December 14, 2004

• Hungary, the Czech Republic or Romania. They're all cheap, fun and safe. I found Prague to be over-touristed, but beautiful. And everyone speaks German or English. Bucharest would be fun if you're willing to put out the effort to meet some locals - Romanians are very friendly - but isn't a great tourist city. Romania is beautiful and exceptionally cheap. In May I'd go to Vama Veche - the hippie haven on the Black Sea. Budapest is the best of both worlds - people are friendly, the food is great, the city is beautiful... Think of it this way - Central/Eastern Europe is no less interesting than Western Europe but thanks to a half-century of communism it's dirt cheap, if a little dirty. Don't let the opportunity pass you by.
• Or go a little further east and try somewhere like Turkey. I say this because my parents went there and hated it, so it must be an exotic place with lots of spicy food and sunshine and people who don't speak English. And apparently "taxi" is spelled "taksi". That's all they told me. But I personally would love to go there one day. Actually, the best place I visited (and I know I go on a lot about it) was Switzerland. And I bet in May it's beautiful there. Almost everyone speaks English, even if you make an attempt to speak German to them. Prices were reasonable, the two hotels we stayed in were funky and catered to our needs, and everything is accessable by public transport or, in cities, walking. And you could go south and try out your Italian too.
• Once again, airfare looks to be the biggest expense. But I'll start looking at trips to Eastern Europe (I hear the Black and Caspian Seas are lovely as well). Turkey might be OK, except she likes short sleeves.
• js, don't worry about Turkey - it's quite a secular country and renouned for topless beaches, let alone short sleeves. tracicle's instincts are correct (assuming my Romanian friends can be trusted... and I think they can) - Turkey is cheaper than all the other places I've mentioned and not a bad place to vacation at all.
• Photos of some of the places I mentioned (self-link)
• I'd like to join the Turkey chorus. I went there seven years ago and can't wait to return. I'm not sure how much time you have to work with, but you could easily spend your entire trip in Istanbul, or spend a few days there and then take advantage of the extensive and affordable bus system to travel south to the beaches. I deeply regret not having gone ot Capadoccia and Pamukale while I was there, but those areas are slightly less accessible if you don't have much time to work with.
• As said above; Eastern Europe. Or South America- Peru, Brazil...
• How about Portugal? I haven't been there in 15 years or so, but back then it was a great deal. Better food than you'll get in Eastern Europe too. (Gratuitous joke: Q. What's the matter with Eastern European food? A. Two days later and you're hungry again.)
• Prague sounds like the place to me. All of my friends who have been there, on European tours, said that it was, by far, the best. Other than that, Turkey sounds good. Keep us posted about your choice!
• I wouldn't underestimate a trip south to Mexico. Mexico could easily take up all your time, very inexpensive and the bus system is excellent. You've everything from Caribbean beaches, to surf breaks on the Pacific, to high culture in Mexico City and other colonial cities, university towns (Guanajato, San Miguel) and all the fun subversive art that goes along with college towns, and last but definitely not least you've access to amazing amounts of indigenous cultures in Chiapas and Oaxaca. And if that gets boring you are still close to Central America and it is even cheaper if not a little more dodgy.
• Your cheapest option would be Mexico and in fact all over central America. I had an unforgettable time in Guatemala some years ago. You can see Mayan ruins in the jungle at Tikal. Climb to the top of the temple where they filmed a little tiny shot from Star Wars. Sleep in a hammock awakened in the middle of the night by the strange frightening calls of the howler Monkeys. There are also significant ruins in Mexico. And Jungle. And you could fly cheaply to Belize City and take a boat to one of the Cayes. Caribbean islands, in other words. If you stay on Caye Caulker I recommend you ask around for Ross Creek. He'll take you out on his boat to a place where he's tamed many of the mantas and nurse sharks. You'll float in the water with snorkel gear and he'll catch them and bring them to you to touch. Then afterwards you might sun on top of the boat eating fresh coconut while he makes a delicious gumbo. This is cheapest both in terms of airfare and cost of living. If were going to Europe I would go to Greece, Greece, Greece. Though I'm sure Turkey, and all over Eastern Europe are amazing as well. Airfare to Asia is expensive. But Vietnam and Cambodia are stunningly cheap and gorgeous and ancient. Cambodia, especially, I've been told repeatedly, is the place to go ASAP, before the ancient world is modernized away. Bon Voyage. I'm jealous.
• I would second Belize. I love Belize. It's stable politically, cheap, and there are great things to see. I stayed on San Pedro Island (where they filmed Temptation Island I, but don't hold that against them), where there was great swimming and snorkeling.
• Guatemala is enchanted. Use Antingua as your base, fly to Tikal instead of taking the very long hard bus ride. Costa Rica is even more lovely and safer, more national parks, great beaches, but far less indigenous culture. The Dominican Republic is fascinating, Santo Domingo is the oldest European settlement in the Americas. I stayed in a hotel that was originally Pedro Alvarado's home, where he and Cortez planned the conquest of Mexico. All very cheap.
• since you're not going to europe (and given the dollar exchange rate, certainly not the UK at the moment), if i was american i'd take the opportunity to travel south ... mexico perhaps (hey, it's adjacent) or barring that - argentina and uruguay, just for the hell of it ... or if you want to go all the way, read up on patagonia (bruce chatwin) and try that ...
• I second Portugal. It's fairly cheap here - 20 euros will buy you a 4 course meal in a nice (fancyish) restaurant. Otherwise, a quick sandwich and soda runs about 2-4 euros depending on where you stop. A 4 star hotel runs about 60 euros a night, including a full breakfast buffet. A rental car (to get out into the countryside) costs about 100 euros for 4 days, but the gas prices would probably get ya (2 euros a liter!). Public transit is fairly cheap - a day pass in Lisbon for the Metro, trains, and buses runs about 4 euros, and a 10 day pass gets a further discount. Most museums, castles, and palaces are free on Sundays, and otherwise cost anywhere from 1 to 4 euros for entrance. Most people in the Lisbon area speak English. Cascais, a suburb of Lisbon, is a beautiful beach town which kicks off the season in the middle of April. Also, Sintra is on another train line from Lisbon and offers a quaint mountain village with 2 palaces and a Moorish castle.
• *booksmarks thread for her own travel plans in the far, far future*
• Mmm. Portugal does sound good. I've just started getting into their wines here at home. But again, that Euro... Anybody know anything about Nicaragua?
• I'll throw in my vote for Prague (and other eastern european destinations). If you stay away from the touristy places, everything gets cheaper and better too. Lots of nice history, art and architecture, and when I went you could get a liter of beer for the equivilent of 10 cents and a great, big meal with beer and dessert for a few dollars. I don't know how long you want to go, but you could get train tickets and hit a few eastern-european destinations in one trip. Although I've never been to any of the other places mentioned in this thread. I'm sure they're all fantastic too. If you're outdoors type people, you could consider camping at a nat'l park, or someplace in Canada.
• I recommend both Portugal and the Czech Republic - like everyone else. I had the greatest times in both places. Either way, airfare is a doozy, but the rest is cheap. I guess it really comes down to - which would you rather be drinking? Good, cheap beer or good, cheap wine?
• Also - Jetblue flys to Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic.
• Coincidentally, the blue one has a link to this article on this report, showing which travel websites are able to get the best deals. Also, the Lonely Planet website has lots of ideas and articles. Me, I'd love to see Portugal. I spent some time in the south of Spain and had a blast, so that's one I can personally recommend. When I was thinking about a European trip earlier this year, it seemed like to get into Western Europe the best deal was to fly into Charles de Gaulle in France and then fly/train/whatever out of there. Into Ireland and then Ryanair around the EU seemed to be OK as well.
• Budget wise, it's hard to beat Mexico. Get to the Mayan Riviera zone, where you can sample everything from overpriced, Miami-like Cancun to the rugged beauty of smaller fishing towns down the coast, nature reserve areas, and great beaches. You could set base at Playa del Carmen (brimming with europeans tourists and cheap lodging) or Cozumel Island, and from there, tour daily to the sights nearby, by ferry, bus or car. Snorkeling, bird-watching, great seafood... and the dollar goes a long way there. Several acquaintances have gone to Argentina and Chile, and tell wonders about the food and landscape, and the very low rates.
• Turkey or Thailand. I went on a trip a while back where I got to visit 16 countries, and Turkey and Thailand were the most fun, with the most to see, were easy to get around in, and were cheap and friendly. Go to whichever one you can get to cheapest, since they are similarly inexpensive once you get there. And if you decide Turkey, absolutely do not miss Cappadocia and Pamakkale. In Thailand, check out an the palace in Bangkok, and then hit at least one beach that is not Pattaya, which is sleazy. I'd recommend one of the less populated islands, like Ko Chang. The northern cities of Chaing Mai and Chaing Rai are fun as well - I ended up taking lots of cooking classes, which was more fun than the cheesy 'village tours'. Oh, I so want to go travelling now. And not to West Virginia, which is where I'm actually going for xmas.
• Yntruoc- I also went to Thailand, to the palaces in Bangkok (and the scuzzy National Art Museum) and to beaches that were not Pattaya, to Ko Chang, and took a cooking class in Chaing Mai. It was fun and cheap. (I was there in 2001. Maybe we were in the same places at the same time.) I would like to go back (maybe catch the monkey or water festivals), but it's too expensive for airfare and the timing is wrong. Mexico has been ruled out by the girlfriend. I'm starting to look at Chile and Argentina.
• When I visited Chile in '99 (wow, how time flies) the people were lovely. But stay clear of the north - there's not that much to see there. It's all desert, which is worth a day or so but not much more. I spent a month there. Don't do that. La Serena was gorgeous, though, and Santiago was... interesting. But was the biggest city I'd ever seen (at the time) so - YMMV. Peru was interesting - if you're hike-type people, everyone who did it recommended the 3- or 4-day hike to Macchu Piccu (which I missed doing) from Cuzco. _Don't_ take the train from Arequipa to Cusco (or in reverse). Trust me on this. I only got to do the South of Peru, though, but it's definitely worth considering. And Peru was insanely cheap - and I was travelling as a poor student from Australia, and even _our_ dodgy exchange rate at the time meant I was living for peanuts!