The Places You Could Travel To

[HexMachina]

1 hour ago, S John said:

You should.  The British Museum and the V&A are great and you could only scratch the surface on a single visit.  My wife and I both love museums but feel like our brains are full after a few hours and everything starts to bounce off after that.  The British Museum is so extensive that I would plan ahead which area you want to check out and just try to tackle that section.  The section on Egypt was the only part I found a little overwhelming due to the number of people in there.  I lost my wife for like 30 minutes. 

I find myself visiting the museums more than anything else when i go to London now. Had a very memorable and enjoyable day with my friend and his little girl going around the Natural History Museum. Absolutely gorgeous building, loads of interesting stuff and great for kids because of how interactive it is. I love the V&A though, absolutely wonderful.

Agreed on the British Museum, you can spend so long there.

in terms of UK places I want to visit - return to Cornwall (I would love to go back to the village I went to last time actually - shoutout to @Theda Baratheon because as i recall its very close to where she is from), Oxford, the Scottish Highlands...so many olaces.

1 hour ago, Jaxom 1974 said:

Oh. Also this. But mainly because I've heard the food scene in Reykjavik I'd supposed to be outstanding.  

Actually, the food scene is my primary reason for wanting to travel to particular places, now that I think about it.  Try new things. 

For me its the physical features because i was a geography nerd in school  

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I had plans, tentatively, to go with some family to Egypt. We were going to do a long cruise down the Nile, ending in Cairo. The trip was largely so my mom could check off a bucket list item, so hopefully we can revisit that in the years to come. 

Personally I had planned to backpack from Athens to Rome. I've got $5,000 earmarked for such a trip, but I think I may be able to do it for a lot cheaper next summer, all things considered. A little treat for myself for going back to school, if you were. And with that, I need to finish a mission in my game then back to the books! 

 

[S John]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

I had plans, tentatively, to go with some family to Egypt. We were going to do a long cruise down the Nile, ending in Cairo. The trip was largely so my mom could check off a bucket list item, so hopefully we can revisit that in the years to come. 

Personally I had planned to backpack from Athens to Rome. I've got $5,000 earmarked for such a trip, but I think I may be able to do it for a lot cheaper next summer, all things considered. A little treat for myself for going back to school, if you were. And with that, I need to finish a mission in my game then back to the books! 

 

Egypt is pretty cool, but you really need a plan or a guide or something.  Cairo is fucking bananas.  

I had planned to just land there, rent a car, and wing it.  I don’t even remember why, but at the last minute I changed my mind and arranged for a driver to get me at the airport and for a tour guide to come to my hotel the next day and shepherd me around at the Egyptian museum / pyramids / Sphinx.  
 

No joke, that was possibly one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life.  I consider myself a pretty savvy individual but there is NO CHANCE, absolutely zero, that I could have managed to get to my hotel in central Cairo from the airport driving myself.  This was 10 years ago and I might still be over there wandering around, stuck in traffic, getting fleeced by the cops, etc.  

[Paxter]

On 4/13/2020 at 2:32 PM, BigFatCoward said:

It always blows my mind that people actually want to visit london (or any major metropolis for that matter). 

I have a 2 year old so the only holidays that matter to me are ones where family come along and help. Before children I used to manage 3 holidays a year (skiing in march, big one in spring, and a week in Greek or Spanish islands in September). I miss freedom. 

Where are everyone's anti bucket list spots? New York and Las Vegas are mine. 

Dubrovnik is on my anti-bucket list for now. Looks to have gone the way of Venice in terms of over-tourism. 

But I'm keen on Vegas!

My biggest gaps are Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Japan, Vietnam, Kenya and South Africa are all high on the list. Watching test match cricket in Cape Town has been a near lifelong dream. I also need to see way more of the American South (only done New Orleans so far). And I've never been to Central America at all. 

On 4/13/2020 at 12:09 PM, williamjm said:

Recent events have made me think that I should travel more when I do have the chance, particularly for European cities which should be relatively easy for me to get to in normal times. Rome, Barcelona and Dubrovnik are some examples I'd particularly like to visit.

Further afield I've always wanted to see the Pyramids, and I'd like to visit New Zealand some day.

I was weirdly let down by the Pyramids. The Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel and Temple of Hatshepsut are all cooler in person - just way more interactive I guess.

[BigFatCoward]

9 minutes ago, Paxter said:

Dubrovnik is on my anti-bucket list for now. Looks to have gone the way of Venice in terms of over-tourism. 

But I'm keen on Vegas!

My biggest gaps are Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Japan, Vietnam, Kenya and South Africa are all high on the list. 

Booo to Vegas. 

I've spent quite a bit of time in kenya (sister lived there). Its an amazing place. The beaches are phenomenal, climbed mount kenya which was rewarding but very difficult, brother in law has also dont kilimanjaro and said mount kenya is much harder. Safari was amazing but any more than 3 days would be exhausting. Nairobi is a shithole though. 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

32 minutes ago, S John said:

Egypt is pretty cool, but you really need a plan or a guide or something.  Cairo is fucking bananas.  

I had planned to just land there, rent a car, and wing it.  I don’t even remember why, but at the last minute I changed my mind and arranged for a driver to get me at the airport and for a tour guide to come to my hotel the next day and shepherd me around at the Egyptian museum / pyramids / Sphinx.  
 

No joke, that was possibly one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life.  I consider myself a pretty savvy individual but there is NO CHANCE, absolutely zero, that I could have managed to get to my hotel in central Cairo from the airport driving myself.  This was 10 years ago and I might still be over there wandering around, stuck in traffic, getting fleeced by the cops, etc.  

Um yeah, these things won't be an issue. She wants to rent a small boat for like eight to ten people and have a few guides to do various things. She just got back from island hoping in the Caribbean for a few weeks, so they should be fine.

I'm the reckless one who might go out and try his own adventure. 

[Buckwheat]

28 minutes ago, Paxter said:

Dubrovnik is on my anti-bucket list for now. Looks to have gone the way of Venice in terms of over-tourism. 

I was there before the whole GOT thing made it popular. It is very pretty. I know it is terrible to go there in summer now, they limit the number of people who are even allowed to enter the old city at the same time ... but maybe look into spring/autumn time? I would guess it isn't that bad when off-peak season. It was extremely hot there in the middle of summer anyway, so even the climate would be kinder at other times.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

31 minutes ago, Paxter said:

Dubrovnik is on my anti-bucket list for now. Looks to have gone the way of Venice in terms of over-tourism. 

But I'm keen on Vegas!

My biggest gaps are Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Japan, Vietnam, Kenya and South Africa are all high on the list. Watching test match cricket in Cape Town has been a near lifelong dream. I also need to see way more of the American South (only done New Orleans so far). And I've never been to Central America at all. 

I was weirdly let down by the Pyramids. The Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel and Temple of Hatshepsut are all cooler in person - just way more interactive I guess.

I've been to Vegas.  It was... not pleasant.

[williamjm]

1 hour ago, Paxter said:

I was weirdly let down by the Pyramids. The Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel and Temple of Hatshepsut are all cooler in person - just way more interactive I guess.

I wouldn't be too surprised if I did end up liking some of the other historic sites around there more than the Pyramids themselves but I'd still want to see them.

I felt something similar with visiting Stonehenge, it was still impressive but having to view it from a distance meant it perhaps wasn't as good an experience as some of the other big stone circles around Britain.

[HexMachina]

2 hours ago, Paxter said:

Dubrovnik is on my anti-bucket list for now. Looks to have gone the way of Venice in terms of over-tourism. 

But I'm keen on Vegas!

My biggest gaps are Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Japan, Vietnam, Kenya and South Africa are all high on the list. Watching test match cricket in Cape Town has been a near lifelong dream. I also need to see way more of the American South (only done New Orleans so far). And I've never been to Central America at all. 

I was weirdly let down by the Pyramids. The Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel and Temple of Hatshepsut are all cooler in person - just way more interactive I guess.

You are put off by over-tourism but keen on Vegas?  Just curious, what draws you to Vegas (in spite of the heavy tourism)?

[S John]

3 hours ago, Paxter said:

Dubrovnik is on my anti-bucket list for now. Looks to have gone the way of Venice in terms of over-tourism. 

But I'm keen on Vegas!

My biggest gaps are Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Japan, Vietnam, Kenya and South Africa are all high on the list. Watching test match cricket in Cape Town has been a near lifelong dream. I also need to see way more of the American South (only done New Orleans so far). And I've never been to Central America at all. 

I was weirdly let down by the Pyramids. The Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel and Temple of Hatshepsut are all cooler in person - just way more interactive I guess.

I thought the Sphinx was really cool in person and worth seeing.  Pyramids were neat but you don’t need a ton of time there.

re: Vegas.  To play the role of anti-Scot for a moment - I can see how it’s not for everybody, but I love it and so does my wife.  Both of us felt ourselves the kind of people who wouldn't like it until we went there.  You don’t need a bigger dose of it than one to three days (max!) per trip but it’s a blast in small bites.  I also wouldn’t come to the US just to go to Vegas, but if you can work it into a trip here I do think it’s a worthwhile stop.  To me it’s America at maximum volume and while not exactly representative of the overall culture I think it’s an interesting angle on US culture.

I barely gamble but the overall vibe of the place is fun to me.  Feels like there’s a base level of excitement in the atmosphere that’s higher than pretty much any other single spot on the planet.  The restaurants are great, the drinks are great, the service everywhere is great, the casinos themselves are often just pretty cool buildings, and the people watching is top notch.  I can easily spend a couple of hours just walking around in the different casinos and observing everything.  If you already think you’ll like Vegas, you probably will. And IMO a not insignificant number of those who don’t think they’d like it would end up liking it, though not everyone of course.

[S John]

5 minutes ago, HelenaExMachina said:

You are put off by over-tourism but keen on Vegas?  Just curious, what draws you to Vegas (in spite of the heavy tourism)?

I’m sure Pax has his own take, but my .02 is that going to Vegas and complaining that it’s touristy is like going on a cruise or going to Disney World and complaining that the experience was too touristy.  In other words, of course it is touristy - that is the entire point of Vegas!  

For me tourist saturation is an acceptable condition when I know that’s what I’m going to get.  It’s only an issue when it fundamentally alters the experience like it might when visiting an old city-center or an outdoor venue.  Venice being overrun is something that might be exhausting and even a little sad, Vegas being overrun is kind of what it’s supposed to be like.

[HexMachina]

6 minutes ago, S John said:

I’m sure Pax has his own take, but my .02 is that going to Vegas and complaining that it’s touristy is like going on a cruise or going to Disney World and complaining that the experience was too touristy.  In other words, of course it is touristy - that is the entire point of Vegas!  

For me tourist saturation is an acceptable condition when I know that’s what I’m going to get.  It’s only an issue when it fundamentally alters the experience like it might when visiting an old city-center or an outdoor venue.  Venice being overrun is something that might be exhausting and even a little sad, Vegas being overrun is kind of what it’s supposed to be like.

That makes sense actually, thanks. I suppose it comes down to expectations and what you want from a trip. Vegas sounds pretty awful for me - when you consider that i find the crowds in London bothersome and uncomfortable well i don’t hold out much hope for Vegas. 

I do think the buildings would be nice to look at and wander around though. If only there werent so many damn people  

[Starkess]

20 minutes ago, S John said:

I barely gamble but the overall vibe of the place is fun to me.  Feels like there’s a base level of excitement in the atmosphere that’s higher than pretty much any other single spot on the planet.  The restaurants are great, the drinks are great, the service everywhere is great, the casinos themselves are often just pretty cool buildings, and the people watching is top notch.  I can easily spend a couple of hours just walking around in the different casinos and observing everything.  If you already think you’ll like Vegas, you probably will. And IMO a not insignificant number of those who don’t think they’d like it would end up liking it, though not everyone of course.

This is exactly how I feel about Vegas. I don't gamble and not really into clubbing anymore, but it's still just so energetic and fun. But yeah, short trips!

[Jaxom 1974]

I find Vegas to be too much sensory overload.  I've enjoyed my couple short trips (one business, one pleasure), but there was too much. Hard to choose what to decide to do.  I also think it's a bit over priced for what it is...

[williamjm]

1 hour ago, HelenaExMachina said:

That makes sense actually, thanks. I suppose it comes down to expectations and what you want from a trip. Vegas sounds pretty awful for me - when you consider that i find the crowds in London bothersome and uncomfortable well i don’t hold out much hope for Vegas. 

I do think the buildings would be nice to look at and wander around though. If only there werent so many damn people  

I went to Vegas a few years ago for work and I'd say that while there were a lot of people there I'd probably say it felt less crowded than the big tourist spots in London - possibly because it's built on a scale that is designed for large crowds. I wasn't expecting much in advance but I liked it more than I expected, wandering around all the crazy buildings is fun for a couple of days. That said, I think my favourite part of the trip was going to the Valley of Fire which is about an hour from the city out in the desert, which was a completely different landscape to anything we see in Europe and I liked the contrast of it not being crowded.

I think there are a lot of places I'd rather choose to go for a holiday than Vegas (out of American cities I've visited I'd rather go back to New Orleans), but it's not somewhere I'd avoid either.

[Paxter]

Haha I’m too much of a party boy to not enjoy Vegas. My boyfriend raves about it and I like the idea of crazy big hotel rooms (without breaking the budget), night clubbing and shows/musicals. 

Don’t get me wrong though...there are places I want to go before Vegas. It’s just a relatively easy one to knock off while I’m living in North America.

[S John]

1 hour ago, Paxter said:

Haha I’m too much of a party boy to not enjoy Vegas. My boyfriend raves about it and I like the idea of crazy big hotel rooms (without breaking the budget), night clubbing and shows/musicals. 

Don’t get me wrong though...there are places I want to go before Vegas. It’s just a relatively easy one to knock off while I’m living in North America.

Nice man, didn’t know you were living over here now.  

[Paxter]

11 hours ago, S John said:

Nice man, didn’t know you were living over here now.  

When (if?) normality resumes...come hit me up in Toronto! (Though I can't recall anyone in this thread putting Ontario on their bucket list haha).

I do think it's interesting that some people's idea of "too touristy" is cities with too much sensory overload (NYC/London/Vegas), whereas for me it's cities with too many people (especially cruise passengers) for the given size of the place (Venice/Dubrovnik/Prague come to mind). 

[williamjm]

18 hours ago, Paxter said:

Haha I’m too much of a party boy to not enjoy Vegas. My boyfriend raves about it and I like the idea of crazy big hotel rooms (without breaking the budget), night clubbing and shows/musicals.

I remember wondering whether my hotel room (which was the smallest size they had in the hotel) was bigger than my flat. I don't think it was quite that large but it wasn't far off.