Where in the World?
My aunt has one of the greatest jobs in the world. She is an accountant for Delta, and while I understand that accounting can be less than exhilerating, her job comes with the perk of flying anywhere in the world Delta flies for free. Consequently, she and her family have pretty much been anywhere in the world that Delta flies for free. I love visiting their house because it is full of treasures from their travels. Little pieces of street art from Rome, carved wooden figures from an Indian tribe somewhere in South America, beads from some exotic island in the South Pacific. Being in their home in Atlanta makes you feel like you could be anywhere else in the world.
One of the perks of being related to this globe-trotting family is that occasionally we get Friends and Family tickets. And this year, they gave me and Chris two tickets to anywhere we want to go for our graduation gifts. Originally, we said we would go to Rome. Hands down, no discussion – Rome all the way. Neither of us have ever been, and its just one of those historical places you should see if you get the chance.
But last weekend, after the whole you-never-want-to-do-anything-fun debacle, Chris and I started really brainstorming about where in the world we could go. Rome I’m sure is fantastic but there is a pretty good chance we could get there at some point. What if we used these tickets to truly take a once in a lifetime trip. We started by looking at the Fiji Islands, but Delta doesn’t fly there. But even considering somewhere like Fiji sent us off like kids in a candy store. There were endless possibilities!
Last night, I talked to my Aunt and Uncle about our struggle to find somewhere to visit and my Uncle gave us his top 10 list of places they had been. It was an amazing list, and after every place he described I said, “Oh, that’s where we need to go!” I got off the phone and immediately relayed the list to Chris. From there we narrowed it down to our top 4 choices (in today’s order of preference):
1. Machu Picchu, Peru – is an Incan village nestled in the mountainous jungles of Peru and is supposed to be one of the greatest places on earth to see the sunrise. Apparently you fly into Lima, Peru, then take a puddle jumper plane to Cusco, and then take a train up the mountain to Machu Picchu.
2. Barcelona, Spain – We would fly into Barcelona, then rent a car and drive down the coast. For this trip, we would only need a road map, which is just our kind of vacation. Also, from Barcelona we could take a day trip to Moracco, a place I have always wanted to go.
3. Paris, France – Though I have been to Paris before, I think it might be worth going again with Chris. Nothing says romantic getaway like the Eiffel Tower and a Parisian cafe.
4. Hawaii – Originally this was our back up plan since Fiji was out, but the more we think about it the further down the list this goes. If we decide we want to go somewhere strictly for the beach, the Hawaii could move up the list a bit. But today at least, we are looking for something with a little more va-va-voom. Of course, that could all change depending on what mood we’re in tomorrow!
5. Nice, France – This sleepy seaside town on the French Riviera has a little bit of everything. Sunshine, beaches, cafes, seafood, markets. It could be a nice place to spend a week together. And a quick day trip up to Monte Carlo would be a definite. But something about it just doesn’t scream “ONCE IN A LIFETIME!!!” to us. But, again, tomorrow this might be the only city we can imagine visiting!
So there you have it. Our top 5 places to visit. We put them on our chalkboard in the kitchen and are going to just knock them off the list as we narrow our preferences down (Athens, Greece came off the list last night…).
This brings me to my question today:
Where in the world would you escape to?
8 Comments
Emily
Why does Machu Picchu sound so familiar? Was Survivor there one year? Anyways, I would like to go to Indonesia…. Have you read the book Eat, Love, Pray? …or is it Eat, Pray, Love? Either way, she travels to Indonesia (can’t remember which city) and it sounds amazing.
Ginny
When Michelle and I were planning our vacation last year we narrowed it down to Machu Picchu and Nice. We ended up going to Nice and to was AMAZING!!! The perfect combination of relaxing and fun – Monacco is there as well as a short train to Italy and Cannes.
But, in my next trip, I want to go to Machu Picchu. So, those are my suggestions.
Thomas
I’ve been to all the places listed and would recommend Barcelona over all of them, especially Machu Picchu, for a honeymoon. Since you listed it 2nd, I imagine you’re already pretty excited about it and it’s a safer bet than Machu Picchu. In a country like Peru there’s a greater likelihood of something going wrong. (e.g., getting robbed, getting lost, getting sick.) Feel free to disregard this advice if you simply want that kind of adventure, but I don’t think you can go wrong with Spain, which is beautiful.
SusanL
My aunt is retired and has been traveling – a lot – in recent years. Last year she went to Greece & Turkey, Israel & Egypt (trip of a lifetime) and she spent part of one day in Rome – on a BUS! They didn’t get off the bus for anything because they had to catch their ship for Greece. Early this year, she went to Croatia (2 whole weeks) and even though she Loved Egypt and Israel, Croatia has been her favorite. The people were wonderful and the place is simply beautiful. She thinks the coast of Croatia was better than when she was in the Aegean.
Personally, i’ve always wanted to visit Egypt and Eastern Europe – Bucharest, Bucharest, Prague. Now I’ve added Split and Dubrovnik to the list, among others.
Do any of the places on the list call to your soul? Or do they just sound like places you would like to visit? Maybe you could pick the one place that sounds like the Last Place you would have thought of going if you were planning a trip with no outside influence – financial or otherwise.
Just my .02, which with today’s economy, is probably worth .
Sarah
Stumbled across your site and feel compelled to comment. I’d suggest going to Peru, it’s beautiful, historic and adventurous … but that’s just my two cents. Also, Travelzoo.com has a lot of awesome travel deals for popular places (UK, France, Mexico, Hawaii, etc.). You may want to check that out because if you can get cheap airfare for France (very likely considering you’re in the right part of the country to get cheap flights to Europe), why spend your free ticket on that? Good luck with your list! 🙂
Sarah
I love travel and have been thinking about your post since I commented (actually, I think about travel all the time). Haha! I think you’d probably love this blog that I read (http://myheezyfasheezy.blogspot.com/). Heather is from NC and is living in London temporarily. She’s taken some AMAZING trips all over Europe/Asia while she’s lived in England — definitely worth checking out her archives of her travels. She’s funny, provides enough detail and photos about her travels to suck you in, and has a wonderful perspective on life … ok, I’ll stop bugging you with my travel related suggestions. 🙂
Dad
New Zealand has always been my secret Shangrala(sp. as in South Pacific).
Dad
Naomi
I was asked this question last night, and without hesitation – The Grand Canyon.