Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Vacation: where to go?

Simgar988

Simgar988

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jul 22, 2009
1,096
52
UYBAATC
My family is trying to decide where to vacation over winter break (month of december) for a week or two. We live in the middle of the U.S. and want to go out of the country, which would be a first for us (besides Mexico once)

We consist of two parents and two boys and two girls (all four kids in college)

Some of my siblings want to go to Australia, but I'm opposed to this because I feel there are much better places to visit during a once in a lifetime trip.

I'm fighting for somewhere in Europe bc of the historical sites and close proximity of many countries.

Please help us!

thanks.
 
there are many places in Europe, um Italy is wonderful, london is nice (u can if you guys are harry potter fans) go visit the sets where they shot the movies lol. a lot of people go to spain now. I have never been or herd about vacationing in australia but I'm sure it is nice, probably not as historical though. If u want to do a multi country vacation, like every couple days go to a new country that would be cool. the only problem is that if you ant to see a lot you have to say for more than just a couple days and that is expensive. well good luck!
 
Here is where I am headed on July 25th 2012

I guess it depends where you want to go... for me I'd always choose to go home... The Amalfi Coast in Italy

Or I would go back to Santorini in Greece
 
I'd recommend London and then taking the Eurostar to Paris and then (if you're not tired as hell) perhaps Italy or Germany.

I love London. Personally, I'd stay in the London for two weeks. There's so much to do and experience. But if you're looking to get in as much travel as possible, then London is a great jumping off point to the rest of Europe.

Obviously this would work better if you had roughly two weeks. Fly into London and then out of Paris/ Rome/ Berlin/ etc... :p
 
Spin the a globe and take your finger to stop it, if it lands on water spin again! When you hit land, that's where you go.
 
If you want to go to Europe, go to Italy or Spain, they will be warmer in December. If you want historical sites and aren't set on Europe, Israel or Egypt are very interesting, and again they have nice weather in December.
 
If you travel in December, go to Israel. Do not visit central Europe during December, the weather is terrible.
 
It really depends on what you want to do. Do you want to swim, sunbath and just lay down near the sea? Do you want to walk all day and visit sight-seeings?Do you want warm or cold weather? To make myself clear I don't seek answers :) That's what you should probably discuss with your family.
I 'll put down some options that previous posters haven't. Austria (Wien), Prague, Budapest are really nice places to go in December. While I haven't been there they are recommended locations for December Vacations. Very nice food, lot's of things to see and visit and generally very beautiful cities.
An alternate option is Latin America. Argentina (Buenos Aires), Uruguay (Montevideo), or Chile.
Good luck. There are so many nice places to choose from.

p.s. I suppose that budget has no restrictions.
 
I'm surprised that nobody has recommended Asia. I was in Thailand 1.5 years ago in December and I have to say it was one of the best vacations I have had. Great and cheap food and very friendly people.

Of course, you should specify what you are looking for. If you are after museums and other historical stuff, then there are other great places too. Europe isn't warm in December. Some islands of Spain might have ~25°C but other than those, you are looking at non-beach holiday.
 
It really depends what you're looking for, OP.

I can't see the point in travelling all that way to go to Australia. You're swapping one modern colonised English speaking country for another. Sure, some pretty vistas - but if travelling abroad is a rarity for you it just seems like a waste.

Visiting in Europe could be interesting for you. London isn't really at it's best that time of year - mostly cold and rainy. Prague is very pretty (with some nice winter markets too), Paris is a city to experience (although 2 or 3 days is probably enough). Personally I prefer Spain or Greece to Italy (and I think Greece will be experiencing strikes/unrest in a few months time when the regular tourist season finishes).

You could take a look at Turkey. Fantastic architecture in Istanbul, winter skiing in Bursa, impressive geography in Cappadocia, mediterranian seascapes in Bodrum.

If it were me, I'd probably take the opportunity to visit India. Either do the 'Golden Triangle' in Rajasthan - or if you're thinking about more of a beach holiday go somewhere further south like Kerala. In India you're guaranteed a complete change of scenery, completely different culture - but at the same time you won't have a problem speaking English and you'll be impressed by some of the incredible hotels (which aren't particularly expensive). Check out the Taj chain of hotels - very well fitted with great service.
 
I'd highly recommend Paris. I had a ginormous layover there flying back from Ireland (18 friggin' hours) and had a brief chance to go out and see the city. It sucked that I landed at 7pm and wasn't able to see everything there. But, beautiful city, absolutely beautiful, and I'm itching to go back again for a proper vacation there. I think everyone should go to Paris at least once in their lifetime.
 
I really want to travel and visit the world.

The top countries on my list are (mostly in Europe):

Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, England, Russia


Then, my other countries that I really want to go to (Outside of Europe) are:

Argentina, Israel, Egypt, China, Australia, Canada (Vancouver/Newfoundland), Turkey, Australia, Malaysia.


Don't ask me why I want to go to all these places, I just do. You might get some ideas from these, you might not.
 
Go to Italy before it collapses. Well, the buildings, not so much the country. The Culture Ministry has had its budget cut in half in the last few years. They can't maintain anything. Now, some rich dudes are pitching in, but they tend to pick an historic site and donate to it. There are thousands that need $ big time.
 
London and Paris are must-sees. Amsterdam is a really beautiful city as well, and definitely my favorite out of all of the European cities I've been to. The people are just so friendly!
 
December? Don't go to Europe.

I would recommend southeast Asia if you want a once in a life time experience. And I don't see anything wrong with Australia or New Zealand.
 
I've been all over Europe, and honestly I have never stepped foot on one square foot of real estate that I would not want to never visit again. The people are great, the land is beautiful... But. Avoid any country on the Euro. I went to Europe before the Euro and lived like a bloody king, and this was on enlisted Navy pay. The last time... I went broke after one meal.

I'd suggest Egypt, but today that might not be the safest place to go. What about the Azores or the Lesser Antilles or something?
 
fireshot91 said:
I really want to travel and visit the world.

The top countries on my list are (mostly in Europe):

Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, England, Russia


Then, my other countries that I really want to go to (Outside of Europe) are:

Argentina, Israel, Egypt, China, Australia, Canada (Vancouver/Newfoundland), Turkey, Australia, Malaysia.


Don't ask me why I want to go to all these places, I just do. You might get some ideas from these, you might not.
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? You could people from all those countries if you park it next to the 295 between Lorton and Dumfries. :)
 
There are MANY awesome places to visit in Europe but best expect to pay plenty for the privilege. The one trouble is that most of Europe is wholly better in the summer rather than winter. Australia on the other hand will be scorching hot in December because that is their summer.

Thailand however should be fantastic in December. You can travel to Laos and Cambodia as well, which are also very interesting. If I were going on vacation in December that is exactly where I'd go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back