Off Topic: Summer Vacation and Travel Tips
Good morning, I was curious about two things from the members here.
1. If you are going on a summer vacation this year. Where will you go, why, and what do you plan to do?
2. I am traveling to San Diego for business this summer (staying at a business partners house in Santee) and plan to have a lot of downtime fortunately, so I’m also going to make it a vacation. I was curious about what others think about good things to do there. So far, I am planning to go to the Zoo, Midway Museum, Scripps aquarium, Balboa Park, Coronado Island and check out downtown. Are those good places? What else is something I should do there? I will be there about 10 days, with only 2-3 days of work. I’m not a party person in my older age, so nightlife is out for me.
Have a good day everyone.
I'm crossing the pond for the first time in my life this summer! Spending about 12 days in Italy. I'll be in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Cinque Terre. So far I have booked a private wine tour of the Tuscany region, and private tours in Rome to see the Vatican and Colosseum.
Any other suggestions out there from those who have spent some time in Italy?
Venice is dirty. Be careful of pick pocketers in most of those places.
Didn't venture far off St. Mark's square did you?
In Florence get a reservation for dinner at Il Latini, hidden away on a side street just a couple blocks from the Ponte Vecchio. Beyond that try the gelato in every city you visit...It's great everywhere but also a little different in each city. Best I found was in Pisa, but not sure if the Leaning Tower is worth the visit there otherwise.
Thanks for the recommendation! Definitely plan on eating so much gelato haha. Will make sure to check out Il Latini.
You'll have an amazing time. I've been to Florence and Venice recently and they are both pretty busy in the main tourist sites but it's easy to get away from the crowds. Here are some recommendations.
Venice
- Go to San Giorgio Maggiore (sp?) - it's an island near San Marco, you can take an easy ferry ride over there and there's a bell tower with no lines and a ridiculous view
- Do the bag check for the basilica and skip the line. It's down a side street and cost a little bit but you can literally walk right in if you do that.
- For some drinks in the evening, head to the Jewish Ghetto area. Fondamenta dei Ormisini. Lots of great bars right along the canal, less touristy than other areas.
- Vaporetto pass is definitely worth it.
Florence
- Piazzale Michelangelo - get some aperitivo and some vino and head up to watch the sun set over Florence. They also sell food and drink there. Try to get there a bit early to get a good spot.
- You need a reservation to go up in the Duomo but not in the bell tower. You can buy a ticket and the lines were not long. And you get views of the Duomo which is cool. Also great views at the Palazzo Vecchio.
- We went to see David like 30 minutes before the museum closed - no lines and walked right in. Worth a shot as I've heard lines can be insane. At the end of the day it's a statue so only worth waiting so long...
- Not breaking any new ground here but the sandwiches at All' Antico Vinaio are to die for.
- Gelateria La Carraia was probably the best gelato I had while in Italy (or maybe tied with a place in Bologna).
Also - do you have accommodations in Venice yet? We stayed at a great B&B there that I would highly recommend - Campiello Zen.
Also - bug spray in Venice. My foot got completely owned by some water bug. It was brutal.
Wow, thanks for all of this information. Definitely jotting a lot of this down. And Venice is the one spot I don't have a place to stay booked yet. If you see this, feel free to post a link to the BnB you liked. Thanks a bunch!
I'd spend 1/2 day in Ostia Antica outside of Rome (near the airport actually), some remarkable ruins near the coast. The Circus Maximus doesn't exist like the Colosseum, but just the grounds there are enormous and give you an idea of the scope of the city from 2000+ years ago. Also a walk from Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum shows all the fora ruins (not just the Forum you can go visit) and some explanations that I found fascinating. A walk around Piazza Navona in the neighborhood near the river is special.
Venice has more tourists than residents which makes it difficult to find a place off the well beaten path. Someone mentioned the old Jewish Ghetto which is a great recommendation. One time I stayed on the island across from San Marco (Guidecca) which offers some remarkable views and is somewhat away from the crowds.
You'll have a great time!!
In which town are you staying in the Cinque Terre? Such a great place.
Re: hiking to each town. It's a significant undertaking and should should plan on using a full day, giving yourself time to check out each town, take a swim to cool off and get a gelato.
I usually cheat and don't even do the hike from Monterosso to Vernazza (or vice versa). If you're staying in Monterosso and want to cut that 1.5-2 hour hike out of the journey, just take a ferry to Vernazza and then start the hike there. That way you get to see all the towns but don't have to hike all of them. Or split it up amongst days.
Just joined the party. SD has great weather but its very crowed and the homeless are getting out of hand. But there are so many sidetrips you'll be amused and you might try expanding your horizon with LaJolla to Laguna Beach for a long but beautiful drive.
Also turn sights on the Big Island. I've spend many, many on the Big Island because its the less crowded with many activities. I like the local spots so head to breakfast to Waimea or to Minnies in Hawi. My favorite spot on the BI is Honokaa, one of the last truly small towns. There is a Western flair from Waimea north so there's lot of riding spots and local eateries. Along the western coast are several huge hotels including the world's finest hotels (in its day) at the Mauna Kea. If you think East they are green and black sand beaches and one of my favorite "clothes optional" beaches called Kaheun with drum lines, dolphins every day. black sands and a variety of world beauties.
North Shore of Oahu as wonderful,and as the scrimp trucks in Kauai has the second grand canyon but with traffic it reminds me of downtown LA.
I stay on Kona and there's a chance for 5 days in mid May for a timeshare for cheap.
Considering a few road trips with a 6 y/o and 11 y/o.
Anyone ever been to Lake of the Ozarks (MO) or Fetchworth State Park (NY)? Both of those came up in some googling. Any ideas of cool places with some nature to take kids that won't be super crowded (and in driving distance, < 12 hours) of Detroit?
how about the UP? lots of lakes and rivers. places to hike, bike, swim, fish, sight see, and crowds aren't nearly so big.
Not a bad idea. Porcupine Mountains, Copper Harbor, Pictured Rocks, the Soo... that could be solid.
tour the soo locks. go fishing out on stannard rock. pictured rocks in munising. taqh falls. tip of the keewenaw peninsula. isle royale.
I second this. That would be a great trip. Not enough people have been to the UP
UP is the best. The family and I go there multiple times a year. Huron mountains, McCormick Wilderness, Copper Country. Hard to beat it.
Letchworth State Park about 45 minutes to an hour drive south of Rochester is very nice. I presume you are thinking late spring or summer. Waterfalls, walking trails, hiking--it's a large park with a fair amount to do. I'm not sure how long this trip is, but you can also hit the Finger Lakes in the area for some summer activities as well as they would be an hour away towards the east.
My advice? Book your tickets way in advance, call and negotiate with your car rental guy, (you can swing a large vehicle with unlimited miles for very little if you ask for it) don't check bags if you can help it, ever.
Grand Canyon, first week of June. Tips?
We visited last spring break. For us, a day at the canyon was enough, but did not hike down into it. I’d check out some other areas as well that are relatively close. We did a loop from Vegas to Zion (loved the Narrows river hike), Bryce Canyon, Page, AZ for Antelope Canyon (visited Canyon X which was less busy, but awesome), Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, stopped at Navajo Bridge, then onto the Grand Canyon and back to Vegas. Few other things I left off that you could add on. The driving itself is interesting, so different from home. The only thing that ruins a visit to this area is watching other people take risks next to all the ledges.
Stay away from the edges. People fall and die quite often. South Rim is the best. I personally think the Grand Canyon is a one day thing unless you’re going to hike a lot. Stay in Vegas and take a day tour. They’re relatively cheap and your tour guide will get you to all the cool places.
Heading back to South Africa, where I lived a couple years back! Unfortunately going a little bit after that football team.
Is there a good and bad time to go there? I'm considering going there in the next year or two.
Sorry for the late reply. If you want beach weather down in Cape Town then summer in Jan/Feb is the best bet. Winter can be chilly (not cold) and rainy. But Durban would have beach weather most of the year.
Now for something like shark diving in CT you want to go in the winter.
Other than that the climate is pretty temperate so you can't go wrong!
If you're a beer guy, San Diego is your Graceland. Hit up Stone and Green Flash for sure. If you're able to take a drive, Alpine brewing makes some of the best. They're West of SD, but worth the drive. Cheers!
Toying with the idea of flying into Denver or Salt Lake City then off to Rocky Mountain NP with the wife and two teenage daughters. Any other stops in the area that are relatively close by anyone would recommend? Thinking maybe Yellowstone, but am interested in some of the less obvious places.
These may have already been mentioned by others but I'll suggest:
- The glider port near Torrey Pines
- Hike the trails at Torrey Pines
- Visit downtown LaJolla and check out the sea lions
- I thought the safari park was better than the zoo
1) Headed to Italy in June. Venice, Rome, and Amalfi Coast. We let each of our kids pick the destination of our last family trip before he/she heads off to college. My son chose this trip. He'll be a freshman in LSA this fall, majoring in chemistry or biochem, on pre-med track.
2) In addition to the things on your list and the other suggestions, we had a great time snorkeling in La Jolla cove and stand-up paddle boarding in Mission Bay.
No place better than Italy for a big trip, IMO. Enjoy.
I am going to Turkey for a week exploring Istanbul and then Tunisia for a week to explore the ruins of Carthage.
Anyone thinking of California........ can you give us a break and try another location this summer?
You can't even get into Disneyland this summer because of the new Star Wars attraction (they are warning folks not to show up without a reservation after it opens at the end of May), and you'll find much warmer beach water on the East Coast.
The locals would appreciate it a break this summer!!
My brother and his family live in Florida. I am going down to see them in June.
Legoland, SD Wild Animal park (originally the breeding area for the SD Zoo), Torrey Pines preserve, Sea World, Cabrillo National Monument, La Jolla coast.
Scripps Aquarium is pretty small, Long Beach Aquarium is much bigger and better.
Additional LA day trips (1 hr north of Carlsbad), if desired: Disney Orchestra Hall (by Frank Gehry), Disneyland, Getty Museum, Queen Mary, Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose.
10 Mid -july trip: I'm flying out to Sacremento with my 2 college aged sons, renting a car & camping in Lassen NVP, Redwood NP, Crater Lake NP, Newberry VNM, Oregon coast and leaving from Portland.
August 2nd, 2019 at 11:16 AM ^
I am planning to visit Terrell Hills, San Antonio, TX this year. A Great place for any travelers. Will also cover Alamo Heights at a time.
Downloaded https://tripfrogapp.com/ and now I am planning my next summer vacation. Want to visit a few countries and see a decent amount of sightseeing but I am pretty sure that I will manage everything well. Haven't been abroad for a while and I am really looking forwards to enjoy the trip.