senato might be the official tmb hotel in Rome. such a great spot and multiple of us have stayed there

 

They should give us a discount code

 

Will probably stay there in October

(Stayed in an airbnb a block away in 2017 and thought it looked nice)

 

Both fine cocky gentleman.

 

I have to fly from PDX to Reagan national in August. What is preferred between United/Delta/Alaska for domestic first class (not Delta One)? United/delta are similar cost with one stop, while Alaska is 75% more expensive but direct.

 

Yeah I’d be flying direct

 

I'll have to remember the Black Pig for the next time I'm in central London cuz that looks great

 

I haven’t taken a European cruise but not having to drag luggage around and figure out trains or transport at all seems like a nice convenience. You’ll be spending a lot of time on the boat with the people you’re with so prepare for that. Rooms are usually pretty small on the boats as well.

Can list some spots in Athens, Santorini and Split when I get back from Japan.

 

Figuring out trains and transport is part of the adventure

 

Those aren't exciting airports to fly into though.

 

Hey it’s something I do every trip I take with my wife. I enjoy it. But when I’m sleep deprived, carrying two heavy suitcases up stairs in European port cities and sweating my ass off, I think about not having to worry about any of it.

A cruise solves that problem.

 

I’d take my chances with brawling inattentive ATCs before flying into BWI

 

Username does not check out.

 

It’s my one topic of expertise

 

BWI sucks just getting to the rental car center

Reagan is so small and limited flights if you get sideways

Dulles is so far it seems every time


There is NO GOOD OPTION, so for me it’s wherever is direct from the west coast

 

I’m going to a conference in downtown. My coworker who lives in DC said to fly into Reagan because it takes 45 minutes to get downtown from Dulles. I would rather not deal with that after traveling for 8 hours.

 

Yeah, DCA is minutes away via train which is nice. I've flown into/out of DCA a ton and it's convenient

Dulles is now connected via train which is a lot better than it used to be but it's still a goofy airport

 

I have no problem with that.

Is flying direct into DCA on Alaska (expensive), do I have a stop with Delta/United (cheaper), or do I fly direct to Dulles (cheaper) on United?

 

Mobile lounges, sir

 

AS does have respectable seat pitch in F, and the food is pretty decent, generally.
You also have the benefit of a stronger irregular ops situation than the alternatives given that you are PDX based.
That said, if it's that much more expensive and you can still fly direct with UA or DL (and you have no loyalty investment/benefits to offset that cost difference...)

 

this is very easily a question of how much you value your time. Is the price difference between flying nonstop to DCA and flying nonstop to IAD worth 45 minutes of your time?

 

BWI at least has Obryckis and you can get a Baltimore Club sando, Reagan has shit options

 

the food options in terminal 1 suck but that’s just another reason why you shouldn’t fly Southwest

Good Stuff Eatery >>>, also a bunch of other good options in terminal 2

 

I did the same in 2019. On Via Monterone between the albergo and Largo Argentina.

 

If you plan to stay a night in Ravenna go ahead and book a place now. Most Italians take vacation in August and the beach towns are very crowded.

 

Muir Woods and Land’s End are great too

 

My youngest did the Land's End Coastal Trail last Sunday

 

Any recommendations for stuff to do in Banff? Going for work in May and I guess Victoria Day is the Monday we are there so we have a mostly free day.

 

Banff gondola has good views. Fairmont Rundle bar patio for food/drinks has views as well. Then walking around the town has good shops. Otherwise - grabbing a car and driving up to Peyto and Bow Lake is about as beautiful a landscape as you will find on the continent.

 

My in-laws used to have a house steps from lands end.

Used to. :-(

 

I was about to argue with this opinion, started looking back at my pictures, and am just as conflicted now as I was when I saw them. Both just stunning, spectacular places. I liked being able to hike around and above Louise to get different views, but sunrise at Moraine was special.

Think I’d lean Louise, but it’s a win/win.

 

Rent a care, drive the Ice Field Parkway to Jasper.

 

Doing that later in the week. Second half of the trip is in Jasper.

 

I'm only 10 hours away, come get a beer with me afterwards

 

Golf at Kananaskis country golf course

It was only 80 bucks when I went last summer. Views are incredible and grizzlies are never far away so you might get a free wildlife show like I did

 

Any recommendations for places to grab lunch on the Ice Field drive?

 

TCI never disappoints

 

Bring food. Other than one touristy general store, there's nothing the entire way until you get to Jasper.

I'd pick out 2-3 places along the way to stop and spend 30 minutes or so. Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Athabasca Falls. A lot of them aren't even hikes, just things you can see from a 5 minute walk.

 

The individual putting our itinerary together said this and I thought she was just being dramatic. Good to know.

 

East Coast Mainline view is nice

 

I was not prepared for how expensive Vancouver hotels are. I have never seen hotels this pricey and I’m not going until the first week of July.