The "I'm Traveling somewhere" Thread

[El Barto]

Hey, Rome - lived as a tourist for 4-5 days - is actually awesome. But visiting it in the middle of summer? good luck not falling on the floor from heat exhaustion.

The fame it has is absolutely deserved, the "greatest hits" are really cool. What bring the atmosphere down is transportation (not worth of a capital) and tourists traps (restaurants mostly). Also the main train station isn't exactly super safe.

That fame is actually its undoing, though. It's just too crowded, and not with Romans. I stayed in a neighborhood far away from the sights and actually enjoyed that part quite a bit. The "greatest hits" are absolutely worth seeing, but they're really hard to appreciate with so many gawkers and people looking to exploit them. You want to take in and comprehend the antiquity of it all, but all you can see are fat people in Bermuda shorts, gelato stands every 10 feet, and African hawkers selling Colosseum key chains. You go to see this and what you get is this.

That said, I suggested to prepare for disappointment, but I'd never tell somebody not to go. Everybody should see Rome. Just keep your expectations realistic. 

[MirrorMask]

....and go off season. Late September or October, or even winter. It's a warm city in the middle of Italy and temperatures are rising everywhere, even March is already a good and decent temperature to visit it.

I have visited Rome enough times and while I would gladly come back there, I can afford to never ever go there in July or August. I understand that foreign people don't have this luxury, I do and I take advantage of it. No more Rome in summer, unless it's a life or death situation 

[Chino]

Prepare to be disappointed with Rome. 

Thanks for that writeup.

We're going to be spending the least amount of time in Rome, maybe just one night if not just the last day. I've always wanted to see the colosseum in person, and I'd probably regret being so close to it and not taking a look. But that's literally the only thing on the agenda there... See the building and then fly home.

[Lonk]

That fame is actually its undoing, though. It's just too crowded, and not with Romans. I stayed in a neighborhood far away from the sights and actually enjoyed that part quite a bit. The "greatest hits" are absolutely worth seeing, but they're really hard to appreciate with so many gawkers and people looking to exploit them. You want to take in and comprehend the antiquity of it all, but all you can see are fat people in Bermuda shorts, gelato stands every 10 feet, and African hawkers selling Colosseum key chains. You go to see this and what you get is this.

That reminds me of visiting The Acropolis in Athens. I stayed at an Airbnb, in a random neighborhood and while visiting Acropolis was nice, I enjoyed running around the local area much more (The food from the local restaurants was sooo good).

[El Barto]

Prepare to be disappointed with Rome. 

Thanks for that writeup.

We're going to be spending the least amount of time in Rome, maybe just one night if not just the last day. I've always wanted to see the colosseum in person, and I'd probably regret being so close to it and not taking a look. But that's literally the only thing on the agenda there... See the building and then fly home.

Yeah, there are a few other things you really need to see, honestly. St. Michael's is absolutely worth checking out. I'd regret it if I were in Rome and didn't take it in. Piazza Navona is probably also a must-see, if for no other reason than Saint'Agnese.

[Cool Chris]

Off to Disney World on Saturday - we haven't taken a family vacation for over two years.  I'm excited, and haven't been to Disney since 2001.  The advances in technology that they have incorporated are really neat (bracelets/mobile apps that open your hotel room door, check you into the parks or rides, order food, etc.).  Our kids are also getting really excited for their first time flying on an airplane and first time going to Disney. 

I know it will be long, crazy, busy and exhausting, but I can't wait to spend 5 days with my kids and just have fun and make memories with them. 

Have fun!

Plan for the heat, it's super hot here now and it will drain your soul away. I would really have a semi-structured plan of all the rides you plan to hit for sure on each day. The app is really good for planning plus ordering food ahead of time to skip the lines. I don't like how they switched it now to the Genie plus model, the previous FastPass was excellent and a well oiled machine. Now even if you pay for the extra perks, it's a pain to schedule ride you want to skip the lines for. That's how it was last year, haven't gone this year yet. Waiting for the heat to die down to go. If you're staying at the resorts or hotels attached to the parks that's super advantageous as you can go back and forth and you'll have the extended hours.

Enjoy the trip!

We went to Disneyland in April. I thought I would use the App more than I did. I only used it to check line wait times. I never really tried to assess how accurate it was, but it seemed like it was usually in the ballpark, so we found it helpful. I didn't sign up for any Genie Plus or Lightning whatever, and we had plenty of time to do and see everything on our list. We did spent a lot of time planning out each day and prioritizing activities, which I found greatly beneficial.

Regarding the bolded, we take at least one if not two plane trips a year, so our kids are seasoned travelers, but it is usually to visit family. Which, while fun for the kids, is a totally different vibe from going to Disneyland. Our trip was in April, and just the other day my 5 year old and I were in line for something, and we started talking about how it was like being in line at Disneyland, and it brought back the fun memories we made there.

[axeman90210]

Plan for the heat, it's super hot here now and it will drain your soul away. I would really have a semi-structured plan of all the rides you plan to hit for sure on each day.

We used to go every August, and yes it was hot. But honestly, in August, it's just as hot here.

Yeah, that's what I've found since moving down here. People were talking about how hot it was going to be, but it wasn't much hotter than peak summer in the northeast. The difference is just that as hot as it gets up there for maybe 2 months, it's that hot down here for like 4-5 months

[Grappler]

Off to Disney World on Saturday - we haven't taken a family vacation for over two years.  I'm excited, and haven't been to Disney since 2001.  The advances in technology that they have incorporated are really neat (bracelets/mobile apps that open your hotel room door, check you into the parks or rides, order food, etc.).  Our kids are also getting really excited for their first time flying on an airplane and first time going to Disney. 

I know it will be long, crazy, busy and exhausting, but I can't wait to spend 5 days with my kids and just have fun and make memories with them. 

Have fun!

Plan for the heat, it's super hot here now and it will drain your soul away. I would really have a semi-structured plan of all the rides you plan to hit for sure on each day. The app is really good for planning plus ordering food ahead of time to skip the lines. I don't like how they switched it now to the Genie plus model, the previous FastPass was excellent and a well oiled machine. Now even if you pay for the extra perks, it's a pain to schedule ride you want to skip the lines for. That's how it was last year, haven't gone this year yet. Waiting for the heat to die down to go. If you're staying at the resorts or hotels attached to the parks that's super advantageous as you can go back and forth and you'll have the extended hours.

Enjoy the trip!

We went to Disneyland in April. I thought I would use the App more than I did. I only used it to check line wait times. I never really tried to assess how accurate it was, but it seemed like it was usually in the ballpark, so we found it helpful. I didn't sign up for any Genie Plus or Lightning whatever, and we had plenty of time to do and see everything on our list. We did spent a lot of time planning out each day and prioritizing activities, which I found greatly beneficial.

Regarding the bolded, we take at least one if not two plane trips a year, so our kids are seasoned travelers, but it is usually to visit family. Which, while fun for the kids, is a totally different vibe from going to Disneyland. Our trip was in April, and just the other day my 5 year old and I were in line for something, and we started talking about how it was like being in line at Disneyland, and it brought back the fun memories we made there.

We've already planned for the heat and bought a couple of battery operated fans/misters and if the kids are tired or hot, we can duck into a less popular ride or attraction to get inside and in some AC.  That's basically what the Hall of Presidents is for.   I think we'll use the app for wait-times and maybe for ordering food while we're in line.  We do have one sit-down lunch reservation at the Magic Kingdom and can cancel that two hours ahead of time, if needed. 

[Adami]

I'm one month away from my trip to Lisbon! first time in Portugal, first time so far west!

Literally sitting in the Lisbon airport. Just spent two weeks in Portugal for my honeymoon. Loved it.

Wow, great! did you tour a lot of Portugal? I'm going specifically to Lisbon so that's where I'll be staying, but I plan to visit also nearby places - most definitively I'm NOT gonna miss the ocean at Cabo de Roca, then also Sintra and Cascais are in the plans.

We did 3 days in Lisbon at the beginning, including a day trip to Sintra. Also spent time in the Azores, specifically Sao Miguel and Pico before heading off to Porto for a few days and the last few days in Lisbon before coming home.

Lisbon was our favorite, even if it's touristy, it's easy to not feel the way El Barto is describing Rome. Plus the tourism tends to be very wordly, so while you do get some of the annoying big dumb Americans, you also get plenty of big dumb French and German people too. Even heard a good amount of Hebrew.

If you want some chill time in nature, I'd suggest going to the Azores islands. They're not hard to get to by plane and they're just filled with beauty. A place like Pico is also not very touristy yet, so it's easy to get a small island feel. Granted, that means a small island that is dying, but still.

Porto is also really cool but quite toursity as well. Over all, the tourist stuff didn't both me until the last day or two when a Disney cruise docked and the streets were filled with those people during the day.

Portugal is an odd one. It's got such a rich history and beauty, but much of the country is being kept alive almost entirely by tourism. So as much as we might want that authentic experience without tourists, it might be of a dying country.

[MirrorMask]

Envious for the Azores! one day I'd like to go there, for now I'll just be happy to visit Lisbon and the nearby places. Glad you had a good time 

[Cool Chris]

We've already planned for the heat and bought a couple of battery operated fans/misters and if the kids are tired or hot, we can duck into a less popular ride or attraction to get inside and in some AC.  That's basically what the Hall of Presidents is for.   I think we'll use the app for wait-times and maybe for ordering food while we're in line.  We do have one sit-down lunch reservation at the Magic Kingdom and can cancel that two hours ahead of time, if needed. 

We went to Disneyland in early April, so weather was great, except we didn't plan on how much it cooled down at nighttime for the fireworks shows.

Regarding food, we were so amped up for everything, it got to be around 2p when I realized we hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Of course my kid insisted she wasn't hungry because food was the last thing on her mind. I said earlier in this thread my best investment was a bubble wand we bought on the first day. She toted that thing around the entire time, and it kept her busy while we were in line for anything. I only had to tell her to not shoot bubbles right at other people maybe 206 times. That and some gifts for the rest of the family was all the money we spent at the park. I was amazed (and impressed); I had anticipated spending much more money there.

[pg1067]

7 minute walk to the Trillium brewery/Restaurant if you are into beer.

Hey Kinger...I'm going to go to a Manchester Fisher Cats game next month and was thinking about hitting the Thirsty Moose Taphouse for some pregame grub and beer.  Is that a good choice, or would you recommend somewhere else?

[lordxizor]

I'm going to Vegas in September for a work expo thing. I am taking a couple days after to go to Zion National Park in Utah. I'm debating inviting my dad to come with me. I'm on the fence for a couple reasons. First being that I like being 100% in control of what I do and not have to take into account anyone else's desires. With a wife and 5 kids I rarely have this luxury. Second, I would stay in a better hotel with him than I would if I went by myself and even splitting the cost would likely end up costing me more.

In the grand scheme of thing spending quality time with my aging father while he's still in good health doing something we both love will be priceless memories. So I think I should just invite him. But selfishly I just want to spend a week alone doing what I want.

[El Barto]

I'm going to Vegas in September for a work expo thing. I am taking a couple days after to go to Zion National Park in Utah. I'm debating inviting my dad to come with me. I'm on the fence for a couple reasons. First being that I like being 100% in control of what I do and not have to take into account anyone else's desires. With a wife and 5 kids I rarely have this luxury. Second, I would stay in a better hotel with him than I would if I went by myself and even splitting the cost would likely end up costing me more.

In the grand scheme of thing spending quality time with my aging father while he's still in good health doing something we both love will be priceless memories. So I think I should just invite him. But selfishly I just want to spend a week alone doing what I want.

Can't you split the difference? Have him join you while you're already into the trip for the expo thing? That's how I'd probably try to angle it.

[lordxizor]

I'm going to Vegas in September for a work expo thing. I am taking a couple days after to go to Zion National Park in Utah. I'm debating inviting my dad to come with me. I'm on the fence for a couple reasons. First being that I like being 100% in control of what I do and not have to take into account anyone else's desires. With a wife and 5 kids I rarely have this luxury. Second, I would stay in a better hotel with him than I would if I went by myself and even splitting the cost would likely end up costing me more.

In the grand scheme of thing spending quality time with my aging father while he's still in good health doing something we both love will be priceless memories. So I think I should just invite him. But selfishly I just want to spend a week alone doing what I want.

Can't you split the difference? Have him join you while you're already into the trip for the expo thing? That's how I'd probably try to angle it.

I was planning to give him the option. I'll be pretty tied up Monday through mid-day Wednesday. So if he wanted to fly out Wednesday morning and join me for the rest of the week, that would work. Or if he wants to do his own thing in Vegas during the time I'm busy, he can do that too.

[cramx3]

Looks like I'll be back in Germany next month for work.  This has been on my plate for months, so I'm glad it seems dates are being finalized.

[ReaperKK]

How long are you going for?

[cramx3]

How long are you going for?

Likely two weeks / 12 days or something.  Looking like the last two weeks before Labor Day weekend.

[vtgrad]

Rome is on the list for my wife and I; as is Athens.  Off-season for sure.  Would love to visit Turkey & Romania as well; the Carpathian Mountains have always attracted me.

The talk of missing places/attractions while on holiday always makes me think of missing the Giza Pyramids when I was in Israel & Jordan; I regret being that close and not seeing them.  Being a big Lovecraft fan, especially of his short story Under the Pyramids, I do long to see them.  I know that it's very tourist oriented and built-up in a way that photos normally don't capture, but I still have a draw to see them and climb them (if you can still climb them).  I was thinking of the Pyramids while wondering around inside Petra and climbing those huge staircases.

I'm one month away from my trip to Lisbon! first time in Portugal, first time so far west!

Literally sitting in the Lisbon airport. Just spent two weeks in Portugal for my honeymoon. Loved it.

Wow, great! did you tour a lot of Portugal? I'm going specifically to Lisbon so that's where I'll be staying, but I plan to visit also nearby places - most definitively I'm NOT gonna miss the ocean at Cabo de Roca, then also Sintra and Cascais are in the plans.

We did 3 days in Lisbon at the beginning, including a day trip to Sintra. Also spent time in the Azores, specifically Sao Miguel and Pico before heading off to Porto for a few days and the last few days in Lisbon before coming home.

Lisbon was our favorite, even if it's touristy, it's easy to not feel the way El Barto is describing Rome. Plus the tourism tends to be very wordly, so while you do get some of the annoying big dumb Americans, you also get plenty of big dumb French and German people too. Even heard a good amount of Hebrew.

If you want some chill time in nature, I'd suggest going to the Azores islands. They're not hard to get to by plane and they're just filled with beauty. A place like Pico is also not very touristy yet, so it's easy to get a small island feel. Granted, that means a small island that is dying, but still.

Porto is also really cool but quite toursity as well. Over all, the tourist stuff didn't both me until the last day or two when a Disney cruise docked and the streets were filled with those people during the day.

Portugal is an odd one. It's got such a rich history and beauty, but much of the country is being kept alive almost entirely by tourism. So as much as we might want that authentic experience without tourists, it might be of a dying country.

Did you visit Nazare while you were there?  I would love to see the big waves up close...

[cramx3]

It's my brother's bachelor party weekend... heading up to Lake George in NY.  About a 4 hour drive straight north for me, I've never been but my brother's best friend's family (who is very rich) has a huge house on the lake that we are staying at.  Should be wild.   

[pg1067]

It's my brother's bachelor party weekend... heading up to Lake George in NY.  About a 4 hour drive straight north for me, I've never been but my brother's best friend's family (who is very rich) has a huge house on the lake that we are staying at.  Should be wild.   

My wife grew up in and around Albany, and she told me they used to go to Lake George for vacations when she was a kid.  Somewhere out there is a photo of me standing on the ice at the lake when we made a quick stop there one time when we flew out to visit family.  Have fun!

[cramx3]

It's my brother's bachelor party weekend... heading up to Lake George in NY.  About a 4 hour drive straight north for me, I've never been but my brother's best friend's family (who is very rich) has a huge house on the lake that we are staying at.  Should be wild.   

My wife grew up in and around Albany, and she told me they used to go to Lake George for vacations when she was a kid.  Somewhere out there is a photo of me standing on the ice at the lake when we made a quick stop there one time when we flew out to visit family.  Have fun!

I was told stories over the weekend about how the lake freezes and you can literally walk across it.  Lake was beautiful.  The lake house was beautiful.  I shared a couple pics in the picture thread of me riding a waverunner. 

[Lonk]

The view on that second picture looks nice. I visited Lake George a few years ago, very nice area (and it was peak Fall Foliage  ).

I'm getting on a plane on Friday to spend a few days at a resort. Much needed break after the last couple of months.

[cramx3]

I just mostly thought the drive there SUCKed.  Just a lot of traffic both ways and it should be under 4 hours for me, but took over 4.5.  I had a lot of fun and the area is a nice getaway, but I don't have much desire to go back in the near future. 

Going to Frankfurt on Sunday now for work.  Not at all excited about that.  But it's a good miles trip since work pays for business class and I'll get a lot of OT that is hard to get these days.

[MirrorMask]

I only passed by Frankfurt with trains, and I barely stepped outside the station due to a strict time table.

Enjoy the free time you'll have there!

[Azyiu]

I will be spending 5 days in Copenhagen in late September. I will also be doing a day trip across the Öresund Bridge toward Malmö, Sweden. This will be my first trip to both countries.

[MirrorMask]

I will be spending 5 days in Copenhagen in late September. I will also be doing a day trip across the Öresund Bridge toward Malmö, Sweden. This will be my first trip to both countries.

Did both those (and both as first and so far only times) in 2017! have a great time, I loved every moment of Copenhagen 

[XJDenton]

I just spent 5 weeks in Korea/Japan. Flight back yesterday was 14.5 hours long, which meant 28 hours with no good sleep. Too long.

[cramx3]

I only passed by Frankfurt with trains, and I barely stepped outside the station due to a strict time table.

Enjoy the free time you'll have there!

I've been like 8 or so times.  Staying at a different hotel outside the city which should shake things up a bit, but honestly, you didn't miss much passing by Frankfurt.  It's more of a business city than tourist from my understanding and experience.  Not that there's nothing to do or see, but I'd imagine there's a few other cities in Germany much more worth checking out.  If I get a day off next weekened I may go explore a bit more than I had in the past. I'm honestly not looking forward to this trip at all.  Did not want to end my summer this way. Oh well.

[XJDenton]

You're only an hour or so from Heidelburg/Mannheim which are a fair bit more interesting touristicly, if you have the time.

[cramx3]

You're only an hour or so from Heidelburg/Mannheim which are a fair bit more interesting touristicly, if you have the time.

Yeah, I'm thinking Sunday or Saturday I'll take the day off and maybe explore so that's an option. I've been around there before, but just driving through. I haven't done my research, but was also hoping maybe I can find a concert to attend.

[MirrorMask]

As I previously announced, in two days I'll depart for Lisbon! from the 19th to the 25th, I've spent last week "studying" as much as possible in order to maximize my time there  I'm pumped and excited and after breaking last year, by going to Santorni, my record for how far east (and even south) I've been, now I'm gonna break the westward record!

I know a lot of you flew all over the world and someone moving around Europe looks like a small thing, but at least I've travelled a lot in my own nation, and in my continent. I've never been outside Europe so far (shame on me), but I did make the most out of being born here!

[pg1067]

Ok...folks...particularly those of you in and around Boston:

After moving my kid back into her dorm later this week, I'll be taking the following week to myself, culminating in three days in Boston.  I'll be arriving in Boston on Wednesday the 30th and going to the Red Sox game that evening, but Thursday and Friday are wide open.

I was thinking of doing the Sam Adams brewery tour, but I saw some stuff that made it sound like there are other, better breweries in Boston.  I also saw one place that does sort of a tour of the city that only goes to local breweries.  So...what'd'ya think?  Suggestions?  Should I do something else altogether?

P.S. I've been to Boston a bunch of times, so I'll have no problem occupying my time while I'm there, but I'm always looking for suggestions for things that I might overlook as an outsider.

[cramx3]

I did the Sam Adams brewery tour many years ago and enjoyed it.  I can't compare it to other tours in Boston, but I can say I thought the experience was pretty cool and they do a tasting at the end which included tasting unreleased products they were testing (I don't know if they always do that) which I thought was the coolest part of the tour.  It was also free.

[axeman90210]

Sam Adams probably isn't the best brewery in Boston but it might well be the best brewery tour in Boston.