Originally Posted by
purdue1015
Thanks guys for the kind words.
I'll finish school in August, take my board exam end of September, and then (theoretically) would start working early-mid November....so the amount of time I'd have for this (around a month) would be fairly set in stone.
The list he and I came up with (which is not inclusive and certainly modifiable) includes: Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Zurich, Munich, Florence, Istanbul, Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney, Auckland, and Honolulu. There is a also a few other European cities that he liked but we figured it would be easier for me to train to those.
I've only been out of the US once (to London, when I was much younger) so I am not experienced with this sort of trip. Normally, I think I'd like to go to a less amount of cities and spend more time there...BUT, given the backstory with this kind of being "dad's bucket list," and my budget limits...I think I'd focus more on cities (i.e., Amsterdam, Dubai, Auckland) that I don't see myself ever going to again, and save the Paris's and London's for a future trip in my life.
Thanks guys.
Purdue
I'm sorry for your loss. For the cities you listed, they group fairly well except for 2:
Europe Group: Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Zurich, Munich, Florence, Istanbul
Pacific Group: Sydney, Auckland, and Honolulu
Then Dubai and Bangkok (the latter could be included in the Pacific trip fairly easily though). You could stretch the Europe trip to include Dubai, but there's already a ton you have slated for Europe.
Depending on the level of comforts you plan to travel with, you may can stretch that $10k across two trips at different times. Keep an eye out for flight deals and you can minimize that cost. Remember that the battle, particularly with Europe, is getting to the other continent. For example, if you find a great deal to, say, Barcelona, book it and you can get a cheap flight from BCN to one of your desired destinations (and see Barcelona if you'd like). Consider that in the past week there was a great deal for JFK-MXP round trip for $899 for two people. Granted, you'll need a 1-person deal, but that gives you an idea of what defines a great deal. If you stay in hostels, a month's worth of stays can be under $500.
I'm curious if Auckland was on the "loved it" list or "would love to visit" list. I love New Zealand, but I couldn't wait to get out of Auckland when I stayed there a few days. Also, why do you say you'd never want to visit Amsterdam again?