Author Topic: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip  (Read 7611 times)

grosvenor6

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Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« on: December 15, 2015, 05:55:14 AM »
Next December I am planning on a one month vacation to somewhere but I don't know where I should go to.  I kind of want to hit a few different countries maybe like a week or so in each one.  I was either thinking a trip around some of Europe, around Southeast Asia or around New Zealand and Australia.  Has anyone had any experience on these locations and where you would suggest traveling to.  It looks like I will be able to cover most of the flight costs with my travel reward miles so possibly places that aren't too expensive but still are worth visiting once in my lifetime.

Dee18

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2015, 06:15:19 AM »
I would factor in the weather and hours of daylight, which for me would leave Europe in last place.  I actually like cold weather, but when traveling I like to have more hours of daylight.  December would be summer in New Zealand, allowing for some great hiking if that interests you.  December in SE Asia could also be great as it avoids the rainy season, at least in some parts. 

stlbrah

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2015, 06:29:53 AM »
If you haven't been to SE Asia yet, go there. Travel doesn't get much better than that.

grosvenor6

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2015, 06:45:18 AM »
Yeah SE Asia has always been an interest to me, my SO on the other hand is more interested in areas like Bora Bora and Australia.  On my traveling bucket list I have Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Taiwan.

elaine amj

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2015, 07:37:01 AM »
Depending on what type of reward miles you have, you can hit SE Asia on the way to Australia/New Zealand or vice versa. SE Asia makes stopover :)

One week in SE Asia, then onwards to 2 weeks in Australia. Then 1 week in a different SE Asia country on the way back.

limeandpepper

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2015, 08:11:34 AM »
I typically like to spend a whole month in just one country, but since you want to see Thailand and Vietnam you can easily fit in both as they're close together, you can even go overland from Thailand to Vietnam via Cambodia or Laos, and that could fill up a month nicely, so my vote is for that if you want to see a few countries in one month. Southeast Asia would also be the cheapest option, if that matters. Australia is kind of a big country so you'd want to devote a whole month there unless there are only a few specific things you want to check out? New Zealand is much smaller but even so, again I'd still spend a whole month there to make the most of it.

arebelspy

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #6 on: December 15, 2015, 08:51:51 AM »
There are no bad choices.

Where do you WANT to go?  :)
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FrugalFan

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #7 on: December 15, 2015, 09:03:13 AM »
I typically like to spend a whole month in just one country, but since you want to see Thailand and Vietnam you can easily fit in both as they're close together, you can even go overland from Thailand to Vietnam via Cambodia or Laos, and that could fill up a month nicely, so my vote is for that if you want to see a few countries in one month. Southeast Asia would also be the cheapest option, if that matters. Australia is kind of a big country so you'd want to devote a whole month there unless there are only a few specific things you want to check out? New Zealand is much smaller but even so, again I'd still spend a whole month there to make the most of it.

I agree! All of the countries you named I would be happy to spend one month in. I haven't been to SE Asia, but I loved France, Scotland, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. Those are all large places that you could easily spend a month or more in visiting different cities and the countryside.

2ndTimer

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #8 on: December 15, 2015, 09:09:34 AM »
No advice on where to go but a bit on how to go.  If I were going to another country for a month I would pick one place and settle down there and really try to absorb everything.  We have enjoyed this sort of travel very much.  It does mean that we have to be ready to accept that we really don't like a place as much as we expected to and move on.  We did have to do that a couple of times.

MEER

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #9 on: December 15, 2015, 10:27:56 AM »
I've been to lots of Europe and SE Asia and would recommend pretty much any part, but I have broad interests. I've not been to Australia/New Zealand yet. It really depends on what interests you and what you like to learn and do. What are you most interested in seeing/experiencing/doing?

2ndTimer suggested staying in one place for a month and absorb everything. I think this can depend a lot on the person. When I first started traveling, I wanted to see and learn as much as possible, so I moved quickly (too quickly) and I loved it. Now I do kind of enjoy staying put and absorbing or doing a trek or walking tour. If you enjoy walking or hiking, that's a great option in so many different places.

grosvenor6

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #10 on: December 15, 2015, 10:53:32 AM »
I've been to lots of Europe and SE Asia and would recommend pretty much any part, but I have broad interests. I've not been to Australia/New Zealand yet. It really depends on what interests you and what you like to learn and do. What are you most interested in seeing/experiencing/doing?

2ndTimer suggested staying in one place for a month and absorb everything. I think this can depend a lot on the person. When I first started traveling, I wanted to see and learn as much as possible, so I moved quickly (too quickly) and I loved it. Now I do kind of enjoy staying put and absorbing or doing a trek or walking tour. If you enjoy walking or hiking, that's a great option in so many different places.

I love animals and trying new food and basically anything to do with outside, such as hiking or biking.

FrugalFan

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #11 on: December 15, 2015, 11:02:09 AM »
I've been to lots of Europe and SE Asia and would recommend pretty much any part, but I have broad interests. I've not been to Australia/New Zealand yet. It really depends on what interests you and what you like to learn and do. What are you most interested in seeing/experiencing/doing?

2ndTimer suggested staying in one place for a month and absorb everything. I think this can depend a lot on the person. When I first started traveling, I wanted to see and learn as much as possible, so I moved quickly (too quickly) and I loved it. Now I do kind of enjoy staying put and absorbing or doing a trek or walking tour. If you enjoy walking or hiking, that's a great option in so many different places.

I love animals and trying new food and basically anything to do with outside, such as hiking or biking.

I saw this the other day and it looked like fun if you like hiking and food (but probably not in December):

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/04/t-magazine/travel/tour-du-mont-blanc-cheese-hike.html

norabird

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2015, 11:05:33 AM »
Central America is cheap to fly to and cheap to travel in, if you decide against the places you listed.

Knitwit

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #13 on: December 15, 2015, 11:12:12 AM »
If you love animals and hiking, you would love New Zealand. I was endlessly fascinated by the flora & fauna there. Something like 80% of plants and birds there are endemic (i.e. you won't find it anywhere else in the world).

No matter where you go, +1 to whoever suggested staying in one country the whole time. You could easily spend a month in NZ and feel like you barely scratched the surface. I spent 3.5 weeks there and felt like it was nowhere near enough. I couldn't imagine trying to fit Australia in the same trip.

MEER

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #14 on: December 15, 2015, 11:21:25 AM »
If you love animals, go to Kenya or Tanzania. I've not been to Kenya, but Tanzania was pretty wonderful (although not on your initial list).  You can do a safari (pricey but there are cheaper options). Although I enjoyed it, two days of that was enough for me because it's all sitting. We also did a four-day trek WALKING THROUGH ZEBRAS. How cool is that? There are volcanoes to climb. There's also Mount Kilimanjaro. Food was nothing spectacular, though.

For food and outdoors, walking and hiking tours in Italy, Spain, or France would be great. We've been to all but only a walking tour in Spain, southern Spain to be specific. No walking tours but I have gone hiking in northern Italy in the Dolomites and some walks in southern France. I don't know about in December, though. Those would likely be better in the spring or fall.

Two years ago we did a Scandinavian trip during Christmas, which was fabulous. We spent a few days in Copenhagen to take in the sights, drink their Christmas beers, and visit their Christmas markets. We did a short trip to Sweden to visit people, and then we went to Finland. We spent two wonderful days in Helsinki just enjoying the Christmas spirit and then went far north where we saw the northern lights. We also went snowmobiling and dog sledding and all other sorts of winter wonderland things. This was also a pretty expensive trip. Also, I live somewhere hot, so for me cold and snow are a treat. That may not be the case for you.

I visited a few countries in SE Asia a long time ago and it was in spring. I was in Cambodia last winter. The weather was perfect. Angkor Wat is amazing. You can rent a bike and ride all over it from the town for a few days. There's a lot of history in the country, too, some of it very sad. We rented bikes in Thailand and did something similar a long time ago, visiting lot and lots of ruins. We also rented a motorcycle and went up into the mountains, where we did some hiking.

I'm sorry. I can see that I am not going to be any help because I could just keep going on. But if you narrow it down and have specific questions, I may be able to help.

grosvenor6

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #15 on: December 15, 2015, 11:57:55 AM »
 
If you love animals, go to Kenya or Tanzania. I've not been to Kenya, but Tanzania was pretty wonderful (although not on your initial list).  You can do a safari (pricey but there are cheaper options). Although I enjoyed it, two days of that was enough for me because it's all sitting. We also did a four-day trek WALKING THROUGH ZEBRAS. How cool is that? There are volcanoes to climb. There's also Mount Kilimanjaro. Food was nothing spectacular, though.

For food and outdoors, walking and hiking tours in Italy, Spain, or France would be great. We've been to all but only a walking tour in Spain, southern Spain to be specific. No walking tours but I have gone hiking in northern Italy in the Dolomites and some walks in southern France. I don't know about in December, though. Those would likely be better in the spring or fall.

Two years ago we did a Scandinavian trip during Christmas, which was fabulous. We spent a few days in Copenhagen to take in the sights, drink their Christmas beers, and visit their Christmas markets. We did a short trip to Sweden to visit people, and then we went to Finland. We spent two wonderful days in Helsinki just enjoying the Christmas spirit and then went far north where we saw the northern lights. We also went snowmobiling and dog sledding and all other sorts of winter wonderland things. This was also a pretty expensive trip. Also, I live somewhere hot, so for me cold and snow are a treat. That may not be the case for you.

I visited a few countries in SE Asia a long time ago and it was in spring. I was in Cambodia last winter. The weather was perfect. Angkor Wat is amazing. You can rent a bike and ride all over it from the town for a few days. There's a lot of history in the country, too, some of it very sad. We rented bikes in Thailand and did something similar a long time ago, visiting lot and lots of ruins. We also rented a motorcycle and went up into the mountains, where we did some hiking.

I'm sorry. I can see that I am not going to be any help because I could just keep going on. But if you narrow it down and have specific questions, I may be able to help.
I am interested in visiting some places in Africa, I just never knew what ones were safe.  Tanzania does sound pretty cool, I always wanted to go on a safari, basically anywhere where I can be with animals I am sold in going to.  I went to Florida on a family trip earlier this year and went to this animal reserve where I got to hold and play with a monkey, baby tiger, a wild cat and feed a lion.  That had to be one of the best experiences in my life.  I will be adding Tanzania to my list!

grosvenor6

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #16 on: December 15, 2015, 11:59:44 AM »
If you love animals and hiking, you would love New Zealand. I was endlessly fascinated by the flora & fauna there. Something like 80% of plants and birds there are endemic (i.e. you won't find it anywhere else in the world).

No matter where you go, +1 to whoever suggested staying in one country the whole time. You could easily spend a month in NZ and feel like you barely scratched the surface. I spent 3.5 weeks there and felt like it was nowhere near enough. I couldn't imagine trying to fit Australia in the same trip.
My SO is very interested in visiting New Zealand.  That is probably one of the top choices for us.  I want to travel to as many countries as I can but I want to spend enough time in each one, so if I could spend 2 weeks in a country I feel like I will be happy.

puglogic

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #17 on: December 15, 2015, 12:21:56 PM »
I spent 3 months in New Zealand and it wasn't anything close to enough time.  Beaches on the northern tip of the north island. City life. Time on a farm.  Maori culture.  Long hikes (including the Abel Tasman Track).  Crazy birds like the Kea.  Gorgeous mountains on the south island.  Spent Christmas in a castle converted to an inn.   

I did spend a couple of weeks in Thailand and that was nice, but I was ready to leave.  The heat, tourist crush, poverty, prostitution, pollution, and big damn insects got to me after a while.  Singapore's on my list too.

deborah

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #18 on: December 15, 2015, 01:57:27 PM »
I would recommend either Australia or New Zealand. Both offer a range of animals and birds that you will see nowhere else in the world. Both offer an incredible variety of outdoor activity at that time of the year.

I'm not just saying this because I'm Australian. I have been gobsmacked at how people from overseas see our wildlife, and we have an incredible diversity of scenery as well.

December is a good time for either country - it's not as hot as January, February and March, but it is quite warm. School holidays start very late in December, so, if you avoid the Gold Coast in early December, you should avoid children and the overcrowding of the coast that happens in summer.

SilveradoBojangles

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #19 on: December 15, 2015, 02:14:22 PM »
What is your budget? A month in Europe will be considerable more expensive than a month in SE asia. For example, we spent a month in Europe (Austria, Germany, Italy, and Croatia) and without plane tickets to and from (bought with miles) we easily spent about 5000, and we were on a careful budget. 3 weeks in Vietnam a few years ago cost us <1500 and we weren't trying to budget at all. Of course, the Euro is lower than it's been in a long time compared to the dollar, so that may make it worth it to go now, but it'll be cold and dark (though very christmas-y!). I remember we found NZ to be surprisingly expensive (we rented a camper van for a month) but I can't remember how much we spent total.

Anyways, I'm happy to provide more detailed info on any of these places if you have questions.

JJNL

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #20 on: December 15, 2015, 02:52:46 PM »
+1 on not doing too many countries in one month. New Zealand, Australia and South-Africa are all wonderful (I've just spent 6 weeks in South Africa - there's some pics in my journal if you want to check it out), but they all also have their own summer holidays in December, so it's peak season there. Which means going there in December will be a lot more expensive than going there in say, October. NZ and Australia are on western / American price levels for sure, SA also gets a lot more expensive (especially accommodation and rental cars) in high season than it is in shoulder season / low-season. Cost-wise, I'd say SE Asia is a better pick if you're set on going in December.

Kiwi Mustache

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #21 on: December 15, 2015, 09:08:14 PM »
I travel around NZ (I live in Auckland).

I go new places every few weekends and take my annual leave cycling from town to town or staying with friends in different towns.

No way I would consider saying you have travelled NZ in only one week!

PM me if you want local knowledge details :) Otherwise, join the kiwi mustachian facebook page!

Cornbread OMalley

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #22 on: December 15, 2015, 09:38:19 PM »
Next December I am planning on a one month vacation to somewhere but I don't know where I should go to.  I kind of want to hit a few different countries maybe like a week or so in each one.  I was either thinking a trip around some of Europe, around Southeast Asia or around New Zealand and Australia.  Has anyone had any experience on these locations and where you would suggest traveling to.
I have visited all those places except New Zealand.  SE Asia will easily fill up a month's itinerary, and the region will probably give you the most bang for your buck.

Cornbread OMalley

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #23 on: December 16, 2015, 04:38:40 PM »
I want to add that Australia during December is nice to visit too.  One month down there will give you a lot of time to experience the place.  I rented a four-wheel drive vehicle and spent three weeks driving around and made it as far west as Adelaide, as far north as The Flinders Ranges, as far east as the Victorian Alps, as far south as Promontory National Park, and all sorts of cool stuff in between.  And the Aussies are the friendliest people I have ever talked to.

MrsPete

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #24 on: December 17, 2015, 03:23:42 PM »
Best vacation we've ever taken:  A driving trip of American national parks. 

MrsPete

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #25 on: December 17, 2015, 03:23:51 PM »
Best vacation we've ever taken:  A driving trip of American national parks. 

JoJo

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #26 on: December 17, 2015, 07:06:00 PM »
For December I love latin america.  Go to panama and take a sail boat to Colombia.  Colombia is full of festivals in December. 

ponyespresso

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Re: Travel location ideas for 1 month trip
« Reply #27 on: December 18, 2015, 11:32:59 AM »
If you fly to NZ or Oz you can usually get a free stopover in Tahiti or another South Pacific paradise. I especially liked Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.

Vanuatu & New Caledonia aren't stopovers, but they aren't very far from Brisbane. You can do these places on a tight budget if you do your research (Moon guide & Lonely Planet both have good guides for these places). Fiji has great Indian food (as well as Fijian of course), N.C. & Tahiti have French food (including subsidized baguettes), and Vanuatu has Vanuatu-ese (?) food.  I think Air NZ also has a free stopover option in the Cook Islands, too.

Just writing about these places is making me want to go back...