greg999

I'd like some ideas in planning my first solo trip since having kids 8 years ago. The occasion is my wife will be taking them to see her family in Japan August 2019 without me so I'll have about 2 weeks to go somewhere by myself. Would like to try to optimize my trip and I've always gotten great ideas from flyertalk before.

My favorite types of trips in the past have been seeing historic places or natural sites. I had a great time in Easter Island traveling solo before. I've also enjoyed visiting Capetown and driving myself around the countryside. Cities that stand out as being enjoyable were Vienna and Rome.

I don't like to drink so don't want a destination that is mainly bar focused but would like some social interactions on the trip. I've got about 160,000 AA miles to use but I'm also okay with paying and flying economy. Total budget would be $4 - 6,000 or so. Here's some ideas of been thinking of:
1. Arctic cruise -- may be on the expensive side but an opportunity that I can't do with young kids
2. Hiking in Switzerland
3. Finding 1-2 cities in Eastern Europe to hang out -- haven't spend any time in Eastern Europe before.

Hoping to get some ideas that I haven't thought of before. Thanks for reading.

CDTraveler

In several European countries (more than I can probably name) August is sort of national vacation month, so that's something to research before you make your plans. But that being said if you are into history, touring the World War I and II sites of France, Belgium and the Netherlands is awe-inspiring and thought provoking. If you need respite from the somber, there is plenty of art, music, architecture and fine dining available.

thebigben

I can answer about the logistics of hiking in Switzerland. August (especially late august) is going to be the in the low season in the Swiss Alps, because most of their revenue there is from skiing. Kids go back to school for the last week of August or so. You should be able to find (relatively) good deals for accomodation at this point, but be warned that food is going to be a bit more expensive. You can have a look at the restaurants in the village you stay at to get an idea. There's often a good choice of traditional Swiss food as well, so I can get into more details if you have a location in mind. Ovronnaz (probably an hour away from Geneva Airport) is one of my spots for hiking, it's relatively quiet, there's a nice resort / spa with spring water pools, and it's got good places to hike for all kinds of difficulty levels.

Oh, if you're going to hike there's nice little chalets in the middle of nowhere to stop for a drink and food but do remember to bring a decent amount of cash with you. It's not cheap and you'll need cash, but it's a great break in the middle of a hike. They are usually marked pretty well on a trail map if you get your hands on one. You don't need to spend two weeks hiking in Switzerland, but a few days hiking might be just what you need, then you can hop on a plane or train to eastern Europe.

lhrsfo

From your interests, I would imagine that Croatia would fit the bill, together with perhaps side trips to some surrounding countries. The only question mark is August which can be impossibly crowded.

travelmad478

catcher1

I have traveled with National Geographic/Lindblad several times and have always had a great experience no matter the destinations. Excellent fellow travelers on every trip too. Have a look at their catalog.

closetasfan

what are things you've already done? I once did a trip inbound to rome, outbound from paris two weeks later and europass in hand. From where you are and if you like nature I imagine Alaska would be interesting but I'm suspecting you've done that already?

greg999

I have been to Alaska before but there's always a lot to see there so that definitely a good suggestion. I figured I'd stick to the northern hemisphere because of the weather. I've been to Europe a few times before (London, Cornwall, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Munich and some of the surrounding areas like Rothenberg, Vienna, Salzburg, Rome, Florence, Athens, Santorini, Moscow). I've made multiple trips to Japan but otherwise haven't spend much time in Asia other than Hong Kong and Thailand.

I couldn't find much on Arctic cruises on flyertalk. Travelmad478, what company did you use and which one are you planning on in the future?

Researching some more I'm also considering Stockholm as a good place to go in August.

Gardyloo

Several ideas bouncing around...

Nome and northwestern Alaska. Unlike other bush communities in Alaska, Nome has a respectable road system that radiates out from the town into the Seward Peninsula countryside. You can rent a vehicle in Nome and take off, seeing lots of fabulous countryside and plenty of wildlife - muskoxen, caribou and reindeer, moose, maybe some bears... and a bazillion birds. By August the mosquitoes will be in decline, and you might even get some terrific autumn color in the tundra. It's a fascinating and beautiful area, and Nome is a hoot - great history, lots of daft people diving and sucking gold off the Bering Sea bed... You could combine Nome with a visit to Kotzebue, an Inupiat Eskimo village on an arm of the Arctic Ocean and north of the arctic circle. (The same Alaska Airlines jet that serves OME also serves OTZ.) Stick a toe in the Arctic Ocean, but then if budget permits charter up into Kobuk Valley National Park for some wilderness hiking, or maybe float the Kobuk River, or walk around the Kobuk Sands. This is a seriously off-the-grid trip, one that will knock your socks off. Nome Scenic Drives Driving The Nome Road System , Wildlife Viewing on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska Department of Fish and Game and https://www.gonomad.com/3426-nome-al...-roads-to-roam



Edinburgh Festival. Opposite end of the crowds/action spectrum. Thousands and thousands of your new best friends attending every imaginable kind of theater and music performance in one of the world's great cities. Yes, it's incredibly crowded, and yes, hotel space can be pricey, but it's an experience you'll never forget. Good beer in lots of fabulous pubs, too. Combine a few days in Edinburgh with some by-yourself drives or walks in the northern Highlands, where you can be surrounded by incredible beauty and some remarkable history (Iron Age forts, medieval villages, standing stones, castles) mainly in the company of sheep.





Newfoundland, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Go east, young man, all the way to France. Sort of. Fly to St. Johns Newfoundland (you can use AA miles on Westjet) and spend some time touring around the big island and some of the outlying ones. Check out Fogo Island, even if you can't afford the Inn.



Then make your way down to Fortune at the south end of Newfoundland and take the ferry over to Saint Pierre. This is part of France, and you'll need to use Euros and have 220v-friendly gear.



... I'll think of more.

travelmad478

We went with One Ocean Expeditions, which is the same company I went to Antarctica/S. Georgia/Falklands with in 2017. The Arctic was not as stupendous as the Antarctic, but still worth doing. The trip I did was the Northwest Passage one that also goes to Greenland. THAT was awesome.

I am kind of loving Gardyloo's Newfoundland/St. Pierre et Miquelon idea. Might steal that for myself. I was in Newfoundland for just two days in August 2014 and I have been meaning to go back ever since. It is really cool. (In both senses of the word--only in the 50s in August!)

closetasfan

Iceland seems like it might fit your style. Others I'd think of are New Zealand, Vladivostok, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea.

So many options, so many.

RustyC

Indonesia is below the equator (mostly), so August in Bali is a lot like January in Bangkok. Northern Australia is also better then, and some of the island destinations like the Cook Islands also are at their best. I wouldn't write off the entire southern hemisphere.

The best trip I ever took was one in a July in Indonesia for about a month that included the Bandas (spice islands) and Irian Jaya, as well as Jakarta and Bali. If there were as much Internet then as we have now I would have talked myself out of it, as well as about half the other trips from the same era.

Mongolia already starts to get chillier in August but would still be generally OK. Though you'd miss Naadam.

greg999

Thanks for all the great ideas.

pinniped

How old was I when I learned I could drive from my house in Kansas to France with just the help of one short ferry?

Today years old.

Now I really want to go (but probably with the help of a flight + rental car).

Gardyloo

Actually two ferries - one to get to Newfoundland and another to get to France.