Favorite Travel Spots

[monkeymd2b]

So now that I am officially done with my third year of med school, it's time to seriously start planning my vacation. If i had it my way, I would still be sleeping but my body doesn't yet understand the concept of sleeping in. Anyway, I have NEVER left this stinking country so I'm having a hard time deciding where to go. The trip will be in April next year so if there's any special stuff that happens in april, that would make the trip even better. Any suggestions?

[The Great Carouser]

Warm weather or cold? Interests (scuba,skiing,art, architecture,food, wine, etc)? Please fill out the questionnaire and we'll go into your answer in more depth!

[monkeymd2b]

In terms of weather, I like it cool - not too cold but not really hot. In other words, I don't want it to be snowing and I don't want to feel so hot such that my brain feels like it's boiling in its own juices. I probably don't want to be skiing because I can just pay my friends to push me down on the ground for a fraction of the price (I grew up in hawaii and haven't mastered surfing either). I love food and looking at old style buildings. I think I'm a history person since I like visiting historical sites and learning stuff like that. I'm also still a kid though since wine doesn't interest me just yet...afterall, my interest in denmark is the legoland amusement park. I don't know if I want to hike about on my trip but if it's one of those "must see" type physical activities, then I'll do it because I hate to miss out. For example,. I went on a canoe in the swamps here in louisiana because apparently seeing an alligator up close is a must. Sure, I was afraid to move in the little boat for fear of tipping over and being mauled by the alligators swimming around us and sure, I kept mistaking logs for alligators but I did it and I'm happy I did. Maybe next time I'll keep my oar in the water and help paddle a little more.

I'm really open to most things because I'm afraid to set too many limits on these suggestions. I need to learn to expand my horizons. hope that helps...somewhat.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

We have a Legoland in Sandy Eggo. Go figure. And a zoo, a couple of Spanish ruins, lots of freeways.

You could go see a travel agent, tell her your climate preferences and interests, set a budget, and see what suggestions she has. I think they have packages that include a Euro rail pass and a list of hostels and hiking trails. You could get in a lot of history that way. Probably more fun in a group than as a onesie.

[barfle]

If you're looking to leave the country, Mexico is probably the cheapest to get to from N'Awlins. The border towns are pretty much as you would expect - somewhat chaotic, lots of strip joints, a few good places if you can take the time to figure them out - sort of like Bourbon Street.

But there are a number of quite nice resorts. I'd check with a travel agent to see what might be decently cool during the summer. They do have mountains that get quite cool.

But Canada isn't all that far away, either, and if you're looking for cool I'd pick Vancouver Island or something along the Atlantic coast.

Domestically, one of the fun things I've done is taken the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNGRR). It is a fairly small train that, as you might suspect, goes from Durango to Silverton in Colorado. It goes through a remarkable variety of landscapes, from plains to a mountain valley that needs to be seen to be believed. It's a nice combination of nature and machine. The round trip takes a day, but I've also heard taking one leg on the bus is quite a trip as well.

Arizona and Utah have incredible National Parks, any one of which is worth three to seven days, depending on how much you like to hike or commune with nature.

[piqaboo]

First trip OUS- do you speak any other languages?

English speaking destinations:
Coastal British Columbia is wonderful. Vancouver Island, Victoria etc.

England is easy, and quite cool in April.
I've traveled over much of southern England by just showing up at a train station, reading the schedule and getting the train I wanted - never had to wait more than an hour for that train to arrive. Or just hanging about London, taking the buses and tube, with train day excursions to various sites. And if you get bit by an adventure bug, you could take the chunnel train and get to France as well.

New Zealand is wonderful. The only downside - it costs a lot in both time and money to get there.

April in the Bahamas or Bermuda is likely to be getting warm but not scorching. Do you like to snorkel?

Mexican resorts - by April can be HOT or comfy, depending on where in Mexico, as noted by barfle.