Planning a trip for next year...

[Sandman]

I'm just starting the planning of a week long solo trip for next year from Sunday August 1st - Sunday August 7th. The kind of trip that will take at least 5 months to save up the right amount of $$ for. I'm still debating on where I want to go though. New York City has always been my main choice along with Key West/Miami being another cheaper option. However I've also started looking into other places I'd like to go like London, Paris, Rome ect. Anywhere I might not have much of a language barrier. For instance I'd love to go to Tokyo but I know I couldn't get by by myself with just English and a few words of Japanese. Last long trip I went on like this was back in high school and I may not do it again for sometime.

Basically the point of this thread is if you all have any advice on a location. I want just one city I can explore for seven days on my own. I'm not going to do a whole country or region...just one city. Only place I've been to in Europe in my life is a week long trip to Spain. I've been thinking of a trip like this for a while now and I'm in a place where I think I can finally do it.

[torrefaction]

Fuck the Keys/Miami as a vacation spot. It's really not all it's cracked up to be. New York is awesome....I don't know if you're going to PAX, but my favorite place I've ever been was Seattle.

[Ancalagon]

Meh, I live in London (UK), dont think too much of it. But some tourists seem to love it.

[violent]

I would honestly suggest the whole "vacation from thyself" route. Go to Amsterdam and do all the shit you would never regularly do. Go get high, catch a sex show, go see Anne Frank's house. That kinda shit. That's not your dig then I would suggest New York. It's much friendlier to go solo in my experience. You do not want to come down here by yourself. You're just gonna end up missing what's really going on. Also, too expensive.

Now, get a couple of friends and a boat, that's a different trip entirely.

[Superman's Dead]

I think there are plenty of big cities that are so incredibly multi-faceted and that are wonderful to just walk around. Chicago, New York, and San Francisco would be my top choices to just...exist in. Good luck!

[Sandman]

I would honestly suggest the whole "vacation from thyself" route. Go to Amsterdam and do all the shit you would never regularly do. Go get high, catch a sex show, go see Anne Frank's house. That kinda shit.

I went to New Orleans for an extended weekend last year....you describe bourbon street.

[violent]

I went to New Orleans for an extended weekend last year....you describe bourbon street.

I guess I always considered Amsterdam was due to the complete separation from familiarity. That's really what entices me personally.

[Sandman]

I guess I always considered Amsterdam was due to the complete separation from familiarity. That's really what entices me personally.

If you don't mind the huge crowds and the fact that it's become just one big tourist attraction bourbon street is one big party every night of the week and bigger on weekends. You can get about anything you'd want there. I personally preferred the stuff off bourbon street though. I saw the heavy metal group called "The Sword" at a very small club on a side street off it and I was close enough to touch the guitar player's guitar at that show.

[violent]

If you don't mind the huge crowds and the fact that it's become just one big tourist attraction bourbon street is one big party every night of the week and bigger on weekends. You can get about anything you'd want there. I personally preferred the stuff off bourbon street though. I saw the heavy metal group called "The Sword" at a very small club on a side street off it and I was close enough to touch the guitar player's guitar at that show.

Crowds drive me insane but that's besides the point. The real question then is, what are you looking for? What do you like doing when you're out there alone? You a culture guy, you want to catch good shows, you want a swanky hotel? Different cities for different things. Thing is, what do you want?

I'm the kind of guy that enjoys getting lost.

[Sandman]

Crowds drive me insane but that's besides the point. The real question then is, what are you looking for? What do you like doing when you're out there alone? You a culture guy, you want to catch good shows, you want a swanky hotel? Different cities for different things. Thing is, what do you want?

I'm the kind of guy that enjoys getting lost.

I thinking NYC may be the place for this trip. Never been there and I can save the European stuff for later when I have more monies. You get a bit of everything in NYC.

[Wasson_]

go to yellowstone...before it erupts in 2012, killing us all. <,<

[Spacetronaut]

For instance I'd love to go to Tokyo but I know I couldn't get by by myself with just English and a few words of Japanese.

In Tokyo you could get by just fine, but it is a super expensive place.

[violent]

I thinking NYC may be the place for this trip. Never been there and I can save the European stuff for later when I have more monies. You get a bit of everything in NYC.

Museum of Natural History. I cannot recommend this enough. Also, record shopping and Tonnie's Minis Cupcakes in Greenwich. Huge Asian culture (anime) shop right off of Rockefeller, the Nintendo store and the John Lennon memorial in Central Park.

[Chris_D]

Japan is no problem with only English, especially Tokyo. Most westerners live here for years without speaking a lick of Japanese.

[Sandman]

Just looking stuff up.....with NYC I can buy the plane ticket comfortably on one paycheck immediately following PAX and I can get a decent hotel on or near Times Square for 7 nights for under $1,000 total. From there I can probably comfortably get around NYC for a week on $1,000 - $1,500....not bad at all.

[civil]

Just about to book my tickets for my annual trip to London, my most favorite city in all the world (fuck you Ancalagon!). But honestly I'd say go outside of the country. NYC is my favorite American city but frankly you can always go there for cheap. If you're gonna spend money, why not experience a different culture (instead of a different subculture)? NYC will always be there.

Pretty much any European city (except those French fuckers) is hospitable to English speakers. Shit I rented a car and drove around the Czech/Austrian countryside for a week without knowing a lick of either of those languages and didn't get lost.

[diablopath]

Japan is no problem with only English, especially Tokyo. Most westerners live here for years without speaking a lick of Japanese.

This man speaks the truth.

You'll do just fine in Japan for a week.

[DoctorFinger]

If you're looking to do NYC, try to some in the spring or fall. Summers here can get stifling, and it's just less fun than during the spring.

[Sandman]

If you're looking to do NYC, try to some in the spring or fall. Summers here can get stifling, and it's just less fun than during the spring.

August gives me enough time to save money/time off.....and August 1 -7th next year is one of the weeks I have between Summer and Fall semesters.

[Dark Prince]

If you're looking to do NYC, try to some in the spring or fall. Summers here can get stifling, and it's just less fun than during the spring.

This

I've been to NYC plenty of times especially with me living here in Jersey only a couple of hours away and never have I seen more people in summer and winter around Christmas time.

Just make sure you know your streets and subways/buses and you should be fine. I really wouldn't recommend taking a cab mostly because of fare prices Even though bus/train fares will be going up soon from all the talk I've been hearing lately. I was just never a cab person.

[civil]

Sandman are you still considering where to go? The missus and I were just looking at going to Portugal or Poland and were finding airfare + hotel specials for $1K each (8 days/7 nights). You really should look at traveling outside of the country.

[Sandman]

Sandman are you still considering where to go? The missus and I were just looking at going to Portugal or Poland and were finding airfare + hotel specials for $1K each (8 days/7 nights). You really should look at traveling outside of the country.

It was narrowed down to NYC and London and I think NYC will be the most affordable option. I may still pick up a travel guide on both though since I still have plenty of time before I need to start saving.

[civil]

Man, I love NYC but London is my favorite place in all the world. I'm counting down the days until my annual pilgrimage this summer.

Go to London.

[Chris_D]

If only it wasn't so expensive... makes Japan look cheap!

[civil]

Yeah, I guess so, though I've survived there on 15 pounds a day (lots of walking and eating like shit) not including hotel. But I also have a few friends who live there so I've only ever paid for hotel and such once.

On average I can manage in London for 30 pounds/day. The Oyster Card (for transit) is the only initial expense that grabs the throat.

[civil]

Holy fuck. For shits and giggles I checked on air/hotel deals in Tokyo (7 nights).

$1300 per person from Chicago.

That is fucking cheap. I've got some persuading to do with the lady.

[Ancalagon]

After living in London for about 2.5 years now I have no idea why anyone would see it as a popular tourist destination. Its.... horrible.

If you like cities, and if you like especially overcramped cities, you might like London. If you want to see "England", land in London, and promptly stay somewhere in the country. Thats England, and it can be quite beautiful. London on the otherhand, is closer to a cesspool.

Cape Town, if I may say so myself (soon to be moving there), is amazing. But I'd probably go there in February instead of August.

I'll probably end up going to Spain/Portugal myself for my little trip.

[Chris_D]

Holy fuck. For shits and giggles I checked on air/hotel deals in Tokyo (7 nights).

$1300 per person from Chicago.

That is fucking cheap. I've got some persuading to do with the lady.

Hah sounds good. I would only say that Tokyo can be done in a couple of days and then you should head off to see real Japan :).

[civil]

After living in London for about 2.5 years now I have no idea why anyone would see it as a popular tourist destination. Its.... horrible.

If you like cities, and if you like especially overcramped cities, you might like London. If you want to see "England", land in London, and promptly stay somewhere in the country. Thats England, and it can be quite beautiful. London on the otherhand, is closer to a cesspool.

Hah sounds good. I would only say that Tokyo can be done in a couple of days and then you should head off to see real Japan :).
Two things:

I disagree with both of your assertions that because one goes to a "popular" place that it somehow isn't the "real" country. There is no such thing as the "real" X. It's all part of it. I wouldn't tell someone that they weren't getting an American experience because they only visited Chicago. They just were getting the Chicago version of that experience. My girlfriend comes from a town of 1200 and we've been there quite a bit (a 12 hour drive) and I can tell you with some assurance that going through the "country" to get to her parents' house offers no more insight into America than Chicago. It just offers a different perspective, but it's all part of the American experience.

That said, I also agree with both of you that driving through a country is often times one of the best ways to experience a side of it that you wouldn't normally see as a tourist. Ancalagon, one of my favorite vacations was spent driving around the UK going from town to town but that doesn't mean London is any less dazzling to me. I'm not sure why you hate it so much, though from reading your posts I can see why your personality would find it distasteful.

Now those two might initially read like conflicting statements but I believe you'll see the nuanced differences. As for my fall trip with the missus...sadly, my gf likes to keep vacations as low-priced as possible so I think we'll stick with one city/destination for the time being. It'll take some time for me to get her to open up the purse strings; we're just used to different experiences.

[Sandman]

Looking into Japan it is cheaper than I thought it would be but the language barrier still worries me. I want a place where I can explore on my own and maybe even get lost in but still find my way around and I don't think I could do that in Japan. I could take a guided tour but I don't really want to.

[Chris_D]

I disagree with both of your assertions that because one goes to a "popular" place that it somehow isn't the "real" country. There is no such thing as the "real" X.

I guess I worded it poorly. Certainly if you're just looking for a taste of Japan to whet your appetite for a future visit then just Tokyo is fine. Still, too many people I talk to hit Tokyo for anything up to 10 days and maybe get to Kyoto for a day if they're lucky. Many just aren't aware that there is worthwhile stuff outside of the capital (understatement of the year). And I don't think I'm being snobbish. Sites like Kyoto (traditional capital of Japan, home to Kinkakuji and Kiyomizu temples and over a 1,000 other temples and shrines), Himeji (home to one of only three castles that weren't destroyed in the revolution, and the biggest), Nara (the original capital of Japan, home to the oldest wooden structure in the world and the biggest Buddha in Japan), Arima hot spring (one of the most famous hot spring areas in Japan, was favoured by Toyotomi Hideyoshi) are very mainstream and all within 90 minutes train ride of where I live. Throw in Hiroshima (the A-Bomb museum is chilling, but mandatory), the three most beautiful sites in Japan, Miyajima (the island shrine), Amanohashidate (famous land bridge, also the stairway to heaven), and Matsushima (pine islands).

Please don't be offended but if it was someone's only chance to come to Japan in, say 5-10 years, and they only spent time in Tokyo, well I truly think it would be a missed opportunity.

[civil]

Chris, I think I came across as more of a dick than I intended to. Apologies.

I'm sending my gf your post. Hopefully that'll inspire her!

Sandman, don't worry about it. One of the great pleasures of travel is learning the language. The best way to do that is immersion, IMO.

[Chris_D]

Looking into Japan it is cheaper than I thought it would be but the language barrier still worries me. I want a place where I can explore on my own and maybe even get lost in but still find my way around and I don't think I could do that in Japan. I could take a guided tour but I don't really want to.

Well, I'll repeat that people live here for years without a lick of Japanese (this is NOT a joke, I work with these people). Also, Japan is the safest country in the world to get lost, hell, even pass out on the street. Leave your wallet on the bar, come back a few hours later and collect it. The locals may not always speak English but they will try their best to help you. Information offices with English speakers are also present in the main areas.

[Chris_D]

Chris, I think I came across as more of a dick than I intended to. Apologies.

Oh nps. My comment did sound totally snobbish.

I did a 5 day trip to Tokyo in my first year here and it was probably a couple of days too long (have been back since for shorter periods, also a friend of mine has moved there from Aus so I want to visit him soon). There is definitely cool shit to see though. Although I'm not a huge fan overall, one of the coolest things is the different feel of the areas of the city, like you could be in an entirely different city in each case. From chilling in Shibuya, to shopping in Akihabara, eating cakes in Ginza, temples in Asakusa, enjoying glorious night views from Roppongi Hills Tower (the top floor restaurant requires an invite or a $1000 membership I believe), adult clubs in Shinjuku along with Kinokuniya Book Store, 8 floors of books with the English books section alone bigger than any book store I've ever seen in Australia. Then after you're completely buggered, relax at Ueno Park. Hit the clubs in Roppongi if you're feeling adventurous but watch out for drink spiking (http://www.japanforum.com/forum/japan-news-events/23834-roppongi-drink-spiking-warning-us-embassy.html). And if you pick up protection is absolutely recommended! (Japanese girls can be a bit lazy about this)

[Ancalagon]

I disagree with both of your assertions that because one goes to a "popular" place that it somehow isn't the "real" country. There is no such thing as the "real" X. It's all part of it. I wouldn't tell someone that they weren't getting an American experience because they only visited Chicago. They just were getting the Chicago version of that experience. My girlfriend comes from a town of 1200 and we've been there quite a bit (a 12 hour drive) and I can tell you with some assurance that going through the "country" to get to her parents' house offers no more insight into America than Chicago. It just offers a different perspective, but it's all part of the American experience.


From my experience, London is significantly different to rural England - it has a culture and a vibe of its own. Yeah, its part of England, and as such has many English people (obviously), English culture, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, etc etc. If thats what being "English" is all about for you, then yeah its representative. For me however, its overcrowdedness, drabness, greyness and sheer amount of urbanization detract from it. The English countryside is MUCH nicer.

I'm not sure why you hate it so much, though from reading your posts I can see why your personality would find it distasteful.


I could probably enjoy London if I didnt live here. Having a few pints in a pub, going exploring, seeing the sights, eating out, going to clubs - theres a lot to do. Did I mention borough market? There really is a lot.

However, its still a city, and I've discovered that I have a dislike for cities as urban and overcrowded as London is. London's population density is 4761/km2. Johannesburg, the area with the highest population density in South Africa, has a population density of 2364/km2. And in my 24 years on this Earth I lived in Johannesburg for the first 5 of them, the rest have been in towns with far lower density. Most houses in Johannesburg come with gardens by default and there is a much larger gap between each house. Houses in London often have no gap between them and their neighbours at all.

To add to that, London's climate is pretty piss poor compared to the South African climate. You get a few nice days in summer, but in general when it isnt overcast its raining.

[Chris_D]

However, its still a city, and I've discovered that I have a dislike for cities as urban and overcrowded as London is. London's population density is 4761/km2. Johannesburg, the area with the highest population density in South Africa, has a population density of 2364/km2.

One of the reasons I wouldn't like to live in Tokyo is that you have to travel for maybe 90-120 minutes to get to anything that counts as greenery / countryside / wilderness. Other than a city park that is. Where I live now I can get to Osaka in 20 minutes by train and yet there are hiking trails that start 15 minutes walk away from my front door.

[Alatheia]

I would honestly suggest the whole "vacation from thyself" route. Go to Amsterdam and do all the shit you would never regularly do. Go get high, catch a sex show, go see Anne Frank's house.

Why exactly is Anne Frank's house mixed in with getting high and catching a sex show as something "you would never regularly do"? :p

It was narrowed down to NYC and London and I think NYC will be the most affordable option. I may still pick up a travel guide on both though since I still have plenty of time before I need to start saving.

I have AAA let me know if you want me to get a guide book for any city :)

If you want to get lost a big city is easier to get lost in than a little one.

London was much easier to get lost in than any of the other places I've been to in all of Europe, including the countryside and Paris. Paris was on too much of a grid to get good and lost :(

About the French hating English speakers... it's the people that don't try to attempt the language, the people that assume everyone speaks English and doesn't bother trying to even say hello in French. The French were all really nice to me since I tried to speak the language :p They're a lot like people in the US with people who don't speak English :eek:

[violent]

Why exactly is Anne Frank's house mixed in with getting high and catching a sex show as something "you would never regularly do"? :p

Aren't they all in Amsterdam? That's what a gay man dressed as pre-JFK Jackie O. told me at the Keys a couple of years back. No joke.

[Sandman]

I have AAA and compared to the guides you pay for like Fodor's or Frommer's their guides are kinda shit.

[civil]

Holy shit. I think the gf's capitulating on our fall trip. Looks like Japan is becoming a serious option.

Sweet Asian cooking, I can almost smell you from here!

[Sandman]

So I went and bought a London Frommer's guide and an NYC Fodor's guide. Hopefully these will help me decide.

[cawblen]

Barbados...you would be just in time for Crop Over (our carnival)...if you want to see plenty half naked caribbean women parading in the street then look no further!

[Sandman]

So yeah I've decided on NYC. After reading about what it takes to get money exchanged these days, possible hassles with using my credit/debit card overseas and what things cost with the current exchange rate I want to be more comfortable with my money when I travel abroad I think. NYC is looking affordable and easy. So now I have a date and a definite location....I just need to start making my list of things to do.

[civil]

Sandman it sounds like you've made up your mind and I don't want to come across as some European Vacation Pusher, but...

So yeah I've decided on NYC. After reading about what it takes to get money exchanged these days, possible hassles with using my credit/debit card overseas and what things cost with the current exchange rate I want to be more comfortable with my money when I travel abroad I think. NYC is looking affordable and easy. So now I have a date and a definite location....I just need to start making my list of things to do.

I've never had a problem with my ATM/Debit Card and I've traveled outside the country often, using my card as my only means of getting currency/spending. As for getting money exchanged somewhere - don't. You should never go to an agency to exchange your money. Why? You lose, they win. Going to the ATM gets you much better rates, you're not stuck with a ton of money in either your hotel room or on you and you have a better chance of spending less if you do so. Whenever I travel I set a daily budget for myself, say $XX USD. Every morning I get out $XX USD and I know that's what I've got to spend for the day and I stick to it. Now at the end of the day if I have extra I can either take out less the next morning or take out the same and whoop it up for a day, my choice. Sure the bank charges me $1.50 every time I use the ATM (which at most will cost me $10.50 - $21 depending on the length of trip), but even with that I'm still getting a much better deal than if I use a currency exchange. Those fuckers are con artists.

All that is to say don't let currency issues get in the way of traveling anywhere. As far as expenses go when you're there...yeah, the UK is going to be expensive (though NYC is nothing to sneeze at). But if you budget well and stick to it you can do it no problem. I've gone on vacations when I felt like a pauper and when I felt like a prince and have had awesome times on both ends of the spectrum.

Okay, live long and prosper Sandman. I'm done shoving stuff down your throat!

[Ancalagon]

Yeah, I agree with civil.

As long as your card is say a mastercard or visa, you wont have problems. Diners Club and American express arent universally accepted though.