Topic: Vacations 2024

[KD]

Family vacation to Poland for two weeks in August. Flights purchased and places / car reserved. From mountains to the sea.

That sounds fun.  I don't know much about Poland either.

Gents, it’s that Central European country that disappears and appears on the map and is a thorough way for major armies on their way east or west…plus I was born there.

The Grand Tours boys liked it. Just happened to watch this last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyJjNa9WwjU

[Blueprint]

Looks like we are shipping the kids to my parents for the month of August so the wife and I might do a 1 week quick trip to Europe.  This would be our first time.  The wife really want to do Paris so probably start there do few days/  we wont have much time so I'm thinking 3 locations   Paris, Bruxel (or Berlin) and then Amsterdam.  Or go the other way,  Paris, Italy Spain...?  we're not sure..   Direct flights from Calgary makes it a fairly short trip.

I need suggestions.   

This is an expensive year

A fun combo is Paris and London in two consecutive weeks with a TGV ride between the two. Most museums in London are free but you'll need to get free tickets ahead. Rail tickets get you 2 for 1 admission at many attractions, like Tower of London.

[ktm525]

Paris is great. Lots to see just walking/metro around, sort of like New York or London. It's kind of an odd time of year as all the French go on holidays in August, but it's peak tourist season so all that stuff should be open. Could be on the hot side

Because it's hot, after Paris, I think going up north to Amsterdam would be better.  And with only a week we might just 2 cities instead of 3, we'll see.

I'd suggest just one city if all you have is a week.  We stayed 7 days in Paris last November and it was just right.  So much to see and do.  Got to experience it without feeling rushed.  Did a few guided walking tours and they were all very good and highly recommended. 

Edinburgh sounds cool as well.

Paris in November sounds good. In summer it smells... a lot.

Poland is cool, spent 2 weeks kicking around there in the late 90s. I am sure it has changed a ton  since then. It had a communist backwater vibe in the 90s but there were green shoots appearing. Beaches on the Baltic were good.

[KD]

Paris is great. Lots to see just walking/metro around, sort of like New York or London. It's kind of an odd time of year as all the French go on holidays in August, but it's peak tourist season so all that stuff should be open. Could be on the hot side

Because it's hot, after Paris, I think going up north to Amsterdam would be better.  And with only a week we might just 2 cities instead of 3, we'll see.

I'd suggest just one city if all you have is a week.  We stayed 7 days in Paris last November and it was just right.  So much to see and do.  Got to experience it without feeling rushed.  Did a few guided walking tours and they were all very good and highly recommended. 

Edinburgh sounds cool as well.

Paris in November sounds good. In summer it smells... a lot.

True enough.  Most cities stink in summer.  Also, I forgot about the Olympics being there this summer.  Scratch Paris! 

[WP v3.32]

Paris was the wife's first choice, it always is,  but with the Olympic we decided to go some place else.  Too bad, we found a pair of ticket for $2100 to Paris.  We tough we would maybe get Olympic tickets, watch the Marathon finish line, watch Kipchoge cross the finishing line and potentially be the greatest runner of all time.  But again it would be a Olympic trip and $$$.

I've been learning German on Duolingo so that is where I want to go and try to fit Amsterdam too.  We would be more interest in hiking and go see historical towns (Pre...WW1) so we are building the trip around that.

[WP v3.32]

Paris is Booked! 1 week only, NO KIDS!

This is our trip.  Land in Paris, Brussels, Bruges, Lille Back to Paris

First day we will do Les Catacombes de Paris and the rusty tower then leave for Belgium.

[Bubba]

I enjoy reading everyone's plans. 

I fly to Phoenix three weeks from today.  I'm counting the seconds.

[ktm525]

Paris is Booked! 1 week only, NO KIDS!

This is our trip.  Land in Paris, Brussels, Bruges, Lille Back to Paris

First day we will do Les Catacombes de Paris and the rusty tower then leave for Belgium.

One week in Paris or one week total?

[WP v3.32]

Paris is Booked! 1 week only, NO KIDS!

This is our trip.  Land in Paris, Brussels, Bruges, Lille Back to Paris

First day we will do Les Catacombes de Paris and the rusty tower then leave for Belgium.

One week in Paris or one week total?

1 week total, unfortunately that's all we have so its a quick get away.  The plane tickets is a good deal

[Bubba]

I'm flying home from Phoenix a day later than planned.  Booked a flight with Delta as Westjet could not rebook me on another flight within 48 hours of my original departure.

Sent from my SM-G990W2 using Tapatalk

[ktm525]

I'm flying home from Phoenix a day later than planned.  Booked a flight with Delta as Westjet could not rebook me on another flight within 48 hours of my original departure.

Sent from my SM-G990W2 using Tapatalk

That's good. The union striking out of spite after mediation was imposed was a d1ck move. Canada needs complete airline deregulation.

[valuator]

Just got back home from our 24-day African family adventure. 10 flights and over 34,000km of flying. New countries for me on this trip:

The Netherlands
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Botswana
Namibia
Zambia
Kenya
Tanzania (I crossed the border and have photographic proof, but no official border crossing or passport stamp)

Highlights:
- visiting some NGO projects in Nairobi
- my kids visiting some public schools and projects in Nairobi
- 4 days on a houseboat on the Chobe River with absolutely tons of wildlife and also some great fishing
- 5 days at the Elephant Pepper camp in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya for game drives / safari
- a 4 days stop in Paris sightseeing on the way home

No real low points other than I got quite ill in Nairobi (nothing that a course of Ciprofloxen couldn’t cure), and in our second time through Nairobi post-safari, we got caught up in the government protests which absolutely terrified my son.

Highlight was seeing a leopard in the Maasai Mara….we hadn’t seen one the entire time, but as we sat down for dinner after our last game drive, one of our guides rushed up to us and said he heard there was a sighting….so we dropped everything and rushed back out and drove an hour into the bush and saw it just after it had killed an impala. Then did the reverse drive in the pitch dark, which was also fun.

[ktm525]

Just got back home from our 24-day African family adventure. 10 flights and over 34,000km of flying. New countries for me on this trip:

The Netherlands
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Botswana
Namibia
Zambia
Kenya
Tanzania (I crossed the border and have photographic proof, but no official border crossing or passport stamp)

Highlights:
- visiting some NGO projects in Nairobi
- my kids visiting some public schools and projects in Nairobi
- 4 days on a houseboat on the Chobe River with absolutely tons of wildlife and also some great fishing
- 5 days at the Elephant Pepper camp in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya for game drives / safari
- a 4 days stop in Paris sightseeing on the way home

No real low points other than I got quite ill in Nairobi (nothing that a course of Ciprofloxen couldn’t cure), and in our second time through Nairobi post-safari, we got caught up in the government protests which absolutely terrified my son.

Highlight was seeing a leopard in the Maasai Mara….we hadn’t seen one the entire time, but as we sat down for dinner after our last game drive, one of our guides rushed up to us and said he heard there was a sighting….so we dropped everything and rushed back out and drove an hour into the bush and saw it just after it had killed an impala. Then did the reverse drive in the pitch dark, which was also fun.

Cool. How old are your kids?

[valuator]

My son just turned 8 and my daughter will be 10 later this month.  They both travelled remarkably well!

[ktm525]

My son just turned 8 and my daughter will be 10 later this month.  They both travelled remarkably well!

I was getting ready to give the pulling kids out of school speech but at that age seeing animals > school lessons lol.

[Firm]

Sounds like an awesome trip, kudos to you for pulling the trigger, and getting through it all with 2 kids, I am sure the kids will remember that forever.

[PJungnitsch]

Nice! I don't think anyone regrets an Africa trip, and taking the kids is fantastic

[Allen]

very cool trip, did you book it all your self or use one of the safari companies ?

[WP v3.32]

That trip looks amazing.

[rrocket]

Details on the fishing?